Statement pending?

No comment to date from the US Embassy in regards to British Embassy remarks that they will soon also announce the discontinuance of the income letter.  At the moment there is no US Ambassador to Thailand



One Thai official appears to have stated that the Thai Bank statement was always an alternative to the Embassy certification. For many years I was required to submit the certification and Thai Bank statements together, never as an alternative.  It was only in the last two years that the certification was sufficient without bank statements.

My fifteenth yearly visa extension ends in four months and I hope immigration officials come up with a better solution than to have $25,000 in a Thai bank at least three months before the application.  Even though I have more that the required monthly income, if the paperwork gets more obnoxious ,  I'll travel lightly. 


สกลนคร Sakon Nakhon

A nation shows respect and gratitude

Huai Daeng Reservoir, Sakon Nakhon, filmed on 13 October 2018, the one year anniversary of the death of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej Bromnabophit
สกลนคร Sakon Nakhon

And then there is some MAKE YOU HAPPY NEWS

สกลนคร Sakon Nakhon

The Great Expat Exodus

Thaiger link

Nothing yet from US embassy, but bets are on that it will happen soon.

Personally I'd always considered the letter a bit of a ripoff, when a bank book with a year's worth of deposits should suffice. 

The certified letter was a good cover for people who did not have the required money and lied under oath. 

Thai immigration will have to come up with alternate procedures to prove income.  Many expats, including myself, have the monthly income above the requirement, but are unable or unwilling to deposit yearly amounts into a Thai bank.

From my own experience of transferring yearly amounts, too many people want to borrow, not always return the loan.

Sakon Nakhon 2018 Royal Longboat Races and Wax Castle Festival

The Blue line represents the Race trophy delivery route taken on the morning of 21 October.

The orange route is the wax castle parade route with three grandstand locations

added to TV Streams

2,981 Channels from multiple countries

You need to install Blue Stacks for PC and Mac to use on a computer.  Also available for smart TV's and other devices

hdiptv.stream/?v=5b79c40fa7c2

provided as information. I have no financial interest 

Embassy Income statements under scrutiny due to misuse

It's always been suspected and hushed subject, many retirees who get the yearly certified letter, do not have the required amount available.
Until a few years ago I've always had to have the letter from the bank verifying my accounts, copies of my bankbooks and the embassy letter when applying for the yearly retirement visa. Only in the recent three years I did not have to show bank statements.
I'd always wondered why the immigration department required the certified letter from the embassy. Why didn't the immigration department provide that service and collect the fees?
Personally I prefer a monthly income verification method and monthly money transfers instead of transferring a yearly amount into a Thai bank. In the US my money is insured.

Thai Jumbo skids off runway / no overnighters at Similan Island

Blooming Hibiscus

Overjoyed to see these blooms popping up.  Each bud produces more than a dozen seeds.  I'm already getting rid of other bushes to make room for more hibiscus.

สกลนคร Sakon Nakhon