TaoNow

So, neither Dr. Jack or Ubon Joe has an explanation for why the Immo 'Certificate of Residence' seems to have different forms and validity dates.

Surely, it's not a difference of Immo offices for such a standard form.

What gives?

At the very least, the Certificate of Residence from Immo should be valid until the date when the next 90-day report is due, since that is the verification which Immo uses to issue the certificate in the first place.

Below is the form I filled out to get my CoR last month at CW. No photo required; just the 200 baht for postage:

                             APPLICCATION FORM RESIDENCE CERTIFICATE IN THAILAND

                      แบบฟอร์มการขอหนังสือรับรองทีÉพักอาศัยในประเทศไทย

                                                                 IMMIGRATION BUREAU

DATE / ที………..MONTH / เดือน………YEAR /ปี..............NAME (MR., MRS., MISS.)……………………………………………………………………………………..............NATIONALITY / สัญชาติ.............................................DATE OF BIRTH /วัน เดือน ปี เกิด.........................................PASSPORT NO. / หนังสือเดินทางเลขที.............................................................................................................................É ARRIVAL CARD NO. (TM.6) / บัตรขาเข้าเลขทีÉ...................................................ENTERED THAILAND ON /เดินทางเข้ามาเมืÉอวันที................................................MONT / เดือน......................................YEAR / ปี...........................ALLOWED TO DATE /อนุญาตให้อยู่ถึง................MONT / เดือน.....................................YEAR / ปี...........................

I WISH TO APPLY FOR RESIDENCE CERTIFICATE AND FOLLOWING REASON

ข้าพเจ้าขอยืÉนคําขอหนังสือรับรองทีÉพักอาศัยเพืÉอ DRIVING LICENSE (CAR / MOTOBIKE) BUYSELL(CAR/ MOTOBIKE)ใบอนุญาตขับ (รถยนต์ / รถจักรยานยนต์) ซืÊอ ขาย (รถยนต์ / รถจักรยานยนต์)

ADDRESS IN THAILAND / ทีÉอยู่ในประเทศไทย ADDRESS NO. / บ้านเลขที..............................................MOO. / หมู่............................LANE / ซอย.............................ROAD /ถนน..........................................................SUBDISTRICT /แขวง / ตําบล..........................................................DISTRICT / เขต / อําเภอ................................................PROVINCE /จังหวัด................................................................ZIP CODE /รหัสไปรษณีย์.............................................PHONE NO. / โทรศัพท์............................................................

YOUR SINCERELY ขอแสดงความนับถือ SIGNATURE OR RIGHT THUMB PRINT……………………………………………………….

APPLICATIONลายมือชืÉอหรือลายพิมพ์หัวแม่มือ ผู้ขอ

eisfeld:   I think we are referring to a different authorization.   

The Certificate of Residence has no photo and merely states that the ex-pat is living at such-and-such address.

It is required for renewing a driver's license or purchasing a vehicle and not much more.

I did mine a month ago at CW and was told it has 6 months validity.

On 8/8/2022 at 4:20 PM, eisfeld said:

You have to get a new one. Also they usually are valid for 30 days so if it's a month old you'd need a new one anyways. But it should be a bit easier after you are in the system with your address - as always depending on the immigration office. You can get more than one at a time btw.

I believe that the Certificate of Residence you get from Immo is good for 6 months -- not 30 days.   

However, the medical certificate (which you need for driver's license renewal) is valid for only 30 days.

triplez:

I did this a month ago at CW. 

It was very straightforward.

Just fill out the form.

They need a photocopy of your last 90-day report. 

I didn't have a photocopy so she did it for me at a cost of 5 baht.

As Dr. Jack noted, the cost of proccesing and postage is 200 baht (no receipt), and they tell you it may take up to 2 weeks to deliver.

But I got mine after 3 days or so. 

You can track the progress of the delivery on the ThaiPost code they give you.

On 6/16/2022 at 2:54 AM, webfact said:

We have had an enormous response from a topic we ran on June 8th entitled Is Thailand likely to see a mass exodus of Expats?

I wouldn't call 205 replies an "enormous response." 

That sort of summarizes how the Forum has declined over the years. 

When I first joined, there were many experienced ex-pats on the Forum who knew the culture, the language, and how to skilfully navigate life as an expat in Thailand. That was a real service for newbies and those thinking of visiting the country, or moving here.

There were also many more women members who posted.   How many women are there on the Forum today who post on this section or the Visas section, or the General section of the Forum?  How often do they post?

That is just one indicator of how the Forum has been taken over by (male) trolls, bullies, and ne'er-do-wells.

I have no idea why advertisers want to pitch products to that low-life, misfit crew on this website.

'Nuff said.

5 hours ago, StevieAus said:

For some reason there are people on this site who think that using an agent is an anathema, I meet all the legal requirements but use an agent for convenience.

I also use someone to clean and detail the car, cut the grass and any work that requires climbing.

I also confess to using the private hospital system and fly business class.

Its my money therefore my choice on how to spend it.

 

You are confusing the type of agent.  Apparently, there are 2 types; (1) Agent gets your paperwork together and holds your hand while you appear at immigration to have photo taken and present valid financials.  (2) Agent gets around the financial requirements (for a retirement extension) by bribing an Immo official and bank official somewhere.

It's the Type 2 agent (and obliging ex-pat) that most people on the TV Forum scorn for perpetuating the graft system. 

Just say no.

Why isn't this thread in the Visas sub-forum?

39 minutes ago, woodsplinter said:

 

I am not willing to leave 800k in a Thai bank especially as the Thai banks reduced there liability from 5 million baht to 1 million baht compensation if financial collapse.

There has been warning signs in the last few weeks about Thai banks and the high debts the banks own.

Do not say it cannot happen ..It did 97 and98..  I can risk 400k but not willing to risk losing 800k .

This is not the Uk .This is Thailand -Anything goes..

 

Just a clarification:  None of the major Thai banks failed in the '97-'98 baht devaluation crisis.  Or ever.   

You need to check your history. 

The major Thai banks are very safe. 

Plus, if you are not willing to park 800K baht in a Thai bank, perhaps you cannot afford to retire there.

Another advantage of the appointment system (which I used a year ago and just yesterday for retirement/funds in bank) is that there is a dedicated Immo officer who is stationed at Desk #32.  So, you are not getting some random lass with a chip on her shoulder.  Why is that important?  See below:

In both times I have gone to this desk with the pre-booked appointment, the officer has been the most efficient and polite I have ever dealt with at Immo/CW in decades.  It also may mean that the people who use the appointment system have "all their ducks in a row" and do not waste the time of the official (e.g., to go for extra photocopies, to fill out the additional forms, etc.).  Ergo, they treat you with more courtesy.

So, to echo the others, if you do your extension at Immo/CW, use the appointment system!  It is the best thing yet to happen at Division 1.

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

I did not think it was needed if a person read the OP.

 

 

Many users of the Forum do not start at the top. You, of all people should know that.

10 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That was the things done at Muang Thai Thai that are now being done at Chaeng Wattana.

I did that to be sure a person would understand that not everything that was done at Muang Thong Thai was moved to Chaeng Wattana.

There is a new office open for visa exempt extensions and etc at a Laksi location.

OK UJ, but since you are the Chief Guru on this site, please be more explicit in future explanations. 

Otherwise, many of us nervous ex-pats may experience sudden heart palpitations.

On 4/19/2022 at 2:17 PM, possum1931 said:

 

These retirees should be encouraged, and not put through all the nonsense like being treated with having to report every 90 days like a prisoner on parole.

Possum:  I truly agree with you about the 90-day address report. 

I remember, when I was living in a northeast Thailand provincial town during the early 1970s, the local merchants of Vietnamese heritage had to report at the local police station every 90 days  -- regardless of their political affiliation.

I guess my point was that OP should not try to wing it, especially at this time. 

Immo (and the country in general) seems to be gravitating to a higher-income level of tourist and aspiring resident.

In my view, the fairest thing is to give us long-term expats a path to (dual) citizenship so we could be here legitimately on a long-term basis without all the pins and needles.

What is this nonsense? 

Immo/CW is also for extensions for retirement and marriage.  Not "only for 90 day reports, TM30 reports and certificates of residence."

Also, there is no requirement for ATK on entry to Immo Div 1 Bldg B at Chaeng Wattana.

Why is this false info being posted on the forum?

Others will have more knowledgeable replies, but here is my view, after scanning the TV Forum over decades:

At some point in this century, Immo started to tighten scrutiny of single, non-retired ex-pats who were trying to live in Thailand as residents, but without the proper visa or permit to extend their stay.

Some people were doing visa runs to neighboring countries and coming back in on visa-exempt entries. They had to do this every 90 days or so.

Others were staying on with "education" visa extensions in collaboration with 'sympathetic' schools who facilitated the extension process for a fee.

Then there are the Covid extensions, which are probably coming to an end this year, and only for tourists who were trapped here.

I am sure there wer/are many other work-arounds that are much more affordable than the Elite Visa, but those loop holes have been closing over time.

In sum, in your case, can't you get by with legitimate tourist visas and returns to your passport country until you can qualify for the relatively-simple retirement extension?  (Finances permitting  - but retirement in a foreign country should never be cheap.)

Thanks, skatewash, for replying.   

Even so, even a red, two-line notification in the passport (for missing the 90-day address-report deadline) is too much.

In other words, why are they keeping track?   

Perhaps, if someone has two (or more) infractions, then the fine goes up from 2K to somewhere up to the maximum of 5K.

I guess my point is this:  Immo takes these (redundant) 90-day reports seriously for some reason.

  And it's not just about collecting fines.

As I reported to this Forum (years ago), I forgot to do my 90-day address report, although I had complied for many years.

I was a few days past the grace period, and I was prepared to pay the fine of 2,000 baht (at Immo/CW).

What I wasn't prepared for was the big red stamp in my passport, which took up nearly a whole page, stating I had failed to report staying beyond 90 days.   

That was spooky, and made me wonder why they had to warn other Immo officers of this mild transgression. 

Mind you , it was NOT overstay of the permit-to-stay date -- which I will never overlook.

Just a slightly delinquent address report. 

I am still wondering why the red stamp in my passport was necessary.

Anyway, I got a new passport and the red stamp disappeared...

...never, hopefully, to appear again.

I have repeatedly entered Thailand on a variety of visas, (tourist, non-O, non-B, etc.) but never changed my (Immo-reported) address in Bangkok since the beginning.

Over many decades.

And, I have never filed a TM30 form.

What am I missing?

20 minutes ago, meatboy said:

i have had a fixed acc.for over 10yrs.mostly ,2 and 3yrs. which i used for my ext.800k.i have had over 1.5million in this ac.but you cant have a card of any kind.never had a problem with immigration as they know how it works,that was untill 2020 when they started useing imm.police volunteers to check your paper work.they dont even know what a fixed acc.is.when you explain they lose face and go running to the boss,so to give you a hard time.the last 2 extensions i have been at imm.for 8hrs.and last one 5hrs.

i have just opened a normal savings acc.so i dont get any more aggrivation.if you do use a fixed acc.make sure you have an acc.to show what you live on.

Which immigration office do you deal with?   

I use the 800k fixed account.  Immo/CW (Bangkok) has never asked how I cover living expenses.   

As has been pointed out numerous times in this Forum, the 800K is not to cover living expenses for a year. 

The purpose is to separate out those with a certain level of financial security and those with less. 

Same for the 65K/month threshold.