What should I prepare for my marriage visa application in Hua Hin after being on a retirement visa?

@Tod ********

well, their handout of required docs says nothing about this.

AFAIK: they have had that policy for a LONG time.

@Jonathan ************

well I used the embassy letter for 10 years and I can say they NEVER asked a single question about proving to the consulate staff that the amount I put on the letter was backed up by ANYTHING.

@Tod ********

BIG difference between showing INCOME annually averaged monthly abroad and remitting same monthly here. I take your points I am just elaborating.

@Tod ********

at the risk of being pedantic--YES the US embassy allowed an afidavit to be sworn based on no evidence, but originally the UK embassy were STRICT about wanting original proofs of ANNUAL income

@Jonathan ************

you know as well as I do that the income affidavit was a totally fake way anyone could say they had sufficient funds to meet the financial requirements. AND when the consulates stopped it the immigration office was gracious enough to allow people who formerly had used the affidavits stating monthly income to continue to use monthly income.

Before you signed an affidavit you received that much money per month in your country, all the immigration office did was say, show us by bringing the money here.

@Robert ******

absolutely--they are representing a government that ruined the GBP and are causing the difficulties to UK expats--particularly pensioners, whose pensions are not index linked for us here anyway. What do they care? :(

Jonathan Pressburger please send this to your Embassy in Bangkok, that is the office who refused to give their citizens a service.

@Tod ********

i get that--but the income affadavit used an AVERAGE monthly income based on ANNUAL income without the difficulties associated with banks' internal mechanisms and the necessity of monthly transfers. I am one who now has to worry about ensuring monthly transfers are greater than the 40k (or 65K) with the exchange rate fluctuating. Also the jump-through-many hoops requirements for extensions based on marriage that vary from office to office....I am GRATEFUL to be allowed to stay here, but i do contribute to the local economy. I think you may under-estimate the knock-on effect on the Thai economy of the difficulties visitors and expats encounter. I may be wrong.

This all started when 4 consulates stopped issuing income affidavit letters and the immigration office was gracious enough to come up with a way that IF people wanted to continue to use monthly income they could by transferring the money IN to the country from abroad.

Believe me the small number of foreigners here on long stay visas/extensions don't impact the economy in the least.

@Ted *****

@Tod ********

is correct in his reply. IMHO Transferwise is NOT worth the risk. Especially when its about getting approval of your "extension to stay" in Thailand.

@Ted *****

BUT while they added that as a choice NO ONE knows yet what the incoming code is at your receiving bank.

IF it's still a SMART or internal transfer it's not gonna be accepted.

Ted Guhl Well.... you didn't really....

transferwise gives you NO proof of overseas income. The way they operate is as follows.

You send money to Thailand from America right?

Wrong!

Your monay stays in America and Transferwise sends money from (their) local Thai account to your Thai account.

Thus, nit showing an overseas transfer.

Now there ARE several alternatives. The first and most trustworthy is a simple good old fashioned bank-to-bank money transfer called T/T.

That will show up on your bankbook as money coming in from overseas.

Or Western Union or any the like services.

@Ted *****

That doesn't change a thing. Anyway. Up to you.

@Valère ************************

yup