Social Security Office - retirement money

[Prince77]

Dear Admins - please move or delete if not suitable - thanks.

 

After paying in for 23 years into the social security fund I receive a small amount of retirement money from Thailand. Meanwhile I moved back to  my home country (Germany) and had received two payments only. Since October last year the payments were ceased and by accident I found out, that Social Security Office (SSO) requires a proof that I am still alive every October of each year.

 

I got this certificate of being alive from my city administration, however, in German language, which was not accepted by the Thailand Consulate in Frankfurt - they require a certification from the district court or Regional Council, that should be translated by a certified Thai language translator and then all documents should be send to the consulate for their certification.

 

I do not have any contact details to my SSO as those matters were dealt with by my former accountant - as I have closed company there is not much communication.

 

Question:

 

Does anybody has knowledge on how to send a certificate of being alive to SSO or any other ways to provide them a proof (except of flying to Thailand 5555).

 

Appreciate all input in that matter and have to thank you all in advance.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Prince77

[Robin]

UK Pensions  Office is the same.  Desperately hoping that all pensioners will die quickly.  They provide a 'life certificate' that a Thai Doctor can sign, with hospital stamp.  My Dr in local hospital in Thailand did this and stamped with official stamp.

Certificate is in English and DR can read English, so no translation needed.  Might not e he same for Germany, but worth seeing if you can get a similar form.

General warning;  make sure the relevant docs, asking if you are still alive, are sent to you in Thailand, or keep checking that your pension is being paid.  In UK DWP stops paying your pension as soon as they think you might be dead.

[khunpeer]

it's similar with my monthly pension from Holland. they send a form to you, which you must have stamped & signed at SocSecOff.

I do that in ChiangMai at GovernmentCentre, piece of cake!

[KhunLA]

Sorry OP, can't help.

 

Off Topic ... USA still on the honor system, receive & return a form yearly, no certification needed.  Kind of makes sense, since Thai bank basically verifies my existence when extending visa.

 

Not sure how much, if at all, USA & Thai  Imm/Emb talk to each other in the event I don't show up to extend.

[Sydebolle]

Well, wish you luck.

Another issue is the following - KEEP ALL THE PAPER WORK!

I paid into the Social Security Insurance and wanted to claim a pension. By the duration of membership and the paid in amounts I would be entitled to 3'000 Baht a month or THB 36'000 yearly. 
The final ruling yesterday was, that they could only find my record (which had all data correct except my birth year which made me 10 years older than I actually am) from my last employer  2000-2007. Prior to that they had no record. 
The sad thing about all this is, that my employer from 1985 - 2000 became a victim of Covid and went out of business. Copies of my work permit (to be renewed yearly upon presentation of copies of paid taxes and copies of social security contributions) did not help. 

Bottomline is, that I shall get a one-time-payment of just over 60'000 Baht; quite a short change to be accepted as fighting the Thai bureaucracy and avoidance-of-face-loss-by-all-means tremendous adrenaline, legal expenses et al.

Lesson is, to keep ALL paperwork ever presented, ALL receipts of paid contributions (both available with your employer). So, irrespective of wrong numbers, age, spelling mistakes - if you have copies of everything, then there is possibly a fair chance to get what is due to you.