roath

Even though it is only valid in the province in which it was issued, I use it all over Thailand for checking into hotel.
 
Only been refused once.....by Air Asia, on a domestic flight, despite the fact I was boarding a flight in my home province. They demanded to see my passport.

Just now, jmurch said:

It's worth much more than the plastic it's printed on. I used it at the Bangkok Rayong hospital instead of my passport. I'd already gotten the price of a MRI for my back for 16,000 baht but because I had the pink card they only charged me just over 13,000 including medicine.

So, an excellent return for a 60 baht investment then!

20 minutes ago, StevieAus said:

I have a pink ID card which I have found has some limited uses.

As my driving licence expires in about a month I checked with the local office as to the current requirements here in Chiang Mai Province.

Although the card was issued by the District Office in the same town they will not accept it as proof of residence and require me to obtain a certificate from Immigration.

So if you think you can use it to get the 30 baht medical treatment.

Good Luck !

If you have a Pink ID card, you will have a yellow book, which is definitely accepted in lieu of a Residence Certificate in all but a few cases. The Pink ID card on its own will not exempt you from getting a RC and DLT may not understand that you have a yellow book as the Pink ID card is typically issued to Burmese/Laos/Cambodian migrant workers without a yellow book

23 hours ago, jackdd said:

That's wrong

Might help, or maybe not, depends on the branch, definitely not makes it easy, the only document making it easy is a work permit

I don't see how a pink id card would help here

 

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1042093-pink-id-card-benefits/

 

A yellow book definitely helps with getting a bank account. 

3 hours ago, Emster23 said:

When I picked up my passport with 1 yr retirement extension, I asked if having that laminate photo card of pp and visa is okay. She said yes, FWIW (not much....)

Oh, and you need your passport for mailing packages at post office, or at least I have...

The standard default option for Thais when dealing with farang and.asking foe ID is to ask for a passport. Invariably, they just require photo ID. DL is perfectly fine for post office as ID

2 hours ago, balo said:

How difficult is it to bring a laminated copy with you instead? It will cost you 50 baht in the nearest copy shops. A copy of picture page and latest stamp page is enough. 

 

The only time I carry a passport with me is when I visit immigration or go on a flight ! 

 

Only need passport for international flight

The requirement is for the one year extension, not the original visa. If you are going for the yearly extension, then you will have been in Thailand for a year. Makes perfect sense.

1 minute ago, NanLaew said:

In a similar way that the current income letter attests to evidence of adequate qualifying income over the 12 months prior to extension renewal, I  would assume the new 65k/month income banked locally would need to have been happening every month for the previous 12 months?

 

I know Bangkok Bank will issue a 1-year statement on request, comes from 'head office' for a nominal fee. AFAIK, their online, downloadable account history is only good for the last 6 months.

 

This may create issues for some who have either been using the annual proof of overseas income letter method and accordingly have not been bringing in the required amount over the previous 12 months? It's probably been talked to death in previous posts that it's just not that easy to open a bank account as a retiree here and some may have managed to cope without such an encumbrance and are either bringing in undeclared cash or using ATM's and pulling money from overseas.

 

I suppose those who are retired and married may forego any sort of extension renewal and option to get the Non-O multi at Savanakhet based on marriage without proof of funds for as long as that option lasts.

At the moment, there are only assumptions

Nobody actually seems to know what is going on and the reason for the changes and how they will affect expats in general

it would have been more helpful for the British Embassy to clarify the reason behind the refusals (perhaps they can't for diplomatic reasons) and regardless to have actually clarified the new requirements from Immigration rather than post what is (according to current interpretation of the regulations) guidance that is actually incorrect (and incomplete)

1 minute ago, New beginnings said:

I am due to renew my retirement extension in 10 days but have always used the combination method as reluctant to deposit full 800k in local Thai bank. Embassy letter implies now need minimum 800k and combination no longer available. Is this correct as whilst could transfer funds to cover shortfall today this will not allow seasoning for required 3 months.

There is nothing to suggest that the combination will no longer be accepted

The issue appears to be what immigration will accept as proof of income

2 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

We don't know if this is a blanket refusal to refuse confirmation from all embassies or just the GB embassy, the German embassy has confirmed that they have received my Email regarding this matter but haven't replied yet, indeed we don't know if this is a British decision or a Thai one, the UK website statement is a little ambiguous. 

There are threads on Facebook groups about other Embassies following suit, so this would appear to reflect a change in policy

If that isn't the case and this is limited to the UK, then obviously that raises other questions

6 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Thai immigration have not made any changes, the British embassy has made the changes. Thai immigration still accept income letters, its just that UK embassy doesn't issue them anymore.

UK embassy is not longer putting their name (they sign the letter not you) to income claims, unlike other countries where the the person who writes the letter signs it.

That doesn't appear to be correct, as other Embassies are following suit

You say that Immigration will still accept income letters, but from whom? Until now, the only form of income letter acceptable to immigration was from your home country's embassy

If you mention Thai banks, as per many posts on this thread, until now, income has meant exactly that. Actual income from any country and any source. If the requirement is now that income means income into a Thai bank, then that is respectfully a significant change in the definition/interpretation of income by immigration and the whole point of people requiring clarification

6 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

My German bank has done away with bank statements due to internet banking but I suppose I could pull a monthly account from the screen. Asking for a monthly statement to be sent to me would cost.

If your bank doesn't provide you with PDF monthly statements for download, you should be able to do a screen print (or a real print) or save to PDF 

Just now, Pattaya46 said:

Don't know where you saw that ??

It has never been a requirement from Immigration that the 800k for Retirement must come from abroad.

Many retired people have revenues from Thailand: apartments for rent, stock exchange, funds, …

Interesting as the presumption is that the funds for income will come from outside Thailand 

If the funds are coming from within Thailand, then they may be asking additional questions such as where the funds are from (i.e. to prove that not working) and if e.g. rental property whether you are declaring/paying tax on those funds. So perhaps that is part of their purpose...?

6 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

aye, there's the rub, with Transferwise you can't prove that the income has come from outside Thailand, or am I wrong ?

TransferWise provide you with a FX receipt which together from your bank statements in UK and Thailand should (technically) be sufficient proof

3 minutes ago, Esso49 said:

Exactly my point to.  The Thai immigration requirement is that they need a certified letter from your embassy as proof of income.  As we know immigration have previously accepted letters from the BE even though no checks to validate the authenticity of what had been provided to them.  The same as they did for your police record.  Given the apparent large number of people who flout Thai laws using visa agents or provide faked documents to receive a letter from their Embassy etc perhaps the Thai authorities have now decided to address the issue.  About time too by my book.  As you have PR then I am sure you have become more than most aware of the scams and cheating that has been going on in the last 30 years

Given that then perhaps the Thai authorities have perhaps nabbed one or two dubious "retirees" here and asked for further information on their income and an IO has requested further documentary evidence ( which they are entitled to do ) and hence suspect, or otherwise found out that the BE and other Embassies have not been undertaking due process. 

We do not really know the answer to this but if it stops dubious visa agencies, some of whom are no doubt run by dubious people, stops possible thousands of others who  should have not been allowed to stay, then that is a good thing.  Nothing wrong in following the rule of law.  Yes we know we are in a country where sometimes things are not as it seems but two wrongs never make a right. IMHO.  And by the way it is not just a Farang thing either so people should not get too hung up on that matter.

If they are looking to get rid of dodgy agents, then cracking down on income verification is going to push more people into agencies to sort out their visas, not fewer

someone just posted (unwisely in my view) that they went to immigration with a letter from their agents showing 800K issued that day which is clearly abusing the system 

if people are abusing the income verification system, it isn't difficult for immigration to require the appropriate documentation to verify the funds/source of funds and prosecute people who provide false information (it's fraud/perjury so a serious offence)

1 minute ago, swifty5x5 said:

I just went to get my new visa and for a fee the agent put the money in my account went to immigration did our thing and took the money back out. No problem

The money is meant to be in your account for 3 months according to the rules, so if there is a crackdown, that is likely to be on their radar unless the intention is to push more people towards that approach (i.e. paying agents, who in turn 'facilitate' the visa) although saying that, that would be against the grain of current campaign against corruption in immigration and the statements made by Prayuth last week

Just now, crazykopite said:

I doubt it vet much as they would most probably say this letter is from 2018 it’s now 2019 .i can see a lot of people no longer being able to get the 1 year extension of stay for retirement after 13 years living in the Kingdom I am now seriously considering moving on to a country that is more welcoming and where they are happy to see me spending my money .

Several countries are apparently issuing similar guidance, so this issue is not limited to the British Embassy being awkward or cost-cutting (which was the initial reaction)

3 minutes ago, imaderbyfan said:

I believe that I am correct in saying that current Thai immigration regs, in relation to the retirement extension, give an option of a monthly income of at least 65,000 baht, which until now has been verified by the Embassy.....there is no mention of the money being in a Thai account......That has come from the embassy.

So either they are aware of a policy change to immigration regs, or they have made a,  currently, incorrect statement.

Correct

The current requirement (as promulgated) is simply for income of 65K. No mention (to date) of a requirement for funds being transferred to Thailand (which isn't then proof of income, but something else entirely)

All the people calling everyone else stupid don't seem to appreciate that they are the ones showing themselves up as lacking some basic comprehension skills

2 minutes ago, 8OA8 said:

Has anyone used the B800k seasoned funds that were transferred in via Transferwise? 

Previously I used funds transferred in from my bank in UK, however for some time now I've just used the embassy letter and have been happily using Transferwise for receiving my overseas funds as and when required, however I'm aware this could be considered a Hawala arrangement for which the funds aren't coming from outside Thailand. Basically I'm curious to know if Thai Immigration have a record of having accepted documentation of this source of seasoned funds 

Are you aware that TransferWise is transferring funds from within Thailand and not externally? I don't know so I am asking if you have better information. I understood that their system just worked through the FX in the same way as any bank to bank transaction

1 minute ago, Runamile said:

If our embassies couldn't or wouldn't properly check any more I question the ability or willingness of the Thai authorities to do so.  Will they informally introduce a rule of 65K a month so long as it comes into the Thai bank account in an easy to check one or two monthly payments, and preferably with the word "Pension" attached to the details? I find the income issue not, in theory, a great concern. In reality I find the will anybody be bothered to check in difficult detail issue a huge concern.

The requirements are for income (which includes a pension). I don't get a pension for another 15 years 

2 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

How do you prove that using an ATM ? My state pension provider in Germany would transfer money to Thailand but my company pension provider would only transfer money to a German bank. When I asked some time ago if my German bank could automatically transfer my income to a Thai bank each month they seemed reluctant ''We wouldn't advise this method''. Transferwise would be an option but I would have to make a transaction every month.

Your bank account in Thailand should show funds of 65K being transferred in. Presumably, if the amount varies, they will average over 12 months (but really, this needs to be clarified as many, including myself, transfer funds at a different rate every month depending on requirements so some months will be more and some less)

the bank book should show the payments into your account and presumably (again, presuming as don't know yet) the bank can provide a letter confirming

many people (including myself) use a facility called transferwise (or something similar) which is a cheaper way of transferring funds and done from a local bank to their banking facility and then they transfer direct to your local account). Apart from cheaper fees and a better FX rate, they also provide you with a PDF of your transaction which should make things easier to keep tabs on and you don't need to deal with your local bank at all