BREAKING NEWS British Embassy Bangkok to Stop Certification of Income Letters

[soalbundy]

21 minutes ago, markaoffy said:

It’s “written in stone “ in the form of a notice ! NOT Issuing proof of pension income !


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Sandstone perhaps, I can imagine, 'After discussions with the TI it has been decided not to cancel the income letters as previously announced.

[Daveyh]

12 hours ago, billd766 said:

You described me fairly well though I am probably about 20,000 baht short of the 65,000 per month per year simply due to the forex rate. I am well within the 40,000 per month for a marriage visa.

 

My problem as a UK citizen is that the UK embassy does not give a rats rrrse about me and as my extension is not due for renewal until 23rd August so even if I tried for an embassy letter with a maximum 45 days ahead It still won't work for me.

 

Sure I can get the balance to make it up BUT without an embassy letter it won't work. In fact by that time I will have had a rise in my military pension, a rise in my company pension and with the new tax allowance in the budget I will only be a few thousand baht short of the monthly income.

 

So what will the UK embassy do for me next year?

 

Fark all.

 

But the UK government will still tax me.

 

Barstewards.

Yup ..... you got that right mate! The embassy here do not give a toss about us retired folk living here, although we both have worked & paid tax to the UK government all our working life ........ & we are still paying them, but being ex military too we expect this attitude towards us because it's not ever gonna change. They pay us "lip service" & that's about it. It's "naive" to think that our government will support & protect us, even their embassies around the world are full of "muppets", so don't anyone hold their breath. It's only the charitable organisations that help ex servicemen .... fact. I live a comfortable life here & have sufficient funds to qualify for an "Income Letter", but there is no way I want to have a bank account here with 800,000 baht doing nothing for me, hence it's not an option. I'm a survivor & thankfully still have my health, mobility & a sound mind ...... I don't need these "out of touch" folk with reality in the embassy I'll sort myself out. I'm due to renew in June next year , so I just slip under the wire to renew my retirement visa for another year, but I'll be using this timescale to move on. Sad really ...... been here nearly 16yrs & enjoyed every minute keeping out of trouble! Ha! Ha! Still a great place to retire to for me, but I'll probably live elsewhere in Asia now as back to "Blighty" is not an option. I guess a change is as good as a rest they say? ............. Cheers.

Edited October 31, 2018 by Daveyh

[ubonjoe]

3 hours ago, richiejom said:

On a side note does anyone know if the Savannakhet option is still unchanged in Laos... could be a handy backup option for married Brits as you get a 1 year multi-entry based on marriage there without proof of income.  Do any visa agents do this visa run?

No changes to get a multiple entry non-o visa based upon marriage in Savannakhet.

There are no visa run companies making the trip to there. You have to it on your own. Many topics about it on this forum.

[soalbundy]

7 minutes ago, richiejom said:

Just got this, interesting she says TI don't refer to the letter on their website:

 

Dear Mr ......

 

Thank you for your email.

 

I am sorry to learn that you are unhappy with the announcement that we intend to withdraw the pension letter service in Thailand from 1 January 2019.  I appreciate the difficulties that can accompany such a change in services.

 

The British Embassy in Bangkok currently issues a pension letter as a supporting document for British nationals applying for a Thai retirement or marriage visa application or extension of stay.  The Thai authorities have confirmed that they want the British Embassy to verify the income of British nationals which we are unable to do. We would refer such requests to the issuing authority. Therefore, the current letter does not fulfil the Thai authorities’ requirements so we need to stop issuing it so it is not misinterpreted as verification.

 

When withdrawing a service we do look at what other options are available to the customer to assist them in meeting the requirements of the receiving authority.  There is an alternative for customers to demonstrate that they meet the financial requirement for their retirement or marriage visa by holding a Thai bank account showing the minimum funds needed.  

 

Thai Immigrations own website states the minimum funds required for each visa type and makes no mention of a letter from an embassy being used as proof of income.

 

To assist customers, our Embassy in Bangkok has published details on their website of the change in service, what option is available to customers and what those requirements are.  Further details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-embassy-bangkok-to-stop-certification-of-income-letters

 

Kind Regards

 

Stacey

Deputising Vice Consul

British Embassy Bangkok

They want the BRITISH EMBASSY to verify...... not the embassies per se. What have they done to p1ss of TI?

No mention that the TI will change the system of verification just the unrealistic insistence on the rules and regulations, ignoring the directive for the embassy letter, nor do they say they are in discussions with TI regarding the regulations, one beer or two it's up to you, thanks BE, what a useless pile of ship.

[ubonjoe]

18 minutes ago, richiejom said:

Just got this, interesting she says TI don't refer to the letter on their website:

The website and the police order only states proof of the income is needed. It does not state what proof is needed.

[soalbundy]

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

The website and the police order only states proof of the income is needed. It does not state what proof is needed.

There must however be a directive concerning the embassy letter for it to be so uniformly used.

[wayned]

9 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

There must however be a directive concerning the embassy letter for it to be so uniformly used.

Somewhere in Thai buried in an office in the 9th pile on the left of the room because they don't have enough filling cabinets!, al la the work visa extension room in the old Suan Plu office on the second floor.  But, to my amazement, they always could find my file!

[ubonjoe]

11 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

There must however be a directive concerning the embassy letter for it to be so uniformly used.

Probably one from a couple of decades ago (or more) when they started doing extensions that required proof of income.

[wayned]

Since all or most Embassies issue an income letter in some form or another, if they are proer;y organized they should be able to go to the archived file for "income letters" and all of the communication and directives that caused them to generate the letter should be available.  I guess that that would be asking too much as it didn't happen on the current vice consuls watch!

[soalbundy]

1 minute ago, wayned said:

Since all or most Embassies issue an income letter in some form or another, if they are proer;y organized they should be able to go to the archived file for "income letters" and all of the communication and directives that caused them to generate the letter should be available.  I guess that that would be asking too much as it didn't happen on the current vice consuls watch!

I was just about to write the same thing

[OJAS]

50 minutes ago, richiejom said:

Just got this, interesting she says TI don't refer to the letter on their website:

 

Dear Mr ......

 

Thank you for your email.

 

I am sorry to learn that you are unhappy with the announcement that we intend to withdraw the pension letter service in Thailand from 1 January 2019.  I appreciate the difficulties that can accompany such a change in services.

 

The British Embassy in Bangkok currently issues a pension letter as a supporting document for British nationals applying for a Thai retirement or marriage visa application or extension of stay.  The Thai authorities have confirmed that they want the British Embassy to verify the income of British nationals which we are unable to do. We would refer such requests to the issuing authority. Therefore, the current letter does not fulfil the Thai authorities’ requirements so we need to stop issuing it so it is not misinterpreted as verification.

 

When withdrawing a service we do look at what other options are available to the customer to assist them in meeting the requirements of the receiving authority.  There is an alternative for customers to demonstrate that they meet the financial requirement for their retirement or marriage visa by holding a Thai bank account showing the minimum funds needed.  

 

Thai Immigrations own website states the minimum funds required for each visa type and makes no mention of a letter from an embassy being used as proof of income.

 

To assist customers, our Embassy in Bangkok has published details on their website of the change in service, what option is available to customers and what those requirements are.  Further details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-embassy-bangkok-to-stop-certification-of-income-letters

 

Kind Regards

 

Stacey

Deputising Vice Consul

British Embassy Bangkok

Perhaps not surprisingly, their so-called "assistance" does not (conveniently, of course, from their viewpoint) cover the little matter as to how some of us are going to stump up 800,000 THB to place in our Thai bank accounts by as soon as next April in some cases (or maybe even sooner in the case of a few who, for whatever reason, don't obtain an Embassy letter over the next few weeks).

Edited October 31, 2018 by OJAS

[billd766]

5 hours ago, soalbundy said:

No need to get depressed, change always brings upheavals but things are seldom as bad as they appear at first. We need clarity before we can plan, without clarity we are corn between the millstones of TI and BE. I get well over the required sum needed for the extension but I too don't know which direction to take, should I use transferwise each month to deposit the sum in a Thai account ? use the ATM method ? rely on the German embassy continuing to issue the letter as they said they would ? Will IO continue to accept it ? We are being kept in the dark. It would help if we knew what was discussed at the May meeting, what were the real demands of TI, why the drastic action of the BE and US, why wait until now with the announcement and not in May, why haven't all other embassies followed suit, it could even be that this was an over reaction from the two embassies and things will return as they were. The silence from both sides of the spectrum shows, I think, that as of yet nothing has been written in stone, the BE and US may have jumped the gun.

I am not depressed about it but TBH the UK embassy has always been crap even going back to the 1990s when I first came here. They always seemed to look down on their own country people and slowly got rid of the real purpose in life, which of course is helping ALL the UK people and not just the rich and self important.

[billd766]

1 hour ago, richiejom said:

Just got this, interesting she says TI don't refer to the letter on their website:

 

Dear Mr ......

 

Thank you for your email.

 

I am sorry to learn that you are unhappy with the announcement that we intend to withdraw the pension letter service in Thailand from 1 January 2019.  I appreciate the difficulties that can accompany such a change in services.

 

The British Embassy in Bangkok currently issues a pension letter as a supporting document for British nationals applying for a Thai retirement or marriage visa application or extension of stay.  The Thai authorities have confirmed that they want the British Embassy to verify the income of British nationals which we are unable to do. We would refer such requests to the issuing authority. Therefore, the current letter does not fulfil the Thai authorities’ requirements so we need to stop issuing it so it is not misinterpreted as verification.

 

When withdrawing a service we do look at what other options are available to the customer to assist them in meeting the requirements of the receiving authority.  There is an alternative for customers to demonstrate that they meet the financial requirement for their retirement or marriage visa by holding a Thai bank account showing the minimum funds needed.  

 

Thai Immigrations own website states the minimum funds required for each visa type and makes no mention of a letter from an embassy being used as proof of income.

 

To assist customers, our Embassy in Bangkok has published details on their website of the change in service, what option is available to customers and what those requirements are.  Further details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-embassy-bangkok-to-stop-certification-of-income-letters

 

Kind Regards

 

Stacey

Deputising Vice Consul

British Embassy Bangkok

I read the information on their website and they say either 800,000 or 400,000 baht in a Thai bank account OR 65,000 or 40,000 baht depending on what extension you are aiming for.

 

They also quote this link but it applies to a retirement extension only.

 

https://www.immigration.go.th/content/service_22 translated to English

 

https://www.immigration.go.th/content/service_22 original in Thai

 

[soalbundy]

9 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I am not depressed about it but TBH the UK embassy has always been crap even going back to the 1990s when I first came here. They always seemed to look down on their own country people and slowly got rid of the real purpose in life, which of course is helping ALL the UK people and not just the rich and self important.

Ha!!! I have yet to find ANY British government agency ANYWHERE that is remotely concerned for its citizens, the brexiteers want their country back, they should be careful what they wish for, it is the EU that has so far held the government in check from giving us Victorian Britain.

[Joe Mcseismic]

1 hour ago, Daveyh said:

Yup ..... you got that right mate! The embassy here do not give a toss about us retired folk living here, although we both have worked & paid tax to the UK government all our working life ........ 

Sorry, but your tax pounds went into buying man-hole covers in Halifax and Ipswich, a sewerage farm near Bodmin and paying the wages of Traffic Wardens in Solihull. Unfortunately, you didn't earn enough to contribute to any wages of any member of the Diplomatic service.

[Tanoshi]

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

There must however be a directive concerning the embassy letter for it to be so uniformly used.

The last directive I have on file concerning the Embassy Income letters.

Immigration directive for income letters.pdf

[soalbundy]

10 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

The last directive I have on file concerning the Embassy Income letters.

Immigration directive for income letters.pdf

yes I could read the letter but the year has me confused '6556'

[Tanoshi]

3 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

yes I could read the letter but the year has me confused '6556'

English translation. 3rd page: Dated: May 29, 2013

[Pattaya46]

2 hours ago, soalbundy said:

yes I could read the letter but the year has me confused '6556'

'2556' = 2013

You took a 2 for a 6, you should zoom more.

 

 

[OneeyedJohn]

The 3 and 7 are similar, as are the 4 and the 5, but how do you confuse the 2 with a 6 ??

[soalbundy]

4 minutes ago, OneeyedJohn said:

The 3 and 7 are similar, as are the 4 and the 5, but how do you confuse the 2 with a 6 ??

still looks like a 6 to me but I didn't zoom in. Whatever, seems like BJ's crackdown is over with overstayers and he's probably lost interest in verification as well, their span of interest doesn't last long, so the other embassies who have kept their cool and said nothing were right. Next crackdown and center of interest will be ladyboys or something else where he can shine, A PM in 5 years no doubt.

[marcusarelus]

22 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

still looks like a 6 to me but I didn't zoom in. Whatever, seems like BJ's crackdown is over with overstayers and he's probably lost interest in verification as well, their span of interest doesn't last long, so the other embassies who have kept their cool and said nothing were right. Next crackdown and center of interest will be ladyboys or something else where he can shine, A PM in 5 years no doubt.

The verification meetings with the BE happened months before BJ was appointed to Immigration.  But don't let me spoil a good story, you'll forget about it soon anyway as I don't imagine your span of interest is very long. 

[luckyluke]

Now reactions on the Flemish Belgian and Holland fora :

 

One can resume in :

 

" Sad for a lot of British & Americans, luckily we are not concerned "

[soalbundy]

2 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

The verification meetings with the BE happened months before BJ was appointed to Immigration.  But don't let me spoil a good story, you'll forget about it soon anyway as I don't imagine your span of interest is very long. 

yes but nothing happened until now, on his watch BE felt the need to act after having done nothing since May.

[Pattaya46]

4 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

The last directive I have on file concerning the Embassy Income letters.

Immigration directive for income letters.pdf

Too hard for me to read and understand...

Someone with a Thai friend/wife that could summarize it ?  Thanks.

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

yes but nothing happened until now, on his watch BE felt the need to act after having done nothing since May.

I would imagine they were going at full speed ahead since May knowing how quick governments work.  How quick do you think they can get things done?  If the decision was made in May it would take till September to get the memo typed.  

Edited October 31, 2018 by marcusarelus

[ubonjoe]

18 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

Too hard for me to read and understand...

Someone with a Thai friend/wife that could summarize it ?

There is a translation to English on the last 2 pages of that PDF document.

[soalbundy]

1 hour ago, luckyluke said:

Now reactions on the Flemish Belgian and Holland fora :

 

One can resume in :

 

" Sad for a lot of British & Americans, luckily we are not concerned "

same for the Germans but let's not rejoice too soon, things can change quickly, I can understand IO liking the simplicity of the letter but in the end they may opt for one system, everybody has to use the Thai bank method, so wait until December 2019 before party time and see if they still accept the letters. 

[luckyluke]

^

Sure one never know what can happen. 

There are a lot of French people living in Pattaya/Jomtien. 

They have a club ( Ensemble) which sent weekly news to all their members. 

Not a word about the British/American situation. 

Pretty sure they have no idea what's going on. 

[Pattaya46]

11 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

^

Sure one never know what can happen. 

There are a lot of French people living in Pattaya/Jomtien. 

They have a club ( Ensemble) which sent weekly news to all their members. 

Not a word about the British/American situation. 

Pretty sure they have no idea what's going on. 

Pretty sure... but wrong 

I am French, I am in Pattaya, and I can tell you that this week this "Embassy Letter Problem" is a very frequent subject of discussion among French expats... and other nationalities too.

French Embassy has confirmed that no change was planned for this letter, but it doesn't mean they will not announce something else in 1 week, 1 month, …