sumrit

16 minutes ago, mosan said:

A 90 day report form says "FORM FOR ALIEN TO NOTIFY OF STAYING LONGER THAN 90 DAYS" which means that you have resided in the Kingdom or 90 consecutive days--hence, 90 Day Report. 

My 90 day report never co-insides with my extension date. I always try to arrange my 90 day report to fall about 5-6 weeks before/after I've completed my annual extension and use the early/late report options to maintain that balance. Primarily this is to still complete my 90 day report in the normal way, even if my extension is delayed for any unforseen circumstances.

41 minutes ago, Spidey said:

MY previous licence was as you say. I renewed my 5 year licence at the end of 2017. Surname now first. I queried it and was told "New procedure". However, they had spelled my name wrong so the changed it without charge anyway. Still surname first though.

11 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

They never stop changing.

My last issue was motorbike license in March 2017.

I would suggest the format that's used depends on what ID  you're using when you apply to renew your licence.

In both 2008 and 2013 I used my passport and my name is written  'surname-first name-middle name', as shown in my passport.

However, when I renewed it last year I used my yellow book and ID card and my name is written 'first name-middle name-surname', which is the same format as the ID that I used.

Also, whenever I used my passport as ID my passport number is shown as my ID number on my DL but when using my yellow book/ID card it's my Thai ID, as shown in those documents, that's now shown on my DL.

10 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

new licenses end Feb 2019

The initial two-year licence runs for two years from the date of issue. Subsequent five-year renewals run for five years (+) and always expire on your birthday.

Not sure what happens when somebody applies for a first renewal but is only given another two-year licence because they don't possess the correct visa for a five-year licence though. Does it run for two years from the initial expiry date or is the expiry still rolled round to the person's birthday as with a five-year renewal? 

6 hours ago, Henryford said:

Not very helpful for those of us who tried to open a Bangkok Bank account but were denied.

6 hours ago, onera1961 said:

Opening a bank account is also becoming a circus like immigration and its various offices.

Why were you denied???? Where do you live and did you try more than one branch?

Why is it a circus??????

I can only comment on opening my own account.

I went to my local main branch in Chonburi but was told they had been instructed to deny an account to everybody who didn't have a work permit (I'm retired) and suggested I try at the main branch in Si Racha. There they told me either I needed a letter confirming my details from the British Embassy or an existing Bangkok bank account holder who could verify those details, and gave the impression it might be difficult  because I didn't have a work permit. I returned on the Monday with a copy of my most recent BE Income letter, my wife who had a BKKB account that was still active but she no longer used and the details of a Thai friend who'd had an account for many years and could come to the bank if necessary, plus a copy of the requirements listed on their own website.

I showed them the BE letter first, explaining that it was actually a letter addressed to TI concerning my Extension but had all the necessary information included. They just asked for my passport and yellow book then opened the account straight away with no other problems or information required.

I do realize it's more complex than at some other banks (I opened a Krung Thai account a year or so ago just using my yellow book and pink ID card, didn't even need a passport) but the extra security the BKKB requires doesn't make it a circus.

2 hours ago, OJAS said:

Not particularly helpful for those with TMB and Kasikorn accounts

It is if they open a Bangkok Bank account and have their transfer sent to that account.

It will then be shown as an International Transfer.

4 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Those "rotating money" with Dee Money or similar would probably go the extra-step of manufacturing a fake pension-letter.  It isn't as though some pension-company will (or legally could) answer inquiries from an immigration office in a foreign country.

But they could restrict the type of 'proof' they ask for, such as a verified P60 for example.

While that wouldn't totally cure the problem it would restrict a lot of people's ability to provide that proof.

29 minutes ago, JimGant said:

Where it originates, and what is its original source, are two different things. Thaibunny is right-on when he says the Thais don't care (or at least they shouldn't) if it's income, or proceeds from the sale of your home, or a loan from Aunt Agnes -- or whatever. They're interested in cash flow -- but, yes, cash flow that originates in farangland. And the fact that you can repeat this cash flow for 12 months -- says a lot more about your continuing financial ability than, say, a guaranteed pension letter from the Embassy of Venezuela. But even a legitimate, guaranteed income proof from a stable country says nothing about the ability of that income to reach the shores of Thailand, especially if you're paying off 4 former wives. Thus, after this test case with the four embassies, I would expect the Thais to then require the other 74 embassies to quit the income letter business, and have their citizens to just "show the money coming to Thailand." Simple, efficient, and much more foolproof as to the supportability of expats in Thailand. And, like Malaysia, I would expect the requirement to keep a fixed amount in a Thai bank account, accessible only for emergencies, like medical. (Go check out how Malaysia deals with expats, if you want a hint of where Thailand is headed).

 

 

OK, if you want to play on words.

Maybe they will ask you to prove where the 65k baht you're sending to Thailand each month actually originates from. Is it earned from a foreign source or is sent back from Thailand and then returned again from the UK, Via Dee Money for example'

It's their country, their rules and they can ask for any confirmation they like to ensure the rules are adhered to and are likely to make things as strict as necessary to maintain the levels they require. As an individual you can either comply or leave, they are just going to be looking at numbers and the type of person staying.

The numbers of people abusing the system of late appears to have crossed their threshold, hence the recent extension rules changes and restrictions and, I believe, those changes will continue until they believe the numbers are under their control again. 

4 minutes ago, steve73 said:

Quite why they cannot set up their system to automatically recognize the recipient account, and route accordingly I don't know - perhaps they preferentially route via their cheapest option.  As long as this manual intervention works if you need to, and doesn't result in them increasing their fees, then I'm happy. 

TW told me the manual email/phone call request was a temporary system we can use until a more permanent automatic solution could be set up. (with a phone call being the quicker option, this was from their UK office)

I personally think we will end up with an extra "special instructions" box added to the current transfer application page where we can input our preferred Thai banking partner route.

Possibly, the more we 'interrupt their normal daily work flow with email/phone call requests' the quicker they might find a permanent solution.

23 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

Whether it's actually income or a drawdown of capital, or a loan, or whatever, the Thais don't want to know

That is until they suspect there might be a fiddle, such as using the same 65k baht and simply sending it round every month, then they will ask to see the proof of where that foreign income originates.

On 3/16/2019 at 11:34 AM, BobBKK said:

Never heard of the 'agent' scam.

You've been reading and contributing to this forum for a long time. And you're trying to say that you've never seen a post on here about using an agent to get around the lack of funds in the bank??????????????????

Just now, scubascuba3 said:

and from the wives, children and girlfriends who are left destitute

 

They won't be for the expats that are here legally.

13 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

To be honest if you don't have 800k you probably should not be here. Can't blame Thailand for trying to stop people who don't really have the 65k but 'swear' they do to get a letter.

Pretending to have 800k by using an AGENT  and paying tea money when you don't have it have been the most common fiddle for many years. 

Immigration have tightened up on both the 65k and 800k options recently.

Wait until they ban agents here, like they did in the Philippines, and the s**t will really hit the fan, the complaints here on TV will really hit the roof. ????????

3 minutes ago, SheungWan said:

Gross income cannot move above the personal allowance threshold other than by the addition of other income.

Simply NOT true.

See post 178.

21 hours ago, SheungWan said:

On 3/15/2019 at 9:32 AM, markthree said:

Let's be clear on UK State pension. It is always paid without deduction of tax. BUT. It counts towards your annual income and if your total income is over the personal allowance ( in my case 12500 pounds ) then it is taxed by deduction from other incomes. So you receive your pension gross but you do pay tax on it.

You do not pay tax on your state pension. 

14 hours ago, Spidey said:

21 hours ago, SheungWan said:

You do not pay tax on your state pension. 

Only because it's less than your personal allowance. It counts towards your gross annual income for tax purposes, therefore, if you have other sources of income, you are effectively taxed on it.

Not true/accurate on all statements.

The state pension is a taxable income and, if its above the the tax free allowance, is taxed in the same way as all other taxable income.

This will apply to all over 74's who were (and still are) married before April 2010 or still have children that are under the age of eighteen and were born before April 2010.

Although it is due to finish in 2020, as an example, a married man who retired before April 6th 2010 was entitled to receive an extra dependants (wife's/children's) allowance on top of their state pension. If they also receive SERPS/GPS payments from paying into those schemes throughout their working lives the state pension they receive will (almost certainly) be above their personal tax allowance and they will be paying income tax on it.

22 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Most having to do with needing to transfer the full-amount and in monthly increments - not because they didn't have the required average-monthly gross-income.

By far the biggest majority were panicking because they could no longer lie in an affidavit and didn't have 65k baht to transfer from their home country every month.

There was a certain Mr. Thomson continually telling these posters not to worry, you don't need money, just use an agent and go down the 'money in the bank' route. All sorted for 10-20k baht to the agent once a year, he kept saying. ????????????

10 minutes ago, OJAS said:

"Although not normally requested, Immigration have always had the option of requesting the source of the income."

 

But where they did make such a request they would presumably also need to see some easily-reconcilable correlation between the figures indicated in the source evidence and actual monthly transfers, would they not? How would this be possible if, for example, you needed to hold back some of your monthly income in a home country account to pay for bills there?

In the past, they didn't need to see any transfers into Thailand, only an Embassy letter stating your income.

10 minutes ago, OJAS said:

"I think Immigration will initially ask for proof of income source from many more extension applicants to try to prevent people from recycling the same 65k/40k every month."

 

But would not such recycling be blindingly obvious from subsequent 65k/40k debits appearing in passbooks/statements?

One permanent 65k+ baht float, two Thai bank accounts and a Dee Money account.

Asking for the 'home Country' income source details would prevent this.

2 minutes ago, jesimps said:

What widespread abuse? Grateful for sources.

TV threads for one. Just look at the threads that were started towards the end of last year when these extension changes first filtered through. Read all the hundreds of posts by panicking expats

5 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

Hmm, I am thinking the easiest way for Thai Immigration is to simply see 65,000 baht a month (income method) transferred into my Bangkok Bank designated as a FTT. No muss, no fuss, no bother. Dependent (ha!) on all offices being consistent. 

1

And therein lies the problem, Thai thinking and Farang thinking is not always from the same page. ????

2 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Don't forget though these people with gold plate pensions or whatever you want to call them have probably plodded away for a long time in the same company being underpaid, whilst others have moved around earning more, so it comes out in the wash

 

But those of us who 'have probably plodded away for a long time in the same company being underpaid' now hopefully receive our half-decent pensions while those who 'have moved around earning more' probably spent most of that extra income 'p*ss**g it up the wall'.

Everybody makes their own choices. 

4 minutes ago, trd said:

I got a letter last year informing me what I get for the state pension increase for the year but no p60 as far as I can remember. Anyway this might be completely irrelevant because I see no evidence that immigration will accept a P60. Do you?

As of yet, Immigration have not said what they will accept as proof, but the very fact that they are asking for proof of the FOREIGN source of our income, by definition, means that documentary proof MUST be a foreign document. At least a P60 and/or your annual DWP letter are Government documents so are more likely to be accepted.

I personally think Immigration will (initially) use this option to 'weed out' the more suspect applicants then, over time, it will be relegated to the back burner and rarely used. The first twelve months or so after 30th June this year will be an interesting time. This info is likely to be added to the list of required documents and I think it will be important to have all required documentation completed and presented properly. IO's will initially be looking for incomplete and badly presented paperwork to study more. 

0

30 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

irrelevant for most people.

"A P60 is a form that shows how much taxable salary the employee was paid in the tax year and how much tax was deducted from their wages. An employer must give aP60 to each of their employees at the end of the tax year"
 

Not irrelevant at all. Not just from employment, you get a P60 from all PAYE income sources, regardless of whether income tax has been paid on that source or not.

19 minutes ago, trd said:

Do you know what a P60 is? You get it if you are drawing a salary for employment in the UK.

Not just from employment, you get a P60 from all PAYE income sources, regardless of whether income tax has been paid on that source or not.

19 minutes ago, trd said:

You don't get a P60 for pension.

YES YOU DO. 

I am retired and have three pensions, one state pension (on which NO income tax is paid), one company pension (on which I pay tax) and one private pension source (which again I pay tax on)

Every year I receive three separate P60's, covering each pension. Two show the amount of income tax I have paid, the one from DWP shows no income tax paid.

You would also receive an annual letter from DWP outlining your pension for the coming financial year.

When you applied for your state pension you had to give them your address and, assuming you haven't changed it with DWP that's where those documents are sent each year.

28 minutes ago, trd said:

No I don't. I have had no contact whatsoever with the UK tax office. I have lived here for more than 20 years. Why would I?

Were you already receiving your state pension when you moved to Thailand 20 years ago?

11 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

But they won't understand the documents people can provide. They won't even look at back up for transferwise transfers. Immigration just can't cope with looking at various types of documents to prove income in farangland

But they can still ask to see that information and, if necessary, request those documents are verified by an official source, especially if they think it might be a forged document.

They don't need to look at TW documentation. It's up to us, the extension applicant, to provide acceptable proof of the source of the transfer, and Immigration requires that documentation comes from a Thai Bank source.

TW say they are in the process of adapting their online transfer request that will comply with the Immigration requirements so 'backup' information will not need to be shown anyway.

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

On the other thread the op said that when Jomtien checked the 12 months of 65k they also asked for proof of income from farangland. This was discussed at length on other threads and all that was required was monthly 65k+ into a thai bank account. So, they seem to have changed the requirements again? certainly to what was discussed before.

Do we really want to take the risk of the IO saying its insufficient evidence, 12 months faffing about transferring monthly 65k+ and they reject it because the IO doesn't understand the documentation which they probably don't want to see anyway

3

Although not normally requested, Immigration have always had the option of requesting the source of the income. This is not new. Nothing has changed.

I suspect that with the reports of apparent widespread abuse of the use agents and income affidavits that led to the recent changes, I think Immigration will initially ask for proof of income source from many more extension applicants to try to prevent people from recycling the same 65k/40k every month.

54 minutes ago, trd said:

What tax return? I'm on a UK pension which is income but I haven't made a tax return for more than 20 years.

Your UK state pension is probably below the UK tax-free allowance. If you don't pay any tax your total UK income, from all sources, must be less than £11,800 pa. HMRC would normally hold a record of those (taxable) income sources.

51 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

I gather all this correspondence re electing bank has been with Transferwise UK (the tone of the emails certainly does not sound like TW USA!).

 

Has anyone confirmed if this can be done for transfers from the US? I had asked about a month back and they said no at that time

I originally saw a post on TV that suggested the email system. Don't know where that poster was from though. I had to phone the TW UK office on another matter so asked about the email option at the same time. It was that operator who suggested the phone option would be quicker (because emails can take up to two days to respond to). I set up a transfer via the app while still on the phone, gave the operator the transfer number and asked that it be transferred using their BKKBank partner. The money was in my BKKB account by 2:30pm the next day.

I know of at least one other TV member who has successfully used the same method with a transfer from the UK. 

In the original post I saw, TW said they were working on a more permanent solution.

If you want to know if you have the same email/phone options from the US, why don't you just phone them up and ask?