Renewing a retirement visa with 65000 baht income method - what is the latest?

[Card]

Hi,

 

I have always used the 800,000 baht transfer method for renewing my retirement visa but would like to use my pension income instead. I have seen old messages on this forum which seem a bit out of date. Can someone who has recently used this method please advise (I have 3 different pensions (Teachers, AVC and State, adding up to about 80,000 baht per month.):

 

1. Does immigration accept just a letter from the UK embassy, or does it also require original documents from my pension providers and/or proof of transfer into a Thai bank account?

 

2. What proof do I need to get the letter from the UK embassy, and what is the wording of the letter?

 

3. How much does the letter from the embassy cost and how long does it take?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

[Expattaff1308]

The Embassy will want to see the evidence of your pensions and address in Thailand and if all is well will prepare a letter to Immigration just outlining the facts that you are British, confirm your address and details of your pensions Annual & Monthly, cost is around 2,500 THB. and usually arrange AM and  pick up PM.

Immigration accept the BE letter tho it pays to carry copies of the evidence in case they want to see it.

 

[Card]

The Embassy will want to see the evidence of your pensions and address in Thailand and if all is well will prepare a letter to Immigration just outlining the facts that you are British, confirm your address and details of your pensions Annual & Monthly, cost is around 2,500 THB. and usually arrange AM and  pick up PM.

Immigration accept the BE letter tho it pays to carry copies of the evidence in case they want to see it.

 

Great - thanks for this. How long before the extension date should I get the embassy letter - a few days? Or doesn't it matter. What I am trying to get at is does the embassy letter have a life span or should it be dated on the day of visa renewal like with the bank statement when using the bank deposit route?

 

Also, what particular evidence for the various pensions are required? I have bank statements showing the 3 deposits into my UK bank account each month and a statement stating what I get from my UK state pension. Do they require a letter or document from all my pension providers showing the current income? If so I will need them to send me statements.

 

Also, I rent my apartment so don't have utility bills in my name - would a thai and UK bank statement with my current address on do for proof of address for the UK embassy?

 

Renewals for me are always fraught with dread after making a mistake with a re-entry permit once so I am always extra careful about things running out.

 

Edited August 5, 2014 by Card

[Expattaff1308]

The Americans say the letter has a 6mth life span, myself I get it as close to the extension as possible as each office has its own quirky rules, but it doesnt need to be dated the same day as your ext app... If you can get statements from your pension providers so much the better other than that call the Embassy and ask them exactly what they require. I cannot remember what I used when I was renting but again the Embassy will let you know Consulate Dept 023058333.

Office hours are early, I think they open around 8 to 8.30 and will close at about 11.00 then come back between 1pm and 4pm as I recall.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-obtain-a-pensionincome-letter-for-thai-immigration 

[Colabamumbai]

You need to show your embassy 65,000 going into an account somewhere not in Thailand. The Embassy gives you a letter for Immigration, you need a copy of a bank statement showing the funds being deposited, from whoever from one account to another works with me....

 

Do not give the original copy of the letter to a consulate to get your visa all they need is a copy of the bank statement showing the funds going in...

 

May I suggest after 40 years coming here and 5 years living here that you choose another destination.

 

From  a Third World Man

[Card]

You need to show your embassy 65,000 going into an account somewhere not in Thailand. The Embassy gives you a letter for Immigration, you need a copy of a bank statement showing the funds being deposited, from whoever from one account to another works with me....

 

Do not give the original copy of the letter to a consulate to get your visa all they need is a copy of the bank statement showing the funds going in...

 

May I suggest after 40 years coming here and 5 years living here that you choose another destination.

 

From  a Third Wo

 

 

I have been living in Thailand for 10 years. I assume you think I am just applying from overseas. I am already on a retiremnt visa but usually renew by 800.000 bank deposit - I am enquiring about doing it with an income of at least 65000 baht per month. So I am a bit confused with your answer.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Card

[Colabamumbai]

 

You need to show your embassy 65,000 going into an account somewhere not in Thailand. The Embassy gives you a letter for Immigration, you need a copy of a bank statement showing the funds being deposited, from whoever from one account to another works with me....

 

Do not give the original copy of the letter to a consulate to get your visa all they need is a copy of the bank statement showing the funds going in...

 

May I suggest after 40 years coming here and 5 years living here that you choose another destination.

 

From  a Third Wo

 

 

I have been living in Thailand for 10 years. I assume you think I am just applying from overseas. I am already on a retiremnt visa but usually renew by 800.000 bank deposit - I am enquiring about doing it with an income of at least 65000 baht per month. So I am a bit confused with your answer.

 

I am applying in neighboring country for initial 90 days and then extension.  Why be confused?

So all you need is an extension  same paperwork.

[Expattaff1308]

 

You need to show your embassy 65,000 going into an account somewhere not in Thailand. The Embassy gives you a letter for Immigration, you need a copy of a bank statement showing the funds being deposited, from whoever from one account to another works with me....

 

Do not give the original copy of the letter to a consulate to get your visa all they need is a copy of the bank statement showing the funds going in...

 

May I suggest after 40 years coming here and 5 years living here that you choose another destination.

 

From  a Third Wo

 

 

I have been living in Thailand for 10 years. I assume you think I am just applying from overseas. I am already on a retiremnt visa but usually renew by 800.000 bank deposit - I am enquiring about doing it with an income of at least 65000 baht per month. So I am a bit confused with your answer.

 

It is as simple as I have explained, supply the info the Emabssy will provide the letter in sterling !!

[Billmont]

You need to show your embassy 65,000 going into an account somewhere not in Thailand. The Embassy gives you a letter for Immigration, you need a copy of a bank statement showing the funds being deposited, from whoever from one account to another works with me....
 
Do not give the original copy of the letter to a consulate to get your visa all they need is a copy of the bank statement showing the funds going in...
 
May I suggest after 40 years coming here and 5 years living here that you choose another destination.
 
From  a Third World Man

I have been using the annual income method for the past 4 years and the British Embassy have never asked me for a bank statement. I just get a letter from by solicitor stating my rental income, he holds the original leases. This has always been sufficient, the last two years I have applied to the Embassy by post and received the required letter in about a week to 10 days. I always carry certified copies of the leases as proof if required but the Embassy or Immigration (Korat) have never requested further proof. I hope this helps.

[pontious]

1. Immigration accept the Embassy Letter - but maybe have statements etc in file 13 as backup.

 

2. Letter from your pension provider. Look at the Embassy website for the 'form' and details. 

 

3. Last time I looked Baht 2520 and about a week I should think. 

[firefox999uk]

Card....Just got my letter back from the British Embassy all Ok

 

I have posted a copy of the letter that i sent to them, for you as a guide.

 

Good Luck.

 

 

 

 

Have a Nice Day.

[Card]

Card....Just got my letter back from the British Embassy all Ok

 

I have posted a copy of the letter that i sent to them, for you as a guide.

 

Good Luck.

 

 

 

 

Have a Nice Day.

Thanks everybody. I have seen the details about the letter on the UK embassy website and it seems clear enough. They don't seem to want proof of address and I think I can provide P60s for my pensions plus a letter from the UK pensions office for this year. I will check with the embassy directly once I have the documents.

 

Sorry for the pedantry. I always find renewing my retirement visa very worrying and need to make sure the timing is always right for everything after getting one extension cancelled after I forgot to get a re-entry permit when i returned from a trip abaroad - that was mega. The reason I am changing to my income instead of bank deposit is that I changed my UK bank account to one that needs 95 day notice to get the funds out - stupid mistake of mine. It means I don't have enough (liquid) assets to transfer the 800,000 baht in time. That's what happens when you get old! Luckily I have enough income and was toying with the idea of using income for once, anyway, especially as the pound is generally rising at the moment. Don't like the idea of paying the Embassy over 2500 baht for a bit of paper, though, but it's my fault.

 

Edited August 5, 2014 by Card

[TerryLH]

"The Americans say the letter has a 6mth life span,..."

It's actually immigration who has said the letter is good for 6 months.



"Office hours are early, I think they open around 8 to 8.30 "

That's early?

[ubonjoe]

I did my extension on Monday using a income document that was about 4 months old.. No questions asked nor a need for any back up proof for it.

I am glad they changed it to 6 months so I can get the document when I happen to be in Bangkok for other reasons. Before I was making my annual embassy runs shortly before my extension was due.

[AsterixThai]

Hi! 

The Office of Immigration Phang-Nga, accepts documents from my pension fund. I did not need to pay the Embassy. 

To show the corresponding passbook

[JLCrab]

I resisted the temptation of doing my next retirement extension with an affidavit 5 & 1/2 months old -- which would have been the easiest logistically for me -- and instead will have a letter less than 2 weeks old.

[ubonjoe]

I resisted the temptation of doing my next retirement extension with an affidavit 5 & 1/2 months old -- which would have been the easiest logistically for me -- and instead will have a letter less than 2 weeks old.

I got my affidavit early because I was on a holiday trip with the family just before Songkran.

But I did have a copy of the immigration notice sent out to the offices just in case they balked at accepting it.

[crazykopite]

I can only state what happens if you are from the UK , to get an extension of stay by the 65,000 baht per month route you need to go to the British Embassy Bangkok internet site and download the form regarding confirmation of income , fill in all the details and supply copies of recent pension / other incomes to support your claim . Normally you would recieve letters in May of each year from the UK regarding pension increases I always take photocopies and sign them . You also need to include the amount of money specified it is in the region of 2,500 baht this now needs to be in the form of a postal order they no longer accept cheques. Send your completed forms along with postal order by EMS no need to send your passport but I always include a copy of the page with my picture on it they say you will get it back within 10 working days , when I have done it I have normally had it back in less than 5days and I live more than 800kms from Bangkok the letter you will recieve will give a breakdown of your pension in £s and not baht it is up to immigration to work out how much it is in baht !!

[crazykopite]

I believe the letter is good for a month you can also apply for your extension of stay 1 month before it is due to expire I never leave it till the last minute I would normally do it a couple of weeks before

[ubonjoe]

I believe the letter is good for a month you can also apply for your extension of stay 1 month before it is due to expire I never leave it till the last minute I would normally do it a couple of weeks before

Immigration's rule is that income letters can be up to 6 months old.

[crazykopite]

You need to show your embassy 65,000 going into an account somewhere not in Thailand. The Embassy gives you a letter for Immigration, you need a copy of a bank statement showing the funds being deposited, from whoever from one account to another works with me....
 
Do not give the original copy of the letter to a consulate to get your visa all they need is a copy of the bank statement showing the funds going in...
 
May I suggest after 40 years coming here and 5 years living here that you choose another destination.
 
From  a Third World Man

I do not know which embassy you are talking of what I do know is that the British Embassy does not require any bank statements or what bank you put your money in that is a private matter what they are interested in is where your income comes from such as service pension ,old age pension, private pension or other income for example income from renting out a property normally service pensions and oap pensions send you out a statement each year stating the amount you will receive . Can I also suggest if after 40 years of visiting and 5 years of living in the Kingdom you are so unhappy with the place you maybe wise to collect your belongs and ship them and yourself back home before telling others not to bother coming !!!

[Larry001]

I have just renewed mine using this method. I am Aust and  all l needed was to sign a Statuary Declaration at the Australian Embassy, stating my income. I did not need to show any proof.However, a Stat Dec is a legal and binding document. It cost me 590 Bt. Whether the same applies for UK residents,you would need to check.

[JLCrab]

 

I resisted the temptation of doing my next retirement extension with an affidavit 5 & 1/2 months old -- which would have been the easiest logistically for me -- and instead will have a letter less than 2 weeks old.

I got my affidavit early because I was on a holiday trip with the family just before Songkran.

But I did have a copy of the immigration notice sent out to the offices just in case they balked at accepting it.

 

I prefer to avoid the situation entirely where I might have to put a piece of paper in an Immigration official's face to prove that they have misinterpreted any guideline. 

Edited August 6, 2014 by JLCrab

[phuketandsee]

I'm a UK citizen with most of my assets in the US. I just got my US broker to write a letter saying my income is whatever I want. The embassy just wrote a weasel-worded letter saying they had been been informed of my income and didn't ask for any evidence or statements. Immigration accepted it (in Phuket), no problem. Hopefully this will work again this year.

[Card]

I'm a UK citizen with most of my assets in the US. I just got my US broker to write a letter saying my income is whatever I want. The embassy just wrote a weasel-worded letter saying they had been been informed of my income and didn't ask for any evidence or statements. Immigration accepted it (in Phuket), no problem. Hopefully this will work again this year.

 

I assume you mean the UK embassy?

[Greg Nixon]

OK

 

This is the way I do it.  The most important is the statements of income from your pension provider or other sources. It can be monthly statement or annual statement. 

 

Because I do not live in BKK, I get a Thai lawyer to witness my income statements and sign an affidavit. I send a copy of my passport, my Thai lawyers ID and the signed affidavit to my Embassy. The Embassy sends me a letter confirming my income. I only need a Thai bank if I am also showing savings as a portion of the 800,000 THB requirement. 

 

If you see the Immigration department and email your embassy, they will give you guidance. Pretty straight forward after you have done it a few times.

[Pinot]

I'm an American using the letter from the embassy method. At Phuket Immigration they started requiring a letter from the bank you draw your income stating what you withdraw on a monthly average. And a copy of the ATM card you use to withdraw that money. In other words it verifies what he embassy letter says. 

 

That's crazy for a few reasons the most important of which is no bank (at least in America) is going to send you that letter. I'll leave it to you to figure out what I've done for the last two years. 

[keeniau96]

The US Embassy letter is a sworn affidavit, which is a serious piece of legalese that can get you in serious trouble in USA if you make false report. The Thai official position on the time of validity was posted here in TV (search for it), it's six months from date of issue. I get my letter from US consulate visits; they come to Phuket (and other places) about 3x per year, so I get it several months before my renewal.

[Anon999]

There is a Form that BE provide so that you can fill in the various income streams. However, a copy of your passport personal details is needed, the original evidence of your various incomes, like property rental, printouts from your UK online bank statements with pension incomes highlighted are OK and any current P60's.  Everything is done in GBP and Thai Immigration calculate it in Baht on the day of application.

 

It is worthwhile writing a covering letter with a list of your gross annual income for each item with a Grand Total so that they can see if their figures are correct. One year they managed to omit the small sum of £15k and had to send me a second, amended, letter. If there is a problem or something is not clear they will either email or phone you. The turn round time is quoted as 3 weeks, however, include in your letter the date that you have to renew your extension.

 

You can do it by post, sending a postal order for the fee of 2,520 baht plus 100 baht for postage. Payment details are on their website along with the other information.

 

Edited August 6, 2014 by Anon999

[rumbo1]

On the Thai consulate website for Hull you no longer need a minimum income only a state pension to apply for a retirement visa
Category O --------------------------see number 4
1) Married to a Thai national. Evidence required:
a) Copy of Original Thai Marriage Certificate (front and back).
b) Copy of spouses Thai ID Card or Thai Passport showing married name.
c) Copy of latest 3 months Bank Statements (Thai or UK bank) showing regular income of
minimum 65,000 baht (or equivalent in another currency) per month. Bank Statements must include name and address of visa applicant and address on Bank Statements must be same as on Visa Application Form. Please bear in mind that it may be necessary to check this information with the employer.
Either a single or multiple entry visa may be granted in these circumstances.
2) Visiting Thai child living in Thailand.
Evidence required
a) Birth Certificate of child showing relationship.
b) Proof of having Legal Custody of the child.
Please note that a child is regarded as an adult when attaining 20 years of age.
Either a single or multiple entry visa may be granted in these circumstances.
3) Volunteer Work with NGO or Charity Organisation (not with Private Organisations). Evidence required:
a) Sponsor Letter from volunteer/charity organisation which must be registered in Thailand.
Only a single entry visa can be granted in these circumstances. Applicant will need to arrange Extension of Stay as necessary. Please check with volunteer/charity organisation for what extra documentation may be required by Thai Immigration to extend stay.
4) Visiting Thailand as Pensioner aged 65 and over. Evidence required:
a) Current DWP Pension Statement showing receipt of UK State Pension (no minimum necessary).
Either a single or multiple entry visa may be granted in these circumstances.