Dear Pattaya Area American Citizens,

 

The Consular Section of the American Embassy in Bangkok is pleased to

inform you of an outreach visit to Pattaya on July 28, 2009. Please

come if you can!

Consular staff will be available to provide consular services at the

following location:

 

Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Rice Mill Room,

Pattaya Marriot Resort & Spa, 218 Beach Road, Pattaya, Chonburi,

Thailand, Telephone: 038-412-210, Fax: 038-429-929.

 

 

The following consular services will be available during our outreach

visit:

 

* Passport renewal applications ($75.00 or Baht 2550 for adult

passports, and $85 or Baht 2890 for a child's passport)

* Notarial Services and Certified Copies ($30.00 or Baht 1020).

This includes income affidavits for retirees in Thailand.

* Social security, VA or other federal benefits question will be

limited, but we will try to provide forms and answers

 

(Please bring exact change!)

 

NOTE: We cannot process extra visa pages during our outreach trips. We

can accept applications, but the passports will have to be brought back

to the Embassy for final processing the next day. The passports will

then have to be picked up in person (or by a friend upon presentation of

a letter of authorization signed by the applicant) at the Embassy. We

regret any inconvenience caused by this change in procedure, and we are

still working on gaining authorization to begin mailing passports back

to applicants.

Additionally, Consular Reports of Birth cannot be processed during

consular outreach trips.

If you have any questions, please e-mail: acsbkk@state.gov or call the

American Citizen Services Unit at: 02-205-4049.

 

We look forward to seeing you in Pattaya on Tuesday, July 28.

 

Sincerely,

 

American Citizen Services

U.S. Embassy

Bangkok, Thailand

Does anyone know how long the U.S. Embassy proof of income letter is valid. I would like to get the income letter when the U.S. Embassy does its Pattaya outreach later in July. That would save me from making a trip to BKK. I will apply for a retirement renewal in February of 2010. Woud a letter from the U.S. Embassy notarized at the end of this month still be valid in February of 2010? Anyone know? I would wait for a later date but I have no way of knowing if the U.S. Embassy will do another Pattaya outreach on my next trip prior to needing it.

Does anyone know how long the U.S. Embassy proof of income letter is valid.

With that length of time and also going into next year, I don't think any of us can give you an answer upon which you can truly rely. I suggest you to to the Immigration office and ask. They'll be happy to tell you. Then, it would be helpful if you would let us know what they tell you.

Confirming with Immigration is always a good idea - things change.

 

The latest information I have comes from Barry Kenyon, Honorary British Consul, who also often mans the information desk at Immigration. He has previously advised that the Embassy letter is accepted if it is less than one year old.

If you are receiving SSI benefits it might be better to wait until January to get your letter as SSI increases in January.

If you are receiving SSI benefits it might be better to wait until January to get your letter as SSI increases in January.

 

I am not old enough to get U.S. Social Security benefits if that is the reference but I have read that for the first time in many years there will not be a COLA increase in benefits for 2010 as the inflation rate is effectively 0 % or maybe even worse for 2009.

 

I will make a decision on the proof of income letter without input from the Pattaya Immigration. I have found information inconsistent as given from one officer to the next and what one may tell is will not be honored by another officer especially months down the road. I thought maybe there was a written policy in effect that someone here might have knowledge.

I am not old enough to get U.S. Social Security benefits if that is the reference but I have read that for the first time in many years there will not be a COLA increase in benefits for 2010 as the inflation rate is effectively 0 % or maybe even worse for 2009.

.