OJAS

Despite HMRC's dire warnings, though, is there really any need in practice to enlist the services of a commercial software provider in completing the SA109 supplementary pages as part of an online tax return unless, in the tax year to which that return relates, you have:- (1) paid income tax to the Thai Revenue Dept (RD) in respect of the UK State Pension and/or a UK private sector occupational pension, neither of which are covered by the UK/Thailand Double Taxation Treaty (DTT) (mine is a public sector (civil service, military, etc) occupational pension which is covered by the DTT, and I have not paid any tax for my State Pension to the Thai RD), and/or (2) sold property in the UK (the issue here being that capital gains tax is assessed on the basis of the gain made on the property since its original purchase date in the case of UK tax residents, but only since 5/4/15 in the case of UK tax non-residents)? Just to inform HMRC that I (a) have a home in Thailand, (b) am entitled to claim the personal allowance on the grounds of both being a British national and having been employed in the service of the British Crown, and (c) spent x number of days in the UK during the tax year in question - which is basically all the info I've hitherto been providing in my paper SA109 supplementary returns - really wouldn't IMHO justify the outlay of c.£18 for the services of a commercial software supplier, unless either (1) or (2) above applied, of course.

But when Christmas is thrown into the mix as well these western companies don't do too badly, I think. In my home country (UK), the Christmas/New Year period is one big holiday lasting a couple of weeks!

Does this mean that Monday 17th is an official substitute holiday covering banks, post offices, etc as well? No mention of this in this pinned thread:- https://aseannow.com/topic/1283230-thailand-holidays-2023/ Or maybe just a holiday for Immigration?

The only way in which your assertions regarding actual delivery times can, I think, be definitively verified one way or the other would be UK originators to (1) send all their correspondence to us using some tracking facility, and (2) inform us of the relevant tracking number so as to enable us to work out where in the delivery chain delays actually occur. Unfortunately, though, UK government departments (including HMRC) choose to do neither in our case.

Quite. I gather that the going rate for commercial software providers is £25-£30. Considerably more than the standard snail mail cost of sending a paper return from Thailand to the UK.

The particularly galling thing as far as HMRC at least are concerned, is that the Government Gateway did at one time include a secure electronic messaging facility which was subsequently abruptly pulled for some ridiculous reason without any forewarning or explanation. Another example of "progress" HMRC-style, I think!

Can you provide a suitable link, please? Certainly I can find no mention of this in the link I posted in my OP unless I'm missing something.

You're kidding, right? But if you're not, then kindly explain to me how come I didn't receive DWP's letter dated 8/1/23 requesting a freshly witnessed Life Certificate until 9/2/23! And a letter dated 27/2/23 from HMRC in connection with my 2021-22 SA tax return until 30/3/23!! A tad longer than 5 days in each case, I think!!!

Yep, the French just LURVE ol' Macron, their presidential Head Of State, don't they, as they go skipping up and down their boulevards en masse and in states of unbridled ecstasy fulsomely singing his praises to the very highest heavens as being the very best thing since sliced bread in democratic pension reform! But maybe just a few of them are secretly longing for the clock to be turned back 231 years??????? https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/monarchy-abolished-in-france

No longer is it possible to download and print off from the GOV.UK website the main SA100 form. Instead you're now required to spend ages calling HMRC for a paper version and then wait a further age for this to show up in the post here in LOS! Ironically, all supplementary forms - including SA109 which is of particular relevance to UK tax non-residents - are still available for downloading and printing off. Such is "progress", HMRC-style, I suppose!???? https://www.gov.uk/self-assessment-tax-return-forms

In Rayong's case definitely handled by them. If possible, better to get a native speaker to call them rather than attempting to do so yourself, I think (individual officers' grasp of the English language there tends to be minimal at best in my experience). They've certainly answered calls made by my wife on my behalf promptly on a couple of occasions, and provided her with clear and meaningful answers to my queries. But neither related to online 90-day reporting, though.

Rayong Immigration have been known to steadfastly refuse to budge 90-day reports submitted online from the "Pending" category in my experience, unfortunately. Think that your only option is to go along there in person before your current reporting window expires clutching a completed TM47 form (which they're always insistent on, come what may), together with a print-out of your "Pending" status confirmation notification as previously advised and your previous 90-day notification slip (in addition to your passport, of course). I would strongly advise you against wasting your time in endeavouring to seek an explanation from them as to why your online report wasn't approved. Despite having my wife in tow in an effort to tease this out of them in their native language on one occasion, the best that she could get out of them after a prolonged attempt was something along the lines of "Blame the computer" - a face-saving reply aimed purely at masking bungling incompetence and ineptitude, I think!

Thanks for this. I, too, went through the agonies of renewing my passport a few months ago - and have certainly not pulled my punches in completing this survey as regards expressing my strongly negative views about the procedures we Brits are subject to at passport renewal time from Thailand. Much good may that do in practice, though, I strongly suspect, unfortunately.

But he's not liking the answers he's been given for some mysterious reason...........????

Wow, you certainly have a unique way of expressing your gratitude to the likes of @DrJack54and myself who are only trying our best to help you out of your predicament, don't you? Anyway I'm now out of this thread and you'll shortly be on Ignore as far as I am concerned.

Well just carry on nitpicking, old chap. You can now go on to overstay after Friday as far as I am concerned.

No it wasn't, you also said "Not sure why some are saying 800k must be 3 months prior to applying.." Why did you choose to include that particular statement if you already knew the reason for it?!!

He certainly needs to work to some pretty fine margins, I think. But he only has himself to blame for this state of affairs IMHO.

@Foreignheight6foot2 - it occurs to me that, if you were to lodge your application for a non-O conversion at least 8 days after you had been re-admitted into Thailand with a 30-day visa exemption, the 400k would have been seasoned for 2 months in any event. Just beware, though, that you would need to submit a non-O conversion application at least 15 days before your visa-exempt permission to stay expired.

@Foreignheight6foot2 - upon reflection I don't think that this will be necessary in your case. While this requirement is explicitly stated for non-O conversions based on retirement, it isn't for conversions based on marriage. Alas I missed the bus for editing my post further!????

It is looking increasingly likely to me in the light of your subsequent comments that the only practical option now open to you is to do a border run before Friday (7th), returning to Thailand with a 30-day visa exemption (reduced from 45 days since 1 April) which you will then need to convert to a single-entry 90-day non-O visa for marriage at your local immigration office. Official requirements are spelt out in the following link:- https://www.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/6.FOR-PROVIDING-SUPPORT-TO-OR-BEING-A-DEPENDANT-OF-A-THAI-CITIZEN-SPOUSE-VISA-NON-O.pdf As I understand 7.2, there won't be a 2-month seasoning requirement for your 400k in the bank in this instance - although you may well be required to prove its foreign origins. But, first and foremost, I would strongly advise you to discuss this whole approach with your local immigration office ASAP (ie tomorrow the 5th at the very absolute latest as the office will be closed on the 6th for Chakri Day).

It is once per visa used to gain entry into Thailand. As in my case this visa could have been used many years ago, with permissions to stay in Thailand being subsequently extended on an annual basis.

What I do is to take along a copy of the letter the bank gave me last year and tell them "Same again, please" ????

Adherence to the official rules is dependent on 3 things:- (1) the particular immigration office with which you deal, (2) the particular officer within that office with whom you deal on a particular occasion, and (3) most crucially, which side of the bed said officer had got out of that morning. ????

Agreed - as I have already stated up thread, Savannakhet would IMHO appear to be the OP's optimal destination of choice in view of his present financial situation. OP - Google "site:aseannow.com savannakhet" to view a number of reports on here from those who have recently obtained non-O visas from the Savannakhet Consulate.