Hello,

Regarding the "Proof of income" letter required for the 1-year extension based on marriage, my embassy doesn't provide such letter, however what they do is to certify my signature.

So when I was at my embassy in Bangkok they told me to write on a piece of paper that I earn more than 40k per month and that they would stamp it.

When I showed to the Immigration this hand-written letter with my signature and the embassy's stamp on it, they laughed at me and told me that they need an "official" printed letter, not hand-written.

So, if I type the exact same letter with a nice formatting and print it, sign it, and get it stamped by my embassy, will this work?

The source of my income is quit simple: I am an author and I perceive commission payments from my editor each month. This concerns previous work published a few years ago abroad (I am not working currently). The editor wouldn't provide me a letter certifying such income as it depends on the sales, however it's very stable since few years (about 3k USD per month minimum) so the only thing I can do is to get my signature certified by my embassy.

Here's what I've written:

This document hereby certifies that MR *** PAUL benefits from annual income of no less than 37000 USD (or 3083 USD per month, estimated at 90000 THAI BAHT monthly income at current currency rates) from the **EDITOR COMPANY NAME** Commission Payments.

Would that be enough? I can eventually add the address and details of the editor, that plus my signature and my embassy's official stamp.

The money is legitimate and enough for the visa extension requirements, so there's no reason it wouldn't work, it's just that my embassy doesn't provide "proof of income" letters so I need to write it myself!

Thanks for any advice!

Edited May 28, 201313 yr by paulsh

If you went online to the U.S. Consulate website, you'll find an 'affidavit' form to fill in the blanks, to take to consulate for their 'notary' stamp. The form has that 'legal mumbo-jumbo' sort of wording.

You may want to take the same verbiage from that form and use in your typed version - including the same signature and date fields for you and the consulate to complete.

You don't sign the letter until you have your consulate process it - its supposed to be signed in their presence so they see that you indeed 'swear' its the truth for their notarization.

Awesome thanks!

Found the form here: http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/income_affidavit.pdf

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/affidavits.html

So I'll simply use the same sentences in my letter!

Oh my God, is this really true? You did go to the immigration with a handwritten piece of paper with a embassy stamp and signed by them??? I have never heard about anything even similar strange as that. I do not know if I shall cry or laugh really!

The immigration want a letter where your embassy confirm your income not your signature..... The rest of the world do this and show this respect to Thailand and the immigration officies here. We have a country already who do not show this respect.... Forget about their customs and do it the correct way... Proove to your embassy what your earnings really in life are. And they will give you a incomeletter proving that... and they will confirm that on their embassy-letter and the Immigration will be happy.

But I 100% understand that they laughed at you, I would too actually....I suggest you take this more seriously....

Glegolo

Can You do 800,000 in a Thai bank account, I think it would solve Your problem after it seasons for 3 months

Oh my God, is this really true? You did go to the immigration with a handwritten piece of paper with a embassy stamp and signed by them??? I have never heard about anything even similar strange as that. I do not know if I shall cry or laugh really!

The immigration want a letter where your embassy confirm your income not your signature..... The rest of the world do this and show this respect to Thailand and the immigration officies here. We have a country already who do not show this respect.... Forget about their customs and do it the correct way... Proove to your embassy what your earnings really in life are. And they will give you a incomeletter proving that... and they will confirm that on their embassy-letter and the Immigration will be happy.

But I 100% understand that they laughed at you, I would too actually....I suggest you take this more seriously....

Glegolo

Not all embassies offer to provide an "income letter", no matter what proof you have (I am registered tax payer in my home country), the same for the U.S. embassy they don't provide such letter.

My embassy only offers to certify my signature.

I don't see why writing "I hereby certify earning *** baht per month" by hand or typing it in a computer makes much difference, the result is exactly the same. There's nothing funny or disrespectful by a hand-written letter.

Dont forget to sign the letter in front of the consular officer, don't do it at home!

It is not a certification of a signature. It is an affadavid, that is why you sign it in front of the cosular officer. Making a false statement is a criminal offence and you can be prosecuted for it in the US.

That is next to being prosecuted and/or deported by Thai immigration for providing a false document.

Dont forget to sign the letter in front of the consular officer, don't do it at home!

It is not a certification of a signature. It is an affadavid, that is why you sign it in front of the cosular officer. Making a false statement is a criminal offence and you can be prosecuted for it in the US.

That is next to being prosecuted and/or deported by Thai immigration for providing a false document.

That's true for the U.S. embassy, not mine which is not an affidavit but a certification of my signature (this is how they call it), I don't need to swear or anything like that, just to sign the paper and they will put a stamp near my signature.

Edited May 29, 201313 yr by paulsh

Can You do 800,000 in a Thai bank account, I think it would solve Your problem after it seasons for 3 months

Actually, he is going for an extension for marriage, that would only be 400,000.

I spend too much to have the 400k baht required

Dont forget to sign the letter in front of the consular officer, don't do it at home!

It is not a certification of a signature. It is an affadavid, that is why you sign it in front of the cosular officer. Making a false statement is a criminal offence and you can be prosecuted for it in the US.

That is next to being prosecuted and/or deported by Thai immigration for providing a false document.

That's true for the U.S. embassy, not mine which is not an affidavit but a certification of my signature (this is how they call it), I don't need to swear or anything like that, just to sign the paper and they will put a stamp near my signature.

But I am sure your country has laws the same as others and your signature on a false document would be illegal and subject you to your justice system as a representative of your government witnessed you signing that paper. Same thing. If the information is false you are subject to your home country laws on such matters. Also remember to take supporting documents to immigration as they can always request them.

Dont forget to sign the letter in front of the consular officer, don't do it at home!

It is not a certification of a signature. It is an affadavid, that is why you sign it in front of the cosular officer. Making a false statement is a criminal offence and you can be prosecuted for it in the US.

That is next to being prosecuted and/or deported by Thai immigration for providing a false document.

That's true for the U.S. embassy, not mine which is not an affidavit but a certification of my signature (this is how they call it), I don't need to swear or anything like that, just to sign the paper and they will put a stamp near my signature.

But I am sure your country has laws the same as others and your signature on a false document would be illegal and subject you to your justice system as a representative of your government witnessed you signing that paper. Same thing. If the information is false you are subject to your home country laws on such matters. Also remember to take supporting documents to immigration as they can always request them.

Absolutely. It's good you mention that for others who might want to declare false incomes in order to get a visa extension.

Oh my God, is this really true? You did go to the immigration with a handwritten piece of paper with a embassy stamp and signed by them??? I have never heard about anything even similar strange as that. I do not know if I shall cry or laugh really!

The immigration want a letter where your embassy confirm your income not your signature..... The rest of the world do this and show this respect to Thailand and the immigration officies here. We have a country already who do not show this respect.... Forget about their customs and do it the correct way... Proove to your embassy what your earnings really in life are. And they will give you a incomeletter proving that... and they will confirm that on their embassy-letter and the Immigration will be happy.

But I 100% understand that they laughed at you, I would too actually....I suggest you take this more seriously....

Glegolo

Last year when I applied for a 1 year marriage extension this is all I did at Australian Embassy.

No problem for Hau Hin Immigration.

If you are Australian you HANDWRITE and affidavit on the Aussie Form and get it stamped. No proof of in come required I know it works I have done it

The US Embassy has a statement of income form. Take the form from the rack at the embassy and fill in your yearly income and sign the form, then have the consular official notarize it with the embassy stamp and his signature. This will be accepted by immigration. I believe that they want the embassy form, not your self-composed letter. I have done this for years and my income statement is always accepted at Cheng Wattana. You don't have to prove any income for the embassy. Immigration may ask you for bank statements or other proof of your income. Good luck!

Sorry. I should have said to sign the form in front of the consular official.

I think - not sure as things become a bit confused - that the OP is NOT American, but might somehow be trying to use the US Embassy forms and affidavit?

No matter what country you're from, with that kind of income, I'd be incredibly surprised if you didn't pay some kind of tax on it. Therefore, why not take your tax forms to your own embassy for certification and then to Thai immo. That would show your annual income, easily divided by 12 for monthly.

I think - not sure as things become a bit confused - that the OP is NOT American, but might somehow be trying to use the US Embassy forms and affidavit?

No matter what country you're from, with that kind of income, I'd be incredibly surprised if you didn't pay some kind of tax on it. Therefore, why not take your tax forms to your own embassy for certification and then to Thai immo. That would show your annual income, easily divided by 12 for monthly.

I do pay taxes in my home country. When I tried the last time this is what I did, I took copies of my bank account statements, my tax forms and even my editor contract and sales report, but because of the hand-written letter that I added on the top they just avoided looking at the rest...

Regarding the U.S. embassy forms, it was suggested earlier that I use their phrasing in my self-written letter, and not the form itself.

Cheers