Has anyone heard of the the ADVICE issued with the Visa Application from Australia-Canberra.

I am presently in Canberra and in the process of renewing my Non-Imm O Visa....Today I picked up the application and with it was the Instructions, Visa Costs and the following Advice.

ADVICE

1. TAX CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE: Prior to departure, a Tax Clearance Certificate from the Revenue Department is required for aliens who have stayed in Thailand for more than 90 days and also for those who have received income from Thailand, regardless of the lenght of stay. This requirement is however waived to certain types of aliens who enter Thailand and stay LESS than 30 days each time without earning an income or earning a non-assesable income provided that the TOTAL length of stay does not exceed 90 days in any Calendar Year.

The waiver does not apply to foreigners who are Actors, Singers, Musicians, etc., who enter the Kingdom for that purpose and to those who actually earn a taxable income under the Thai Revenue Code.

I called the Embassy and asked did I have to produce a Tax Clearance Certificate, I was told yes...I was in Thailand over 90 days. Needless to say I was stunned, not going to stress until I have spoken to a Senior Embassy Official for clarification. As Canberra is the Headquarters this new info may not have been issued to the Consulates as yet.

Will post Monday on the verdict.

Cheers

It just shows you how far behind the times some of these consular employees are. The tax clearance certificate has not been a requirement for eons.

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Maestro

To confirm what Maestro has said.

This is the complete opposite of "new information" - the requirement to obtain a Tax Clearance Certificate prioir to leaving, if Resident in Thailand for more than 90 days, was abolished over 15 years ago!

Patrick

Agreed, I have not needed a tax clearance to exit Thailand, as a Tourist, for almost two decades. For people working in Thailand, taxes are a way of life. Retirees need to arrange their finances so that money is not brought into Thailand in the year it was earned, regardless of the source, or their home country needs to have a Tax Treaty in place with Thailand.

As I recall the requirement for a tax clearance certificate was 'dropped' in the early '90s but the law was never changed so somebody may come up some day with the idea to dust it off and re-activate it the same way Imm did with the 90 days address reporting which had also been dormant for may years until somebody decided it is time to bully foreigners a bit more.

opalhort