OJAS

In my case it's the Radio 4 Midnight News bulletin which I listen to while munching breakfast.☺️

It might still be possible to access the BBC Sounds app from abroad with a VPN after the Beeb have pulled the plug internationally - although that remains to be seen, of course. I suspect that rights issues might be behind the reasons for the change*. The relevant fees for worldwide coverage are probably considerably higher than for coverage solely restricted to the UK - and, as already said, the Beeb are severely strapped for cash these days (unfortunately there is zero chance of them launching a GoFundMe campaign in order to make up any shortfall!🤑). *Live football commentaries on 5Live, for example, are already geoblocked internationally for this reason.

Nor does anyone, even back in the UK, solely in order to access BBC Sounds!

Depends on the OP's UK bank, of course, but mine (Co-op) has never required me to activate replacement debit and credit cards which they send to my Thai address. Indeed, the 16-digit numbers remain the same, the only things changing are the 3-digit CVC on the back of the card plus, of course, the validity dates. But even if this were also the case for @cliveshep, I would still strongly advise him to initiate a token payment with his replacement card in due course (perhaps in the form of a Wise transfer?) so as to ensure that any potential problems with using it for his passport renewal payment were identified (and, hopefully, resolved) beforehand.

In addition to the ridiculous bureaucratic nonsense we Brits locally are subject to at passport renewal time, presumably. In my experience getting existing IMM stamps transferred from old to new passports is a piece of cake in comparison.

I think that VFS only accept THB payments for UK visa applications. Certainly no mention of this being possible in the case of passport renewals on the HMPO section of their website: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/tha/en/gbr/hmpo

@brewsterbudgen Your son will be able to travel for free on most TfL services with a 5-10 Zip Oyster photocard. And he doesn't even need one of these for free bus travel in London, unless he looks older than 10! https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/5-10-zip-oyster-photocard?intcmp=55572 You yourself will only be able to pay for bus fares in London with an Oystercard or contactlessly with a debit or credit card which includes the following symbol:

Says it all about the British passport renewal procedures from Thailand, I think, when it seems possible for expats of most other nationalities to be able to renew their passports from Thailand without the need for any assistance from agents!

What is a 2-step authentication system? And how do we enable it?

OP - did you not have to obtain an affirmation of freedom to marry document signed and stamped by the Australian Embassy prior to your marriage in 2001? If so, it might be worth your while checking whether they still have this document - although I accept that this could well prove a long shot after so long.

In other words, alienate a significant part of their customer base in exactly the same way as SCB and KTB have done. 😟

The big mystery as far as I am concerned is why the IPC use a Wolverhampton mailing address when their offices are located in Newcastle-upon-Tyne! In particular, once the fresh life certificates which we're all dutifully having witnessed at the present time have been received at Wolverhampton, do they then need to be physically transported onwards to Newcastle-upon-Tyne before the IPC can process them?

On the basis of section G it would appear that this refund would take the form of a GBP cheque which HMRC would then despatch to the beneficiary widow by snail mail. Another shining example of HMRC being really at the cutting edge of secure electronic technology, is it (not)?!! More seriously, though, is the note stating that "it’s sometimes not possible to cash British pound payments overseas" - which, I suspect, could be problematical here in Thailand. Would be nice, I think, if HMRC could proactively tell our widows how they would be able to receive their refunds instead.

Whilst this is, indeed, the case provided that the amounts involved do not total more than the UK personal allowance (currently £12,570) as already said, it would appear that her widow's pensions might, however, be deemed assessable income for Thailand taxation purposes, because of Article 19(2) of the UK/Thailand Double Taxation Agreement, which states: (2) (a) Any pension paid by the Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to any individual in respect of services of a governmental nature rendered to that State or subdivision or local authority thereof shall be taxable only in that State. (b) However, such pension shall be taxable only in the other contracting State if the recipient is a national of and a resident of that State. But, given your subsequent statement that the amounts involved won't exceed the current UK personal allowance, she might not, in practice, have to pay any tax in Thailand either because of the various allowances and exemptions currently in force. That all said, things could, of course, change at both UK and Thailand ends between now and when your wife claims her widow's pensions!

Given that many of my fellow Brits get their perpetually frozen UK State Pensions paid into their Thai bank accounts through Citibank, I wonder whether any of them might be in for a pleasant surprise when their next payments are due?! 🤑

This sounds to me like a temporary tax code provided by the Scottish Police pension providers for the widow and HMRC to use. This would be consistent with what MyCSP told me in connection with my Civil Service pension in January. That said, what, if anything, might then happen in the longer term remains a mystery.

Meaning, "there is only one solution, Hitler's final one".

I strongly suspect that only DWP will be able to answer your questions definitively. I suggest that you contact their International Pensions Centre through the enquiry form linked below: https://secure.dwp.gov.uk/contact-the-international-pension-centre/contact-form

A distinct improvement on the rigmarole I had to go through 10 years ago, when I was required to submit my original birth certificate which then went AWOL!

Which in my book is tantamount to an expression of deep regret at Hitler's failure to fully implement The Final Solution.

Likely for copyright reasons: https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/bbcstudios/2005/bbc-studios-to-make-podcasts-available-to-international-audiences-via-bbc-dot-com-and-the-bbc-app It will, however, still be possible to listen to the World Service and Radio 4 from abroad via the following link instead: https://www.bbc.com/audio and scroll to bottom. It may also be possible to continue listening to remaining BBC stations from abroad (should one be so inclined) with a VPN - but that remains to be seen, I suspect.

Indeed, he would run the risk of getting banged up in the Bangkok Hilton (or local equivalent)!

And, while you're about it, are you also planning to send an email to all relevant authorities and media outlets back in your home country bitterly complaining about a number of negative measures which your home country government may have seen fit to impose on its expats living in Thailand in recent years (of which there are quite a fair few in the case of us Brits, for instance, believe you me!)?

The BKKB mobile app was, in my experience, a PITA in both setting up and using before I unceremoniously dumped it.

Or Brighton or Bournemouth who both have home EPL fixtures on 2, 12 & 26 April?