What can/can't the Embassy do for me?

[British Consular Team]

The best source of information for this common question is: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-british-nationals-abroad-a-guide

If anything is unclear, post it here and we'll do our best to clarify it for you. 

 

[nong38]

It would be handy if somewhere on this site if the new address of the British Embassy is printed and also nearest station, directions etc please dont assume that  everyone is familiar with Bangkok and how to get around the place.

[Crossy]

12 hours ago, nong38 said:

It would be handy if somewhere on this site if the new address of the British Embassy is printed and also nearest station, directions etc please dont assume that  everyone is familiar with Bangkok and how to get around the place.

 

Everything you need to know is here:-

https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-bangkok/office/british-embassy-bangkok

 

[nong38]

On 12/27/2020 at 6:35 AM, Crossy said:

 

Everything you need to know is here:-

https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-bangkok/office/british-embassy-bangkok

 

The reason I asked in the first place is that when I looked on google maps it was still showing he old address.

[yang123]

On 12/27/2020 at 6:35 AM, Crossy said:

Everything you need to know is here:-

https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-bangkok/office/british-embassy-bangkok

Which, apart from out of date references to  Wireless Road, states that:

"The British Embassy Bangkok would like to inform the public that we do not receive mail delivered in person, we apologise for any inconvenience caused"

 

Why?

[British Consular Team]

On 12/29/2020 at 5:48 PM, yang123 said:

Which, apart from out of date references to  Wireless Road, states that:

"The British Embassy Bangkok would like to inform the public that we do not receive mail delivered in person, we apologise for any inconvenience caused"

 

Why?

 

You are right - the information on this page is out of date. We missed that. Thank you for pointing it out. We'll get it updated as soon as we can - and get back to you on your question about mail too. 

[PaDavid]

What happens if/when I die in Thailand?
 

I can’t find anything on this in the guide. As I have a yellow house book, I assume my death will be registered locally. But what happens then? Does the Embassy automatically get notified? If so, is the information passed back to UK and my death registered there also?

[British Consular Team]

22 hours ago, PaDavid said:

What happens if/when I die in Thailand?
 

I can’t find anything on this in the guide. As I have a yellow house book, I assume my death will be registered locally. But what happens then? Does the Embassy automatically get notified? If so, is the information passed back to UK and my death registered there also?

Hi PaDavid,  

 

The Embassy should automatically be notified of the death of a British National, usually by the Royal Thai Police or hospital where death occurred, but this does not happen in every instance. Registration of deaths tends to differ throughout the many provinces.  

 

For more information, we have published Information relating to death in Thailand on GOV.UK.  

 

If there is an emergency, we can be contacted at 02 305 8333. Hope this information is helpful. 

[LoVeFuN]

I will be coming to Bangkok shortly and as I understand it to get an affidavit for marriage from the Embassy I can apply online. How many days will I need to allow for an appointment as my timeline for visas is tight.

[British Consular Team]

On 11/9/2021 at 4:06 PM, LoVeFuN said:

I will be coming to Bangkok shortly and as I understand it to get an affidavit for marriage from the Embassy I can apply online. How many days will I need to allow for an appointment as my timeline for visas is tight.

Hello @LoVeFuN. To marry under Thai law you need to make an affirmation of marital status at the British Embassy Bangkok. The services we provide are by appointment only. You can normally book an appointment within a two week period but availability is dependent on demand. During peak periods you may have to wait longer for an appointment.  

 

We often release new appointments and there are also cancellations. If you cannot find a suitable appointment date, please regularly check back. 

 

Before you can attend an affirmation of marital status appointment you need to submit the required documents online. Once these are checked your appointment will be confirmed. Details on how to make a booking and apply for the service are available from GOV.UK. 

[DPKANKAN]

I know this is not a new subject, but this simple solution could resolve and remove responsibility from the Embassy confirming pension income for retiree expats.

 

As everyone is aware, the reason given by the Embassy for not certifying income was that they did not have the ability to actually confirm that letters or paperwork provided to them were correct. However, for many personal legal documents, say for proof of divorce, addresses etc. etc., we as individuals would and indeed still do, provide legalized paperwork duly notarized, by a Solicitor or Notary Public for that purpose.

 

Therefore, as the Embassy is aware of our visa requirements as expats, surely if we provided, proper legalized documents to them it would absolve them of said responsibility as they can rest assured, as any other legal process does, that the paperwork is 100% correct.

 

Whilst not wanting to write about the continued hassle of the annual visa paperwork, I and many others here are still tax payers in the UK, even as non residents.

 

In conclusion, I would ask that given this pretty simple solution, could not our Embassy return to assisting us in this matter?

 

Thank You

[British Consular Team]

On 11/16/2021 at 4:36 PM, DPKANKAN said:

I know this is not a new subject, but this simple solution could resolve and remove responsibility from the Embassy confirming pension income for retiree expats.

 

As everyone is aware, the reason given by the Embassy for not certifying income was that they did not have the ability to actually confirm that letters or paperwork provided to them were correct. However, for many personal legal documents, say for proof of divorce, addresses etc. etc., we as individuals would and indeed still do, provide legalized paperwork duly notarized, by a Solicitor or Notary Public for that purpose.

 

Therefore, as the Embassy is aware of our visa requirements as expats, surely if we provided, proper legalized documents to them it would absolve them of said responsibility as they can rest assured, as any other legal process does, that the paperwork is 100% correct.

 

Whilst not wanting to write about the continued hassle of the annual visa paperwork, I and many others here are still tax payers in the UK, even as non residents.

 

In conclusion, I would ask that given this pretty simple solution, could not our Embassy return to assisting us in this matter?

 

Thank You

Thank you for suggesting this alternative approach and for giving us an opportunity to clarify our rules. These say that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can only provide notarial and documentary services when no local alternative options are available and our resources are sufficient to respond to such requests.  

 

We therefore do not provide a confirmation of pension income as Immigration Bureau rules state foreigners wishing to extend their retirement visa can provide evidence by showing the required deposit(s) in a Thai bank account.  Further details can be obtained from the Immigration Bureau.  

 

Support for British nationals abroad highlights what help the FCDO can provide.

[hotandsticky]

25 minutes ago, British Consular Team said:

Thank you for suggesting this alternative approach and for giving us an opportunity to clarify our rules. These say that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can only provide notarial and documentary services when no local alternative options are available and our resources are sufficient to respond to such requests.  

 

We therefore do not provide a confirmation of pension income as Immigration Bureau rules state foreigners wishing to extend their retirement visa can provide evidence by showing the required deposit(s) in a Thai bank account.  Further details can be obtained from the Immigration Bureau.  

 

Support for British nationals abroad highlights what help the FCDO can provide.

 

Can you please advise exactly when those "local alternative options" became available.

[brewsterbudgen]

7 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

Can you please advise exactly when those "local alternative options" became available.

The letter from your Thai bank confirming your income is available.

[hotandsticky]

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

The letter from your Thai bank confirming your income is available.

 

No Thai bank can confirm my income

[DPKANKAN]

1 hour ago, hotandsticky said:

 

No Thai bank can confirm my income

All they can do is confirm your monthly income from abroad for your visa.

Yes from a simple letter paid for previously from the Embassy to the inane hoops to leap through with mountains of paperwork for other methods the do not appreciate the problems.????????????????

[DPKANKAN]

3 hours ago, British Consular Team said:

Thank you for suggesting this alternative approach and for giving us an opportunity to clarify our rules. These say that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can only provide notarial and documentary services when no local alternative options are available and our resources are sufficient to respond to such requests.  

 

We therefore do not provide a confirmation of pension income as Immigration Bureau rules state foreigners wishing to extend their retirement visa can provide evidence by showing the required deposit(s) in a Thai bank account.  Further details can be obtained from the Immigration Bureau.  

 

Support for British nationals abroad highlights what help the FCDO can provide.

Thank you for your reply. However, we paid for that simple service from you and that one document guaranteed our visa annual renewal.

 

Perhaps you are unaware of the hoops we have to go through and inane amount of paperwork to be provided as an alternative. 

 

I am unable to do the alternative money in bank as not only did I have an accident severing my hand, but I have been 'Thai Wifed' losing house, other land, a business and brand new car here.

 

Also, I would like to point out that when I contacted the Embassy, just after you informed the expat community that you were stopping notarizing the pension letter, you advised that it was because you could not comply with the requests of the Thai government to confirm 100% or similar wording that the information was correct. There was nothing said about available alternative local options.

 

It does not help also the the UK government fails to increase our paid for old age pension because we live in Thailand. It should not matter where we live in the world our pensions are an entitlement and we should get increases wherever we live.

 

In conclusion I would respectfully request reconsideration of the Pension Notification letters as many other Countries still provide them to their expat citizens.

 

Thank You.

[treetops]

15 hours ago, British Consular Team said:

Thank you for suggesting this alternative approach and for giving us an opportunity to clarify our rules.

So petition for a rules change in order to allow you to support those in need.

[brewsterbudgen]

21 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

 

No Thai bank can confirm my income

Do you need to show income or a balance in a Thai bank in order to get an Extension of Stay from Immigration?

[hotandsticky]

2 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Do you need to show income or a balance in a Thai bank in order to get an Extension of Stay from Immigration?

No.

 

That is exactly my point.

 

The British embassy claim that they were required to verify income - Immigration do not verify income; they simply check for 12 monthly international transfers into the account.

[Eff1n2ret]

12 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

The British embassy claim that they were required to verify income

Which they used to, based on the documents proving their pensions and income supplied by those who required the service. I stand to be corrected, by the Consulate or anybody else, but it seems to me that this all blew up when the Thai authorities took objection to the practice of the US Embassy of issuing income letters based solely on a declaration of income with no proof supplied - which was obviously open to abuse. Our Brit representatives seized on this as an excuse to withdraw the service on the somewhat legalistic grounds that the documents we were supplying couldn't be verified, in  other words, we might all be liars. It just shows the contempt they have for us, they didn't have to go that way, they could have maintained the service if they wanted to. They were charging enough for it.

It's not a problem for me because a year or so before they stopped I had rearranged my finances to keep 800k in the bank. One of the reasons was that I objected to the fifty quid charge they made for bringing up a template and adding in my details, which must have taken all of 10 minutes.

[hotandsticky]

14 minutes ago, Eff1n2ret said:

Which they used to, based on the documents proving their pensions and income supplied by those who required the service. I stand to be corrected, by the Consulate or anybody else, but it seems to me that this all blew up when the Thai authorities took objection to the practice of the US Embassy of issuing income letters based solely on a declaration of income with no proof supplied - which was obviously open to abuse. Our Brit representatives seized on this as an excuse to withdraw the service on the somewhat legalistic grounds that the documents we were supplying couldn't be verified, in  other words, we might all be liars. It just shows the contempt they have for us, they didn't have to go that way, they could have maintained the service if they wanted to. They were charging enough for it.

It's not a problem for me because a year or so before they stopped I had rearranged my finances to keep 800k in the bank. One of the reasons was that I objected to the fifty quid charge they made for bringing up a template and adding in my details, which must have taken all of 10 minutes.

 

The British embassy did not VERIFY income  - indeed, that is what they said they could not do.

 

What they did do was to CONFIRM that Mr Joe Bloggs has stated that his income is XXX.

 

 

There was no due diligence undertaken on the supporting documentation.

[Mac Mickmanus]

17 minutes ago, Eff1n2ret said:

Which they used to, based on the documents proving their pensions and income supplied by those who required the service. I stand to be corrected, by the Consulate or anybody else, but it seems to me that this all blew up when the Thai authorities took objection to the practice of the US Embassy of issuing income letters based solely on a declaration of income with no proof supplied - which was obviously open to abuse. Our Brit representatives seized on this as an excuse to withdraw the service on the somewhat legalistic grounds that the documents we were supplying couldn't be verified, in  other words, we might all be liars. It just shows the contempt they have for us, they didn't have to go that way, they could have maintained the service if they wanted to. They were charging enough for it.

It's not a problem for me because a year or so before they stopped I had rearranged my finances to keep 800k in the bank. One of the reasons was that I objected to the fifty quid charge they made for bringing up a template and adding in my details, which must have taken all of 10 minutes.

The Thai authorities required the British Embassy to guarantee that the people were in receipt of the money they claimed to be receiving . 

   I don't think that it was possible for the British Embassy to do that 

[hotandsticky]

3 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

The Thai authorities required the British Embassy to guarantee that the people were in receipt of the money they claimed to be receiving . 

   I don't think that it was possible for the British Embassy to do that 

 

My point is that Thai Immigration do not check income either  -  just the entries on a certified bank statement.

 

 

At 52 Quid for a 10 minute job, the embassy have lost a useful income stream  -  I can't believe that the withdrawal of the service was their initiative. 

[Eff1n2ret]

58 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

The British embassy did not VERIFY income  - indeed, that is what they said they could not do.

 

What they did do was to CONFIRM that Mr Joe Bloggs has stated that his income is XXX.

 

 

There was no due diligence undertaken on the supporting documentation.

Yes, fair enough, they confirmed a statement. As far as due diligence is concerned, that might have been beyond their capabilities, but they could have accepted our evidence and run spot checks if there was any doubt, such as calling for original documents. Indeed, early on I did supply original documents until it was confirmed that copies would do. But my point remains, I find such a lack of trust insulting, as most people are honest, and they could have verified our income from the evidence submitted if they had chosen to do so. Much easier, though, to withdraw a service.

[DPKANKAN]

2 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

The Thai authorities required the British Embassy to guarantee that the people were in receipt of the money they claimed to be receiving . 

   I don't think that it was possible for the British Embassy to do that 

Yes they can. If the paperwork in notarized before hand by a lawyer etc., like lots of other legal document procedures, that confirms it is correct!! ????????????????

[hotandsticky]

7 hours ago, Eff1n2ret said:

Yes, fair enough, they confirmed a statement. As far as due diligence is concerned, that might have been beyond their capabilities, but they could have accepted our evidence and run spot checks if there was any doubt, such as calling for original documents. Indeed, early on I did supply original documents until it was confirmed that copies would do. But my point remains, I find such a lack of trust insulting, as most people are honest, and they could have verified our income from the evidence submitted if they had chosen to do so. Much easier, though, to withdraw a service.

 

I agree 100%.

 

I am aware of 'dodgy' documents being submitted to support fixed income pensioners when the exchange was very low. Wrong? Of course it is, but it can't be any worse than paying an agent to corruptly obtain an extension.

 

I also consider it to be another British embassy "service" that has been lost.

[dirtybirty]

it's easy they will do f all for you,  only a bunch if over paid civil servants having a jolly. their a bloody joke

[Mac Mickmanus]

5 minutes ago, dirtybirty said:

it's easy they will do f all for you,  only a bunch if over paid civil servants having a jolly. their a bloody joke

What would you like the Embassy to do for you ?

[ChicagoExpat]

On 4/13/2022 at 12:14 AM, Mac Mickmanus said:

What would you like the Embassy to do for you ?

With many people the answer is "everything"...