Visa letter effects - how widespread?

[zzaa09]

All this is quite dependent on if one knows how to play the game......or not. 

 

Seems to be angst created from nothing.

[DJ54]

10 hours ago, KenKadz said:

contact their state's Congressional  Representatives (Senate - House of Representative) offices to file a complaint.

Edited 10 hours ago by KenKadz

Would it be more beneficial to have those who want join 

together put together a document to send off will all names 

on one document or same language sent individually 

[chicowoodduck]

22 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Only a couple of months ago you were telling us how easy it was to get from the airport to Pattaya.  Oh boy how things change. 

Not really, just got easier to get to Suvarnabhumi Airport from Pattaya.....go figure....????????

[chicowoodduck]

On 10/29/2018 at 11:48 PM, NCC1701A said:

i forgot to mention I am very good looking too. 

 

and you see, just because you hate me because I have a little bit of money and planned well for my retirement does not mean I can't share that information with others. these changes have no effect upon me. sorry. i know it is hard for you to believe, but there are people here in Thailand who have zero problems with going to immigration, organizing a small amount of paperwork for one hour one day a year, opening bank accounts, having health insurance and basically doing their homework on all the pitfalls of Thailand like "buying" a house and the bar girl thing.  

 

and so you know, I am not even writing these comments, my staff is, I just approve them.

I'll make sure to take a  knee the next time I pass you on Soi 9 in Pattaya......just another TV knob who thinks they are more important than they actually are.......????

[sletraveler]

On 10/29/2018 at 4:09 PM, fiberman said:

Up until this year I have used 2 pensions to show the 40,000 Baht per month requirement and used a letter from the UK Embassy to get my marriage extension. To get the 40,000 Baht I need an exchange rate of 43 Baht to the pound which at the current rate means I will be short this year. Not a problem I thought, open a foreign currency account and transfer 10,000 uk pounds and use this, not wanting to change a large sum into Thai Baht at the god awful exchange rate we have at the moment.

Off I go to my local KTB to open the account. I then find out that because I have a marriage extension rather than retirement extension the bank will only give me a joint account with my wife. Called immigration and they said no problem just put double the amount into the account, so I basically need 20,000 pounds!!

I might just as well go to a retirement extension which is easier anyway but this now means I would need 40,000 UK pounds in the account to get a retirement extension so that I could then change the account to one in my name. Does anyone else sometimes feel that the system is deliberately trying to make life difficult?

 

Before anyone suggests that I try a different bank my bank manager is a friend of ours and tried hard to get me an account in my name only but it can't be done.

Do you know why it can’t be done?  Is it because you are married to a Thai?  I have solo account at Bangkok bank but I’m not married.  

[totally thaied up]

4 hours ago, sletraveler said:

On 10/29/2018 at 4:09 PM, fiberman said:

 

Do you know why it can’t be done?  Is it because you are married to a Thai?  I have solo account at Bangkok bank but I’m not married.  

I am married and have my own account. Just go to the bank with your passport, visa, yellow book and away I went. Only took 20 minutes to do. You don't need your wife with you.

[billd766]

5 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

I am married and have my own account. Just go to the bank with your passport, visa, yellow book and away I went. Only took 20 minutes to do. You don't need your wife with you.

Depending on where you branch it sometimes useful to take your wife in case they need to be explained to in Thai. There are only 2 or 3 ladies in my rural branch of KBank who can speak any English and none of them can hols a conversation in it.

 

Also make sure that you have the bank call centre on your mobile and they can talk the bank staff through things.

[fiberman]

8 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

I am married and have my own account. Just go to the bank with your passport, visa, yellow book and away I went. Only took 20 minutes to do. You don't need your wife with you.

Attached is the reply from the KTB call centre which I received after I queried this with them :-

 

"Regarding your question, For opening an Foreign Currency account with our bank, you can use the original passport and a retirement visa, But if you have a marriage certificate, We would like to apolagized that we can't open the Foreign currency account as a personal account."

 

The only thing I can add is that acccording to my bank the rules have changed fairly recently.

[kannot]

On 10/28/2018 at 10:27 PM, NCC1701A said:

it has zero affect on me. and I don't know anyone who has been affected. 

 

but I am an retired American with a fare amount of money and my friends in Thailand are similar to me.  

 

I think a lot of people here on Thai visa over estimate the finical impact western Expats have on the real estate market.  

 

The Chinese are stepping in to grab up everything. And the Thais will keep over building which is good for me as it keeps rents low for decades to come.

 

I am sorry I am better off than some here TV and many get triggered reading about my posts about having money.

 

 

There were a lot of foreign renters/buyers, most have now left or are unable to sign 12 month contracts, as  you state though Chinese are replacing them and they  think prices here are cheap compared to Chinas major  cities which  will only increase the upward cost of new build condos in Thailand if they can shift em.

[totally thaied up]

12 minutes ago, fiberman said:

 

"Regarding your question, For opening an Foreign Currency account with our bank, you can use the original passport and a retirement visa, But if you have a marriage certificate, We would like to apolagized that we can't open the Foreign currency account as a personal account."

I only opened up a Bangkok Bank Account the other day. It is not Foreign currency but just a 'bank book' to season my 400K in. Years ago I had FX accounts here in USD$ but I cannot remember what the requirements were then.

 

Are you wanting to hold USD$?

[totally thaied up]

21 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Depending on where you branch it sometimes useful to take your wife in case they need to be explained to in Thai. There are only 2 or 3 ladies in my rural branch of KBank who can speak any English and none of them can hols a conversation in it.

 

Also make sure that you have the bank call centre on your mobile and they can talk the bank staff through things.

Yes, I agree. My Thai is basic and I can talk enough to do what needs to be done, but if it is a deep and meaningful conversation, I bring my wife along.

[billd766]

15 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

Yes, I agree. My Thai is basic and I can talk enough to do what needs to be done, but if it is a deep and meaningful conversation, I bring my wife along.

Part of the problem is that not all of any bank branches know what is available so you may be met with a refusal just to save face. That is why I suggested the bank call centre, perhaps ring them first and ask if it can be done. Then you can go to the bank and if they refuse yet the central bank says yes, then suggest they and you ring the call centre.

[SFO2BKK]

On 10/29/2018 at 4:15 PM, blackhorse said:

True what you say. Many are unhappy and looking for a reason to leave whether they no longer feel loved or lack of money however there is also that nagging doubt that returning to 1st world wouldn't be a good move. They didn't like it before so what's changed?

The only viable alternative in the region is Vietnam but if that's so great they would already be there

In fact, I am seriously considering moving to Vietnam! 

[GinBoy2]

On 10/30/2018 at 11:40 PM, kannot said:

There were a lot of foreign renters/buyers, most have now left or are unable to sign 12 month contracts, as  you state though Chinese are replacing them and they  think prices here are cheap compared to Chinas major  cities which  will only increase the upward cost of new build condos in Thailand if they can shift em.

One of the reasons I sold up my condo's in Thonglor was the terrifying amount of new construction.

I'm all for new build, but, even 'if' you can sell them, those new owners, who are probably investors need to be able to rent them out.

It all comes down to supply and demand...too much supply drives down rents.

You can't outrun economics, and if the development eventually outruns the demand, wait for prices to plummet

[Kalasin Jo]

On 10/28/2018 at 5:14 PM, blackhorse said:

Those effected that can't even scrape up 65k or 800k are not exactly real estate gurus. More like 4k fan room renters on Pattayas dark side or the outskirts of chiang mai

No money no honey and MOST CERTAINLY no lovely condo

Well that may be so, but this came as a surprise and in the time I now have left before my renewal I can neither show 40k income a month (marriage)  coming in to my Thai bank account in the 12 months prior to renewal nor put 400k there right now. Although I have applied for a British Embassy letter before their deadline, I have heard that some IOs ( mine is Sakon Nakhon but I don't know what they are saying) are asking for the 400k in the bank for 2 months or a year's worth of bank certified statements showing amounts coming in from outside Thailand. Looks like I'll be leaving, and leaving an unhappy wife, and have to start all over again.

 

Anyone have any other ideas?

 

Official guidance from Thai Immigration would be good. But nothing from them as far as I am aware.

[swissie]

2 hours ago, Kalasin Jo said:

Well that may be so, but this came as a surprise and in the time I now have left before my renewal I can neither show 40k income a month (marriage)  coming in to my Thai bank account in the 12 months prior to renewal nor put 400k there right now. Although I have applied for a British Embassy letter before their deadline, I have heard that some IOs ( mine is Sakon Nakhon but I don't know what they are saying) are asking for the 400k in the bank for 2 months or a year's worth of bank certified statements showing amounts coming in from outside Thailand. Looks like I'll be leaving, and leaving an unhappy wife, and have to start all over again.

 

Anyone have any other ideas?

 

Official guidance from Thai Immigration would be good. But nothing from them as far as I am aware.

Right on! For starters: Thai Immigration should make a clear statement if they would accept monthly income by way of Bank Statements instead of Embassy verifications.
A simple YES or NO by Immigration would clarify this entire mess once and for all.

The least "our" Embassies could do for their citizens is to approach Immigration with the simple question: "Instead of Embassy Verifications, would Bank Statements satisfy your requirements"? YES/NO.
- Perhaps the Embassy staff is quite happy with all of this (lessening their workload), thus giving them more time to hover from one cocktail party to the next.
Cheers.

[rickudon]

Well i am affected and i would say about 1 in 3 Brits in Udon area use the letter, even more use agents (so any agent crackdown will have even greater effects). Most here are retirees so very few have incomes other than pension. As many have been divorced previously most have limited assets and sometimes reduced pensions. Few would have incomes of over 2,000 GBP a month, most far less. Not many build up large piles of cash before retirement as most ends up in property or supporting family. You live from pension check to pension check with a few thousand GBP in the bank for emergencies.

I did not go the 400,000 baht in the bank route because interest is so pitiful. Although base rates are similar, anyone with half a brain can get better returns on savings in the UK than Thailand. So the embassy letter was cheaper for me and had the documents to get it. The biggest issue for us Embassy pension letter users is what will Immigration accept in future? Although i get monthly pensions, they do not get transferred to a Thai bank - the costs of doing so are higher for me than using an ATM and UK card. I also have some UK expenses, and tax, so not all my money makes it to Thailand. And we still have the Brexit risk next year as well.

 

So, for the average Embassy letter user (which was based on gross income) he will remit less to Thailand - sometimes now to little if based on being paid into a Thai bank account, And we have no directions as to the requirements Immigration want. Some will probably fail.

 

I could raise the 400,00 baht, but it would clear out most of my UK savings, and would cost me loss of interest. I can pay 40,000 baht a month into a thai bank, but prefer not to and that would also cost me a bit more. And what about months spent out of Thailand? Do i still have to transfer money? Currently we are trying to hit moving goal posts on a foggy day!

 

One other issue. After death, wives and thai relatives usually require a court case to get your money from that 400,000 bank account - even if you have a will, and you may lose a chunk of it in legal fees. With no will, an uphill battle. Even inheritance among Thais is problematic - my family have been trying to get money in a bank from a relative who died years ago - and just get one hurdle after another (including being asked for a birth certificate nearly a hundred years old! (long gone of course). That's why Thais loot the savings account as quickly as possible via the ATM on your death. I wonder how much dead farang money is wasting away in Thai banks.

[onera1961]

On 10/28/2018 at 10:27 AM, NCC1701A said:

The Chinese are stepping in to grab up everything. And the Thais will keep over building which is good for me as it keeps rents low for decades to come.

Chinese tour buses are now seen in front of new Condo sales offices in Jomiten. They are gobbling up E1 visas in the US, and Portugal/Spain golden visas for a foothold in Europe. While the super rich goes to Singapore for their investment visa, poor upper middle class Chinese shop for their visas in the USA/Europe. 

[onera1961]

On 10/29/2018 at 5:53 AM, marcusarelus said:

I stand corrected.  I estimated 3 people.  But there are more people living here from paycheck to paycheck that I would have ever imagined.  I don't buy the, "my millions of dollars are invested or I don't trust Thai banks" excuse because it's not rational.  If you don't put the 800 the bank it's because you can't.  Many more folks than i thought. 

Some people are even reluctant to put 65K/month if that's what TI settles on because their income is so complex that they cant's even put 65k/month. It just boggles my mind. They will settle on nothing but the old system (embassy affidavit) which no country in the World entertains as a valid source of proof of stable income. 

[onera1961]

On 10/29/2018 at 4:09 AM, kenk24 said:

Does anyone know if a personal tax statement, a tax return, which shows your income for the year would qualify as proof... what would be more proof than that?

It can be faked easily. Only solution is money in the bank. 65K/month

[onera1961]

On 10/29/2018 at 11:48 AM, NCC1701A said:

and so you know, I am not even writing these comments, my staff is, I just approve them.

My stuff in Philippines from her virtual office ???? while I am drinking pina colada on the beach

[GeorgeCross]

1 hour ago, onera1961 said:

It can be faked easily. Only solution is money in the bank. 65K/month

 

is that with or without an embassy letter?

[lipflipper]

Why really frosts my gonads is that Thai Immigration has so far not made it clear to anyone just what documents they will accept as proof of income. I was at my Visa Assist office here in Chiang Mai yesterday and spoke with the Farang owner and he told me they have yet to get ANY information from the Thai Immigration Office. With the looming date of January 19th. one would think that there would be specific guidelines already available. Could it be that Thai Immigration at this point still have no idea what they are doing other than to declare the notarized letter from your Embassy or Consulate regarding prof of income is no longer accepted?? As TIT I think I have a pretty good idea what the answer is.

Sent from my CMR-AL19 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[onera1961]

1 hour ago, GeorgeCross said:

is that with or without an embassy letter?

Without embassy letter