Pib

And then promptly mailed to Santa Claus to identify those who have been naughty....no Christmas gifts if on the list.

Although a person can pay via ACH bank acct, Amazon acct, Paypal acct, or credit/debit card (4 methods) I can easily see where some U.S. folks and/or dual citizen Thai/US folks have dropped their financial links with the U.S. and no longer have a U.S. bank acct to accomplish an ACH withdrawal/debit, nor have a Amazon or Paypal acct, or even have a debit/credit card. I don't know if the debit/credit card needs to be a U.S. issued; hopefully, it would be a debit/credit card issued from any country like a Thai bank debit card. For such folks who have dropped their financial links to the U.S. I would hope the U.S. Embassy would still allow payment of the basic fee via Thai bank draft, but I expect a person would first need to stress they can not pay using one of above mentioned methods since they do no have any of the accts or debit/credit cards. Guess we'll have to wait and see if anyone succeeds in being allowed to pay the basic fee via Thai bank draft since the new payment policy went into effect in Sep 2022.

You can now pay the passport fee (i.e., adult passport $130) via U.S. bank acct (ACH transfer), Amazon acct, Paypal acct, or Debit/Credit Card. The return mailing fee of Bt100 is still by Thai bank draft. As mentioned below you must have a Thailand mailing address for your new passport, but when you pay like via debit/credit card for yourself or another person you can enter your card "billing" address since I know a lot of U.S. people living in Thailand have cards linked to a U.S. billing/mailing address (like me) and sometimes payment attempts can reject if the billing address you enter is not correct. https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/790155895

Got me....maybe the SSA wants a real signature...maybe they don't want to spend the money to offer a digital/online submission option....maybe ??? I'm not smart enough to figure out why the SSA does certain things in certain ways.

Only partially true. It' correct that "Foreign" registered airmail is moved in the USPS First Class mail system vs the U.S. Domestic Registered Mail system after being released from the International Service Center (ISC) like the Jamaica NY ISC. However, scans and delivery signatures can still occur (like we seen some people getting) but when not being moved in the Domestic Registered mail system then a higher likelihood exists of scans being missed/ignored. See below earlier post which includes a link to the USPS policy on Foreign Registered Mail.

Wow....2 months MIA while trying to find its way from Jamaica NY to Wilkes Barre PA....that must be the toughest & slowest 120 miles to travel on Earth (at least for the USPS). I wonder how long it will take that individual who picked up the mail to drive a short distance back to the SSA facility...maybe a week?

OP, I too haven't been able to find any plumber's putty in "small" size containers which a home owner would want for small/occasional plumbing; I've seen BIG containers of plumber's putty occasionally online like a builder would use. What I've used instead is a kind of silicone called Sanitary Sealant/Chaulk (sometimes called Silicone Adhesive Sealant) which does not dry hard/non-hardening....stays pliable.....anti-fugus...and usually comes in the color white. It's different than the typical silicone that comes in the large tubes which is not as pliable when it dries as sanitary sealant. I typically use this type of Sanitary Sealant on jobs like you are talking about or sometimes sealing threaded PVC connections where silicone tape can quite do a good enough job. I usually buy it at HomePro or similar hardware stores....it comes in a small tube of on a few ounces which is more than enough for small, occasional jobs around the house....and normally the packaging shows it's use in the bathroom, around bathroom and kitchen sinks, etc., and usually makes the point of a non-hardening cure state. Usually costs Bt100 to Bt150. As I write this I'm looking at the sanitary sealant I last bought at Mr DIY a few months ago....I've also bought similar at HomePro. See image below.

That dries hard also...mostly for trying to permanently fixing leaks. Or you can use it to fill holes in rest out metal. No good as a plumber's putty where you do not want it to dry hard and may have to remove/replace the part later.

Yes...I have some of it....it pretty much the same as liquid epoxy.

By immigration regulation you are only required to maintain the 400K baht for 2 months before your application/under consideration stamp which means you could go to zero baht after Tuesday if you wanted to, HOWEVER, BUT, personally I would not let your funds dip before Bt400K until you get the final 12 month stamp in another month or so. There have been recent posts (like the one below listed earlier in this thread) where CW asked for an updated passbook on the day the person went back to pickup their final 12 month marriage extension stamp and the applicant did not remember/seemed sure the immigration officer who approved the under consideration didn't mention anything about bringing an updated passbook. I did my marriage extension at CW last Wed....the immigration officer that gave me the under consideration stamp did not mention anything about bringing a updated passbook when I come back in mid Oct to get the 12 month/final stamp....BUT my two previous marriage extensions at CW I was told to bring my passbook.

Heck, at times the Krungsri branch in the CW immigration building took 1.5 hours to generate my (and others) bank letter when requesting it at 08:30am opening time. Always the excuse the branch had to wait until some rep at HQ Krungsri initialed off on the request in their IT system. And it really wasn't a made-up, bogus excuse as they really did have to wait for some HQ coordination. Several times (after waiting around an hour) the branch rep got on the phone asking HQ to speed-up their coordination...and supposedly sometimes the HQ Krungsri rep that sets in front of the terminal to coordinate such docs was late arriving for work and on such mornings it could take around 1.5 hrs to get the letter when you requested the letter at branch opening time of 8:30am....needing to get that letter so you could go up to immigration to submit your extension application package. But I now get my letter a business day or two before at a branch close to my home as CW immigration accepts a bank letter up to 7 days old. But it still takes my local branch about an hour to generate the letter.

I know if it happened to me I would point out to immigration their regulation doesn't say anything about needing to keep the balance at/above Bt400K after getting the under consideration stamp. However, immigration officers have wide latitude in processing/approving an extension....and can sure make the approval process a real PITA if they want to. I too don't remember reading any post where an extension was denied because of not maintaining 400K during the under consideration period but I don't follow AseanNow that closely anymore....and lots of farangs don't post anything about their immigration office experiences.

OP, You might want to play it safe and ensure you maintain at least 400K THB requirement (assuming you are using the bank deposit vs monthly income method) until you get the final marriage extension stamp....and take along your update bank passbook on the day you go to get your final stamp. On 27 Sep the poster below had to show his passbook when going to pickup his final stamp at CW....he was surprised....apparently immigration had earlier not told him to bring it along. And on 28 Sep when I did my marriage extension the IO also did not tell me to bring along my updated passbook when picking up the final 12 month stamp (as in the previous two marriage extensions), but I plan to play it safe by keeping my bank balance at/above 400K until I get the final stamp and have in-hand an updated copy of my passbook when I go back in mid Oct to get that final stamp.

@Kevin1908, You said below a marriage visa/extension of stay seems so complicated.....really it's not...pretty simple...most making copies of some stuff and providing some photos. Let me talk a little each of the marriage extension docs listed on the immigration office image you posted (snapshot at bottom). And I'm ignoring all of the hard written stuff which seemed to be talking a retirement extension using the combo method (i.e., monthly pension combined with a Thai bank deposit). For the first 12 or so years of me being in Thailand I extended each year on an OA Retirement visa/extension of stay but to avoid the medical insurance requirement for my Non-OA Retirement visa (note: a Non-O Retirement does not require insurance) I switched to doing a Marriage Extension of stay...just finished my 3rd Marriage Extension last week at Bangkok/CW immigration office. 1. The TM7 form....a super simple page and half form where you basically enter your name, address, passport info, and a photo of yourself. 2. Copy of passport relevant pages like the main page and the page showing your visa/extension of stay. 3. Copy of Non Immigrant Visa. Just as it says...the visa your got before entering Thailand or the visa/extension you got after entering Thailand....it's in your passport. 4. Copy of Marriage Certificate "and" copy of Certificate of Marriage. If married in Thailand a copy of your pretty, made for framing Thai Marriage Certificate (a.k.a., Kor Ror 3 Thai form)...."and" Certificate of Marriage (a.k.a., Kor Ror 2) that you get at any district office in Thailand...takes about 10 minutes to get a Kor Ror 2 each year (the Kor Ror 2 just confirms you are still married)....the Kor Ror 2 costs zero to maybe 20 baht depending on the district office. Now if you were "not" married in Thailand/you were married outside of Thailand you will need to go thru a one time procedure to get your "foreign" Marriage Certificate translated/certified by a Thai embassy/Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then registered at your local district Thai office.....then you can also get the Kor Ror 2 quick and easy each year. Just to repeat, this foreign marriage certificate procedure would be a one time thing. 5. Copy of Thai wife ID card 6. Copy of Thai wife's Blue Book (a.k.a., House Register) 7. N/A as I assumed no children are involved 8 & 9. Either 400K deposited in a Thai bank 2 months "before" applying for an marriage extension OR, repeat, OR a month transfer to Thailand in the amount of at least 40K baht. To prove the 400K deposit you must provide a fresh letter from your Thai bank that is short, sweet, cost about 100 baht, takes less than an hour to get where the bank just confirms that, "yea, you really do have an account with the bank and as of date X you had a balance of X-amount." And you include a copy of your passbook showing at least the last two months transactions/balances since they want to see you had 400K baht through the 2 months leading up to your marriage extension of stay application. 10. Copy of Map to your home 11. Some family photo's....like for my marriage extension each year at Bangkok/CW immigration I provide 4 pictures of me and the wife in/around the house. Now to me completing above is nothing more that filling out a simple TM7 form, making some copies of your passport, copies of Thai wife ID and Blue Book, copy of Marriage docs, getting a bank letter/copying passbook, providing some photos, and providing a map. Really simple administrative type things....a copy of this and that. It's the copying machine/printer doing most of the work. Oh yea, the marriage extension of stay will cost B1,900 each year. Cheers. Kenvin1908 said:

London FX markets opens at 1400 Thai time (0800 UK DST) but Wise lifted the restriction on Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Philippines currencies a little before 1400. As far as I know there was no turmoil in those currencies this weekend or today. I wonder what Wise's reasoning was for the restriction? Hope it don't turn into an every weekend event.

As of 1354 Thai time the 20K THB restriction is gone. Restriction gone on the Indian, Indonesian, and Philippines currencies also.

Correct....I switched from an OA Retirement extension to a Marriage extension to avoid the medical insurance requirement. Have done 3 marriage extensions since switching with no medical insurance. Did the 3rd marriage extension just last week.

Below website says the London FX market opens 1400 Thai time....and Sydney and Tokyo FX market open with London and New York closed as of 1038 Thai time. https://www.babypips.com/tools/forex-market-hours Snapshot as of 1038 Thai time.

It's a Wise restriction...as of 1032 Wise still has the restriction.....but when checking my OFX acct there is no restriction at 1032 Thai time. However, as I posted earlier on weekends OFX does not allow any THB transfers....only allows them Mon-Fri when FX markets are open....been like that for years and I've had an acct with them for around 3 years. My OFX acct as of 1032 Thai time.

Well, it's 1009 hrs...1000 Thai time has come and gone...20K THB restriction still exists. Maybe at 1101 (which is 0001 U.S. Eastern time), maybe noon/1200, maybe when London FX market opens in another 4 hours at 1400 Thai time...who knows...I'm guessed-out.

My next "maybe" time guess for lifting the 20K THB restriction is 1000 Thai time because for most of my USD-THB transfers although Wise would start off saying transfer should arrive in seconds but then change to they would send the THB at 1000 and it should post to my Thai bank acct a little after 1400. Maybe there is something magic about approx 1000. 7 more minutes till 1000....time will tell.

As of 0932 Thai time and still restricted to 20K THB. I thought that "maybe" Wise may lift the restriction at that time as 0930 was usually the cutoff time to receive the transfer same day.

0902 Thai time....still restricted to 20K THB.

Well, it's not BOT or Thai banks opening time of 0830 as it's 0850 and the restriction of 20K THB still exists. Now if any of us are thinking this is only Thai baht issue, well, some other currencies also have weekend restrictions showing for them such as the Indian Rupee, Indonesian Rupiah, and Philippines Peso as of 0850 Thai time. See snapshots below. Indian Rupee And actually for the Indonesian IDR a person gets the restriction starting above 7M IDR vs above 8M IDR....a Wise typo I guess. P.I. Peso

Yea...I checked from 0558 to 0603, again at 0645, and again 0658 to 0703 Thai time and the 20K THB restriction still existed. 0701 Thai time is 0001 UTC (0101 UK DST) time so apparently removal of the restriction is not the start of the day based on UTC or Thai time. We'll have to wait and see what time the restriction is lifted. Maybe Bank of Thailand opening time which is 0830 like full service/stand alone banks in Thailand. Time will tell.