OJAS

For Joe Biden read Rishi Sunak in the UK's case. British diplomats evacuated (presumably with the principal aim of not disrupting their training routines for the FCDO Thumb-Twiddling Competition too much), while 4,400 non-diplomatic Brits have basically been hung out to dry. Looks to me like a rerun of the Kabul fiasco.

..which they will studiously ignore if my unsuccessful attempt to use the snail mail method for seeking a temporary uplift in my frozen pension during a trip to the UK last year is anything to go by.

Is the SF30 a special Hua Hin version of the TM30?

And no doubt so as to encourage the maximum amount of wisdom on polling day the sale of alcohol nationwide will be prohibited for all and sundry (including non-participating foreigners, of course) from 6pm the day before, as has been the case for previous elections. After all, we can't run the risk of having individual voters commit VUI, can we? Whereas having prospective candidates terrorise their local neighbourhoods with over-amplified campaign caterwauling emanating from multi-megawatt sound systems mounted on slow-moving cruising pickups (as has, unfortunately, already started to happen in my neck of the woods) is, on the other hand, cheerfully and gleefully tolerated - nay encouraged - by the alcohol prohibitionists.

As did not quite a few people in the UK, it would appear! https://www.theguardian.com/society/live/2023/apr/23/emergency-alert-test-uk-phone-alarms-sound-live-updates

Well, her weak-willed whimp of a hubby is most certainly not standing side by side with her on the issue of attending the Coronation at least. There may well be adverse consequences for him at her hands on account of this wilful act of defiance on his part!

https://www.gov.uk/alerts In case those of us with live giffgaff or other roaming UK SIM cards need to brace ourselves for loud siren-like sounds coming from our mobiles at 9pm next Sunday.

No Bangkok Bank branch can provide 12-month statements on the spot. They all require a week or so to obtain these from HQ. Sufficiently clear for your purposes, is it?

You certainly have a unique way of expressing your gratitude to those who are simply doing their best to provide assistance to you, don't you?

So 90 days after you had submitted your latest online report rather than 90 days after Rayong had seen fit to approve it, then. A poor show IMHO.

In stark contrast to the rundown eyesore of an office building which we Brits are these days forced to visit not once but twice at passport renewal time.

Out of curiosity what is the due date for your next 90-day report?

If I were you I would seriously consider doing this sooner rather than later. I applied to renew my passport last October even though it was not due to expire until next September - and am now mighty glad that I did so since the well-publicised delays in issuing replacement passports of recent times are now being further compounded by industrial action currently being taken by HMPO staff in the UK.

You can definitely file a return online from Thailand using the standard package without the need for a VPN, as I did myself yesterday! However as @topt has intimated it will not be possible to avoid forking out for the services of a commercial software supplier if you consider it necessary to include the SA109 supplementary pages in your online return, whether or not filed using a VPN.

And the relevant link in case anyone is interested is: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1148675/SA100_tax_return_English_2023.pdf

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