Certified Copy of Birth Certificate

[somo]

I was recently at the British Embassy and they told me they no longer could provide such a service. I need a certified copy to apply for my state pension application. Anyone know who can provide such a service here in Thailand that is acceptable to the pension people as I don't want to risk sending my original.

Also how truthfull do I need to be about how long I have lived here in Thailand. For many years I was going back and forth so my country of residence was not that clear. Do they do a lot of checking?

Thanks for any help

[Richard W]

Doesn't the normal on-line service (https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/) work for you?

[JustinCredible]

@somo

They told me the same. I took a photo-copy and the original to a doctor at my local hospital. I printed (by hand) the required statement as shown in the Pension Pack and asked the Doctor to sign and rubber stamp the copy.

The Pension Service was happy to accept, with no questions asked. Good luck.

[misterphil]

Richard W is correct.

I got mine from here too. https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/

[4u2mad]

Off topic slightly. As I have never held a residents permit or any visa other than a non immigrant type for Thailand. Would my UK pension still be frozen if I was living here on a retirement extension, for instance? i.e. As a non resident, I must still be a resident of the UK, logically?

[northernphil]

I got my state pension 3 years ago with no problem at all. All I had to do was give them my National Insurance number. This told them I had been paying tax/stamp since i was 15. Why would they need ny BC ?

[somo]

@somo

They told me the same. I took a photo-copy and the original to a doctor at my local hospital. I printed (by hand) the required statement as shown in the Pension Pack and asked the Doctor to sign and rubber stamp the copy.

The Pension Service was happy to accept, with no questions asked. Good luck.

That sounds good to me but what is this "required statement and pension pack" I haven't come across either?

[lungbing]

You can easily get a copy of your birth certificate from the registration district where you were born. And as you have your original certificate you know the district. I have my original long birth certificate from nearly 70 years ago giving details of parents, but that is too valuable to me to send throught the post. I obtained a short birth certificate from the registrar in the city where I was born and sent that. On the certificate it says 'certified copy"

Edit: added last sentence.

Edited July 28, 2015 by lungbing

[sometimewoodworker]

Off topic slightly. As I have never held a residents permit or any visa other than a non immigrant type for Thailand. Would my UK pension still be frozen if I was living here on a retirement extension, for instance? i.e. As a non resident, I must still be a resident of the UK, logically?

Unfortunately logic has nothing to do with resident status.

If you are living here on a retirement extension you are probably resident here.

However you can be non-resident in every country, or you can be resident in more than one at the same time.

See no logic

At the moment you need to be out of the UK for 7 years to even start to be non-resident. There are some convoluted rules as to how to become non-resident.

And just because you may be resident for tax purposes doesn't mean that you are entitled to increases in pension or they it will not be frozen.

Edited July 28, 2015 by sometimewoodworker

[somo]

You can easily get a copy of your birth certificate from the registration district where you were born. And as you have your original certificate you know the district. I have my original long birth certificate from nearly 70 years ago giving details of parents, but that is too valuable to me to send throught the post. I obtained a short birth certificate from the registrar in the city where I was born and sent that. On the certificate it says 'certified copy"

Edit: added last sentence.

Yes I too have my original BC and don't want to risk losing it.

Can I just write/email the registrar and request a copy or does he need some evidence as to who I am? Assuming there is a charge how is that paid?

Thanks for your help.

[somo]

I know it is off topic but while I have some more experienced guys here I would like to ask about the currency it is best to have my pension paid in.

They say I can have it sent direct to my Thai bank in Baht but I worry that the exchange rate will be lousy as it usually is when Baht is bought in the UK. They say they get good rates as they bulk buy but the Baht?? Anyone here doing that? or would it be possible to have them pay into my UK bank in pounds.

[ignis]

clearly say's on the pension Pack, if you do not wish to sent the original, a photocopy maybe accepted........ to be signed by.... and gives a list on page 2..

Colour photocopied mine on A3 paper so full size, and had it stamped, maybe will send all today or next week... [also sent a colour copy of my Passport photo page, issued 2 years ago]

Edit: read somewhere on here of people getter a letter/form/document to take to somewhere called Trendy Building/Tower ? to have signed to prove your still alive.. guess if they [uK Pensions] have a problem with photocopies they will send this form ??

Edited July 29, 2015 by ignis

[northernphil]

I know it is off topic but while I have some more experienced guys here I would like to ask about the currency it is best to have my pension paid in.

They say I can have it sent direct to my Thai bank in Baht but I worry that the exchange rate will be lousy as it usually is when Baht is bought in the UK. They say they get good rates as they bulk buy but the Baht?? Anyone here doing that? or would it be possible to have them pay into my UK bank in pounds.

It is a good rate on your state pension. I get 132 GBP per week. Multiply that by 4. my last payment was last Friday and I got 28,483B. You do the maths .

[lungbing]

Somo

Try googling "registrar of births Derby" replacing 'Derby' with the city of your birth. My birth certificate cost 9.25p

It's worth keeping a spare certificate.

No proof of identity needed. Which is a good thing as I am tracing my family tree and the last certificate I ordered was for a wedding in 1896

[Jonmarleesco]

I'm surprised that the embassy no longer provides the service - though I probably shouldn't be.

You should be able to rely on a notary public's certifying your birth certificate; though you might not actually need to send one, if, for example, your DoB can be verified from HMRC's records. Many of the DWP's requirements are dependent on your individual circumstances. Write to the email address on the DWP documents: [email protected]. They will answer any questions you have, and fairly promptly.

You won't be able to fill the application in online, unless you have a UK address; you'll need to download and print it off. The same applies to your question re being truthful: if you have no UK address, you'll be safer providing your Thai address; granted you won't get annual increases following drawing your pension, though you can, and should, claim the increased amount for any time you spend in the UK, or in any country where residence permits receipt of the increases.

[Jonmarleesco]

I know it is off topic but while I have some more experienced guys here I would like to ask about the currency it is best to have my pension paid in.

They say I can have it sent direct to my Thai bank in Baht but I worry that the exchange rate will be lousy as it usually is when Baht is bought in the UK. They say they get good rates as they bulk buy but the Baht?? Anyone here doing that? or would it be possible to have them pay into my UK bank in pounds.

Have it paid into a GBP account. Apart from being better able to dictate the FX rate in which you receive THB, it'll be useful in the event you go back to the UK - or your address does.

[Jonmarleesco]

Off topic slightly. As I have never held a residents permit or any visa other than a non immigrant type for Thailand. Would my UK pension still be frozen if I was living here on a retirement extension, for instance? i.e. As a non resident, I must still be a resident of the UK, logically?

Unfortunately logic has nothing to do with resident status.

If you are living here on a retirement extension you are probably resident here.

However you can be non-resident in every country, or you can be resident in more than one at the same time.

See no logic

At the moment you need to be out of the UK for 7 years to even start to be non-resident. There are some convoluted rules as to how to become non-resident.

And just because you may be resident for tax purposes doesn't mean that you are entitled to increases in pension or they it will not be frozen.

'At the moment you need to be out of the UK for 7 years to even start to be non-resident.' Er, no, you don't. The rules have changed time and again, but currently are subject to a formula. That said, DWP still work on the previous criteria, which depended on days spent in the UK, so both might apply. Domicile is different again.

[Jonmarleesco]

Off topic slightly. As I have never held a residents permit or any visa other than a non immigrant type for Thailand. Would my UK pension still be frozen if I was living here on a retirement extension, for instance? i.e. As a non resident, I must still be a resident of the UK, logically?

You're confusing non-resident - a misnomer, if ever there was one - with non-citizenship. UK tax non-residence did depend on your spending no more than 90 days consecutively in the UK, no more than 180 days in any one tax year, and no more than an average 90 days per tax year over any 4-year period. DWP still work on that, though there is now a formula for calculating whether or not you are resident. But you are evidently non-resident in the UK.

[somo]

Just had a reply back from the DWP after I mailed them with my concerns.

In the mail I also gave them my DofB + NI number + Full name.

Thay now say

"You do not need to send your birth certificate to us. Your date of birth has already been verified by the DWP"

Not sure why they would ask for it in the first place.

They also told me it didn't matter too much with all the details of work and past addresses as I told them that no way could I remember all that stuff. It seems that so long as they think you are who you say you are then they just need your NI number and bank details.

[ivan96822]

Interesting posts...

[evadgib]

Off topic slightly. As I have never held a residents permit or any visa other than a non immigrant type for Thailand. Would my UK pension still be frozen if I was living here on a retirement extension, for instance? i.e. As a non resident, I must still be a resident of the UK, logically?

The short answer is 'NO' but you might like to take a look in the 'UK Pensions' thread at the top of the page.

HTH