British Embsay - Confirmation of Income

[bkkmicky]

I am returning to Bangkok on a non "O" visa and intend to apply for a one year extension of stay (Retirement, 61, British).

The application (In Bangkok) will be a combination of income plus cash (from the UK) in a Thai bank account. 

            
To do this I will be applying to the British Embassy for their letter of confirmation of income.

That in itself is not a problem, I have all the required supporting documentation, my income is derived from government benefits.

 

My question is, (more out of curiosity), is does the Embassy contact the relevant UK authorities for confirmation?

Also, does the Embassy inform the UK authorities as to what I am doing?

Whilst what I am doing, as far as I am aware, is beyond reproach, I like to be prepared, I believe in a need to know and they don't need to know. Or am I just paranoid?

Also can I apply for the extension of stay shortly after arrival or do I have to wait until the last 45 days of validity?

[ubonjoe]

My understanding is that they take everything submitted at face value and do not contact anybody to verify them.

They will not notify anybody as far as I know.

Have you download the form for the letter here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-obtain-a-pensionincome-letter-for-thai-immigration

Since you will be doing the combination of income and money in the bank you willl need a letter from bank confirming your balance. You can get the letter on the date you apply from one of the branches downstairs at CW.

You will have to wait to apply for the extension until the last 45 days of your entry.

[GuyDow]

I agree with Ubon Joe, they take what you tell them at face value. Albeit the letter they give you has a disclaimer to this effect in small print at the bottom.

 

For my last income letter I applied in the morning and picked it up in the afternoon. Because of the time difference between Thailand and the UK they wouldn't have had time to to check anything, even if they had been so inclined.

[phutoie2]

 

my income is derived from government benefits.

 

does the Embassy inform the UK authorities as to what I am doing?

 

I believe in a need to know and they don't need to know.

 

Well as long as you are entitled to the benefits whilst living outside of the UK all should be OK.

 

In the last month I have had letters from the Pension dept in Newcastle and my government pension provider asking to confirm I am still alive or my pension could well be stopped. The b*ggers always want to know what you are up to.

[billd766]

I have 3 pensions including the state pension and I always ask them to quote the gross annual amount.

 

My extension is due on 23rd August yearly so I contact then all in the first week of May and request the letter. This can take from a few days to a month to arrive.

 

When I get the letters I scan them into my computer and keep the originals to one side. When they are all here I look up the letter I wrote to the embassy last year and update the figures and change the date.

 

Because I live 400 km from Bangkok I book a hotel close to the BTS for the Sunday and Monday nights and drive down on a Sunday. Go to the embassy early on Monday morning between 08.00 and 11.00 and hand the request and the originals in, pay the 2,520 thb and do some shopping for stuff that is hard to get up here. I go back in the afternoon between 2 and 3 to collect the letter and if I miss that time I can always go back first thing Tuesday morning,. I always check the letter for errors on their part (they have been correct for the last 5 years) and go back upcountry to my family on the Tuesday.

 

After that the Immigration Dept in Nakhon Sawan are great to deal with.

[Totster]

Because I live 400 km from Bangkok I book a hotel close to the BTS for the Sunday and Monday nights and drive down on a Sunday. Go to the embassy early on Monday morning between 08.00 and 11.00 and hand the request and the originals in, pay the 2,520 thb and do some shopping for stuff that is hard to get up here. I go back in the afternoon between 2 and 3 to collect the letter and if I miss that time I can always go back first thing Tuesday morning,. I always check the letter for errors on their part (they have been correct for the last 5 years) and go back upcountry to my family on the Tuesday.

 

Why do you not post the application?

 

 

totster :)

[Bernard Flint]

 

 

my income is derived from government benefits.

 

does the Embassy inform the UK authorities as to what I am doing?

 

I believe in a need to know and they don't need to know.

 

Well as long as you are entitled to the benefits whilst living outside of the UK all should be OK.

 

In the last month I have had letters from the Pension dept in Newcastle and my government pension provider asking to confirm I am still alive or my pension could well be stopped. The b*ggers always want to know what you are up to.

 

Well, if you are dead, no worries.Seriously, if you had that type of business, you would check, some right dodgy geezers come on here.I have seen some that go mad if a person is taking pics, and they are on them. Maybe scared the uk government see them in Thailand.

[billd766]

 

Because I live 400 km from Bangkok I book a hotel close to the BTS for the Sunday and Monday nights and drive down on a Sunday. Go to the embassy early on Monday morning between 08.00 and 11.00 and hand the request and the originals in, pay the 2,520 thb and do some shopping for stuff that is hard to get up here. I go back in the afternoon between 2 and 3 to collect the letter and if I miss that time I can always go back first thing Tuesday morning,. I always check the letter for errors on their part (they have been correct for the last 5 years) and go back upcountry to my family on the Tuesday.

 

Why do you not post the application?

 

 

totster

 

 

One reason is that to post it means I have to get either a money order or a postal order (I forget which).

 

If there is a mistake I have to send it back to be rewritten which takes more time, another reason why I start the process in May for July or August.

 

As I live in Khampaeng Phet province it makes a nice mini break from rural Thailand. In 2013 I spent some time at the RTAF museum at Don Mueang.

 

Sometimes I meet old friends both foreign and Thai that I rarely get to see nowadays.

[OJAS]

 

 

Because I live 400 km from Bangkok I book a hotel close to the BTS for the Sunday and Monday nights and drive down on a Sunday. Go to the embassy early on Monday morning between 08.00 and 11.00 and hand the request and the originals in, pay the 2,520 thb and do some shopping for stuff that is hard to get up here. I go back in the afternoon between 2 and 3 to collect the letter and if I miss that time I can always go back first thing Tuesday morning,. I always check the letter for errors on their part (they have been correct for the last 5 years) and go back upcountry to my family on the Tuesday.

 

Why do you not post the application?

 

 

Ftotster

 

 

One reason is that to post it means I have to get either a money order or a postal order (I forget which).

 

If there is a mistake I have to send it back to be rewritten which takes more time, another reason why I start the process in May for July or August.

 

As I live in Khampaeng Phet province it makes a nice mini break from rural Thailand. In 2013 I spent some time at the RTAF museum at Don Mueang.

 

Sometimes I meet old friends both foreign and Thai that I rarely get to see nowadays.

 

 

When they made a mistake with my address a few years ago, I emailed them the scan I'd taken of the incorrect letter and received a correct version a week later by EMS (at no extra cost).

 

I work exactly to the same timetable as you (right down to the actual months) as regards obtaining my Embassy letter and then my extension of stay. The extra week on that occasion was no big deal for me.

 

For me personally the less time I have to spend in Bangkok the better. That's why I've decided that when my passport is next due for renewal I'll make a special trip back to the UK if horror trips to With-It Tower in person are still the order of the day then. This would also give me a chance to meet up with old friends living there.