Why Is The British Consul Ripping Its Citizens Off

[FarangCravings]

Seems everywhere i turn I need a residence certificate which no longer exists and now a letter from my home consul is needed saying I reside here in Thailand so off i go to the consul to be told 2500 baht per letter so i think well thats only 1000% more than the immigration charged prior to stopping issuing there paper so i get one so i can get a thai drivers license.

Now just over a month later I try to register my wifes motorbike now since she is not from chaing mai but is thai its seems she cannot register the bike due to some weird thai rule that she is from south and needs to jump through multiple hoops so we decide to put it in my name all i need to bring is my visa passport and surprise surprise a letter of residency.

NO PROBLEM i think as i already have one got it just over a month ago so i go again only to be told sorry thats not valid anymore as its more than a month old ( 5 days over) so i now have to go back and pay another 2500 baht for another letter from the consul

Dont you fellow Brits think this is OUTRAGEOUS its a standard letter that a secretary just inserts your name and address and voila the consul is 2500 baht richer for a letter valid for a month.

I know is not just me as I saw 2 guys complaining at the drivers license office how can the consul justify this charge for a letter thats valid for just one month

How about a petition to hand in to the consul

I know TIT but I would expect my goverment to have some sort of sense and lead by example rather than following the no sense thai approach

Edited June 6, 2008 by FarangCravings

[Naam]

Why Is The British Consul Ripping Its Citizens Off

because he can't rip off other nationalities

[Bill97]

Yeh, let's petition the consul and if that does not work we can protest in the street or figure something else to do to them straightened out. It is really ridiculous all the residence certificate costs, fines for driving without helmets, visa circus, 90 day reporting, outrageous costs to register illegal motor cycles and Thai taxes and fees we all have to do and pay for. I figured the total costs of satisfying the Thai government so that I could stay here and it was more than 6% of what I would pay the government to live in my home country, what a rip off. And those 2 guys complaining at the Thai drivers license office about British consul fees, yeh .....

[FarangCravings]

Yeh, let's petition the consul and if that does not work we can protest in the street or figure something else to do to them straightened out. It is really ridiculous all the residence certificate costs, fines for driving without helmets, visa circus, 90 day reporting, outrageous costs to register illegal motor cycles and Thai taxes and fees we all have to do and pay for. I figured the total costs of satisfying the Thai government so that I could stay here and it was more than 6% of what I would pay the government to live in my home country, what a rip off. And those 2 guys complaining at the Thai drivers license office about British consul fees, yeh .....

[mobs00]

I have a friend that works at the British consul and he said the fee charts come from the UK and all British consuls use the same system. So I don't think complaining in Thailand will do much good.

[Contractor]

Why Is The British Consul Ripping Its Citizens Off?

Because they can.

And it is not just in Thailand that it happens.

[FarangCravings]

I wrote a letter already to the consul asking if the letter can be reissued a certain amount of times during a 12 month period without paying an additional 2500 baht since when you really look into it it falls on the thais really, if your visa is valid for 12 months and you have a letter from your consul it should be valid for the duration of your visa.

Lets see what they say

[PhilHarries]

Obviously the OP hasn't ever had to deal with a UK solicitor. Fifteen minutes I spent with one, all she told me was to visit the necessary website and download the forms and fill them in. Close on £400 per hour plus VAT (17.5%) and then she told me the wrong form reference number.

But while you are whinging about the British consul why stop there? Have a go at the Thai vehicle registration office for not accepting a letter over a month old. Why not whinge at the Thai government that imposes stupid rules stopping your wife registering her own motorbike just because she is from the south. With a bit of creative thought you could develope this into a mega-whinge.

Bureaucracy sucks the world over, deal with it and move on. 2500 Baht is not going to break the bank is it?

[FarangCravings]

Obviously the OP hasn't ever had to deal with a UK solicitor. Fifteen minutes I spent with one, all she told me was to visit the necessary website and download the forms and fill them in. Close on £400 per hour plus VAT (17.5%) and then she told me the wrong form reference number.

But while you are whinging about the British consul why stop there? Have a go at the Thai vehicle registration office for not accepting a letter over a month old. Why not whinge at the Thai government that imposes stupid rules stopping your wife registering her own motorbike just because she is from the south. With a bit of creative thought you could develope this into a mega-whinge.

Bureaucracy sucks the world over, deal with it and move on. 2500 Baht is not going to break the bank is it?

I expect unexplainable non sencical behaviour from the thai powers that be but i expect a little better from my consul

I guess you dont get it its not the money but why pay 2500 for a letter when it was 250 baht before and then its a letter valid for a month

So i guess i am the only one that thinks its a little OTT for a letter 5000 baht in less than 2 months you might have 5000 baht to toss away but I dont.

And then i might need another one in a few months another 2500

LOL

PS put in a few typo errors so the TV spelling watchdogs can jump in chastise me and correct me also as it seems to be turning into a bashing thread

[Ricardo]

I expect unexplainable non sencical behaviour from the thai powers that be but i expect a little better from my consul

Many expats view their home-country differently, after viewing it 'from afar', as it were ! It all looks better, after another beer, is my advice !

[FarangCravings]

I expect unexplainable non sencical behaviour from the thai powers that be but i expect a little better from my consul

Many expats view their home-country differently, after viewing it 'from afar', as it were ! It all looks better, after another beer, is my advice !

Best advice so far

I'm off for a pint

[engineer]

Drum roll please ..............................

HERE is the answer to everyones problems and its too easy you will kick yourself for not doing it earlier.

I have been using the same letter for 2 years now.

There was a new invention a few years back called a colour photocopier. When I first had to part with something like 1500 Baht I was furious and even more furious when I asked for another copy and they wanted another 1500.00.

Screw you I said and went to the first copy place, put a piece of white card over the date and made 10 copies.

It looks original, it smells original and best of all, when I got the original I got a few consulate business cards and I always attach one of them.

Money saved to date .... alot, thousands in fact

Times busted ... none

Joy at screwing over the consulate .... immense

[mobs00]

Drum roll please ..............................

HERE is the answer to everyones problems and its too easy you will kick yourself for not doing it earlier.

I have been using the same letter for 2 years now.

There was a new invention a few years back called a colour photocopier. When I first had to part with something like 1500 Baht I was furious and even more furious when I asked for another copy and they wanted another 1500.00.

Screw you I said and went to the first copy place, put a piece of white card over the date and made 10 copies.

It looks original, it smells original and best of all, when I got the original I got a few consulate business cards and I always attach one of them.

Money saved to date .... alot, thousands in fact

Times busted ... none

Joy at screwing over the consulate .... immense

And how to you photograph the notary inprint?

[engineer]

My consulate it seems were so underfunded that they didnt have a raised notary seal. That was 2 years ago mind you, perhaps they have wised up by now.

Not all countries use seals, my bet is that the usa does, they just love stamping and sealing everything.

I renewed my driving licence last week in bangkok and I asked them was a copy of the letter ok as I needed the original for immigration, they were fine with it.

[Priceless]

Drum roll please ..............................

HERE is the answer to everyones problems and its too easy you will kick yourself for not doing it earlier.

I have been using the same letter for 2 years now.

There was a new invention a few years back called a colour photocopier. When I first had to part with something like 1500 Baht I was furious and even more furious when I asked for another copy and they wanted another 1500.00.

Screw you I said and went to the first copy place, put a piece of white card over the date and made 10 copies.

It looks original, it smells original and best of all, when I got the original I got a few consulate business cards and I always attach one of them.

Money saved to date .... alot, thousands in fact

Times busted ... none

Joy at screwing over the consulate .... immense

I think the procedure you've outlined is called forgery. Although the risk of exposure may be very small, some people still frown at it

/ Priceless

[ovenman]

I think the procedure you've outlined is called forgery. Although the risk of exposure may be very small, some people still frown at it

...including the Thai government offices to whom you would be supplying said forged documents.

[Pushit]

I think the procedure you've outlined is called forgery. Although the risk of exposure may be very small, some people still frown at it

...including the Thai government offices to whom you would be supplying said forged documents.

Sorry, no political positions for you guys LOL

[noise]

Seems everywhere i turn I need a residence certificate which ...... immigration .....stopping issuing there .......

About a month ago someone reported immigration started issuing the certificates again at the right hand window (same as your 90 day address verification). And, if I remember correctly, another poster verified it. You might want to check.

[ovenman]

About a month ago someone reported immigration started issuing the certificates again at the right hand window (same as your 90 day address verification).

Subsequently reported that immigrations stopped their new policy after one day. Apparently, a higher-up within immigrations decided it was a mistake.

Edited June 7, 2008 by ovenman

[PhilHarries]

About a month ago someone reported immigration started issuing the certificates again at the right hand window (same as your 90 day address verification).

Subsequently reported that immigrations stopped their new policy after one day. Apparently, a higher-up within immigrations decided it was a mistake.

Of course they did! You are all missing the point of it all, it is a gargantuan conspiracy between the governments.

The Thai's don't accept a letter over a month old, The British charge 2500 Baht for a letter. They split the proceeds and both go out on the lash.

Sorry I cannot take this kind of stuff seriously. Sure it is a rip off charging 2500 Baht for a piece of paper and a signiture but if you could get away with it, and be honest now, you would wouldn't you? So you had to pay handsomely for a letter but do you pay 70 Baht per liter for gasoline, 200 Baht for a pint of beer, 300 Baht for a pack of cigarettes? Do you live in a country where three sunny days constitute a heat wave?

Life is tough, deal with it.

[engineer]

I think the procedure you've outlined is called forgery. Although the risk of exposure may be very small, some people still frown at it

...including the Thai government offices to whom you would be supplying said forged documents.

I did a rough calculation last night. By using the same certificate for the last two years I have saved about 15.000 Baht. Have I done something wrong ?, perhaps.

Do I still live at the original address ? Yes.

My question is, who are the real criminals, the guys who charge 2500-3500 for an A4 letter or the guy who spends 20 baht and photocopies his and saves 2480.00 Baht ?

[gymshark]

I think the procedure you've outlined is called forgery. Although the risk of exposure may be very small, some people still frown at it

...including the Thai government offices to whom you would be supplying said forged documents.

I did a rough calculation last night. By using the same certificate for the last two years I have saved about 15.000 Baht. Have I done something wrong ?, perhaps.

Do I still live at the original address ? Yes.

My question is, who are the real criminals, the guys who charge 2500-3500 for an A4 letter or the guy who spends 20 baht and photocopies his and saves 2480.00 Baht ?

Bloody right, it was what photoshop was invented for......

[ignis]

W H Y ?????

If you have registered with the Town/City Hall then you just go and ask them for said letter, takes a few mins, I am on there PC, but maybe a little longer to have the 'Junta' put the Red Seal on the letter., I have had to go back the next day on the odd occasion……. Costs: FREE

[Maejo Man]

I have removed this post as it might be suggested that I condone the falsifications of official documents..MM

Edited June 7, 2008 by Maejo Man

[neilrob]

I agree that the cost is ridiculous. The US consulate charges $30, which is around 1000B at current rates. Even this seems too much, but is much more reasonable than the UK consulate. I have both UK and US passports, so could probably choose where to go. It's a pity there's not an open market for this---competition might bring the price down! Neil

[Bill97]

W H Y ?????

If you have registered with the Town/City Hall then you just go and ask them for said letter, takes a few mins, I am on there PC, but maybe a little longer to have the 'Junta' put the Red Seal on the letter., I have had to go back the next day on the odd occasion……. Costs: FREE

Sounds great. Could you tell us exactly where you do this?

[K2K]

W H Y ?????

If you have registered with the Town/City Hall then you just go and ask them for said letter, takes a few mins, I am on there PC, but maybe a little longer to have the 'Junta' put the Red Seal on the letter., I have had to go back the next day on the odd occasion……. Costs: FREE

Do you have PR (yellow book)to do this?

When I got my first 5yr driving licence in Phuket, they didn't ask for this residency certificate. Phuket immigration will issue it for 100 Baht (mate just done it last week) - don't really want to waste 2400 Baht so your idea is a good one and legal if its open to those married to Thai's.

[toptuan]

I agree that the cost is ridiculous. The US consulate charges $30, which is around 1000B at current rates. Even this seems too much, but is much more reasonable than the UK consulate. I have both UK and US passports, so could probably choose where to go. It's a pity there's not an open market for this---competition might bring the price down! Neil

How else can they fund those embassy/consulate cocktail parties in order to rub shoulders with hi-so folks? Always on the backs of the serfs (assuming that's your status, sir.) I'm sounding like a communist!

[sriracha john]

I think the procedure you've outlined is called forgery. Although the risk of exposure may be very small, some people still frown at it

...including the Thai government offices to whom you would be supplying said forged documents.

I did a rough calculation last night. By using the same certificate for the last two years I have saved about 15.000 Baht. Have I done something wrong ?, perhaps.

Do I still live at the original address ? Yes.

My question is, who are the real criminals, the guys who charge 2500-3500 for an A4 letter or the guy who spends 20 baht and photocopies his and saves 2480.00 Baht ?

It's no more criminal than working without a work permit, but so what? The risk is small, same as with work permits....

so everyone should go for it...

[ignis]

Do you have PR (yellow book)to do this?

NO, I have a yearly Retirement Visa.

Sounds great. Could you tell us exactly where you do this?

In the Town/City Hall, myself this is the next Village, No idea what it is like in a City, but here it is just one very large room/Office, the 'Junta' sits in a glass room inside this big room, [The Junta is the only person that can add the Red Seal to any documents]