Australian Embassy - Proof of income now required for Stat Decs

[barkly313]

On ‎3‎/‎29‎/‎2017 at 0:56 PM, ripstanley said:

I will be going on the 7th April in Chiang Mai. If no one has posted before then I will report.

 

Thanks, though I had to go today in Bkk, so heres how it went, given that no one else seems to have been there in last few weeks...

Used the same old Stat Dec form which is mostly blank, & paper clipped supporting statements to it. Wrote on the form ' That the supporting docs attached show that I earn an income above the minimum requirement of 45,000Thb for a visa marriage extension'

Signed it in front of the witnessing consulate officer who had a quick look at the docs attached, then asked for payment(1800Thb or so), stamped & signed, all done.

Will see how Thai immigration goes next week, will only show the stat dec & see if that's enough, but have the supporting docs just in case. No lies, no sweat.

 

[david555]

21 minutes ago, barkly313 said:

Thanks, though I had to go today in Bkk, so heres how it went, given that no one else seems to have been there in last few weeks...

Used the same old Stat Dec form which is mostly blank, & paper clipped supporting statements to it. Wrote on the form ' That the supporting docs attached show that I earn an income above the minimum requirement of 45,000Thb for a visa marriage extension'

Signed it in front of the witnessing consulate officer who had a quick look at the docs attached, then asked for payment(1800Thb or so), stamped & signed, all done.

Will see how Thai immigration goes next week, will only show the stat dec & see if that's enough, but have the supporting docs just in case. No lies, no sweat.

 

Seems you complied with their requirements by clipping the statements on it , and they look /checked it .....so that is what they asked by the new rule. I think immigration shall not ask more proof ,if they know of the new handling by the embassy ..

[Ozfatboy]

That's good news, need to take my Mother in next month, so I will just bring her bank statement. It seems like they are using a common sense approach to reviewing documents. With all the different forms of income used by expats to support these applications like pensions, superannuation, trust funds and salaries it could have become difficult to try and explain it and for them to understand.

 

Out of interest, did they certify your statement that was attached as well?  I would have thought that if they didn't, it would be become an uncertified document if you were submitting (if needed) it to Immigration.

[ripstanley]

2 hours ago, Ozfatboy said:

That's good news, need to take my Mother in next month, so I will just bring her bank statement. It seems like they are using a common sense approach to reviewing documents. With all the different forms of income used by expats to support these applications like pensions, superannuation, trust funds and salaries it could have become difficult to try and explain it and for them to understand.

 

Out of interest, did they certify your statement that was attached as well?  I would have thought that if they didn't, it would be become an uncertified document if you were submitting (if needed) it to Immigration.

 

If they certify the document you will probably be up for an additional charge.  This would be a total of 3600 baht. 

[crutchy26]

Saw the same myself about the proof-of-income and stat dec .Which raised the question in a group discussion at the 19th hole: If they require proof, why don't the AU Embassy provide the same service as the UK Embassy/?? Which is, you send your proof & passport to the embassy. They look at the figures AND the UK Embassy provides the Letter-of-Income. 

But no, Issan dwellers, like myself

1. drive to the airpport (which now charges for parking)

2. return flights to BKK

3. return taxi fares (as I am totally non-familiar with public transport) note: If the driver understands your written request. You may also, see Austrian Embassy in your travels!

4.And the current fee for stamping 'said' stat dec is $70!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5. Then front up to the KK Immigration for their stamp of approval.

 

As you can see from the attachment, I have had talks with the Au Ambassy................. with dismal results. 

 

So, pretty please:

1. Everyone who lives near-ish Khon Kaen (Chum Pae, Udon Thani, Mukdahan, Chaiyaphum, et al) contact the AU Embassy and plead for a Outreach Visit (the same they provide every 2 months to CM). I am sick of the arduous journey and associated costs!

2. All Ozzies should be sending emails to get the same service as the UK Embassy. Ie. Letter-of-Income

 

The email address: [email protected]  

 

 

 

au emb sux.pdf

[barkly313]

On ‎3‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 10:21 PM, barkly313 said:

Thanks, though I had to go today in Bkk, so heres how it went, given that no one else seems to have been there in last few weeks...

Used the same old Stat Dec form which is mostly blank, & paper clipped supporting statements to it. Wrote on the form ' That the supporting docs attached show that I earn an income above the minimum requirement of 45,000Thb for a visa marriage extension'

Signed it in front of the witnessing consulate officer who had a quick look at the docs attached, then asked for payment(1800Thb or so), stamped & signed, all done.

Will see how Thai immigration goes next week, will only show the stat dec & see if that's enough, but have the supporting docs just in case. No lies, no sweat.

 

Well, I went to Immigration armed with my two sets of papers, all signed & correct, just the stat dec without the supporting docs etc.

All went well unto I seen the officer make some notes & wave us over to the senior officer.

Then the wheels fell off...no probs with the Stat dec, but get this:

The google map print out of our home that I'd submitted last couple of years is now not accepted, need a hand drawn map..go figure?

The copy of the house masters blue book that we submitted last couple of years is now not enough, need a full copy of his chanote...go figure?

So left with tail between legs after carefully preparing everything, have to wait a couple of days for the chanote to be mailed, & get my crayons out & draw a map....the goalposts just moved again.

Edited April 5, 2017 by barkly313

[ripstanley]

4 hours ago, barkly313 said:

Well, I went to Immigration armed with my two sets of papers, all signed & correct, just the stat dec without the supporting docs etc.

All went well unto I seen the officer make some notes & wave us over to the senior officer.

Then the wheels fell off...no probs with the Stat dec, but get this:

The google map print out of our home that I'd submitted last couple of years is now not accepted, need a hand drawn map..go figure?

The copy of the house masters blue book that we submitted last couple of years is now not enough, need a full copy of his chanote...go figure?

So left with tail between legs after carefully preparing everything, have to wait a couple of days for the chanote to be mailed, & get my crayons out & draw a map....the goalposts just moved again.

What office was this? Was it retirement or marriage extension?

[barkly313]

4 hours ago, ripstanley said:

What office was this? Was it retirement or marriage extension?

Chonburi, marriage extension.

[kevvy]

Went to CM today(friday 7th April) to ger a stat dec for my 12 month visa for retirement. Had all my paperwork really to show proof of income,book ,investment documents. The guy in charge said I do not need to have the proof of income. So I filled out the forums paid my 1800 baht. Yes now they charge 1800 baht for a stat dec.In and out in 5 minutes,........

[ripstanley]

2 hours ago, kevvy said:

Went to CM today(friday 7th April) to ger a stat dec for my 12 month visa for retirement. Had all my paperwork really to show proof of income,book ,investment documents. The guy in charge said I do not need to have the proof of income. So I filled out the forums paid my 1800 baht. Yes now they charge 1800 baht for a stat dec.In and out in 5 minutes,........

I was there today and the Australian female  who stamped my stat dec also stated to me that no evidence of income is  required. I asked about the statement on their website and she stated that it had been a mistake and has now been removed. Kevvy you got it cheap. I was charged 1830 baht

[Will27]

8 hours ago, ripstanley said:

I was there today and the Australian female  who stamped my stat dec also stated to me that no evidence of income is  required. I asked about the statement on their website and she stated that it had been a mistake and has now been removed. Kevvy you got it cheap. I was charged 1830 baht

It sounds as if the embassy has done a backflip on wanting to see financial evidence now.

[smotherb]

On 3/5/2017 at 11:32 AM, hobobo said:

Gone are the good old days when the only "proof" required to obtain a yearly Non-Immigrant O was self-declaration. I forgot the exact words, but it was something like "I hereby declare that I have sufficient funds to remain in Thailand for one year" - at least that was on forms obtained from various Consulates in the UK.

Yeah, just more proof for the Thais that farangs cannot be trusted. 

[smotherb]

On 3/5/2017 at 0:43 PM, Pepper1959 said:

I have always written my stat dec in AUD and then the conversion using the rate from Bangkok Bank for that day, since that is the bank I am with. When I then go to Immigration, they never accept my conversion and go online and redo it, To be fair, it is a couple of days later and the actual figure has probably changed by a hundred baht or so. Always do their job letter to their law, which I suppose, is a credit to them and I can never fault them whenever I visit.

In ten years, Hatyai immigration has never gotten online to check the rate for THB to USD. Maybe three or four times they have asked me the rate and used a calculator; the other six or seven times they just accepted the dollar amount was sufficient. I went for my eleventh retirement extension on March 16 and was told they no longer accepted US income letters because the US Embassy will not guarantee the amount. So, immigration told me I had to show the required income through Thai banks monthly this year or they would not grant me a twelfth extension--but once again, they did not go online to check the rate .  

[smotherb]

On 3/5/2017 at 2:59 PM, bridge2bridge said:

Probably a lot have.

I did.

 

My regards, most would not be man enough to admit that. Because of these additional hoops through which the Thais are forcing us to jump; are they going to be enough to make you think about living elsewhere?  

[smotherb]

On 3/5/2017 at 3:14 PM, bazza73 said:

I don't think there are too many full OAP in Thailand. The ones that are would have to be using agents to fudge bank deposits, or providing false income statements.

Off topic perhaps, it is possible to live here on the Australian OAP alone. However, the Thai government doesn't really want skint retirees, it prefers well-heeled ones.

I'm very sure if you can't afford to meet the income and/or cash deposit requirements in Thailand, you have no hope in Australia.

Getting married in Thailand to meet income requirements of the Thai authorities ( who can change their rules at any time ) strikes me as a remarkably desperate strategy.

 

Not really. Let's say you have only USD1000/mo income, but you have saved USD 2000. It seems you could simply transfer the same USD 2000, from your home-country bank to a Thai bank withdraw it and TX back to your home-country bank every month; thus, actually having USD2000/mo. deposited monthly in a Thai bank.  Doing so would only cost you the monthly TX fees and/or any rate fluctuations, which may or may not be to your benefit.  I do not see this as illegal, since Thai immigration told me that I only had to show at least B65k/mo deposited in a Thai bank monthly, but I did not need to spend it all here.

[smotherb]

On 3/6/2017 at 9:39 AM, harness said:

Why don't Thai immigration insist that at least 65,000 be deposited in a Thai bank every month? The evidence of that is the bank passbook. If you miss a month ........ no extension. Why should it matter to them how much you earn?  Isn't it about bringing the dollars into a Thai bank.

If it's the combination method , then the amounts can easily be worked out.

Proof of foreign exchange coming in should be all that matters to the Thai authorities.

 

I was told that in Hatyai on March 16--just deposit B65k/mo in a Thai bank--actually the IO said B800k over the year. The problem with that is it looks to me as they will eventually require proof of a minimum being spent in Thailand of the B800k/year or B65/mo. That may not be a problem for those who spend that much anyway; but it certainly creates a problem for those who do not.

[bdenner]

20 hours ago, ripstanley said:

I was there today and the Australian female  who stamped my stat dec also stated to me that no evidence of income is  required. I asked about the statement on their website and she stated that it had been a mistake and has now been removed. Kevvy you got it cheap. I was charged 1830 baht

As has probably been stated the contents of a Stat Dec is not the business of the notary witnessing the applicants signature. Obviously someone further up the food chain has pointed this out to the Embassy. So now, how do they justify a fee increase from 550 Baht to 1830 Baht UNLESS they intend to issue certified income certificates (UK Embassy) in lieu of the Stat Dec???????

[hobobo]

5 hours ago, smotherb said:

Yeah, just more proof for the Thais that farangs cannot be trusted. 

Sorry mate, but almost 15 years on, I'm still here, doing better than expected, and Thais seem to trust me...

[kevvy]

On 4/7/2017 at 8:55 PM, ripstanley said:

I was there today and the Australian female  who stamped my stat dec also stated to me that no evidence of income is  required. I asked about the statement on their website and she stated that it had been a mistake and has now been removed. Kevvy you got it cheap. I was charged 1830 baht

I said to her keep the 30 baht for the tip.

[kevvy]

7 hours ago, bdenner said:

As has probably been stated the contents of a Stat Dec is not the business of the notary witnessing the applicants signature. Obviously someone further up the food chain has pointed this out to the Embassy. So now, how do they justify a fee increase from 550 Baht to 1830 Baht UNLESS they intend to issue certified income certificates (UK Embassy) in lieu of the Stat Dec???????

I asked the guy there why the huge increse and he said , there has not been one in over 10 years .!! I asked him "so that justifies the huge increase "He did not anser me .

[ripstanley]

4 hours ago, kevvy said:

I asked the guy there why the huge increse and he said , there has not been one in over 10 years .!! I asked him "so that justifies the huge increase "He did not anser me .

Best way is to email the Embassy with your complaint. I think it is outrageous. If it happened in Australia the ACCC would be investigating

[bdenner]

5 hours ago, kevvy said:

I asked the guy there why the huge increse and he said , there has not been one in over 10 years .!! I asked him "so that justifies the huge increase "He did not anser me .

He has no idea what he is talking about! From when? up to 2015 it was 500 Baht then I paid 550 Baht in Nov 2016.

[mfd101]

DFAT is seriously underfunded by the Australian Government (Oz has fewer o/s posts than any other comparable 'Western' country). It therefore applies a strict rule of full cost recovery for all consular matters ie user pays (not just a 'nice' or 'reasonable' price, but the actual cost to DFAT of its consular functions).

 

Tough on us but quite reasonable in the bigger scheme of things. If you don't like it, you could write to the Treasurer telling him to give more money to DFAT and to take it out of Defence, Health, Education, and Social Welfare (the Big & Hugely Wasteful Spenders, who wouldn't even notice a few measly millions disappearing out of their back pocket).

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, bdenner said:

He has no idea what he is talking about! From when? up to 2015 it was 500 Baht then I paid 550 Baht in Nov 2016.

Could that not be a change in the exchange rate from AUD to Baht. The fees are in AUD and converted to baht.

[ripstanley]

1 hour ago, bdenner said:

He has no idea what he is talking about! From when? up to 2015 it was 500 Baht then I paid 550 Baht in Nov 2016.

The price increased from $AU25  on 31/12/2016  to $AU70 on the 01/01/2017. The Australian embassy convert this figure to Baht at the beginning of each month. That is why you only paid 550 baht last year

[newatthis]

1 minute ago, ripstanley said:

The price increased from $AU25  on 31/12/2016  to $AU70 on the 01/01/2017. The Australian embassy convert this figure to Baht at the beginning of each month. That is why you only paid 550 baht last year

Correct. There was a warning about the increase on their website back in December 2016.

[Ijustcashier]

It sounds as if the embassy has done a backflip on wanting to see financial evidence now.

Indeed the official statement has been removed from the embassy website.

Epic back flip!

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

[smotherb]

12 hours ago, hobobo said:

Sorry mate, but almost 15 years on, I'm still here, doing better than expected, and Thais seem to trust me...

You didn't even have to duck, did you. This thread is about Thais now requiring proof from farangs for the income they claim.

[Evilbaz]

I'd still take that proof with me to Immi at extension time.

 

 

[tropo]

On 4/9/2017 at 9:58 AM, Ijustcashier said:

Indeed the official statement has been removed from the embassy website.

Epic back flip!

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk
 

Here's a notice I found from Ron Eliot on March 26. This is the same guy that made the earlier announcement on Facebook on March 4 regarding proof of income being required.

 

https://tranquilinthailand.com/2017/03/26/australian-changes-for-obtaining-a-statutory-declaration-for-income/

 

I came to this thread a few months late and I'm surprised no one spotted this:

 

"The Australian Embassy has clarified that if you complete and are signing a Statutory Declaration claiming an income amount in support of a retirement or other visa, you are not required to provide proof of that income. It should be noted that it is an offence to make a false declaration on a statutory declaration,"