Frozen in time: British expats losing out on pensions in Thailand

[BB1950]

Dear Pattaya area American Citizens,

The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok is pleased to inform you of the time and place for the previously scheduled consular outreach visit to Pattaya on September 1, 2011. Please come if you can!

Consular staff will be available to provide services on:

Wednesday, September 1, 2011 from 10:00 to 14:00

at the Dusit Thani Pattaya, at 240/2 Pattaya Beach Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi, 20150, Thailand. Telephone: 03-842-5611.

E-mail: //removed//

Outreach dates for Fiscal Year 2011 will be announced after the beginning of the fiscal year.

The following consular services are available during our outreach visits:

· Notarial Services and Certified Copies ($50.00 or Baht 1,550). This includes income affidavits for retirees in Thailand.

· Passport renewal applications ($110.00 or Baht 3,410 for adult passports, and $105 or Baht 3,255 for a child's passport).

· Extra visa pages ($82 or Baht 2,542). Note: we can accept applications, but the passports will have to be brought back to the Embassy for final processing the next working day. We will have prepaid Thailand Post envelopes that you can buy from us (at cost) if you wish us have us mail your passport back to you. Alternatively, you can pick up your passport at the Embassy. You can also have a friend pick up your passport by giving them written authorization to present to us.

· Social security, VA, or other federal benefits questions will be taken and we will try to provide forms and answers. If we cannot answer your question at the outreach, we will send you a response later.

Please bring exact change!

Consular Reports of Birth and new passport applications cannot be processed during consular outreach trips.

If you have any questions, please email //removed// or call the American Citizen Services Unit at 02-205-4049.

We look forward to seeing you.

Sincerely,

American Citizen Services

U.S. Embassy

Bangkok, Thailand

[puuchai299]

Wednesday is the 31st.

[BB1950]

Wednesday is the 31st.

You're right.

I just did a copy and paste. I paid no attention. So, I assume it's Thursday Sept 1, since Sept 1 was mentioned twice.

[gk10002000]

Interesting that the counsel is outreaching. 8 years ago when I was making my first overseas trip, I thought it would be a nice thing to visit the US embassy. I grew up reading about people traveling and how the embassy in the foreign country would often like to meet and talk with people from back home, maybe give a tour of the ebassy, or have a breakfast meeting with the ambassador if it was on the schedule, etc. So I wrote to the US embassy in Bangkok and asked about those things. I got back very curt responses about "the ambassador never meets any body. There are no tours, etc." It was all very dismissive.

Oh well. Those old travel story books are outdated.

[BB1950]

Interesting that the counsel is outreaching. 8 years ago when I was making my first overseas trip, I thought it would be a nice thing to visit the US embassy. I grew up reading about people traveling and how the embassy in the foreign country would often like to meet and talk with people from back home, maybe give a tour of the ebassy, or have a breakfast meeting with the ambassador if it was on the schedule, etc. So I wrote to the US embassy in Bangkok and asked about those things. I got back very curt responses about "the ambassador never meets any body. There are no tours, etc." It was all very dismissive.

Oh well. Those old travel story books are outdated.

Yeah, they are. I remember when they first started making outreachs to Pattaya (about 10 years ago), before the hoards of people showed up. I was the only one at the outreach. I found them to be extremely helpful. I talked with them for about 2 hrs.

Ah... yes, times do change.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Outreach dates for Fiscal Year 2011 will be announced after the beginning of the fiscal year.

Any one know why the US governments fiscal year runs Oct thru Sept.?

I would guess it's so they don't have all the stuff hitting the fan at the same time at the end/beginning of the year and tax time. Any one know the real answer?

[SurfRider]

.

Does anyone know if there will be another Pattaya outreach before the end of the year? - and if so, what date?

.

[BB1950]

.

Does anyone know if there will be another Pattaya outreach before the end of the year? - and if so, what date?

.

As mentioned above the Fiscal Year ends in September. The schedule for Fiscal Year 2011 (Oct 2011 - Sept 2012) hasn't been announced yet.

Usually there is one about the 1st of December.

But there may be budget cuts, so not sure.

Edited August 18, 2011 by BB1950

[BB1950]

Wednesday is the 31st.

Here's a corrected copy that came today:

Dear Pattaya area American Citizens,

The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok is pleased to inform you of the time and place for the previously scheduled consular outreach visit to Pattaya on September 1, 2011. Please come if you can!

Consular staff will be available to provide services on:

Thursday, September 1, 2011 from 10:00 to 14:00

at the Dusit Thani Pattaya, at 240/2 Pattaya Beach Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi, 20150, Thailand. Telephone: 03-842-5611. E-mail: //removed//

Outreach dates for Fiscal Year 2011 will be announced after the beginning of the fiscal year.

The following consular services are available during our outreach visits:

· Notarial Services and Certified Copies ($50.00 or Baht 1,550). This includes income affidavits for retirees in Thailand.

· Passport renewal applications ($110.00 or Baht 3,410 for adult passports, and $105 or Baht 3,255 for a child's passport).

· Extra visa pages ($82 or Baht 2,542). Note: we can accept applications, but the passports will have to be brought back to the Embassy for final processing the next working day. We will have prepaid Thailand Post envelopes that you can buy from us (at cost) if you wish us have us mail your passport back to you. Alternatively, you can pick up your passport at the Embassy. You can also have a friend pick up your passport by giving them written authorization to present to us.

· Social security, VA, or other federal benefits questions will be taken and we will try to provide forms and answers. If we cannot answer your question at the outreach, we will send you a response later.

Please bring exact change!

Consular Reports of Birth and new passport applications cannot be processed during consular outreach trips.

If you have any questions, please email //removed// or call the American Citizen Services Unit at 02-205-4049.

We look forward to seeing you.

Sincerely,

American Citizen Services

U.S. Embassy

Bangkok, Thailand

Edited August 31, 2011 by Tywais
E-mail removed as per forum rules

[gk10002000]

Outreach dates for Fiscal Year 2011 will be announced after the beginning of the fiscal year.

Any one know why the US governments fiscal year runs Oct thru Sept.?

I would guess it's so they don't have all the stuff hitting the fan at the same time at the end/beginning of the year and tax time. Any one know the real answer?

Actually it used to coincide with the calendar year. Then they slowly started getting behind so they moved the fiscal year out a few months. Once they got to October 1, they stopped moving it. Even they would be confused if the Fiscal year was in a completely different calendar year and with only 3 months left, they had to make Oct 1 the deadline. We had a briefing on it for a few minutes when I was in the Air Force. I can't find any details online at the moment. Google or Yahoo searches are not finding the history of it.

"July 1 used to mark the US fiscal New Year. Congress rolled it back in 1974 to October, and that does not appear to have made the process any prettier. So for now, we’re probably stuck with a fiscal New Year that occurs in the same month as Halloween."

[barryofthailand]

This will probably be the last outreach to Pattaya for this year. They usually come to pattaya four times a year.

Barry

[BB1950]

Any one know why the US governments fiscal year runs Oct thru Sept.?

From: http://democrats.rul...ives/98-325.pdf

Initially, the federal fiscal year coincided with the calendar year. In 1842, President John Tyler signed legislation changing the fiscal year to a July 1 to June 30 cycle. Beginning with FY1977, the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (Section 501 of P.L. 93-344, currently codified at 31 U.S.C. 1102) changed the fiscal year to its current cycle. In both instances, the intent was to provide Congress with more time to process appropriations legislation, particularly to avoid continuing resolutions

Edited August 19, 2011 by BB1950

[BuckarooBanzai]

Any one know why the US governments fiscal year runs Oct thru Sept.?

From: http://democrats.rul...ives/98-325.pdf

Initially, the federal fiscal year coincided with the calendar year. In 1842, President John Tyler signed legislation changing the fiscal year to a July 1 to June 30 cycle. Beginning with FY1977, the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (Section 501 of P.L. 93-344, currently codified at 31 U.S.C. 1102) changed the fiscal year to its current cycle. In both instances, the intent was to provide Congress with more time to process appropriations legislation, particularly to avoid continuing resolutions

Tippecanoe and Tyler too,

Now I understand thanks to you.

[watcharacters]

Interesting that the counsel is outreaching. 8 years ago when I was making my first overseas trip, I thought it would be a nice thing to visit the US embassy. I grew up reading about people traveling and how the embassy in the foreign country would often like to meet and talk with people from back home, maybe give a tour of the ebassy, or have a breakfast meeting with the ambassador if it was on the schedule, etc. So I wrote to the US embassy in Bangkok and asked about those things. I got back very curt responses about "the ambassador never meets any body. There are no tours, etc." It was all very dismissive.

Oh well. Those old travel story books are outdated.

Yeah, they are. I remember when they first started making outreachs to Pattaya (about 10 years ago), before the hoards of people showed up. I was the only one at the outreach. I found them to be extremely helpful. I talked with them for about 2 hrs.

Ah... yes, times do change.

I wonder if it's still possible to visit ones elected representative in D.C. as I did in the past. Some changes I like less than others.

[chops]

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