FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

A clear statement from Thai Immigration, please!

A clear statement from Thai Immigration, please!

There has been a lot of talk recently, most of it incomplete, ill-informed, alarmist or confused, about Thai Immigration’s recent bid to tighten up the rules requiring expatriates here on either marriage or retirement visas to show that they have the required funds.

For a retirement visa or extension (marriage visa figures in brackets), the requirement is Bt800,000 (Bt400,000) deposited three months prior to renewal in a Thai bank account or a verified income of Bt65,000 (Bt40,000) a month. 
The deposit route isn’t changing, as I read it, with the verification being a letter from the bank. The monthly income route is the issue, as the British Embassy (and others) have said that they cannot comply with Thai Immigration’s verification requirements and are therefore ceasing to issue letters of verification of income from mid-December. This is odd since one has to provide proof of income – a P60 form and/or original pension letter – when one applies to the Embassy. It would seem, however, that the issue is less one of proof of income as proof of that income being remitted to Thailand. But this is what the Embassies have said and we as expatriates will have to work round it.
In order to do so, may I on behalf (I suspect) of all expatriates here on retirement or marriage visas, ask Thai Immigration for a clear, concise and unequivocal statement of requirement on this matter? Is the monthly income route being discontinued and, if not, where is the verification to come from and what must it consist of? Perhaps such a statement might be made via the columns of the two English-language newspapers in the Kingdom? I am certain that not just expatriates would be immensely grateful for such a statement, but that regional Thai Immigration offices would be as well, to avoid them being besieged by hundreds of farang all asking the same questions!
In hope, if not expectation,
Colonel (Retd) Johnny Thoyts
Korat

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