Just returned from Immigration for my retirement visa extension and re-entry permit. There are some important changes since last year.
1. This first one only applies to US citizens - specifically to those who get the statement of income from the US Consulate.
Currently, the Thai government does not require the US Consulate to verify that the income that you claim to get is actually true. And up to this year, Immigration accepted the statement of income at face value.
However, at Immigration I had to show verification that I actually receive that income. What I used was a printout of my USA bank account showing the monthly deposits.
The major handling my paperwork said that the USA is the only country that does not verify income, and they were getting too many Americans claiming high incomes, then not having enough to pay their hospital bills. That is why they have started asking for the proof.
2. They have added an additional step to each process for the visa extension and the re-entry permit. It appears that this is due to computerizing the records. After the initial paperwork is handled, you go back and wait to be called up again. They have put all your info into a computer record, added a scan of your passport, and take a digital photo of you to add to the page. Then back and wait some more. This adds 30 to 40 minutes to each process.
I don't know when these changes were made - only that they have appeared since last November.
We can only hope that what they do now may speed up the process next year.
1. This first one only applies to US citizens - specifically to those who get the statement of income from the US Consulate.
Currently, the Thai government does not require the US Consulate to verify that the income that you claim to get is actually true. And up to this year, Immigration accepted the statement of income at face value.
However, at Immigration I had to show verification that I actually receive that income. What I used was a printout of my USA bank account showing the monthly deposits.
The major handling my paperwork said that the USA is the only country that does not verify income, and they were getting too many Americans claiming high incomes, then not having enough to pay their hospital bills. That is why they have started asking for the proof.
2. They have added an additional step to each process for the visa extension and the re-entry permit. It appears that this is due to computerizing the records. After the initial paperwork is handled, you go back and wait to be called up again. They have put all your info into a computer record, added a scan of your passport, and take a digital photo of you to add to the page. Then back and wait some more. This adds 30 to 40 minutes to each process.
I don't know when these changes were made - only that they have appeared since last November.
We can only hope that what they do now may speed up the process next year.
Last edited:
