Jump to content

Income statement letters from embassies no longer required, confirms Phuket Immigration


Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, jessebkk1 said:

 

  I have houses, lands, cars, digital assets and companies valued at over 10 million US Dollars, however at this very second today I have less than 100k Baht in the Bank in total cash. You see how evaluation works?

 

 This issue with income letters has hit a section of the economy really bad, most of the foreigners affected are going to put big expenses on hold so they can prove the 800k in bank, so cars/houses/land etc sales will face a steep decline - hurting the already struggling local economy.

 

 I think for this income letter fiasco to have been made regardless how bad it will hurt the local economy reeks of desperation for foreign cash sitting in thai banks or really a bad judgement by the immigration, policy makers.

 

  As we speak, the thai government is embarking on construction of massive projects (for example BTS trains) that the don't the funds to complete and even when completed will generate very little income as most thais cant afford to use them.

 

 

So how many houses in the USA do you own that you will have to sell to come up with $24,000USD/ 800,000baht??? Or how many houses of yours in let’s say Phuket? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Hockeybik said:

They did not verify with the agency or bank or whoever was paying you, they only verified what you showed them. I think Thai Immigration wanted the embassies to verify all the way back to the source and you are not a valid source.

Please show the source that Thai immigration wanted the embassies to verify all the way back to the source.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, darksidedog said:
“However, the foreigner applying for the visa (or permit-to-stay) will still have to prove that they have the funds to stay in the country, such as by showing bank statements that prove the foreigner has B800,000 in a Thai bank account,” he said.
Read more at https://www.thephuketnews.com/income-statement-letters-from-embassies-no-longer-required-confirms-phuket-immigration-69438.php#IZF5tP7cSx8GQ7b0.99
So is that the only option? What about the 65,000 a month? Is that no longer an option? It seems that if we want to stay we have to put money into banks that many of us dont fully trust. I feel somewhat betrayed by the Embassies. You can guarantee they will not be there in our corner if/when our cash has vanished.
I hope immigration can come up with much firmer details on what is and isn't acceptable before crunch time comes, as I can already hear the squeals of pain and outrage.

Why does it have to be a Thai bank I wonder?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, onera1961 said:

In the USA, banks take responsibility even if theft occurs using debit visa/mc in a foreign country. My Ally bank debit card was lost in a Hotel in Bangkok and somebody charged 50,000 baht and bought Gold. I reported and immediately they gave me access to the money and started their investigation. The investigation concluded after four weeks, that it was a theft. I did not have to report to police or anything else. I have 100% confidence in my US banks for credit cards and debit cards. Just a call to them sufficed. I have travelled all over the World with only $100 in my pocket, using credit cards and debit cards only

Then you may not be allowed into Thailand the next time you have $100 on you and some atm cards. FYI.

You also said it is not uncommon to have back theft in Thailand and that is pure BS. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

2 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Please show the source that Thai immigration wanted the embassies to verify all the way back to the source.

That is the very definition of verify, check with the source. 

  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

 

That is the very definition of verify, check with the source. 

No. He is claiming it should be checked at the source, and pension statements etc. will not be accepted by the embassy as proof since Thai immigration does not accept that. And I think the latter part is simply not correct.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

Then you may not be allowed into Thailand the next time you have $100 on you and some atm cards. FYI.

You also said it is not uncommon to have back theft in Thailand and that is pure BS.

I did not say it does not happen. But I said banks take full responsibility (unless it is a small town CU) even without a police report. All large baks in the US has their own very sophisticated fraud departments. They do their own investigation. 

I am on an O-A visa but I had never carried 20K with me. May be I should keep 20K baht also from now on. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Russell17au said:

I have been asked twice in the last 18 months for my passport at 2 different police checkpoints and they checked everything in it including the departure card, 90 day report date and the address receipt. How many of you carry a copy of them?

Where in what circumstances did that happen?

I'm interested to know as i the 30+ years living and travelling in Thailand i never has this happened to me.

I have a shrunk color laminated copy of my passport and visa/re-entry page in my wallet but never used it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Clearly, what all 'retirees' who CAN ONLY rely on income (because they do not have 800k) to satisfy TI financial requirements need to know is what TI would accept in the absence of a Embassy 'Income letter'. For example, an annual tax return listing pension income, plus regular income being deposited in Thai bank accounts. 

 

If the only option is the 800k deposit, then I could see a surge in using Visa agencies to circumnavigate the requirement - and that is really not the way forward, IMO as there are hundreds of retirees who are honest and do have the required income 'proof'.

 

  

 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

“It seems that if we want to stay we have to put money into banks that many of us dont fully trust. I feel somewhat betrayed by the Embassies. You can guarantee they will not be there in our corner if/when our cash has vanished.”

 

 

And that cash usually vanish by your trusted partner, partner brother, partner children or some other related. 

 

I have ave a piece of advice for those who still don’t know:

Do not use one single ATM account for everything (some farang do). Keep your big savings in a non-ATM account/accounts.

Edited by The Theory
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, nasa123 said:

But in Phuket and Pattaya ++ can you NOT open a bank account in any bank if you don't have a B-Visa and work permit. The banks here are afraid of money laundering and black money, so here are not Immigration in phuket with on their own rules.

Of course one can, maybe one has to try a few different ones. One doesn't need a non B  or work permit.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, connda said:

“Of course this letter is no longer needed if the embassy no longer issues it,” Col Archeep explained to The Phuket News today (Nov 22).

 

This gets the mealy-mouthed, clap-trap, stupidest, contrived, nonsensical, Captain Obvious Award of the Week. 

And was he speaking in English when he said it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

The only thing coming from immigration I will pay attention to is when it comes from the Immigration Bureau not some head of a local office.

It is certainly lacking any useful information in IMO.

 

Joe, any update on the efforts of ThaiVisa to arrange an interview with the Immigration boss on all this?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, cheshiremusicman said:

Seems to me, that the Thai authorities should start to look at a scheme where they look at your track record and start to say 'This person has meet the necessary requirements for the past 5 years', so instead of granting an extension of one year why not make it two, and when you have been here for say 10 years make it a 5 year extension. Surely, if you have been here for that length of time you have proved that you can sustain yourself with your income no matter what it is!

You're being rational again!

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

19 minutes ago, stephenterry said:

If the only option is the 800k deposit, then I could see a surge in using Visa agencies to circumnavigate the requirement - and that is really not the way forward, IMO as there are hundreds of retirees who are honest and do have the required income 'proof'.

so you're saying that there are some people that have abused of the income letter right??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, onera1961 said:

Few embassies have already said that they won't be issuing income letters. 

What other forms of income verification will be acceptable to you?

 

For me it is 65K in a Thai bank

Which they won't accept now!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Which they won't accept now!

I am asking for people's preference. Not my individual case. I get O-A visa from the US and I have no problem. In thousands of posts in multiple threads, I did not find a consensus emerge that will satisfy all.

Long live the agents. ????

Edited by onera1961
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A bit off topic, but still….

As I understand it, what is needed, is 400.000 / 800.000 in a Thai bank for the last 3 month before applying for renewal of a 1 year permit to stay.

When you have been granted that permit, there is nothing stopping you to withdraw that money again. ( as long as you remember to put it in again 3 month before your next extension.)

Also that the 400.000 ( married to a Thai) can come from anywhere, and does not necessarily have to come from oversees.

I realise that it might be different from office to office, and is therefore only asking if this is right according to the immigration law.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, BertM said:

Don't get too excited... Nothing new. OP is very misleading. IO head only said the letters were not required and 800k bank account method was accepted. He DID NOT say monthly income method without income letter was accepted. See his quote below...

 

Of course this letter is no longer needed if the embassy no longer issues it,” Col Archeep explained to The Phuket News today (Nov 22).

“However, the foreigner applying for the visa (or permit-to-stay) will still have to prove that they have the funds to stay in the country, such as by showing bank statements that prove the foreigner has B800,000 in a Thai bank account,” he said.

The rabble Thai way continues

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Which they won't accept now!

this is incorrect, if your pension is going directly in your bank account in Thailand the immigration can see that the money are coming from abroad, you don't need any letter from any embassy... Is actually more simple than asking for the affidavit... Real problem is that many pensioners are in Thailand without the requirements and were abusing the affidavit, from this the request of the immigration to have the emabssy check on the claims of the pensioners. Is quiet simple.

  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.





×
×
  • Create New...