US Embassy Outreach to Pattaya few and far between?

Anything and everything about Thailand
User avatar
mahjongguy
Posts: 756
Joined: Thu Aug 05, 2010 1:07 pm
Has thanked: 19 times
Been thanked: 55 times

Re: US Embassy Outreach to Pattaya few and far between?

Post by mahjongguy »

"Something else I don't know - whether immigration will allow proof-of-income statements to be as old as six months once this starts."

I believe we do know the answer. Yes. They have been, they do now, why wouldn't they continue to do so?

"In other words, many of us will have to make trips to the embassy to get the proof-of-income statement."

This change will only impact those in Pattaya who need to renew their extension in May 2018 or early June. Going forward, if ACS can schedule their Pattaya outreach dates exactly six months apart, then almost no one needing that affidavit will be effected. Folks who need to renew their passports or conduct other business should be able to plan ahead.

Personally, if I were using the income method, I'd take this as a sign that the time has come to plop 800k in a Thai bank and be done with it.
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21459
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1306 times

Re: US Embassy Outreach to Pattaya few and far between?

Post by Gaybutton »

mahjongguy wrote:I'd take this as a sign that the time has come to plop 800k in a Thai bank and be done with it.
That's great if you are wealthy and can afford to do that. Not all of us are fortunate enough to have that kind of money available to let sit in a Thai bank account, assuming one even has that much in the first place.

As for immigration accepting proof-of income statements 6 months old, I hope you're right. The last I heard the limit was 3 months.

When you ask, "why wouldn't they continue to do so?" - are you kidding me? How many millions of times has immigration inexplicably, and without notice, changed their rules - for no apparent reason?

The part that's on my "I Don't Get It" list is why the embassy is reducing the number of these outreaches. They make a lot of money from them. I also have yet to understand why they now require bank drafts at the outreaches instead of cash. I'm not aware of them ever having had any problems by accepting cash.

Yes, I'm aware that it's a State Department rule. If some embassies had problems doing outreaches and accepting cash, why not let those specific embassies deal with it rather than a blanket rule affecting every embassy, including the ones with no history at all of trouble due to accepting cash?
Post Reply