Mike Teavee

1 hour ago, HHTel said:

I think a little longer than that. The embassy letter is valid for 6 months so it could be the end of June before the sh1t hits the fan.

I think January will see a number of new members joining & asking How can I extend my Non-O "visa" when my Embassy will not issue me with an Income Certificate 

Edit: Fortunately the US Embassy seems to have at least emailed it's citizens to advise them, British Embassy has just posted the notice on their website

9 minutes ago, Pib said:

Well, actually if a person wants to believe the US Embassy as of 26 Oct people don't need the income letter.  See below from the US Embassy Q&A document on the subject.  However, but, note the last sentence which basically says refer to Thai immigration website for more specifics...and we already know what the Thai immigraiton websites says (i.e., been no change for years) and what has been required "real world" so far. 

 

So, we just now need some brave soles to go apply for their extension of stay "without an embassy income letter" to see if the US Embassy statement holds any water.  

 

Do you have a link to this as the one on the Embassy website (https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-mission-in-thailand-to-cease-providing-income-affidavit/) doesn't seem to mention monthly deposits [NB The British Embassy initially mentioned evidence of monthly deposits would meet TI's requirements but seem to have distanced themselves from this and are also pointing people to the Thai Immigration website]

Bangkok – October 26, 2018: Effective January 1, 2019, the United States Embassy in Bangkok and the U.S. Consulate General in Chiang Mai will no longer provide an income affidavit and will not notarize previous versions of the income affidavit.

The Royal Thai Government requires applicants to meet a minimum income threshold to obtain a nonimmigrant long-term stay visa. While the Thai government has previously relied on income affidavits to demonstrate this fact, the U.S. government has no mechanism to confirm individual incomes and cannot legally claim to do so.

Because the U.S. government has no means of confirming a U.S. citizen’s income, a notarized affidavit from the U.S. Embassy has never met the requirement to prove a minimum income level for a non- immigrant “O”, “O-A”, or “O-X” long-term stay visa. There are other methods for U.S. citizens to demonstrate they are eligible for this Thai visa category.

U.S. citizens residing in Thailand should refer to the Thai government for information about verifying their income moving forward. For the most current information, U.S. citizens should check with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C., or their local immigration office.”

For more information on Embassy services to U.S. citizens, visit https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen- services/

I wouldn't say I was a problem drinker per-se (6-12 beers & a couple of bottles of wine at the weekend, rarely drink in the week because of work), but I joined a few of my mates in taking part in "Sober October" & abstained from drinking for the month 

Results have been that I'm feeling much better in myself, sleeping better & much more energetic/engaging in work etc... so it's clearly shown some benefits already.    

So I was curious as to what anybody else who participated feels/thinks & what their plans are going forward.

[I know there are several people on here who don't drink & possibly more who do but won't have participated (Possibly never heard of it), looking for views from people who do drink & have participated] 

1 hour ago, Maestro said:

To the best of my knowledge, this is incorrect. In the absence of a will, Sections 1620 ff of the Civil and Commercial Code clearly designates what relatives are entitled to what share of the deceased's estate.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hgt14i_8TbTRx3mSu4c5WIB6rvYTe1Z3/view

 

This said, even when you have statutory heirs I still recommend strongly that you write a will and – very important – designate in your will an executor of your will.

Sorry, I should have clarified that I was referring to your legal heirs in your home country / outside of Thailand.

2 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

Because then I'd just as well use it for the Elite Visa.

That is one way of looking at it & I'm considering the same question, but as I'm only living part time in Thailand, I'm not yet confident that I want to commit to 5 (or 20) years visa expense upfront.

Irony being that the TE is more useful/valuable to me now (for the Airport Fast Track privileges as I'm flying in & out 2-3 times a month) than it will be when I am living there full time. 

1 hour ago, JLCrab said:

Thank you. I have no legal heirs in Thailand or anywhere else.

Your "Legal Heir" doesn't have to be somebody related to you, they can be anybody you nominate or the local cats home.

Flip Side is that just because somebody is related to you (e.g. Son/Daughter) doesn't mean that they're your legal heir in Thailand, you need to make a Thai Will to ensure they are.

If you don't have anybody/thing that you want to leave your money to, then why care where it ends up? 

21 minutes ago, Spidey said:

All very well if the British Embassy had decided to stop issuing the letters. According to the BE the decision was made by the FCO in London as the result of an audit report.

 

An audit can take many forms but is usually performed by accountants carrying out a cost reduction exercise.

 

Also significant that a number of other notary services were cut at the same time.

Can you provide a link to the comment from BE that an Audit Report triggered this as my understanding is it came about as a result of a meeting between Thai Immigration & all Embassies where TI asked for better verification of Income before providing Income statements.

As far as I'm aware, apart from the BE, all other Embassies do not provide Income Letters (they just provide Stat Decs) so had no onus on them to do anything more & BE decided that they couldn't comply so would stop issuing the letters.

If anything this will cause a hole in their budget as at £50 (+ £2 P&P) they should be making a profit.

23 minutes ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

So many posters just not fully understanding what has happened.

 

The British embassy have stopped these letters because Thai Immigration think that they verify a citizen's income and they want the BE to check further into whether the stated income is true, or not.

The letter does not do the first and the BE can't do the second. Therefore, continuing to issue these letters would be misleading the Thai IO at best and could be construed as doubtfully legal at worst.

The embassy has seen that there is an alternative to get these extensions and that is via the lump sum method. Whether people using the previous income method cannot afford the lump sum method is of no concern to the BE.

People harping on that other embassys are still doing the letters. These letters are different. All they say is that the person signing has proved that they are who they say they are and that if Thai IO want to believe that it verifies the facts that the signatory has attested to, then, so be it.

As far as I can see, the BE is being the most honest.

 

The next step is to convince Thai IO to accept certifying letters from the bank for the income method in place of the embassy letter. Exactly the same as the lump sum method.

The Thai IO can either say "yes" in which case, problem solved, or, they say "no", in which case everyone will have to go the lump sum method. The ball is firmly in their court.

 

The petition is laughable. Firstly, it won't even get an eighth of the intended target. Secondly, it won't be acted on because the BE has a legitimate reason to stop the letters.

 

As for all the conspiracy theorists claiming there is "more to the story" than is being said, or, that it's a cost cutting exercise at the expense of their citizens (no proof), I've got two words for you Occam's Razor.

 

I understand that some people are going to potentially have real problems over this and I do sympathize, but, lashing out and laying blame where it doesn't belong, doesn't achieve anything and is also unfair to the people that are being blamed.

 

So........what's a realistic plan to get Thai IO to respond to your concerns? Because that is the only realistic way forward to achieve results; to know one way, or the other if you can continue staying in Thailand with your families, or not.

Nice summary of the facts & I for 1 100% agree with you.

I do hope that a solution can be found for people who have lived here for many years using the income method, especially ones with families here as if they cannot afford to put 800/400K in the Bank then they're not going to be able to afford to be able to take their families back to the UK.

I've got zero sympathy for people who claim they can afford to deposit 800K but don't on the basis that they don't trust Thai Banks (Deposits are guaranteed up to 1M THB) or feel they can get better returns on the monies (Need to get priorities straight, staying with your family is worth more than the 40K THB pa or so additional return).

For anybody planning their retirement this should serve as a wake up call (+ I've no doubt that an increase to the 800/400K is on the cards at some point in the not too distant future) & plan accordingly 

Good luck to all...

13 hours ago, garyk said:

This is all pretty doggy IMO. You can get SS pension verification letters from SS. You can get verification letters from independent retirement accounts. Not only that you can show the funds being deposited into your account abroad. 

Which proves 65K or over minimum ballance. 

This is nothing more than a money grab from the financial institutions. Thai government to help shore up the system.

Nothing to do with anything else.

I know of no other country that requires you to actually put money in an account in that country to qualify for a retirement visa? 

If someone know of another country that requires this pleas let me know!

 

Not all countries in Asia offer "Retirement" visas but I would say most that do (Indonesia being the only one I can think of that doesn't except the > $3,600pa rent) have financial limits... 2 in Asia spring to mind... 

• Philippines (SRRV) - $20,000 US
• Malaysia (MM2H)  3.5Million MYR or 150,000 MYR + 10,000 MYR monthly income) 

Name me places that don't need to show money in the bank.

3 hours ago, blackhorse said:

No way. Having opened accounts in 3 different countries and 3 in Thailand I have never been asked my net worth. That would be discrimination and completely unverifiable anyway
 

Having worked in Banking (albeit in IT) for 30 years & currently holding multiple accounts in the UK/Singapore as well as my Bangkok Bank account, I find nothing strange about asking these questions they're just used to profile you so the Banks can better identify products that might be appropriate to you (or more accurately, products they can sell to you).

The information would only need to be "Verified" if the Bank was providing you with Products based on what you claimed which they don't/won't. E.g. CItibank Singapore won't give you CItGold because you ticked a box to say you have > s$250,000 SGD in investable assets, you need to deposit (& maintain) those assets with them (pretty solid proof that you do).

It could well be that the questions were optional (I didn't have time to go from Branch to Branch hunting for one that would let me open an account on a 30 day Visa Exempt stamp so paid Siam Legal to assist me & they completed all of the forms) but I wasn't surprised to be asked those types of questions & can see how they would help the Bank to profile me & better identify suitable products for (to sell to) me.

Edit: Apologies have gone well OT here, this is the last I will post on this particular thread fork...

6 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

It appears you are alone as the no one else has ever been asked for net worth or income when opening an account.  Why did you make it up?

I wasn't asked for my exact net worth / Income but was asked to select which range I feel into for both when opening my Bangkok Bank Account so maybe that's what @SCOTT FITZGERSLDmeant.

This was in June, maybe a relatively recent thing?

17 hours ago, Thaidream said:

They have accepted them in the past for me when asked and for others who have posted on this forum- mostly in CM and mostly Americans.  There is no way to verify income with 100% accuracy but when you present a pension letter and back it up with a bank statement showing the exact amount of funds that are on the pension letter going into the bank in the same amount each month and then show the debits coming out in Thailand- it is pretty certain that it is accurate.

Thai Imm easily followed my explanation and understood completely what the letters and bank statement said.

If the letters/statements were on headed paper then there's a higher probability that they're genuine, but it's not difficult to fake these things (including the headed paper part, just takes a more expensive scanner/printer/paper).

So many questions about how this would work... 

1. Will they expect the letters/statements to be sent to your home address in Thailand ? - This could cause a number of issues for Brits - 1) Does their bank allow Overseas account holders, will they post to an Overseas address? 2) They would need to tell the Pensions department that they lived overseas = Frozen Pension 3) Potentially no more renewing of driving license, Loss of access to NHS etc... 
2. How many months will they want to see?
3. What is & isn't acceptable to Thai Immigration 1) Can reasonably expect them to go through a statement in English, but in Greek (I'm using this as an example as in the phrase "It's all Greek to me") 2) Can't reasonably expect Thai immigration to go things like Consolidated Tax Certificates & understand what is & isn't Income - E.g. Would Scrip Dividends count - They're income but you don't get any cash? 3) Can't reasonably expect them to go through a Tax Return (Sh1t I don't understand mine & I provide all of the numbers to my accountant to file it).

... That I just can't see Thai Immigration doing it.

Once again it's a case of the few exploiting a lenient system & the many genuine people suffering.

As an aside, does anybody know whether this impacts getting the Non-O in the 1st place? - When I got mine in Penang I was advised that I needed a Letter of Income as well as the 800K in the Bank, are they going to accept Bank Statements showing money going in instead? - Who Knows!?!?!?

4 hours ago, Bob12345 said:

Yeah, in most cases your number is gone when you don't use your phone (top-up) for a year.

Happened to me before, but back then i couldnt care less.

 

Maybe turn on roaming, top-up with the minimum amount every 11 months, and turn on your phone for 5 minutes to call your landline for a second so you still use the number.

If you have a Thai Bank Account, it's easy to top-up using Online/Mobile Banking and if you're on AIS, every top-up adds an extra month to the validity of your SIM up to a maximum of 12 months. 

If you don't have a Thai Bank Account or Online/Mobile Banking, I've used these guys https://mobiletopup.com/ a couple of times with no problems (Again, every top up added 1 month to my AIS valid to date).

1 hour ago, JLCrab said:

This seems to be an actual UK letter as of JULY 2017:

Looks more or less the same as the one I got in June this year, main difference being there is now a disclaimer at the bottom of the letter...

[Edit: Apologies, with all the faffing around taking pics & editing out details, Shoeless Joe beat me to the fact that there is now a disclaimer at the bottom of the letter, but for anybody who's interested there it is on an actual letter from BE - I wonder if this was added in May after them discussing things with Thai Immigration]

On 10/13/2018 at 10:30 PM, GinBoy2 said:

I’m always curious why Singapore ranks so highly in these surveys

 

It’s like Disneyland granted, great infrastructure, rule of law, but damn it’s expensive.

 

Me and Mrs G lived there for several years, but along with Hong Kong they were the most expensive place we have ever lived

Singapore is not expensive if you're working there as the higher salary & lower taxes more than offset the higher costs (mainly rent), in fact I took a 25% salary "Equalisation" cut when I moved there from the UK and I still had more money in my pocket at the end of the month.

I did the maths & worked out that my salary is 25% higher than it would be in Bangkok (for the same grade at the same company) & my tax is roughly 20% less - Which more than covers the 90,000 THB I pay in rent, don't need a car as public transport is clean, safe & ridiculously cheap (my 30 min bus journey to work is around 30 THB) plus all my favourite things to eat & drink (Beef, Cheese & Wine) are cheaper there.

Having said all of that, after 10 years I'm bored with the place so am in the process of moving to Bangkok & currently splitting my time between here & there (Don't plan on settling in Bangkok, but it makes sense to make my base here whilst I'm commuting every 1-2 weeks).

I've been coming to Thailand since I moved to Singapore and fell in love with the place on my 1st trip, however I have to agree with those who say it is becoming more difficult to move/live here so I may well find myself moving on again in a few years, but in the meantime I will enjoy my time here & be thankful that I can.

On 9/13/2018 at 7:37 AM, ryanwiley said:

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I appreciate it!

Bumping this thread as I'm looking for recommendations for a Bangkok Dentist to have a couple of old Caps replaced & a new Implant (If they're reasonably priced I might also have a bridge replaced with an Implant + couple of Caps as well). 

If you don't mind me asking... Who did you end up going to see & would you recommend them?

Thanks

MTV

4 hours ago, worrab said:

They could require you to show the credit card used for the booking if that is how your friend does the booking. It does not matter whether you book through a travel agent or directly. The way round it is to send a photocopy of said card showing first 4 numbers only and the main page of the passport of the card owner to BA. This will prevent any problems when you book in for the flight. Better safe than sorry. Or to really make life even easier, send the fare  to you via Western Union or whichever and you make the booking from here.   

First or last 4 numbers? Only the 1st 4 numbers just show what kind of card it is (Visa, MCard, Amex etc...) so pretty useless as evidence

On 9/16/2018 at 2:38 PM, Mike Teavee said:

Hmmm... I've just tried to find the article that said 18 was the optimum temperature for sleeping and came across one that says it's 25... http://www.aircon-servicing.com.sg/articles/best-aircon-temperature-for-night-sleeping.html

 

As I say, it's not the heat that bothers me (I'm also one of those "Pillocks" that has the Aircon on 16/18 and ends up crawling under the duvet/comforter - Though I do love to have cold feet!) - I have it on all night because the low hum it makes cancels out the noise from the MRT construction across the road.

 

Will try it on 21 tonight & make my way to 25 over the next week or so... 

 

Now I think about it, the guys who serviced my aircon last time (standard to service them every 1/4 as part of the condo rental contract in SG), said I should stop setting it on a high speed / low temperature as it causes mold.

 

Edit: Then Sleep.org says the optimum temperature is 60-67F (15.5-19.5C) https://sleep.org/articles/temperature-for-sleep/ 

So last time I cranked the aircon up to 21 (more on that later*), had a great nights sleep but must have got cold at some point as I ended up wrapped in the quilt/comforter.

*Actually, it turns out I went to sleep with the Aircon on at 26 - I turned it on & it was at 16, clicked the "Up-Temp" button 5 times so it was at 21, then got distracted by a call, 30 mins later I go into the room, turn the light off (I sleep on the opposite side of the bed from the light switch), bathroom duties (Door to the ensuite is on my side of the bed), back to bedroom & without looking, clicked the "Up-Temp" button 5 times again - It was only when I woke up this morning & looked at the remote that I realized what I'd done. 

I'm very happy at 26 ? 

41 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Sorry, it was another poster in this thread, not you, who was talking about having the AC set at 18....

 

Nonetheless, you might try upping the thermostat a bit to 25 or 25 and see if that helps -- in addition to doing anything with a bowl of water and/or a humidifier.

 

As someone who's had lifelong sinus problems, I too have heard doctors recommend having a large bowl/basin of water in the bedroom at night, near or next to your head in the bed like on a nightstand, to help lessen dryness symptoms. Never done it myself, though. It's an easy and no-cost potential remedy.

Hmmm... I've just tried to find the article that said 18 was the optimum temperature for sleeping and came across one that says it's 25... http://www.aircon-servicing.com.sg/articles/best-aircon-temperature-for-night-sleeping.html

As I say, it's not the heat that bothers me (I'm also one of those "Pillocks" that has the Aircon on 16/18 and ends up crawling under the duvet/comforter - Though I do love to have cold feet!) - I have it on all night because the low hum it makes cancels out the noise from the MRT construction across the road.

Will try it on 21 tonight & make my way to 25 over the next week or so... 

Now I think about it, the guys who serviced my aircon last time (standard to service them every 1/4 as part of the condo rental contract in SG), said I should stop setting it on a high speed / low temperature as it causes mold.

Edit: Then Sleep.org says the optimum temperature is 60-67F (15.5-19.5C) https://sleep.org/articles/temperature-for-sleep/ 

19 minutes ago, johng said:

23-24 is very cold....your aircon is probably working nonstop,cold air can hold less moisture than warm air so the colder the air the dryer it gets...you can go outside and see the water extracted from the air leaking out of the PVC pipe coming from the aircon.
To counter this you could raise the temperature,put the aircon into auto mode..instead of dry mode....or get a humidifier for the room.

Wow, I usually have mine on 16 (only because it doesn't go any lower), but I did read somewhere that optimum temperature for sleeping is 18 so have moved it to that.

OP try adjusting the "Speed" rather than the temperature (assuming you have it running all night and don't use it in Auto mode).

11 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Not sure what BA's procedures may be but I brought my stripper girlfriend personal assistant over from the States on SQ via Singapore. I booked and paid her flights online but had to fill in and sign an affidavit at SQ's office in Singapore. This info was 'in the system' and allowed her to check-in and travel without having to dick about with credit cards. Maybe BA has something similar where the OP's friend paying for it needs to present themselves at a BA office?

Yep did that several times busing the (ex)GF over from Philippines, but for the past 3-4 years they've not bothered. I don't know if it's because they've changed policy or they've already got my details on file.

But with BA I (well our team PA) used my Corporate Card several times to pay for my team's flights & never had a problem.

Am hooked on a series called Money Heist. 

It's in Spanish with English subtitles so if you don't like subtitles & don't speak Spanish it's not for you, but I'm loving it...

31 minutes ago, stud858 said:

Apparently terrarium is shutting it's doors. Was my favourite. Now I'll have to find a new favourite to stream all these good series.

Any ideas?

Yep loved Terrarium but went to use it today & it's not working at all, has a pop-up message (that I can't close) saying it will definately be switched off by the end of the month 

I gave up on Kodi 6+ months ago so in addition to Terrarium I've been using Morpheus TV/Megabox & have just installed TVTAP Firestick (was UkTVNowFirestick) so will see how that pans out.

When I get back to Bangkok on Thursday there should be a new box waiting for me from the guy who's provided my last 1, so should have the latest & greatest apps then - 5,000 THB for the high end box, 3,000 for the lower model.

I have no affiliation with the guy except being a happy customer of his as witnessed by the fact that I'm buying a 2nd box from him, happy to PM details as I don't think it's within the forum rules to promote on a thread.

NB - The only reason I'm buying a 2nd box is I'm splitting my time between Singapore & Bangkok so don't want the hassle of having to cart the box between the 2 - The 1st box is still going strong after 3 years & the guy has said he'll rebuild it for me if I want it updating, but to be honest there's nothing that I've wanted to watch that I've not manage to find (watched the latest Mission Impossible movie in 1080 earlier).