Obtaining Income Verification Letter In Usa

[Searat7]

Because I was in the USA (annual summer visit) when my retirement visa expired this year I re-applied for a new visa by mail at the Thai Consulate in NY. This went smoothly and the cost was $150 (up from $125 a year earlier).

Next year I might be in the same situation and was wondering if anyone knew where to obtain the Income verification letter in the USA ??

[JimGant]

Next year I might be in the same situation and was wondering if anyone knew where to obtain the Income verification letter in the USA ??

If you 'might be in the same situation' next year, where'd you obtain the income verification letter this year? And what requirement is this 'income verification letter' in response to? A Non Imm O-A visa?

[ProThaiExpat]

Confusing post as JimGant suggests.

Income verification letter, as the term is used in Thailand, is a document issued by a countries Thailand diplomatic representative attesting to a regular stream of income from the home country used to satisfy a retirement extension's financial requirement.

Perhaps the OP is using it to describe another document?

[gavstah]

Just my 2 baht worth - the "Income verification letter" issued by the US embassy is not worth the paper it's written on - or so the immigration office in Pattaya told my wife.

After being repeatedly grilled about where my income was coming from, I ended up handing over copies of my last year's W-2 (wages and earnings statement) from the US Gov't. Why? Because the immigration officer we dealt with knew for a fact that there is no verification by the US Embassy when they issue that letter. It's just you swearing on a stack of bibles that you make whatever you wrote down on that letter.

If you come prepared to show more than that letter as proof of income, you should be in good shape.

[Searat7]

Just my 2 baht worth - the "Income verification letter" issued by the US embassy is not worth the paper it's written on - or so the immigration office in Pattaya told my wife.

After being repeatedly grilled about where my income was coming from, I ended up handing over copies of my last year's W-2 (wages and earnings statement) from the US Gov't. Why? Because the immigration officer we dealt with knew for a fact that there is no verification by the US Embassy when they issue that letter. It's just you swearing on a stack of bibles that you make whatever you wrote down on that letter.

If you come prepared to show more than that letter as proof of income, you should be in good shape.

I gave copies of my 1040 and Monthly pension statement (just to be safe) when I applied for Retirement visas in 2006 and 2007 at NY Consulate. The "Income Verification Letter" is a NEW requirement but would be useful to know WHERE to get this in USA.

[TerryLH]

Are you saying you need the letter for the NY Thai Consulate?

You can always ask them where you can get it from. The should know where something they require comes from.

[JimGant]

These documents must be certified by a Notary Public and certify true signature of the notary public by the Secretary of State.

This quote from the Thai Consulate Chicago pertaining to financial, medical, and police records related to a Non Imm O-A application. I'm sure no one has ever done this -- 'cause it ain't doable ("Hello, Condi Rice? Would you certify that my notary public's signature is true?")

Anyway, the websites for the Thai Embassy/Consulates in the US are all over the map on what they demand. Being bureaucrats, they just want something that looks official -- but just don't know exactly what that is: Chicago and LA want notarized copies; NY doesn't say anything (unless I missed it); the Embassy wants "letter of guarantee" for a bank statement and "verification" for medical and criminal (would letterhead stationery do?).

So, as Terry says, just ask NY want it is they really want. I bet they would take a "I certify this is a true copy" typed on your retirement income statement, with your signature and a Notary Public sig and stamp. Or, just use an Honorary Consulate -- they're not too picky about having raised seals on your documents. And since you're doing this by mail, all the better.

I gave copies of my 1040 and Monthly pension statement (just to be safe) when I applied for Retirement visas in 2006 and 2007 at NY Consulate.

So -- not to be nosy, just curious -- you apparently had a multi-entry Non Imm O-A in 2006. How is it you could not use the nearly two year extension-of-stay feature of that visa? Somehow it seems that doing an out and back in Thailand near the beginning of your Stateside vacation (to get a new 1-year permitted to stay stamp), then getting a reentry permit to be able to get back into Thailand afterwards (since your multi entry visa has now expired) would be easier than dealing with NY again -- and new police and medical forms(?).

At least NY gave you a multi-entry Non Imm O-A -- and thus some options in 2008. If you had used the LA Consulate, they are adamant that Non Imm O-A's are strictly "single entry." (At least according to their recently updated website.)

[lopburi3]

Actually Condoleezza Rice delegates that duty to:

Office of Authentication, U.S. Department of State

* 518 23rd Street, NW, State Annex #1 , Washington, DC 20520

* Phone: 202-647-5002,

* Fax: 202-663-3636,

* Email: [email protected]

* For more information, see: http://www.state.gov/m/a/auth/

[Searat7]

These documents must be certified by a Notary Public and certify true signature of the notary public by the Secretary of State.

This quote from the Thai Consulate Chicago pertaining to financial, medical, and police records related to a Non Imm O-A application. I'm sure no one has ever done this -- 'cause it ain't doable ("Hello, Condi Rice? Would you certify that my notary public's signature is true?")

Anyway, the websites for the Thai Embassy/Consulates in the US are all over the map on what they demand. Being bureaucrats, they just want something that looks official -- but just don't know exactly what that is: Chicago and LA want notarized copies; NY doesn't say anything (unless I missed it); the Embassy wants "letter of guarantee" for a bank statement and "verification" for medical and criminal (would letterhead stationery do?).

So, as Terry says, just ask NY want it is they really want. I bet they would take a "I certify this is a true copy" typed on your retirement income statement, with your signature and a Notary Public sig and stamp. Or, just use an Honorary Consulate -- they're not too picky about having raised seals on your documents. And since you're doing this by mail, all the better.

I gave copies of my 1040 and Monthly pension statement (just to be safe) when I applied for Retirement visas in 2006 and 2007 at NY Consulate.

So -- not to be nosy, just curious -- you apparently had a multi-entry Non Imm O-A in 2006. How is it you could not use the nearly two year extension-of-stay feature of that visa? Somehow it seems that doing an out and back in Thailand near the beginning of your Stateside vacation (to get a new 1-year permitted to stay stamp), then getting a reentry permit to be able to get back into Thailand afterwards (since your multi entry visa has now expired) would be easier than dealing with NY again -- and new police and medical forms(?).

At least NY gave you a multi-entry Non Imm O-A -- and thus some options in 2008. If you had used the LA Consulate, they are adamant that Non Imm O-A's are strictly "single entry." (At least according to their recently updated website.)

My first retirement visa expired in July but I left Thailand in May so impossible to extend before I left BKK. I think you can do this (extend) only 30 days in advance of expiration. They let me use old police form from prior year (this is a joke anyway) . I did have to supply a new medical form which I now have my doctor sign every year during my annual Stateside physical. The NY Consulate seems very easy to work with although they don't seem to respond to e-mail inquiries. Had to write letter or call.

Also I make it a practice to travel frequently so I have never had to visit the Immigration Office to check in with them (travel every 90 days or less)

[JimGant]

My first retirement visa expired in July but I left Thailand in May so impossible to extend before I left BKK.

But it's not the visa you're extending -- it's extending your 'permitted to stay.' And as you travel every 90 days or less, and you had a multi-entry Non Imm O-A, your last "permitted to stay" stamp should have been to at least February 2008 (one year from when you last entered Thailand, which should have been around Feb 2007 based on your '90 day' and 'May 2007' criteria).

If so, you didn't need to get a new visa. It now becomes a matter of renewing your extension of stay -- or in the case of an O-A visa, getting your first in-country extension of stay based on the expiration of your last 'permitted to stay' stamp. The only red flag associated with visa expiration is that you now need a re-entry permit from Immigration if you plan to travel (otherwise you'll void your current permitted to stay period).

Anyway, after reading the State Dept site Lopburi pointed out, I hope NY would not require such a goat rope. If you have to go thru the O-A process again, I would suggest Houston. They're very efficient, don't require notarization/certification (or at least they haven't in the past), and they promptly answer emails.

Also, when you finally get around to renewing your extension in Thailand, Lopburi and others have pointed-out that Immigration may waive the 30-day window if you can show travel plans.

[thaigene2]

Just my 2 baht worth - the "Income verification letter" issued by the US embassy is not worth the paper it's written on - or so the immigration office in Pattaya told my wife.

After being repeatedly grilled about where my income was coming from, I ended up handing over copies of my last year's W-2 (wages and earnings statement) from the US Gov't. Why? Because the immigration officer we dealt with knew for a fact that there is no verification by the US Embassy when they issue that letter. It's just you swearing on a stack of bibles that you make whatever you wrote down on that letter.

If you come prepared to show more than that letter as proof of income, you should be in good shape.

I gave copies of my 1040 and Monthly pension statement (just to be safe) when I applied for Retirement visas in 2006 and 2007 at NY Consulate. The "Income Verification Letter" is a NEW requirement but would be useful to know WHERE to get this in USA.

Yes I was wondering how long it would take for this to happen - or at least get reported on a site like this.

Does anyone have experience that they can share from the Australian, British, Canadian, New Zealand Embassies? I'd find it a bit hard to believe that a Consular officer in one of these places would place his/her hand to a letter that says "Mr Smith transfers 40,000 baht to Thailand from (name the country) each month"

Remember, Embassies are not here to look after the expat/tourist's best interest...they are here to look after the big business and trading interests of their country (in other words the elites of their countries'). They are not going to screw that up by writing some poxy letter about some poxy retiree whose assets they have absolutely no way to verify!

Edited October 10, 2007 by thaigene2

[lopburi3]

The most assuredly do issue letter to satisfy Immigration requirements.

The Consular sections of foreign Embassies are indeed here to serve the citizens of that country and those wishing to obtain visas. They do issue letters or sign statements that there citizens have declared there income or whatever to be as said. Some require supporting paperwork and so do not but none do more than confirm that the person says they make such and such as far as I know. There is no governmental guarantee that what has been stated is fact. Nor is such a guarantee expected or required.

[ProThaiExpat]

Most law enforcement agencies, and Thai Immigration is certainly a police agency, rely on 98% of the populace being honest, otherwise they would be out of business.

While an individual Thai Immigration Officer might opine that a sworn declaration by a U.S. Citizen to a Federal Government Officer is not worth the paper its printed on, as it is so easy to lie in that situation, he is reflecting his Thai mentality and orientation to law enforcement. A U.S. Citizen is unlikely to risk a 10 year prison term and a hefty fine in such circumstances. A la Martha Stewart.

The accessibility of financial records these days by police agencies is such that I, for one, am not willing to take the risk for so little gain. I guess I am in the 98% of citizens I spoke of supra.

It is certainly becoming clear from the posts lately that individual police officers, particularly in smaller offices, are exercising their discretion contrary to what may be considered normal handling in other offices.

As GaryA recently posted ,he went to the 800K in the bank route due to difficulties with his solo officer office exercise of discretion in the pension + route. I think most of us who are on the pension + program would "take on" a given immigration officer or office if we were forced to bring 800 Baht into Thailand at no interest inorder to satisfy the whim of an individual police officer.