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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2018 12:07:37 GMT 7
Hey ghostbuster here's a post and link from ThaiVisa, eighth post. Hope it helps! The second link is a horror story re using Metro Bank in Thailand. Get back if this doesn't sort it; meanwhile I'll keep digging. Cheers bear open a metro bank account ,no charges when you withdraw money abroad ,then use an aeon machine ,again no charges for using your card and a good rate , using a natwest card you incure charges and if you use any other macine rather than an aeon ,charged by them ,i have been using the metro card for two years now ,no problem ,but only allowed to withdraw 300 pounds a day. hope that helps. www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/669317-best-uk-bank-accounts-for-expats/#comment-6845135forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3118756This may shed some light on it as well www.affordablecebu.com/load/banking/how_to_activate_metrobank_atm_card_for_international_use_abroad/13-1-0-27939NOTE:- Aeon is not a Bank, but a consumer credit company. I have however seem it spoken about on the forum, with people saying they have used their ATM's. You should find them by doing a search on Google Maps.
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Post by nomadic on Nov 15, 2018 19:18:10 GMT 7
If all else fails go to the embassy. I believe they will help but you have to pay it back obviously.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2018 10:43:19 GMT 7
No good general news on providing income statements I'm afraid. Yes it's the Old King's Birthday. The office was open though with one staff member. She didn't want to get into a conversation about it though. Just wanted to check my passport. Lucky for me the first O-A Retirement visa is multiple entry, though you only have to do 90 day reports, and current until April.
Because of that fact I'll get another year on re-entry. Then if I go for a joy flight and re-enter before expiry, I get a whole year again; before I have to extend. She said, "Special visa, you very lucky." What more can I say except; on re-entry and accommodation reporting, will try my best to get some solid info. Cheers bear
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Post by nomadic on Dec 5, 2018 16:44:11 GMT 7
bear you have me 100% confused. Never heard of very lucky special visa and I thought you only had to report to immigration unlike me with a multi-entry visa which means I must leave the country every 3 months. I never go to immigration in country. And only a year visa at a time before Laos for a new one. Never heard of just going on a joy flight and getting a year on re-entry. bemuddled I am. don't try to explain it until over January beer though.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2018 7:12:47 GMT 7
bear you have me 100% confused. Never heard of very lucky special visa and I thought you only had to report to immigration unlike me with a multi-entry visa which means I must leave the country every 3 months. I never go to immigration in country. And only a year visa at a time before Laos for a new one. Never heard of just going on a joy flight and getting a year on re-entry. bemuddled I am. don't try to explain it until over January beer though. Full discussion over January beer. Long story short; I think it's got to do with going through the full process acquiring O-A Retirement in your home country. Cheers bear
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2018 19:28:34 GMT 7
The Australian Embassy will not be conducting any further outreach visits to Chiang Mai in 2018. We anticipate a reduction in the need to provide notarial services due to no longer witnessing income or bank balance statutory declarations. As such, outreach visits to Chiang Mai will be reduced in 2019 and we anticipate our next visit to be in June 2019. At least six weeks’ notice will be provided of our visit date, please monitor the website for updates.From early December, Australian passport applications can be lodged with the Honorary Consul, Chiang Mai - by appointment only. Please contact the Australian Consulate Chiang Mai (Monday to Thursday 9 am to 12 noon) on 091 857 6996 or by email – ausconcm@gmail.com - to book an appointment. For information on the requirements to lodge a passport application, please refer to Australian Passports section on the Embassy’s webpage. It is important to note that you need to allow a minimum of four weeks for the passport to be processed and returned to you. The Australian Embassy in Bangkok remains available for the lodgement of passport applications and notarial services. An appointment is required for these services. Please refer to the Appointment Booking page on our website for further information. Australian Embassy Thailand 181 Wireless Road Bangkok 10330Telephone: +66 2 344 6300 Facimile: +66 2 344 6310 Visa enquiries: +66 2 118 7100
thailand.embassy.gov.au/bkok/Consular_Outreach.html
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2018 19:39:23 GMT 7
Well that's jolly news. Looks to me like they're hanging us out to dry, irrespective of what Thai Immigration decides they may accept. So if you want the certification mentioned in my previous post, of original Centrelink Statements from the the MyGov Website, it's going to be make an appointment and a trip to Krung Thep. Not a cheery bear at all. P.S. Even more unfortunate; my phone with that call died, along with the recorded message!
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Post by nomadic on Dec 12, 2018 6:39:30 GMT 7
Again I'm in the dark as never been to BKK embassy in 20 years and never even knew there was an Australian CON -GEN in Chiang Mai until today. Why have I never needed these services? I hope I don't get a shock in March visit to Laos for the next visa after reading things. Can't imagine it but like CLINK you can never be certain of anything? ?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2019 21:37:52 GMT 7
Please note there is also an update in the "Consular Services Thailand" thread, or see same three posts above.CONFIRMED: Here is exactly what’s needed for retirement & marriage extensions (income method) from 2019 Here is an official English translation of the national police order confirming the documentation required by Thai immigration for foreigners applying for an extension of stay based on retirement, marriage or being a parent to a Thai child. The full transcript can be seen on the link here:- WM_Screen-Shot-2562-01-07-at-15.04.47.jpg WM_Screen-Shot-2562-01-07-at-15.05.07.jpg WM_3.jpg The requirements, detailed in a national police order and signed by immigration chief Lt Gen Surachet Hakparn, have now been updated after it was announced in October 2018 that a number of embassies, including the UK, USA and Australia, would stop issuing income letters or affidavits. The income letters had been used by expats to confirm their income when applying for a retirement or marriage extension. The new requirements state that applicants must be able to show income transferred into a Thai bank account. Earlier, Thaivisa was able to share details of the new requirements, but can now reveal those details in full, with the translation of the police order 0029.173/Wor 4950 - titled ‘Supporting evidence of income for visa extension in case of family members and retirement’. The requirements detailed here are in effect from 1st January 2019. As can be seen in the following posts there still seems to be some ambiguity re combining income and bank statements! Post 1. The heading is misleading as it is not exactly what is needed for these 'visas', it is only exactly what is needed if you are using the income method. We are still presuming that the money in a bank account method remains the same. Start of post 2. So the existing "money in Thai bank" 800/400, still continues and the changes only concern expats using "income, combo"? www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1076820-confirmed-here-is-exactly-what%E2%80%99s-needed-for-retirement-marriage-extensions-income-method-from-2019/
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2019 22:33:07 GMT 7
Thai Immigration clamps down on requirements for Retirement visas. A story in ThaiVisa is providing a lot of concern for people making applications for ‘Retirement’ and ‘Marriage’ visas so they can remain in the Kingdom. The announcement follows several of the embassies last year explaining that they will no longer be issuing a ‘proof of income’ for the purpose of visa applications in Thailand.“Foreigners now need to keep 800k in Thai bank for three months AFTER their retirement extension is granted.”
Thai immigration have announced a major change regarding the financial requirements needed when applying for an extension of stay based on retirement, often referred to as a “retirement visa”.
"Confirmed in police order No. 35/2561 obtained by Thaivisa, foreigners who apply for a retirement extension using the 800k baht in the bank, or the combination of income method, now need to keep 800k baht in the bank for three months after the extension and 400k baht in the bank after that.”Foreigners must still be able to show the 800k baht in a Thai bank two months before the application for the retirement extension, according to the article in ThaiVisa. According to the official guidelines on the matter… (1) Must have been granted a non-immigrant visa (Non-Im) (2) Must be 50 years of age or over (3) Must have evidence of having income of no less than THB 65,00 or; (4) At least 2 months prior to filing date, and at least 3 months after being granted permission, the alien must have fund deposited in a bank in Thailand of no less than THB 800,000. The alien can withdraw the fund 3 months after being granted permission and the remaining balance must be no less than THB 400,00 or; (5) Must have and annual earning and fund deposited with a commercial bank in Thailand totalling of no less than THB 800,000 until the filing date. The said fund must remain in the account prior to and after the permission is granted and the alien can make a withdrawal under the same conditions as stated in (4). The new requirements to keep 400k baht in the bank for three months after the retirement visa is granted is effective from 1st March 2019. The new requirements are likely the result of immigration officials trying to put an end to the practice of visa agents falsifying bank statements for foreigners who do not have enough money to meet the financial requirements needed for a retirement extension. Meanwhile, in October 2018, the then newly appointed immigration chief Surachate Hakparn vowed to crackdown on visa agents who falsify documents for foreigners applying for visas and extensions of stay. Just last month the Immigration Chief said he had recommended local Immigration officers be ‘lenient’ in relation to the latest enforcement of income requirements but noted that the leniency would only be for the remainder of 2019. thethaiger.com/news/national/thai-immigration-clamps-down-on-requirements-for-retirement-visas
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Post by nomadic on Feb 2, 2019 7:07:43 GMT 7
Gee bear you are fast. I just read similar stuff on facebook. But it seemed to say the rules were only when applying in Thailand. So the advice was to get in your home country prior to arrival and then you get. YES, 2 years stress-free. But no mention if you go to Laos so will find out next month. Seems to me that all they want is foreign money to boost the economy. Leave it in the bank and spend even more apart from the 800K to live on. They want our money interest free. Once again political theft. May have to move to Cambodia as I'm sure many will. Apparently, I hear it is far easier.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2019 11:13:46 GMT 7
Gee bear you are fast. I just read similar stuff on facebook. But it seemed to say the rules were only when applying in Thailand. So the advice was to get in your home country prior to arrival and then you get. YES, 2 years stress-free. But no mention if you go to Laos so will find out next month. Seems to me that all they want is foreign money to boost the economy. Leave it in the bank and spend even more apart from the 800K to live on. They want our money interest free. Once again political theft. May have to move to Cambodia as I'm sure many will. Apparently, I hear it is far easier. nomadic I'm not 100% sure but; I think those new rules only apply to those of us who want to apply for a one year O-A extension inside the Kingdom. And yes next month you should be fine in Savann. Fingers crossed; keep us posted. Cheers bear
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Post by nomadic on Feb 2, 2019 16:12:47 GMT 7
There's a couple of others up here who go to Savan but not seen them in ages. They will most likely know for sure.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2019 7:45:48 GMT 7
NEW RETIREE VISA RULES BEWILDER THAI IMMIGRATION: SOURCEDays after new rules changed how visas are processed for foreign retirees, immigration officials are already pushing back against them, according to sources inside the bureau.Starting March 1, foreign retirees must either show a monthly income of at least 65,000 baht or hold a minimum of 800,000 baht in Thai banks. They must maintain that amount for three months after a visa or extension is granted, after which they can only take out half. The new rules also make unclear how long applicants must wait to learn whether their visas or extensions have been approved. “We are discussing with the legal department what these new policies mean,” an immigration official involved in approving such applications said in an interview. “Right now we are all scrambling to find out what the procedures are.” The source also said some operatives who oversee visa affairs will file memos to their commanders declaring that they are no longer sure how to process requests under the new regulations published Monday. “We will ask them to reconsider,” said the official, who declined to give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Another official at the Immigration Bureau said the changes were ordered from the top after four embassies in Thailand – Britain, the United States, Denmark and Australia – stopped issuing affidavits certifying the monthly incomes of applicants from their respective countries. “Therefore, the Immigration Bureau has to come up with its own methods of verifying the applicants’ financial status,” the source said on the same condition of anonymity. Col. Nitipan Kanokvejyan, the officer who signed the new regulations, could not be reached for comment as of publication time. Under the new rules, applicants for retirement visas must be 50 and up. They must either show evidence of monthly salaries of at least 65,000 baht transferred to a Thai bank account or balances of at least 800,000 baht in their Thai bank accounts. The accounts have to bear the same names as the applicants. Spouses’ bank accounts are not eligible. And the minimum amount of 800,000 baht must have been deposited two months before any visa application is filed, making that the mandatory balance for at least five months, plus application processing time. The applicants (“aliens”) must continue to maintain at least 400,000 baht at all times, and the visa must be renewed yearly. The change departed from previous rules which only required either an affidavits declaring a 65,000 baht salary or a one-time deposit of 800,000 baht at the time of application. Reactions on Thaivisa, a webforum frequented by expats in Thailand, was overwhelmingly negative, with many commentators saying the regulations undercut claims from Thai officials that the deposit is to ensure they have sufficient resources to get by. “Then why keep up the charade that this money is to cover living expenses if it can only be used six months out of the year,” user Connda wrote. “So…what’s next? What’s the next hammer to drop?” “And I thought the 800,000 baht was for living expenses, not as an interest earner for the Thai banks!” user Madmitch vented. www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2019/02/01/new-retiree-visa-rules-bewilder-thai-immigration-source/?fbclid=IwAR1Oh64WpUqXsJnQGk0iyGc
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Post by nomadic on Feb 3, 2019 19:20:31 GMT 7
On face value seems a bit worrying as we don't get 65,000 a month but I have never been queried on that. I think the last sentence sums it all up to perfection. Sounds like a possible conspiracy to get us back to Oz even. Will never work as Cambodia here I come. Remember last year I posted that Battambang may suit some of us when I was there. Maybe that will come back to haunt me.
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