Any U.S./UK/Aus used an income affidavit at BKK CW lately?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Any American, Brit or Aussie used an Embassy income affidavit at BKK Chaengwattana Immigration lately for marriage or retirement extension, and if so, was it accepted or not without grief?

 

Just as a refresher, the three Embassies ceased issuing income affidavits toward the end of 2018, and given the affidavits are supposed to have a 6-month lifespan from issue date in terms of being accepted by Immigration, we would seem to be coming up on the end of their potential use by folks from those three countries.

 

I have a U.S. affidavit from the last week in December, so I'm trying to get some read of whether BKK CW Immigration is going to be willing to accept it as proof of income, along with supporting home country income docs if required, for extension purposes before my 6-month period expires toward the end of this month?

 

[ubonjoe]

There was a recent report of a person using a income affidavit from the US embassy without a problem or questions at CW.

The number of Brits having one less than 6 months old is dropping quickly now since the embassy stopped accepting applications for them on December 12th. For Australians it was possible until January 7th.

[lopburi3]

I used USA letter dated 20 Dec this week (12th) with no issues or request for anything else - another person used one dated 27 Dec and his only issue was lack of TM30 AFAIK..

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

I used USA letter dated 20 Dec this week (12th) with no issues or request for anything else - another person used one dated 27 Dec and his only issue was lack of TM30 AFAIK..

 

Cool!!!!  Thanks very much @ubonjoe and Lopburi....

 

So my main issue probably will be that in order to use my affidavit before it expires at the 6 month limit, I'm going to be going in about 3 months ahead of my current extension's expiry.

 

The U.S. Embassy said Immigration was supposed to allow "early" extension reapplications this year because of the phaseout of the affidavit letters, but never said exactly what that meant in terms of how much earlier than the normal window might be allowed.

 

I'll give it a try... The worst they can do is say no... In which case, I have a Plan B ready for later in the fall...

 

[Tanoshi]

3 months in advance is being more than optimistic.

Work on plan B.

[mtls2005]

Most posts here indicate that some offices allow one to re-apply for an ext stay up to 45 days prior to your current expiration, while others have a 30-day limit.

 

 

5 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

The U.S. Embassy said Immigration was supposed to allow "early" extension reapplications this year because of the phaseout of the affidavit letters, but never said exactly what that meant in terms of how much earlier than the normal window might be allowed.

This seems just vague enough to create problems. Assume they did not give you anything in writing?

 

Maybe best-case they'd reset your date to end-June, that is to say, give you an extension of stay for 12 months from the date you try to apply 90 days early? 

 

I'd probably go with Plan B myself, who knows what sort of issues you might create for yourself?

 

[ubonjoe]

5 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

So my main issue probably will be that in order to use my affidavit before it expires at the 6 month limit, I'm going to be going in about 3 months ahead of my current extension's expiry.

I think that will certainly be a problem. I can see immigration doing it a couple of months early but 3 is certainly pushing it.

 

I had a similar situation since my extension is due in mid August. That would of put me at about 50 days if I went the last week of December to get an affidavit. But decided not to do it since by then info from the embassy was that immigration had already prepared a police order allowing the income proven by transfers to a Thai bank that came out in late December. My decision was also helped by already having years of international transfers going into my bank account to prove my income.

 

I wish you good luck with getting your affidavit accepted.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Most posts here indicate that some offices allow one to re-apply for an ext stay up to 45 days prior to your current expiration, while others have a 30-day limit.

 

That's right. So the notion of "early" presumably was supposed to mean further ahead than those normal time windows....

 

As I said, I already have a Plan B if they won't do my retirement extension now under the income affidavit... that being changing to a marriage extension when my current retirement extension comes to an end in mid-Sept., with the required money already on deposit in a Thai bank.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I think that will certainly be a problem. I can see immigration doing it a couple of months early but 3 is certainly pushing it.

 

I had a similar situation since my extension is due in mid August. That would of put me at about 50 days if I went the last week of December to get an affidavit.

 

Yep, I remember us having an exchange on the issue back about that time... I decided to take a chance on getting a last income affidavit... You decided to pass on trying.

 

The way I look at it, the worst that can happen is I'm out the $50 affidavit fee and end up making an extra trip to CW. The best that can happen is I get one more year of my retirement extension before having to change over to a marriage extension.

 

[madmen]

Just did an oz stat dec at BKK and no problems at all.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

26 minutes ago, madmen said:

Just did an oz stat dec at BKK and no problems at all.

 

How far ahead of your current extension expiry?

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

15 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

I used USA letter dated 20 Dec this week (12th) with no issues or request for anything else 

 

Lopburi, how far ahead of your current extension expiry did you go to CW for your latest application?

 

[madmen]

5 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

How far ahead of your current extension expiry?

 

Around 5 months

[lopburi3]

18 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Lopburi, how far ahead of your current extension expiry did you go to CW for your latest application?

 

My normal 35 days.

[ubonjoe]

14 minutes ago, madmen said:

Around 5 months

I think you misread his question.

He wanted to know how early you applied for the extension not how old your income proof was.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

26 minutes ago, madmen said:

Around 5 months

 

Yes to what UJ says above... What I was trying to know is... how much time AHEAD of your current extension expiry did you do your recent new extension with the income statement?

 

As in, you went this month in June for a new extension, but the current one you had didn't expire until {when}???

Edited June 15, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

10 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

My normal 35 days.

 

Lucky dog!!!!  

[ThaiWai]

I was wise enough to buy two income affidavits at the USA Consulate Outreach in Phuket last November expecting Phuket Immigration to need two to first convert me from tourist to Non-O Imm status In January and then file for my 1 year extension in April.  They first outright refused to let me apply for my extension telling me over and over I needed my bank book and proof of the large deposit method. When I repeatedly showed them the still valid original income affidavit they dismissed it outright.  I reported it to the foreign volunteers so they could correct their online list of requirements to which they replied "BULLSH1T". They hand delivered the affidavit and told the immigration officers they were wrong.  I went back again with the document again and was REFUSED AGAIN.  I went back to the volunteer and he had to go back to the I/O's AGAIN and tell them they were wrong.  Finally it was then accepted. The I/O boss in charge of such applications went over the math 5 times before finally with no where else to go had to concede that the document was less than 6 months old and was still valid.  You could feel the humidity in the room rise by 50% as the steam shot out of his ears. "How dare this foreigner do what is required and follow our rules and have all his paperwork in perfect order!!!??". Clowns.

[DJ54]

Udon no issues with US affidavit Dated Dec 20 2018 I 

went on June 17 2019

[JTXR]

I did my extension the first week of June (3 weeks ahead of current stay expiry), with a US Embassy affidavit from the 3rd week in December 2018.  No problem, since the affidavit was not older than 6 months.

Edited June 20, 2019 by JTXR

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, JTXR said:

I did my extension the first week of June (3 weeks ahead of current stay expiry), with a US Embassy affidavit from the 3rd week in December 2018.  No problem, since the affidavit was not older than 6 months.

 

For me, the issue here is, everyone answering thus far has used their final income affidavit at BKK CW within the normal 30-45 day ahead of expiration application window.

 

Thus far, no reports here of anyone trying to do an "early" extension application with an income affidavit falling prior to the normal 30-45 day window.  So no clue of whether BKK CW Immigration is making that kind of accommodation, as supposedly they were supposed to do (according to the U.S. Embassy prior).

 

 

[lopburi3]

6 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

So no clue of whether BKK CW Immigration is making that kind of accommodation, as supposedly they were supposed to do (according to the U.S. Embassy prior).

All you can do is try and plan on a plan B.  I honestly do not recall US Emb saying that but could easily gone in and out the other ear/eye.  I do recall talk that it would be honored for the full six months and that seems to be true.

[ubonjoe]

8 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

So no clue of whether BKK CW Immigration is making that kind of accommodation, as supposedly they were supposed to do (according to the U.S. Embassy prior).

It is still on the ACS page of the embassy website. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/

 

Quote

We will continue to notarize income affidavit forms through the end of 2018. Thai Immigration Bureau officials confirmed that they will support early visa renewals for U.S. citizens during the transition period.

 

How early would be anybody's guess. That could be the standard 45 days early.

[lopburi3]

18 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

It is still on the ACS page of the embassy website. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/

 

 

How early would be anybody's guess. That could be the standard 45 days early.

To me that would refer to the normal 30-45 days early - they could easily have said six months validity to the the extension of stay date rather than allowing the previous norm.  

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

It is still on the ACS page of the embassy website. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/

 

 

How early would be anybody's guess. That could be the standard 45 days early.

 

Yep, I thought of that possibility, of course. I guess I'm gonna find out when I go to CW next week and give it a try with my expiring income affidavit, about about 2-1/2 months ahead my extension's expiry. So in effect, about one month earlier than would otherwise be the norm.

 

 

[Tanoshi]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Yep, I thought of that possibility, of course. I guess I'm gonna find out when I go to CW next week and give it a try with my expiring income affidavit, about about 2-1/2 months ahead my extension's expiry. So in effect, about one month earlier than would otherwise be the norm.

 

 

I hope you have a Plan B.

2 1/2 months in advance is pushing it, but good luck.

 

If I'm correct any Danish letters are already invalid.

The UK are now also invalid as I believe 20/12 was the last day they issued them.

The US possibly valid to the end of this month.

Australia possibly still valid until 7th next month.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

I hope you have a Plan B.

2 1/2 months in advance is pushing it, but good luck.

 

If I'm correct any Danish letters are already invalid.

The UK are now also invalid as I believe 20/12 was the last day they issued them.

The US possibly valid to the end of this month.

Australia possibly still valid until 7th next month.

 

Mine is a U.S. one, 6 months ending at the end of this month.

 

Yes, have a Plan B settled, switching to a marriage extension later this year (when my current retirement extension is approaching expiry) with 400K in the Thai bank, which would be my hopeful course in future years as well.

 

PS - I'll post next week on the outcome, one way or the other.

 

 

Edited June 21, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 6/14/2019 at 7:03 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I have a U.S. affidavit from the last week in December, so I'm trying to get some read of whether BKK CW Immigration is going to be willing to accept it as proof of income, along with supporting home country income docs if required, for extension purposes before my 6-month period expires toward the end of this month?

 

Just to close the loop on the original questions I posed here....

 

Today, at BKK Changwattana Immigration, I WAS able to get a new full-year retirement extension based on a next day expiring U.S. Embassy income affidavit, even though my current retirement extension isn't due to expire until mid-September...

 

Interestingly, the Immigration staff at BKK CW had no qualms or hesitation about accepting my U.S. Embassy income affidavit, even on the very last day of its 6-month validity period. But what really took a lot of persuading was getting them to allow me to apply for a new retirement extension now roughly 2-1/2 months prior to the expiry of my current one.

 

The normal advance application period at BKK CW is up to 45 days beforehand. So I was a full month earlier than that window. In short, it wasn't easy and I wouldn't recommend others to try the same. It took a lot of polite pleading to multiple officers -- the front line officer handling my paperwork, her supervisor and then ultimately the section head, who in the end agreed to go along...

 

I played every card I had in my hand, but in the end, what I think put me over the top was a combination of stressing that this was a "one off deal" because of this year's death of income affidavits for Americans, and probably more significantly, a letter that my Thai wife wrote in Thai on my behalf (with a little editorial help from her husband).

 

This was a letter pleading my case, explaining the reason for applying early, being that my last and final income affidavit was about to expire and be rendered useless unless I could re-up today. And that the U.S. Embassy had previously and publicly stated Immigration this year would cooperate with "early" applications. The line officer and immediate supervisor I was dealing with spoke little to no English, so having the letter in TH that they could read and understand certainly was helpful in at least getting them to understand the case I was making.

 

So, in the end, it worked out OK, and I'm very grateful to the consideration shown me today by the Immigration staff at BKK CW.... 

Edited June 25, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Tanoshi]

8 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I played every card I had in my hand,

The John of hearts, trumps every time!  

 

Well done.