Monthly Income Of 40,000 Baht

[Gary A]

A friend of mine asked me how he can verify his 40,000 baht per month income. Does he need a letter from his embassy? If he needs a verification from his embassy, does he need a new one every year? He is NOT grandfathered in with the 400,000 baht bank balance. He previously had a retirement visa but no longer has the funds to re-new it.

Actually I think he is in serious trouble. I feel sorry for him because although he gets along I doubt that he can verify 40,000 baht per month income. I might add that he has a huge investment here in Thailand that he now has no claim to. NOTHING is in his name. He is now on a VOA but the border runs will soon run out for him.

[Nam Kao]

Gary, he can get a multi entry in singapore, and he will only have to do border runs every

90 days, good news for him actually

-nam

[lopburi3]

He will need a letter from Embassy. An alternative is multi entry non immigrant O visa from home countries for some (if he has investments/money perhaps that would be an option).

//edit: wrote above under assumption was retirement but see 40k mentioned so must be marriage so that is family income and wife income/investments can be used - just pay tax on them - also the multi entry could be obtain closer as mentioned above but suspect wife income can do the trick.//

[Sunbelt Asia]

A friend of mine asked me how he can verify his 40,000 baht per month income. Does he need a letter from his embassy? If he needs a verification from his embassy, does he need a new one every year? He is NOT grandfathered in with the 400,000 baht bank balance. He previously had a retirement visa but no longer has the funds to re-new it.

Actually I think he is in serious trouble. I feel sorry for him because although he gets along I doubt that he can verify 40,000 baht per month income. I might add that he has a huge investment here in Thailand that he now has no claim to. NOTHING is in his name. He is now on a VOA but the border runs will soon run out for him.

If he has a job overseas, letter from the Employer and statement of income notarized by his Embassy in Thailand.

He will need to get these doc's every year to renew it. ( if this is his supporting evidence)

Second option is to get a multi entry visa in Singapore or KL with the marriage certificate.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[sua yai]

So, for someone like me, who gets income from property in the UK, correctly endorsed documents from my UK bank, letting agents, Embassy etc should be OK? I'm married BTW.

I thought I had to bring the 40k into a Thai bank.

I've never been clear on this for the support extension.

[mijan24]

A little off OP topic - but does anyone know if the Oz Embassy has provided the certification of income for anyone to date?

If no answer I may well be the initial bunny come the end of Nov and my past dealings with them does not fill me with confidence, they are not renowned for providing assistance.

[wombatsoup]

A little off OP topic - but does anyone know if the Oz Embassy has provided the certification of income for anyone to date?

If no answer I may well be the initial bunny come the end of Nov and my past dealings with them does not fill me with confidence, they are not renowned for providing assistance.

Aussie to Aussie:I visited the OZ embassy last week to ask the exact same question.You only need to fill in a Stat.Dec that is available from the OZ embassy or you can find one on the OZ government website...or google 'Stat.Dec'.Declare you earn/have an income of 'such and such' and one of the embassy staff will simply stamp your Stat.Dec.in the same way they did when you were seeking right to marry.This is all they can do.

[Sunbelt Asia]

I thought I had to bring the 40k into a Thai bank.

Not required.

Aussie to Aussie:I visited the OZ embassy last week to ask the exact same question.You only need to fill in a Stat.Dec that is available from the OZ embassy or you can find one on the OZ government website...or google 'Stat.Dec'.Declare you earn/have an income of 'such and such' and one of the embassy staff will simply stamp your Stat.Dec.in the same way they did when you were seeking right to marry.This is all they can do.

This is what we have seen as well.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[Maestro]

So, for someone like me, who gets income from property in the UK, correctly endorsed documents from my UK bank, letting agents, Embassy etc should be OK? I'm married BTW.

I thought I had to bring the 40k into a Thai bank.

I've never been clear on this for the support extension.

There are two aspects here:

1. The official aspect

Immigration wants the embassy letter confirming your income. Note: just income, not transfers into Thailand, not money spent in Thailand.

2. The unofficial aspect:

Immigration wants to ascertain that you are not working illegally in Thailand. An easy way for them to do so is to ask for your bank book and check if you have money coming in from abroad once in while and if you have periodic withdrawals for your living expenses. There are, of course, also other ways, and I remember seeing the post from a retired person who was able to satisfy immigration with ATM slips of withdrawals from his foreign account. Mostly, however, a foreigner on extension of stay has a savings account book and shows this to dispel possible suspicions of illegally working.

---------------

Maestro

[sua yai]

Thanks for the replies. It gives me another option.

In practice, we're spending about that amount now anyway and I'm covered with a multi Non O from the UK until about Dec next year.

It may work out cheaper to make one transfer of 40k a month to a bank here, rather than get charged by my UK bank for each ATM withdrawal, but at least I've got a choice when the time comes.

[mijan24]

Thanks guys I have the letters and group certificates to support my statements so there should be no probs.

One thing to add - It has always been my practice to keep all my ATM withdrawal slips (a big plastic bag full) I now intend to tidy up my record keeping and stick them in a little diary or something just in case someone asks for prooff of monies coming into Thailand. ( I know this could be verified by asking the bank for a statement which would be my fallback of course).

Cheers to all

Edited November 9, 2006 by mijan24

[wpcoe]

Aussie to Aussie:I visited the OZ embassy last week to ask the exact same question.You only need to fill in a Stat.Dec that is available from the OZ embassy or you can find one on the OZ government website...or google 'Stat.Dec'.Declare you earn/have an income of 'such and such' and one of the embassy staff will simply stamp your Stat.Dec.in the same way they did when you were seeking right to marry.This is all they can do.

This is what we have seen as well.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

Sunbelt, on 10-28-06 you posted:

"One of the reasons why Immigration Dept. that changes visas in Bangkok,

is no longer accepting the [income] certification [letter from the US Embassy] by itself,

by American’s as of today.

They want additional proof from the bank of deposits into a Thai bank.

The goal post changed again today.

Will know tomorrow if this goes for all Nationalities. But as they stated this afternoon, it was at least for two American cases.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com"

Has that continued as policy and routine procedure? Is it for all nationalities, or just for US nationals? What kind of bankbook activity are they looking for, just any series of deposits/withdrawals or is it a specific amount, like the entire B65,000 to be deposited each month?

The reason I ask, is that I live on far less than B65,000 per month, so I don't transfer that much in to the Thai bank. If I did, at the end of the year I'd have hundreds of thousands of baht I'd transferred in that I didn't need. I bought a condo, so don't need rent money, and I live on about B20k to B30k per month. I'm hard pressed to spend B1,000 per day on a routine basis.

[Sunbelt Asia]

Aussie to Aussie:I visited the OZ embassy last week to ask the exact same question.You only need to fill in a Stat.Dec that is available from the OZ embassy or you can find one on the OZ government website...or google 'Stat.Dec'.Declare you earn/have an income of 'such and such' and one of the embassy staff will simply stamp your Stat.Dec.in the same way they did when you were seeking right to marry.This is all they can do.

This is what we have seen as well.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

Sunbelt, on 10-28-06 you posted:

"One of the reasons why Immigration Dept. that changes visas in Bangkok,

is no longer accepting the [income] certification [letter from the US Embassy] by itself,

by American’s as of today.

They want additional proof from the bank of deposits into a Thai bank.

The goal post changed again today.

Will know tomorrow if this goes for all Nationalities. But as they stated this afternoon, it was at least for two American cases.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com"

Has that continued as policy and routine procedure? Is it for all nationalities, or just for US nationals? What kind of bankbook activity are they looking for, just any series of deposits/withdrawals or is it a specific amount, like the entire B65,000 to be deposited each month?

The reason I ask, is that I live on far less than B65,000 per month, so I don't transfer that much in to the Thai bank. If I did, at the end of the year I'd have hundreds of thousands of baht I'd transferred in that I didn't need. I bought a condo, so don't need rent money, and I live on about B20k to B30k per month. I'm hard pressed to spend B1,000 per day on a routine basis.

It is not the proof of funds deposited into the bank every month. It is proof from the government, prior employment or from an insurance company of the amount of the pension. This is what they look at.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[gdhm]

It is not the proof of funds deposited into the bank every month. It is proof from the government, prior employment or from an insurance company of the amount of the pension. This is what they look at.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

I am an intelligent man, but the more threads I read and the more differing input I see, the less I understand what is required in future and the less "I can sort the wood form the trees"

I am on a retirement Visa to be renewed August 2007 (extension obtained prior to 1st October 2006 changes).

My Embassy letter supporting my private pension income PAYABLE INTO MY UK BANK and a letter from my private Pension Company (plus some money in a Thai Bank to reach the 800,000 baht threshold needed) was adequate and acceptable.

BUT NOW I am unsure where my pension needs or can be paid into for acceptance in 2007. I can show the Pension and Embassy letters again AND I can show my original UK bank statements showing regular deductions to my UK based Current Account from withdrawals from within Thailand. I can show my monthly Pension Company Pension payment advice slips.

It is my belief that I meet ALL the new requirements to prove Pension/savings income, my money is sourced from outside Thailand AND that I am deducting living expenses from my UK account. BUT my fear is that some official on the day of application of my renewal will turn around and say my pension needed to be paid into Thailand (which I do not believe is an Immigration or Visa Extension requirement) and will refuse my VISA thus forcing me to leave the country because I cannot possibly do what's needed before expiry of my current VISA and prove it was being paid in for 3 months.

Its not good asking Immigration Offices because there seems to be no consistent reply (if they bother to reply).

If anybody can confirm (for certain) if the above is OK I will be very grateful

in case anybody is wondering why don't I just pay my pension into my Thai Bank the answer is easy. I trust my UK bank of 25 years very much, ATM withdrawals incur NO commission charges and excellent exchange rates AND the interest rates I get paid on my savings account in the UK (after tax) are much better than what I will get here in Thailand (and the flexibility of access instant). Only Thai Banks fixed deposit accounts for 2 and 3 months come even close (and still less) to my instant access e-savings Nationwide Building Society UK account (net of tax interest)

--

I cannot deny I am SICK and TIRED of Thailand's Immigration Bureau not making itself clear what it needs and how it needs it, and that it insists Immigration Bureau Regional Offices under it will apply the same logic. Of course if an Officer has concerns about what is presented he needs to ask for more, BUT there should be consistency in approach and acceptance (we are not the enemy trying to trick or cheat Thailand we are TRYING to comply with its requirement and all we ask is clarity and consistency on what they are.

It is NO GOOD telling us that each Immigration Office can make up its own requirements. What good is that? unless you try to renewal 3 months early just in case you need the time to meet changed requirements.

New rules came in on 1st October 2006 for many Visa seekers but has the Official Thailand Immigration Bureau bothered to update their English language website in nearly 2 months NO!!!

What a disgrace. How many people have looked a that site and acted on outdated rules and requirements. Most foreigners want nothing more than clear concise rules and details of requirements and to comply with them but how can we when we are not advised of the rules by the Authorities AND individual Offices can ignore directives.

For Example: When I went to the Udon Thani Office (sub officer of Nong Khai) with my 2 hand written TM7s I was very abruptly told "NO GOOD we do not accept downloaded TM7s from the Official Immigration Bureau website. You must collect the Forms from us, which we have stamped, and complete those". (SURE!!! I want to travel 2 hours from Khon Kaen just to collect a TM7). He accepted my downloaded form THIS ONE TIME as a concession )

I cannot believe that the Thailand Immigration Bureaus Head Office is so out of control that one of its regional Offices can refuse ITS Officially supplied down loadable forms.

no wonder everybody needs this wonderful ThaiVisa Forum and Sunbelt Asia to explain so many things and yet even then most people go to renew or apply for Visas still unsure what THEIR Immigration Office will need and demand.

Regards Dave

Edited November 9, 2006 by gdhm

[Gary A]

It doesn't do any good to bitch and complain that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. TIT! That's just the way it is here. The only way to avoid problems is to go directly to the immigration office that you are going to use and ask them what they want. All the new rules and regulations are subject to the interpretation of the office that you are going to use. Chances are that they don't even know of any changes. They will do it their way regardless of what you read or "THINK" you understand.

Yes, I know it is frustrating but if you are able to satisfy that particular office all will go well. I have had different requirements even at the same office. It is NEVER their fault if mistakes are made. Grin and bear it.

[Sunbelt Asia]

It is my belief that I meet ALL the new requirements to prove Pension/savings income, my money is sourced from outside Thailand AND that I am deducting living expenses from my UK account. BUT my fear is that some official on the day of application of my renewal will turn around and say my pension needed to be paid into Thailand

This is not the requirement at any Immigration offices we have seen.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[Maestro]

It is not the proof of funds deposited into the bank every month. It is proof from the government, prior employment or from an insurance company of the amount of the pension. This is what they look at.

I am an intelligent man, but the more threads I read and the more differing input I see, the less I understand what is required in future and the less "I can sort the wood form the trees"...

What a beautifully-written rant! It is rare to read lamentations composed in such good English. I enjoyed reading it.

I am on a retirement Visa to be renewed August 2007 (extension obtained prior to 1st October 2006 changes).

My Embassy letter supporting my private pension income PAYABLE INTO MY UK BANK and a letter from my private Pension Company (plus some money in a Thai Bank to reach the 800,000 baht threshold needed) was adequate and acceptable.

BUT NOW I am unsure where my pension needs or can be paid into for acceptance in 2007.

Exactly what part of Sunbelt’s quote you posted, and of the posts immediately preceding theirs, has you confused?

I cannot deny I am SICK and TIRED of Thailand's Immigration Bureau not making itself clear what it needs and how it needs it, and that it insists Immigration Bureau Regional Offices under it will apply the same logic...there should be consistency in approach and acceptance...What a disgrace...Most foreigners want nothing more than clear concise rules and details of requirements and to comply with them but how can we when we are not advised of the rules by the Authorities AND individual Offices can ignore directives...

In what manner would you like the Authorities to have advised you of the rules?

So far, I have seen two English translations published on the web, first by Sunbelt here, later by the Immigration Bureau here. The English media in Thailand have written about the fact that there are new rules. You have been a member of ThaiVisa for almost a year. Links to the new rules have been given on this forum repeatedly and the various changes, which are few but important for those affected, have been and continue to be discussed in great detail. Clarifications have been posted by experts many times.

It is true that it is in the nature of any forum that some wrong information also gets posted sometimes. After one year of reading the forum I know by now whose posts are more trustworthy than others.

In the end, it is the text of the Police Order 606/2006 that counts, nothing else, until such time as these rules are changed again. By the time you are due to apply for your next extension of stay in August next year, officials at your local immigration office will no doubt be familiar with these rules.

Have you actually read Police Order 606/2006?

--------------

Maestro

[gdhm]

It doesn't do any good to bitch and complain that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. TIT! That's just the way it is here. The only way to avoid problems is to go directly to the immigration office that you are going to use and ask them what they want. All the new rules and regulations are subject to the interpretation of the office that you are going to use. Chances are that they don't even know of any changes. They will do it their way regardless of what you read or "THINK" you understand.

Yes, I know it is frustrating but if you are able to satisfy that particular office all will go well. I have had different requirements even at the same office. It is NEVER their fault if mistakes are made. Grin and bear it.

Hi Gary,

Yes I Gary I understand what you say but MY local office is 2 hours away. They invite contact by email BUT do not reply and they do not answer the phone very quickly or reliably AND what is said over the phone or on a specific day cannot be proven or relied upon.

I had the same problems when in Spain. The Spanish (who are famous for being laid back) COULD not believe how easily the British accepted the "This is Spain" attitude TIS . I am not bitching Gary (or not intending to do so but point out ludicrous situations.

Lets face it, Thailand WANT US TO COMPLY with their Laws, WE WISH TO DO SO. The Immigration Bureau has set up an English Website FULL of detailed info. The have changed many of the rules and tightened up on the 1st October 2006. MOST want to comply and find out what they need to do NOW. Where would YOU look and go for RELIABLE accurate up to date information THE OFFICIAL THAILAND IMMIGRATION BUREAU WEBSITE OF COURSE (not the ThaiVisa Forum which in fact IS the place they need to go for UP TO DATE reliable INFO or Sunbelt Asia (or the like)

If my pointing out the craziness that the information on the Immigration Bureau Website is now nearly 2 months out of date and of no good to anybody or that Udon Thani will not accept the Official downloadable application Forms -Then I plead Guilty to the charge of BITCHING and I am proud to do so.

Many foreigners are worried sick about doing the correct thing and by all the confusion. LOOK at the amount of threads on this Forum. Many repeated because people ARE so confused and worried about all the conflicting info for different offices (or officers) on different days. There should not be ANY confusion at all. The requirements are simple enough IF we ONLY know what they are form day to day, and from Office to Office. If you just lay down and accept deficiencies as TIT, TIUK or TIS then why should the Countries concerned bother or think things are unclear or need addressing.

I loved UK, Spain and now especially Thailand, but nobody is perfect and In MY opinion the Official Immigration communications to the World at large IS very poor (bordering on a joke).

For Example: Someone can look at the official Immigration Bureau website and do EXACTLY what it says, and then be told by ALL the Immigration Regional Offices AND Head Office when they apply "Sorry those rules were changed TWO MONTHS AGO we haven't changed our website yet". If that sort of TIT is acceptable when people have tried to obey Thia immigration Law, paid and spent time and money collecting up the wrong documents and made plans, then I am disappointed.

I just hope that if enough reasonable people, lawyers and Civil servants point out the crazy shortcomings and that someone in authority who DOES care will EVENTUALLY do something about it.

I agree with you about TIT but that is an "easy out" for bad Bureaucracy and look what happened to Thaksin. He thought TIT and look what happened .

I am glad I have many months before I need to know the exact requirements for myself again, but others are not so lucky. Even so, I have asked a valid question that I do not know the answer to in my original message in this thread because even this early I am worried about being caught out in the future through no fault of my own.

Regards and best wishes

Dave

[gdhm]

It is my belief that I meet ALL the new requirements to prove Pension/savings income, my money is sourced from outside Thailand AND that I am deducting living expenses from my UK account. BUT my fear is that some official on the day of application of my renewal will turn around and say my pension needed to be paid into Thailand

This is not the requirement at any Immigration offices we have seen.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

Thanks Sunbelt Asia that is reassuring.

Regards

Dave

[rainman]

you know, at the end of the day everyone says something different and the only real answer can be given to you only by the immigration department. it may be different for anyone's case, so its best that you hop into the skytrain, subway or taxi, drive down to soi suan phlu and ask them yourself. its what i did this morning and they told me i could either show 400k in the bank or 40k income. they would need a letter from my embassy, one from my employer (which is myself) and a few months back of money transferred into thailand from overseas or 400k in the bank. i will bring them 3 years worth of monthly transfer statements and 400k in the bank, just in case, that should make them happy and clear me of any backpacker suspicions they might have of me.

i suggest to everyone you do that too, just go to immigration yourself and ask them.

[Maestro]

...I have asked a valid question that I do not know the answer to in my original message in this thread because even this early I am worried about being caught out in the future through no fault of my own.

The first message of yours in this thread is post #14. As that post is rather lengthy it may be difficult for some to find your valid question. On my part, I resorted to the “find” function to look for question marks, and I found one. I take the liberty of reproducing your question – and its preamble – below:

I cannot deny I am SICK and TIRED of Thailand's Immigration Bureau not making itself clear what it needs and how it needs it, and that it insists Immigration Bureau Regional Offices under it will apply the same logic. Of course if an Officer has concerns about what is presented he needs to ask for more, BUT there should be consistency in approach and acceptance (we are not the enemy trying to trick or cheat Thailand we are TRYING to comply with its requirement and all we ask is clarity and consistency on what they are.

It is NO GOOD telling us that each Immigration Office can make up its own requirements. What good is that?

What good is that? I do not know the answer, but perhaps you can put it to the Immigration Bureau. The easiest way to do so is to use their online form.

---------------

Maestro

[gdhm]

[What a beautifully-written rant! It is rare to read lamentations composed in such good English. I enjoyed reading it.

Thanks I'm still chuckling at the lovely way you replied Maestro

...Exactly what part of Sunbelt’s quote you posted, and of the posts immediately preceding theirs, has you confused?

Sorry Maestro, I did not mean the previous messages in this thread. I was not precise enough. I meant that there has been so many enquiries, opinions, attempts to explain, differing reports of different Offices that I was confused on one or 2 areas (of concern to me personally). I am no longer confused as Sunbelt Asia has subsequently picked up on my concern and given me their findings and opinion.

..In what manner would you like the Authorities to have advised you of the rules?

So far, I have seen two English translations published on the web, first by Sunbelt here, later by the Immigration Bureau here. The English media in Thailand have written about the fact that there are new rules. You have been a member of ThaiVisa for almost a year. Links to the new rules have been given on this forum repeatedly and the various changes, which are few but important for those affected, have been and continue to be discussed in great detail. Clarifications have been posted by experts many times.

It is true that it is in the nature of any forum that some wrong information also gets posted sometimes. After one year of reading the forum I know by now whose posts are more trustworthy than others.

In the end, it is the text of the Police Order 606/2006 that counts, nothing else, until such time as these rules are changed again. By the time you are due to apply for your next extension of stay in August next year, officials at your local immigration office will no doubt be familiar with these rules.

Have you actually read Police Order 606/2006?

Maestro

Maestro, I think ThaiVisa Forum and Sunbelt Asia's free assistance and advice on this Forum is the BEST thing I have come across on the Internet. Without it and without members help (such as Lopburi3 who advised me a lot on the Forum leading to a painless Visa application and subsequent Retirement Visa extension application) I would have made many errors and misunderstandings. Yes I agree there has been wonderfully precise information supplied on this Forum and I believe it was Sunbelt Asia themselves that published the Police Order 606/2006 (forgive me if my memory is incorrect) which WAS highly informative and I certianly DID read it wiht great interest.

In answer to your question: " In what manner would you like the Authorities to have advised you of the rules?".

On the Official immigration Bureau's OWN Website, where else would be better or more trusted to be up to date, reliable and accurate.

Not everybody knows about the ThaiVisa Forum, or Newspaper articles BUT I bet almost anything that the first place a Visa seeker will refer will be to try and find if there is an Official Thailand Immigration website and seek the Visa rules and details (I did).

They will of course find the site. BUT the very precise, detailed and helpful information became invalid and outdated on the 1st October 2006 for many Visa seekers, and unless people thought there was a need to distrust the info they found then they would never look for our Forum. They would also believe AS I WOULD who better to explain the rules and know what's current than the Thailand Immigration Bureau itself. Well of course they do know all the rules, but they have not shared that knowledge yet with Joe Public on their website (nor have they put a "one liner" on their website saying something like "The Website is being updated due to rule changes that came into force on 1st Oct 2006 In the meantime please check with Local Immigration Offices or The Immigration Bureau Head Office before processing applications" .

The main sources of up to date Good Information have been Newspapers, ThaiVisa Forum, Sunbelt Asia and the likes.

Kindest Regards Maestro

Dave

[Maestro]

Not everybody knows about the ThaiVisa Forum, or Newspaper articles BUT I bet almost anything that the first place a Visa seeker will refer will be to try and find if there is an Official Thailand Immigration website and seek the Visa rules and details (I did).

Not everybody knows...

This sorry world needs more people like you who show concern for those less fortunate than they.

Truthfully, I have since the middle of September seen a large increase in new ThaiVisa members who are confused about the new rules and gravely concerned about the effect they may have on their lives. For many, having to deal with bureaucracy and officialdom is stressful enough per se, to do this in a time and a climate of changes, uncertainty, conflicting information and in some cases perhaps also insufficiently informed officials makes it even worse for them.

Nevertheless, I shouldn’t make too much a fuss about the delay in a website getting updated. Annoying, yes, but it is not the end of the world. We are now 40 days into the new rules, and there has been no report about anybody being unlawfully denied an extension of stay, but I have seen many reports from members about friendly, understanding and helpful immigration officials. They are not monsters. They are not out to get you; they are not conspiring to make life miserable for you or anybody else who stays in Thailand in accordance with the terms of his/her visa.

As you will have found out by now, for yourself, on extension for retirement, the only change is that you no longer need a medical certificate. Accept this favour gracefully, and do not worry too much about the rest. If Thailand and its Immigration Bureau has survived this long without you – or me – worrying about it, it will easily continue to survive and sort things out in its own way.

---------------

Maestro

P.S. May I ask that, as a special favour to me, you omit colour coding of large parts of text in your posts? I rather prefer the forum’s defaults.

[gdhm]

What good is that? I do not know the answer, but perhaps you can put it to the Immigration Bureau. The easiest way to do so is to use their online form.

---------------

Maestro

Hi Maestro, Yours is a very good point

Unfortunately, I have used the online form 3 occasions and had two replies that they had received my message and would reply in due course but they never did. I chased up twice but no luck. Admittedly I have not tried recently (not confident on a reply ).

When I had an enquiry recently on the Forum Lopburi3 advised me but suggested I contact Nong Khai for confirmation of their views. I emailed them using their published email address but they too never replied. I chased but still no reply. ( don't Thais like email - I seldom seem to get replies to emails except from Foreigners I contact

I mentioned that I could not get a reply from Nong Khai's Immigration Office by email in a thread (some time ago) and a member responded in words to the effect. "Best call into the office and ask them face to face. If you cannot be bothered to visit them, they probably feel they cannot be bothered with answering your email..."

Even on THIS thread Rainman has suggested jump on a sky train.... (all genuinely well intended GOOD ADVICE IF I LIVED in or near Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Nong Khai, Udon Thani etc where there are Immigration Offices locally. BUT I DO NOT. I have said on several occasions in threads (and again earlier in this thread) that I like 4,000 other foreigners live in Khon Kaen City (or local area) and we are not fortunate like many to have a local Immigration Office, even though we live in Thailand's 4th largest city. The Office we need to report to is Nong Khai nearly a 3 hour train journey away. Udon Thani (sub office to Nong Khai) is 2 hours away and can be used 2 days a week.

Forgive me if I feel published email addresses and online forms can be expected to be responded to. Please also forgive me for not wishing to go to Nong Khai to ask a question that can easily be answered in a few minutes by email (saving everybody time - not just me). I do NOT have a car (need my house to sell in Spain first) and therefore I need to get the KKC 9:40am train to Nong Khai and three hours later I arrive, 30 mins later I would get to the office., Maybe an hour later I get seen and ask my question. I have finished asking my 1 or 2 questions at around 1:30pm. Now I want to go home. If I am lucky I will be able to catch 2 coaches but if my timing is out or they are full I can of course catch the next train to Khon Kaen -around 6:00pm).

Nice fun day 8 hours travelling, expense and on the go from 9am to 10pm BUT I got my question asked "face to face"

I genuinely do not know why members appear to assume everybody is close to an immigration Office and getting there is an easy fairly quick and painless execise.

Who wouldn't pop down to the local or nearby Immigration Office and ask (if they had one).I have to ask how many members (if they did not have a nearby Immigration Office) would do the equivalent KKC trip up to Nong Khai to ask a few questions (especially as things seem to change regularly -TIT as Gary said HOW TRUE

I am not writing this in irritation or poor humour. I am just trying to give members the reality of some very good advice that outside Thailand would work most times BUT TIT

Regards Dave

[gdhm]

....We are now 40 days into the new rules, and there has been no report about anybody being unlawfully denied an extension of stay, but I have seen many reports from members about friendly, understanding and helpful immigration officials. They are not monsters. They are not out to get you; they are not conspiring to make life miserable for you or anybody else who stays in Thailand in accordance with the terms of his/her visa.

As you will have found out by now, for yourself, on extension for retirement, the only change is that you no longer need a medical certificate. Accept this favour gracefully, and do not worry too much about the rest. If Thailand and its Immigration Bureau has survived this long without you – or me – worrying about it, it will easily continue to survive and sort things out in its own way.

---------------

Maestro

P.S. May I ask that, as a special favour to me, you omit colour coding of large parts of text in your posts? I rather prefer the forum’s defaults.

I do hope I have not conveyed that I think Immigration are out to get us, because that is not what I am trying to suggest. I thank you for your comments so I can confirm I share your views above on this.

Its ONLY The Immigration Bureau's organisation and communication skills that are not it strongest point (number 1 problem in most large organisation all around the World). Yes you are of course correct that the website is only about 40 days after the rule changes.

My intended point really, was that there are probably an awful lot of World citizens that have entered the site during the last 40 days and are at this very moment acting upon obsolete information. I personally am not worried, although I think we ALL would like to see the new rules officially in writing on the Immigrations Website (just to give us confidence that we have understood correctly and a base for what we can expect at Regional offices)

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My apologies about the colour coding Maestro. I have seen red used before (and did not want to use that as it may seem angry. I was not aware of Forum defaults so I will check them out Maestro.

If the defaults are using the quotes system, I usually do my best but I occasionally get confused where there are many embedded quotes and I have also sometimes found the site "times out" on me when I venture back a forward between Preview mode and edit mode Did it again to me tonight (probably just me or my PC )

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I appreciate your input to me tonight Maestro and I have enjoyed our communications .

I am now off to bed coz I am a LAZY devil at times, AND my wife is waiting for me has a little to do with it too

Kindest Regards

Dave

PS. NO SHE"S NOT she's gone to sleep - well she did go to bed 3 hours ago

Edited November 9, 2006 by gdhm

[Nam Kao]

>>>>> they told me i could either show 400k in the bank or 40k income

It looks like the 400K in the bank is still on! woo hoo!

I'll go down and try it

Edited November 9, 2006 by Nam Kao

[mijan24]

It is my belief that I meet ALL the new requirements to prove Pension/savings income, my money is sourced from outside Thailand AND that I am deducting living expenses from my UK account. BUT my fear is that some official on the day of application of my renewal will turn around and say my pension needed to be paid into Thailand

This is not the requirement at any Immigration offices we have seen.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

If this was to become a requirement it would put the cat amongst the pidgeons - Aust Govt will only pay into Aust account.

[lopburi3]

Not everyone assumes you are only a walk away from an immigration office. I live in Bangkok but it would take several hours travel even for me. But we can only speculate so far and then the answer must be given you by the immigration officer you will be dealing with as, with most Thai regulations, there is room for the officers interpretation. This normally helps the person in need of help but can be very frustrating for those used to black/white answers. But as always apply early and be prepared to a new twist - it is normally only a slight delay if we don't get too upset.

Email seems to be a real problem for all firms in Thailand from my experience. It is hard to admit you don't understand the question (we have many examples here where English is first language) and I suspect even harder to provide an answer where it probably has to go to the top for release. Helpfully the reported decentralization policy will help in that regard; but it will likely take time.

[kudroz]

I got this email today from the Canadian Embassy:

Hello Mr. XXX,

[...] The Embassy has provided a letter confirming income, but only in case of that person is retired and receives a pension either from Government or from private company.

In order to obtain a letter confirming income, please come in person contact Consular section at the Embassy of Canada. Hours of service are 09:00-12:00non, Monday to Friday. Please bring in the following items:

-Original passport

-Document shows your income such as a statement of pension, a bank statement showing the amount of pension deposited, revenue CaTax slip (T1, T4)

-Fee of THB 1,700 (approx CAD$ 50)

So I guess the only letter I can obtain is a "Statutory Declaration" - would Immigration accept that as it is not "certified" by the embassy? (Anyone could do a Statutory Declaration stating that they come from Pluto...)

[gmac]

>>>>> they told me i could either show 400k in the bank or 40k income

It looks like the 400K in the bank is still on! woo hoo!

I'll go down and try it

400k in the bank or 40k monthly income, if you are grandfathered, otherwise 40k monthly is the rule, I think!! But what about me, I have 36k per month, can I make up the difference with a chunk in the bank? An immigration official in Pattaya said yes when I asked last month but I still worry a little about what will actually happen when I go for renewal next April.

The immigration officials may do their best to be helpful in the grey areas but black and white is great for peace of mind!!