Income Affidavit Denied in Phuket

[ubonjoe]

25 minutes ago, STALINGRAD said:

So until January 1 nothing changes for an American using an income affidavit at the Phuket office?

I don't read it that way. He wrote this.

34 minutes ago, merijn said:

PHUKET immigration confirmed today that for the embassies who are not effected, the embassy income certificate with income documentation can be used as normal for the next year. (no change compared to last years)

And

36 minutes ago, merijn said:

The effected countries (UK, USA, Australia) can use the affidavit/income certificate in combination with the government pension (including military) for the duration of the affidavit validation period of 6 months.

The will be able to get income proof until January 1st.

[STALINGRAD]

My retirement visa expires 17 Jan...I was told can apply 45 days before...So I planned to get the income affidavit  at consular outreach and submit  I am not on govt pension  My Union pension office provided me a signed letter that the embassy never asked to see...Move 800k to my account is an option but will not be seasoned by 17 Jan  

[ubonjoe]

15 minutes ago, STALINGRAD said:

My retirement visa expires 17 Jan...I was told can apply 45 days before...So I planned to get the income affidavit  at consular outreach and submit  I am not on govt pension  My Union pension office provided me a signed letter that the embassy never asked to see...Move 800k to my account is an option but will not be seasoned by 17 Jan  

I suggest you contact Phuket immigration and show them the letter confirming your pension. It seems they are not aware there is such a thing as a private pension like you have that is for life.

[STALINGRAD]

Thanks Joe,will do.

[dick dasterdly]

26 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I suggest you contact Phuket immigration and show them the letter confirming your pension. It seems they are not aware there is such a thing as a private pension like you have that is for life.

Yes, I'm sure Phuket Immigration are less informed than other Immigration offices....

 

They're certainly not just being difficult for their own reasons....

[merijn]

1 hour ago, STALINGRAD said:

So until January 1 nothing changes for an American using an income affidavit at the Phuket office?

No, i did not say that.

The effected countries (UK, USA, Australia) can use the embassy affidavit or embassy income certificate in combination with the government pension (including military) documentation as long the affidavit or income certificate is valid. ( this is already applicable for the last few weeks)

As the embassies are supplying the affidavits or income certificates till the end of the year those papers can be used until +/- June 2019.

If you don't have the affidavit you also cannot use the government pension.

 

For the other non affected countries who still check and confirm the income before issuing the embassy income certificate (like the Dutch, German etc) nothing is changed from the past.

[ElephantEgo]

Later this week I will apply for my year Marriage Visa extension in Phuket. I have had the money sitting in my account for the requisite 2 months already. So now I have two questions.

A) Do I bring:

1. Letter from Bank stating the money has been in there for 2 months

2. Bank Book Updated

3. Printout of bank statement I got from PDF on eBanking (this is good enough?)
 

B) When I go to apply, I will have visited the bank and done all the above 6 days before visiting immigration. Is that timeframe okay/what is the limit?

C) Or is there anything else I will need / am missing in terms of the financial proof now? Anything else to watch out for? For example, I saw somewhere online, that people were withdrawing 100 THB on the same day of the application and then updating their bank book again on the same day or showing the receipt? What kind of craziness am I missing here???

Thanks!

[skatewash]

43 minutes ago, JakeR said:

Later this week I will apply for my year Marriage Visa extension in Phuket. I have had the money sitting in my account for the requisite 2 months already. So now I have two questions.

A) Do I bring:

1. Letter from Bank stating the money has been in there for 2 months

2. Bank Book Updated

3. Printout of bank statement I got from PDF on eBanking (this is good enough?)
 

B) When I go to apply, I will have visited the bank and done all the above 6 days before visiting immigration. Is that timeframe okay/what is the limit?

C) Or is there anything else I will need / am missing in terms of the financial proof now? Anything else to watch out for? For example, I saw somewhere online, that people were withdrawing 100 THB on the same day of the application and then updating their bank book again on the same day or showing the receipt? What kind of craziness am I missing here???

Thanks!

This is my experience doing something similar (retirement extension with money in the bank) at Phuket:

A) 1.  Yes, but the letter really just identifies you, your account, the date, and the balance in the account on the date it's written.  It doesn't indicate the seasoning of the money (that is proved by the bank statement).
 

2.  A good idea.  Ideally, your balance number will be the same on the bank letter as of the date it's written, bank statement, and bank passbook.

3.  In my experience, that is not good enough.  Phuket wants to see a bank produced and stamped statement covering the seasoning period of your funds.  I always have my bank produce such a statement and stamp it (cost approx. 100 baht).  Of course, I always also have my actual passbook to show the IO if asked.

 

B) I guess that's OK but it's at the outer limit of acceptable.  My understanding is that the bank documents can be used within seven days, but I always try to use my bank documents the day they are issued or the next day.  Why cut it close if there's some sort of problem?  Also, my bank is a small Krungsri branch and I have to request the documents (letter and bank statement) one day in advance and pick them up when the bank opens the next morning.

C) I've never done the withdrawal rigamarole on the day of application to get account activity and it's never been a problem.  But remember, I'm using bank documents that are 1-2 days old, so they are pretty fresh. (Mostly I've heard that's required in Bangkok where the set up at Chaeng Wattana is that all the banks are located in the same building as the IO.  That's not the case in Phuket, so I don't believe they require this.  They never have in my case.)

An extra thing I may do this year is simply get an ATM balance slip on the morning I head over to Phuket IO.  Basically,  this is what I'll have with me:

bank letter - shows 900,000 baht balance on March 15

bank statement - shows 900,000 baht balance on March 15 (and demonstrates that balance never went below 800,000 for the seasoning period)

bank passbook - shows 900,000 baht balance on March 15 (and demonstrates that balance never went below 800,000 for the seasoning period)

ATM account balance slip - shows 900,000 balance as of March 16 (if that's the day I actually go to IO)

That's three pieces of data that show the same balance on the same date.  Two pieces of data that show the balance never dropped below 800,000 during the seasoning period.  One extra piece of data that shows the balance as of the morning I'm applying at the Phuket IO is still the same 900,000.  In other words, all the data from multiple sources match.  (Note: I've never been asked for the ATM account balance slip, that's merely insurance if I'm asked what the balance is on the day of application - I think this satisfies the same purpose as the withdrawal rigamarole I don't do on the day I apply for the extension.)

Other financial documents I bring with me are my bank passbook for another account that shows money transfers from overseas, and more or less weekly withdrawals.  This demonstrates where the money came from and how I pay my day-to-day expenses.  I make copies of the ID page and relevant pages just in case I'm asked for them.  (The reason I do this is that my bank account at Krungsri in which I keep my retirement extension money is a Mee Tae Dai account and there's not much activity in that account (they charge a nominal fee if I do more than two withdrawals in a month).  Basically, a yearly deposit from my other bank account to top up over 800,000 three months (you're only required two months for marriage) before my extension application, monthly interest earnings, and maybe 1-2 monthly withdrawals to fund my other bank account.  One nice thing about using the Krungsri account for my retirement extension is that it's very easy to check.  There's not a lot of activity in the account so it's easy for the IO to see that the balance didn't drop below the threshold during the seasoning period.

As I say, I've never had any problems.  I make the IO's job as easy as possible.  I try to anticipate any potential problems or concerns and have documentation with me that addresses those areas.  I show only what is asked for (required) but I have the extra stuff with me in case it's needed.

The last trick I'll share is sort of humorous but I think there's a grain of truth in it.  I never put my phone number on the application form itself.  I know the IO will ask me to add it and I always wait for him to ask me to do that.  I used to be a software developer and I learned that when demonstrating software to customers never ever show something you think is perfect.  Because if it were really perfect it's almost like you're taking away the customer's job.  In other words, if he doesn't get to tell you to fix something, he really won't be satisfied.  If you really have a perfect set of documentation for your extension application it's like the IO doesn't feel like he's really essential.  If you don't leave him something to ask for he might have to invent something silly to ask for just so he can be seen to be doing a thorough job.  So every year I'm "reminded" that I need to put my phone number on the application.  This makes the IO feel useful and satisfied that my application wasn't perfect and if not for him I would have submitted it without the phone number.  Good thing he was there to catch that, right? ????

I always go at least 30 days before my extension ends.  Last year I went exactly 45 days early and there were no questions asked.  I like to leave time to fix any problems.  So far no problems.  I also like the fact that I get an extension of stay good for 365+45 days, instead of just 365. ????

[farangx]

2 hours ago, JakeR said:

Later this week I will apply for my year Marriage Visa extension in Phuket. I have had the money sitting in my account for the requisite 2 months already. So now I have two questions.

A) Do I bring:

1. Letter from Bank stating the money has been in there for 2 months

2. Bank Book Updated

3. Printout of bank statement I got from PDF on eBanking (this is good enough?)
 

B) When I go to apply, I will have visited the bank and done all the above 6 days before visiting immigration. Is that timeframe okay/what is the limit?

On the day I visited immigration, I dropped by the bank first to get the letter.  The bank will also print out a statement showing transactions for the past months.  This letter and statement are endorsed by the bank.  Immigration never asked for my bank book.

 

[ElephantEgo]

Okay I will get the bank's statement instead of the printed one from my computer. I should be all good then.

 

Nice funny tip @Skatewash I will keep that in mind about the phone number!!!

[Sheryl]

Most offices seem to want bank letter dated same day or at most 1 day before you go.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Srikcir]

On 10/31/2018 at 2:26 PM, Sheryl said:

Your bank HQ will have it.

Went to Kasikorn, they want Bt100 per monthly report and must be obtained at bank, not mailed.

Twelve months, Bt1,200. Bank HQ not necessarily where you opened your account.

[skatewash]

8 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Went to Kasikorn, they want Bt100 per monthly report and must be obtained at bank, not mailed.

Twelve months, Bt1,200. Bank HQ not necessarily where you opened your account.

I don't bank at Kasikorn so no comment about their policies.

However, I do bank at Krungsri and one can get a 4-month statement for 100 baht, from one's local bank.  My understanding is that most banks only have 6 months of customer account information available at local branches, beyond that the request has to be handled by the headquarters, which may increase the price and delay when the statement is available.

It's possible that at Kasikorn 100 baht is the minimum charge for a 1-month statement.  You might want to ask the cost of a statement for the last six months.  You may find that is is also 100 baht.  Possibly you could visit the bank at the end of June and get a six-month statement from 1/1/2019 - 30/6/2019 for 100 baht and then visit the bank again at the end of December and get a six-month statement from 1/7/2019  - 31/12/2019 for another 100 baht.  Possibly Immigration will require you to get a 12-month statement within 7 days of your application.  I don't think we know how it will work out yet.  If so, I think you might find that Kasikorn will give you a 12-month statement for less than 1,200 but you may have to wait to pick it up at the local branch as it might have to be done at the headquarters and forwarded to the branch.

[ElephantEgo]

In Phuket less than a week was fine for the statement and I paid 100 THB at K-Bank.

[Felt 35]

On ‎11‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 4:15 PM, merijn said:

No, i did not say that.

The effected countries (UK, USA, Australia) can use the embassy affidavit or embassy income certificate in combination with the government pension (including military) documentation as long the affidavit or income certificate is valid. ( this is already applicable for the last few weeks)

As the embassies are supplying the affidavits or income certificates till the end of the year those papers can be used until +/- June 2019.

If you don't have the affidavit you also cannot use the government pension.

 

For the other non affected countries who still check and confirm the income before issuing the embassy income certificate (like the Dutch, German etc) nothing is changed from the past. 

For the other non affected countries who still check and confirm the income before issuing the embassy income certificate (like the Dutch, German etc) nothing is changed from the past.

 

Thanks for that info but is this for sure? Is there anyone who have used and been granted retirement extension in 2019 based on income certificate and are not from Australia, Denmark, UK or USA?

 

Thanks

Felt

Edited January 18, 2019 by Felt 35

[Tanoshi]

2 minutes ago, Felt 35 said:

For the other non affected countries who still check and confirm the income before issuing the embassy income certificate (like the Dutch, German etc) nothing is changed from the past.

 

Thanks for that info but is this for sure? Is there anyone who have used and been granted retirement extension in 2019 based on income certificate and are not from Australia, Denmark, UK or USA?

 

Thanks

Felt

Yeah, for sure.

I was in my IO today and two Norwegians were doing extensions using Embassy Income letters.

One retirement, one marriage.

Not a problem for those nationals who's Embassy will still supply the letter.

[Tanoshi]

On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 4:49 PM, Srikcir said:

Went to Kasikorn, they want Bt100 per monthly report and must be obtained at bank, not mailed.

Twelve months, Bt1,200. Bank HQ not necessarily where you opened your account.

Strange how you get different answers from different branches.

 

Friends Thai wife went to Kasikorn on Tuesday with a copy of the Credit Advice note kindly supplied by Sheryl.

Spoke to HQ who stated they are only available for business, not individuals.

 

Anyone remember 'The Magic Roundabout'.

[Felt 35]

14 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

Yeah, for sure.

I was in my IO today and two Norwegians were doing extensions using Embassy Income letters.

One retirement, one marriage.

Not a problem for those nationals who's Embassy will still supply the letter.

Great, at least for now. 

Thanks

Felt

 

 

 

 

[Ebumbu]

On 1/11/2019 at 2:11 AM, skatewash said:

I don't bank at Kasikorn so no comment about their policies.

However, I do bank at Krungsri and one can get a 4-month statement for 100 baht, from one's local bank.  My understanding is that most banks only have 6 months of customer account information available at local branches, beyond that the request has to be handled by the headquarters, which may increase the price and delay when the statement is available.

It's possible that at Kasikorn 100 baht is the minimum charge for a 1-month statement.  You might want to ask the cost of a statement for the last six months.  You may find that is is also 100 baht.  Possibly you could visit the bank at the end of June and get a six-month statement from 1/1/2019 - 30/6/2019 for 100 baht and then visit the bank again at the end of December and get a six-month statement from 1/7/2019  - 31/12/2019 for another 100 baht.  Possibly Immigration will require you to get a 12-month statement within 7 days of your application.  I don't think we know how it will work out yet.  If so, I think you might find that Kasikorn will give you a 12-month statement for less than 1,200 but you may have to wait to pick it up at the local branch as it might have to be done at the headquarters and forwarded to the branch.

 

Kasikorn wants 150 baht for 12-month certified bank statement. Confirmed. 

Edited January 25, 2019 by Ebumbu

[merijn]

On 1/18/2019 at 11:34 AM, Tanoshi said:

Strange how you get different answers from different branches.

 

Friends Thai wife went to Kasikorn on Tuesday with a copy of the Credit Advice note kindly supplied by Sheryl.

Spoke to HQ who stated they are only available for business, not individuals.

 

Anyone remember 'The Magic Roundabout'.

That's because each branch works independently and can set up their own rules on top of the official bank rules.

Same for opening a bank account while you are on a tourist visa.

Some branches will do it and some other branches from the same bank don't do it.

It all depends on the branch manager.