Hi All,

It's my first post and need some advice.

I went to do my renewal of extension of stay based on retirement at my local Immigration office (Pathumthani) All the usual documents were required plus a Tm30 but there was one added twist, effective this week, my Embassy Income letter needs to be translated into Thai and legalised by Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Whilst this has never been a requirement before (4 previous extensions) I know to expect the unexpected when it comes to rules changes from province to province.

So my question is, I heard there is a translation service in the MFA building is this correct?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Immigration usually accept documents in Thai and English.

What language was your document?

What language was used to write the letter ?

Did you receive your extension or was it refused ?

If it was in English a translation is not required. That is a standard policy for documents submitted for extension applications.

There is a translation service at the consular affairs department of the MFA. It might be easier to have a translation service near you to do the translation and get the certification done for you.

My income letter was in English (Australian Embassy) they said it was a new requirement to be translated that started this week.

All my documents were ok but they could not process the extension until they had the translation.

My income letter was in English (Australian Embassy) they said it was a new requirement to be translated that started this week.

All my documents were ok but they could not process the extension until they had the translation.

This sounds like something your immigration office has made up.

There is no official requirement for your affidavit to be translated from English to Thai.

Are they also insisting on the "English" passport being translated and that the application form is completed in Thai ?

Suggest you lodge a complaint via the 1111 number.

http://www.tatnews.org/thai-government-launches-1111-hotline-receive-complaints-from-foreigners/

Why not contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly and ask them if the Income letter needs to be translated into Thai and legalised by Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Why not contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly and ask them if the Income letter needs to be translated into Thai and legalised by Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The MFA have nothing to do with Immigration or what Immigration ask for.

If the OP follows your advice he is unlikely to receive a satisfactory answer

If its easy to get to your immigration office, would it be worth having another crack and explaining that this is not a requirement. That you have many friends in many different regions and none have to provide a translation. At very worst they will just tell you to nick off.

My income letter was in English (Australian Embassy) they said it was a new requirement to be translated that started this week.

All my documents were ok but they could not process the extension until they had the translation.

Here we go again. More new rules being made up.

My income letter was in English (Australian Embassy) they said it was a new requirement to be translated that started this week.

All my documents were ok but they could not process the extension until they had the translation.

Here we go again. More new rules being made up.

At least one small crumb of comfort to the OP is that Pathumthani is within reasonable striking distance of Bangkok!

Imagine the chaos which would ensue if such a requirement were introduced nationally, necessitating lengthy annual trips to the MFA offices from every far-flung corner of LOS!

Edited February 28, 201610 yr by OJAS

My income letter was in English (Australian Embassy) they said it was a new requirement to be translated that started this week.

All my documents were ok but they could not process the extension until they had the translation.

Here we go again. More new rules being made up.

At least one small crumb of comfort to the OP is that Pathumthani is within reasonable striking distance of Bangkok!

Imagine the chaos which would ensue if such a requirement were introduced nationally, necessitating lengthy annual trips to the MFA offices from every far-flung corner of LOS!

Surely most embassies and consulates with Thai staff, would be prepared to provide an affidavit or letter of income in Thai or whatever the national language of the applicant is. The letter I have received from Canadian Consulate has always been in English.

As a Canadian, I'm sure the Consulate would be prepared to write in Thai, English or French.

Worth asking?

This happen to me at the jomtien office a few days ago. Everything in order but need to go to bangkok MFA. It must be a new requirement for Australias at least

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2 reports from Australian's saying it is a requirement - and two different offices. Any other nationality's experienced this ?

This happen to me at the jomtien office a few days ago. Everything in order but need to go to bangkok MFA. It must be a new requirement for Australias at least

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If I recall correctly they were wanting a ceritification of the consular officers signature not a translation.

Indeed you are correct it's a signature. I'm going to bypass MFA Today and try bangkok immigration and will see if I can get through that way

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This happen to me at the jomtien office a few days ago. Everything in order but need to go to bangkok MFA. It must be a new requirement for Australias at least

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If I recall correctly they were wanting a ceritification of the consular officers signature not a translation.

So on what grounds might Immigration mistrust the authenticity of Australian Embassy consular officer signatures in particular?

If this is an Australia-specific issue, I wonder whether it might be worth you Australians' while asking your Embassy to take this matter up with the Immigration Bureau, just as the American Embassy did a few years ago when the Immigration Bureau were threatening to limit the maximum validity period of income confirmation letters/affidavits to a fortnight. As a result of their representations this period was increased to 6 months.

Edited February 29, 201610 yr by OJAS

This happen to me at the jomtien office a few days ago. Everything in order but need to go to bangkok MFA. It must be a new requirement for Australias at least

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If I recall correctly they were wanting a certification of the consular officers signature not a translation.

So on what grounds might Immigration mistrust the authenticity of Australian Embassy consular officer signatures in particular?

If this is an Australia-specific issue, I wonder whether it might be worth you Australians' while asking your Embassy to take this matter up with the Immigration Bureau, just as the American Embassy did a few years ago when the Immigration Bureau were threatening to limit the maximum validity period of income confirmation letters/affidavits to a fortnight. As a result of their representations this period was increased to 6 months.

The request for the certification was an odd case. It seems the immigration officer was trying to get some money out of him. The officer gave him a copy of UK embassy income letter that had the signature certified.

It seems the immigration officer was trying to get some money out of him.

Nothing new there Joe.

This happen to me at the jomtien office a few days ago. Everything in order but need to go to bangkok MFA. It must be a new requirement for Australias at least

Sent from my SC-01D using Tapatalk

If I recall correctly they were wanting a certification of the consular officers signature not a translation.

So on what grounds might Immigration mistrust the authenticity of Australian Embassy consular officer signatures in particular?

If this is an Australia-specific issue, I wonder whether it might be worth you Australians' while asking your Embassy to take this matter up with the Immigration Bureau, just as the American Embassy did a few years ago when the Immigration Bureau were threatening to limit the maximum validity period of income confirmation letters/affidavits to a fortnight. As a result of their representations this period was increased to 6 months.

The request for the certification was an odd case. It seems the immigration officer was trying to get some money out of him. The officer gave him a copy of UK embassy income letter that had the signature certified.

My affidavit from Belgium Embassy always have a paper sticker added on it, with a serial number and seal from embassy confirming the signature of me is genuine , is it that what maybe was missing ..?

FastStone Image Viewer - 1 afbeelding(en).pdf

Edited February 29, 201610 yr by david555

The request for the certification was an odd case. It seems the immigration officer was trying to get some money out of him. The officer gave him a copy of UK embassy income letter that had the signature certified.

My affidavit from Belgium Embassy always have a paper sticker added on it, with a serial number and seal from embassy confirming the signature of me is genuine , is it that what maybe was missing ..?

As I recall, British Embassy income confirmation letters have the seal embossed into the paper, but, unfortunately, this is not immediately obvious from the scanned copies of my letters I have taken! But I wonder whether the problem might also lie in any disclaimers on embassies' parts. British Embassy letters, for example, state that they should not be taken as to certifying that they are binding in law (whether under UK law or otherwise).

In any case I for one would certainly be most interested to see what a certified British Embassy letter looks like. Hopefully mcfish can provide a suitably-edited scan of the copy which the Jomtien officer gave him.

And maybe the OP could come back to confirm whether or not his experience at Pathumthani was, in fact, identical to mcfish's at Jomtien.

The request for the certification was an odd case. It seems the immigration officer was trying to get some money out of him. The officer gave him a copy of UK embassy income letter that had the signature certified.

My affidavit from Belgium Embassy always have a paper sticker added on it, with a serial number and seal from embassy confirming the signature of me is genuine , is it that what maybe was missing ..?

As I recall, British Embassy income confirmation letters have the seal embossed into the paper, but, unfortunately, this is not immediately obvious from the scanned copies of my letters I have taken! But I wonder whether the problem might also lie in any disclaimers on embassies' parts. British Embassy letters, for example, state that they should not be taken as to certifying that they are binding in law (whether under UK law or otherwise).

In any case I for one would certainly be most interested to see what a certified British Embassy letter looks like. Hopefully mcfish can provide a suitably-edited scan of the copy which the Jomtien officer gave him.

And maybe the OP could come back to confirm whether or not his experience at Pathumthani was, in fact, identical to mcfish's at Jomtien.

You can see it under the thread "retirement extension monthly income" posted on Friday

I'm using Tapatalk and don't know how to copy the thread over

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The latest British Embassy letters have a big red embossed seal !

Cannot scan as my latest letter has already been accepted, without difficulty, by immigration.

The request for the certification was an odd case. It seems the immigration officer was trying to get some money out of him. The officer gave him a copy of UK embassy income letter that had the signature certified.

My affidavit from Belgium Embassy always have a paper sticker added on it, with a serial number and seal from embassy confirming the signature of me is genuine , is it that what maybe was missing ..?

As I recall, British Embassy income confirmation letters have the seal embossed into the paper, but, unfortunately, this is not immediately obvious from the scanned copies of my letters I have taken! But I wonder whether the problem might also lie in any disclaimers on embassies' parts. British Embassy letters, for example, state that they should not be taken as to certifying that they are binding in law (whether under UK law or otherwise).

In any case I for one would certainly be most interested to see what a certified British Embassy letter looks like. Hopefully mcfish can provide a suitably-edited scan of the copy which the Jomtien officer gave him.

And maybe the OP could come back to confirm whether or not his experience at Pathumthani was, in fact, identical to mcfish's at Jomtien.

You can see it under the thread "retirement extension monthly income" posted on Friday

I'm using Tapatalk and don't know how to copy the thread over

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This thread presumably:- http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/896326-retirement-extension-monthly-income/

With the certified letter included in post #40 on page 2.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/896326-retirement-extension-monthly-income/page-2#entry10463127 link from mcfish his scan

Edited February 29, 201610 yr by david555

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/896326-retirement-extension-monthly-income/page-2#entry10463127 link from mcfish his scan

Thanks, david555. Looking at the scan more closely (in particular, at the very top) it would appear to relate to an Embassy endorsement of a document copy rather than an income confirmation letter! The Jomtien officer in question is therefore either a complete airhead or just trying it on as suggested by ubonjoe!!

Edited February 29, 201610 yr by OJAS

Well I just left bangkok immigration. Non o, approved all in under 1 hour!

I'm really pissed off with jomtien Immigration and the greedy immigration officer who forced me to bangkok just so she could use the hassle as leverage to get her 16k

Lost a day and added expenses of cabs, bts and buses

Read the link above for the full story

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Edited February 29, 201610 yr by mcfish