mamborobert

59 minutes ago, bdenner said:

Only hope that in my case they have a CPA on the consular staff who understands my tax return (I can barely make head nor tale of it) and they understand that the days of paper bank statements are long gone. Being a Thai witnessing the Stat Dec wouldn't surprise me if she doesn't ask for my Aussie Bank Book!! 5555555

 

Looks like I'll have to take my NoteBook PC with me next year.

 

The gods of bureaucracy and hoops are alive and well.

The three times I have used the Stat Dec method and the Consular Outreach program have all had a DFAT A based officer ( that is an Oz official on a posting) witness and issue seal on a Stat Dec.  These officers are specified under the Act on the Stat Dec form.  Locally Engaged Staff (Oz or Thai) are not specified.

As a further example the Hon Consul in Chiang Mai despite the title, Thai govt accreditation, and the issued polo "uniform" cannot witness the Stat Dec.

This has also been my experience at other Oz embassies in the PI, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia

4 minutes ago, bangkokorbust said:

I have income from property rental but have no idea what they want as proof.
A copy of the lease maybe

or a copy of the bank deposits for the rent...or a copy of your tax return showing declared rental income.  It has the potential to get very ugly if the next move is to link data with ATO or Centrelink.  Best flick an email to consular outreach.  They reply pretty quickly.

11 minutes ago, Stevemercer said:

Thus requirement sounds dubious to me (although I guess it is not possible to challenge). As many posters have said, you sign a stat declaration to testify that this is a true version of events (at least from your perspective). There is no need to provide proofs unless challenged in court. I assume the embassy staff will not check with whomever the money is coming from to verify your 'letter of proof'. Most banks, super funds, financial institutions etc. are not going to provide this information to a third party. If they did, then there could be all sorts of privacy/tax/pension implications.

 

 

I would have thought you must obtain the desired document...not the third party, and you must present it when you want Stat Dec signature witnessed (as in present to the third party).  You cannot appeal to say an  Administrative Tribunal or an Oz court for someone failing to witness a Stat Dec in Thailand, apart from no grounds there are jurisdictional issues. A Stat Dec is legal in Australia or legal when submitted to receive an Australian benefit or with submitted with say an Australian Visa application.   It is not a legal document in Thailand (as such) but a document that is accepted by Thai Immigration as proof of income in lieu of the alternate bank balance method.  Thai immigration could just as easily ask to see some other evidence or source documents but the Stat Dec makes it easier all round.

4 minutes ago, Evilbaz said:

Your pensioner allowance card is not valid overseas.

It was a joke...that humour stuff.  I am self funded.  The only thing I get from the OZ govt is a fresh air sandwich.

17 minutes ago, Preacher said:

 

As has been mentioned, a stat. declaration  is no more just witnessing a signature. Thailand has complained to the embassies and now demands that embassies check the income and just witness the signature. Another problem is, at least for Dutch citizens, the declaration will now state nett income, not gross. I understood that was on agreement with the Thai government.  With the low Euro and now going to nett, I imagine that will put a few persons in trouble.

Do other embassies now demand proof of nett income?

 

For the Americans it might be a little bit different, because of the difference between the federal governments and the different states. The individual states do not like it when the federal government treads in their jurisdiction. For them it might  be the case that they will have to provide evidence at immigration instead of at their embassy.

 

t

The Oz have been ok with declaring a Gross Income.  Now that they want evidence I do not know what type of info you get on a Centrelink statement for example where the OAP may just put you into the initial income tax threshold.  It would be odd to do net as for OZ most would only know that from the annual tax return statement from the ATO.  You could conceivably be paying tax on a gross income and then get it all or partially back through rebates or franking credits or deductions etc when you put in your tax return.  Some with multiple sources of income would not know their true net until after their tax return is done, having said that those people are more than likely not to have an issue with the 65k per month.  

Guess this will become fine tuned as people apply.  Maybe even best if Embassy provided a sample or template Stat Dec in teh future...fill in the numbers and source and sign type thing.

50 minutes ago, lensta said:

My friend did his in Bkk last week and no such documentation was needed

As far as I can see the "change" only came through on the embassy web site in the last few days of the week.

Now includes :

"If you are signing a Statutory Declaration in support of a retirement or other visa, you must provide proof of income such as a bank, Superannuation or Centrelink statement. "

http://thailand.embassy.gov.au/bkok/Notarial_Services.html

It was certainly not required by Embassy staff before and in fact the DFAT related site has not been updated and still reads the "old" understandingof Stat Decs:

"By witnessing your signature, the consular official is simply confirming your identity as the person claiming to make the declaration. The consular officer is in no way attesting to the truth or veracity of the content of the statement. "

http://smartraveller.gov.au/services/legalising-documents/pages/overseas.aspx

There is no mention of supporting evidentary documents being required.

Still, its changed, and that is the reality.   Its is certainly going to affect the single fully dependant OAPs and prospective retirees in Thailand.

I always thought this was a rather meaningless measure after the initial visa...I mean it does not confirm that you are actually spending that money in part or total in Thailand.  Perhaps another boom in some of the creative accounting and borrowing by some agents in Pattaya will be spreading further afield as people opt for the bank balance or combination method.

2 minutes ago, evenstevens said:

all mine (stat decs) so far , have been done in thaibaht (65.000 ),not A.U.D.

its a Midnight Oil good morning to all

 

Same here

If you  have received no notice for the lottery through your father cannot see how you would be up for consideration, as you would have had to be registered several years earlier for the candidate pool.  So unless some over zealous Immigration guy wants to make a lot of work for himeself by actually enquiring of a Thai national shich seems hiighly unlikley you should be ok.....

It would be interesting how far they would go if you maintained you could neither speak or read/write Thai.   No hablo Thai, cannot see how you could be inducted/trained etc.  Worse comes to worse pick out a padded bra and a nice frock, that will get you out as well here  ..

Completed conscription myself...loved it....but just as it makes some people there were a few that it broke entirely.  Having seen that, and known how fragile some of my extended family were, could never advocate for it even though it really did a world of good for me personally.

At the moment it just seems that there is a very substantial gap between the lowest concrete step and the bamboo floats..... so a bit of rain may help.

Saw the Fire Brigade lopping trees at Warrorot yesterday....and a squad of ladies in garbage bags with a hose truck washing away the distinctive smell from the defacto Songtaew driver urinal that the steps near the market have become.  It gets a bit odourous when it is hot/humid.  So preparations are in full swing....although the event itself maybe somewhat subdued as far as ancillary activities.

11 minutes ago, balo said:

I think the rain has stopped for good this year , yesterday I was out cycling and it looked like it was going to rain but it never happened , that's a good sign .

 

Funny you mentioned this...the forecast for the next three days has it clocking up nearly 20mm a day startinng tonight.  A few Thai media publications have alerts out.

The river is certainly low....I notice that bamboo  floats are being prepared near US consulate just to allow people to get to the water level.  Crazy stuff as I imagine with the weight and waterlogging they will not last the first night of Loy Kratong.  One good thing, the water management/flood gate control seems better this year.

All of course subject to change without notice :)

That dishevelled drunk looks like Tezza at the Old Melbourne. If so, went there myself to see the show, distant memory recalls the Old Melbourne but definite venue for boxing with Brad Hardie of Sth Freo who was a pretty gun boxer like most of the Freo boys then as Jacko attests in interview.

I'd say it's like watching grass grow except you need that rain stuff to make grass grow....so in a way it's worse than watching grass grow.

Can't the junta just speed things up and make it rain by the sensible use of the all purpose article 44 ?

It is an old term being rehashed by the current regime to encourage Thai singularity. No Red, Yellow, South, North.....everyone is Bangkok:)

Except foreigners of course.

It is a way to basically enforce uniformity and cease challenges to a desired norm.

This was a nice write up:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaification

Paul Thompson passed away recently from Brain Cancer.

Paul had been all over the region as a photograher of Muay Thai, and in Chiang Mai for various spells (with Tiger Muay Thai). You would sometimes see him in the "old" Kawilla boxing stadium (a beautiful Eddie Munster haircut stuck out a bit ) and Loi Kroh for some international fights.

True gentlemen who has know his days were numbered for quite some time, accepted this, and his sole concern form many months was the welfare of his wife, who had her own very significant health problems.

He loved Muay Thai, and was passionate about the photos he took. Lived live to the full albeit far to short.

You can see some of his work on his facebook page as his company page has sadly been deregsitered

https://www.facebook.com/PaulThompsonFightPhotography

RIP Sharpshooter.

Many thanks all, especially Maestro.

It does not help. You are not Oz. You do not complete a Stat Dec. You are unable to comprehend what is being asked. You are however a master of the bleeding obvious with your unhelpful irrelevent replies. Please get your post count up elsewhere.

I will await informed and relevant replies.

In making a Statutory Declaration/Affidavit the person is bound , by law , to state the truth.

I realize that !!!!!!!!!

But what information is required for example do you state exactly hw much you receive or state that you receive more that 65000 Baht per month, do you state the source of funds, .do you state in Oz Dollars and convert or the Baht figure on the day, do you state gross or net......

What I want to know is what is the best TRUE (if that helps you) wording to satisfy Thai Immigration.....

Just tryng to get some infor for a friend who is going the income verification stat dec route for a retirement visa ( I am a bank balance guy so out of my depth).

Consular staff were not clear to him so in filling out the stat dec besides names, dob, passport, and Thai address type stuff as I gather they do not want to commit/advise contents and thereby give rise to an expectancy that Thai Immigration will waltz that wording through every time:

For example should he simply indicate that he is in receipt of penison in excess of minimum monthly requirement or the exact figure received with a reference to value in Baht based on prevailing exchange rate?

Do you need to confirm that you are actually retired?

Do you need to advise the source of the funds (I ask this as he has just turned 50 and this is the first visa attempt and although 50 is the minimum it is generally not the norm for retirement just to head of any issues Thai Immigration may have).

IS "more" better than "less" on the basis that volume equals substance or should you go the small target route and provide the very basics in a few lines..

I have seen sample "letters: for US cases but not sample Stat Dec for Oz cases.

Can anybody point me or pm me wording for Oz citizens for a Stat Dec that has been generally accepted by Thai immigration please.

Really need the Oz Stat Dec type example not other nationality/ letter wording.

Thanks.

I always thought that a SOME Non Immigrant O retiree could apply for PR under the Humanity Reasons as in Support a family or Humanity Reasons category: In this category, you must have a relationship with a Thai citizen or an alien who already posses a residence permit as a husband or wife; father or mother; or a guardian of a Thai child under 20 years of age.

So if a retiree has a Thai spouse there is an avenue. It is certainly proclaimed as such by many Thai immigration lawyers and the thread of Cammartas (referred to by Fang37 also advises same).

To me bigger limiting issues are a.) the quota, and b.) the possibility of being declared a non resident in my home country (by the fact that I have actively sought out PR in Thailand) for taxation purposes...so I run the risk of paying a higher rate of tax from the first dollar. (Residency for Tax in Australia being independent of Australian Citizenship).

I HAVE worked with Trafcord through the IOM. It has been a leading agency in this part of the world for at least a decade that I know off. Whilst this money is mentioned it should also be noted that the U.S. And German embassies have been significant contributors for many years, as well as ad hoc funding from UNICEF.

It is an NGO and non profit......and to get the sustained funding they have they need good accounting, specific projects, and measurable results.

I cannot think of a comparable organisation with a focus on the Chiang Mai area specifically, coupled with education and preventative works along the Burmese/Chinese/Lao borders.

Maximillian should note that the German embassy itself does a lot of good work here, Trafcord included.

As for Kalbz...how about doing a bit of research on THIS organisation and THIS funding and provide specific examples of misuse. You will find it a lot harder than asinine posts on TV. Step up or FO as uninformed posts stop donations to vulnerable people's.

On cm108 now as well with short video

http://www.cm108.com/bbb/topic/5072-%E0%B8%86%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%8B%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%8B%E0%B9%8C-%E0%B8%86%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%B2%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B7%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B4/