“The Royal Thai Government requires applicants to meet a minimum income threshold to obtain a non-immigrant long-term stay visa. While the Thai government has previously relied on income affidavits to demonstrate this fact, the US government has no mechanism to confirm individual incomes and cannot legally claim to do so,” the statement read. (Click here.)
“Because the US government has no means of confirming a US citizen’s income, a notarised affidavit from the US Embassy has never met the requirement to prove a minimum income level for a non- immigrant ‘O’, ‘O-A’, or ‘O-X’ long-term stay visa,” the statement continued.
However, the embassy noted, “There are other methods for US citizens to demonstrate they are eligible for this Thai visa category.
“US citizens residing in Thailand should refer to the Thai government for information about verifying their income moving forward. For the most current information, US citizens should check with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C., or their local immigration office.” the embassy advised.
The move for the US Embassy to cease issuing income affidavits follows the British Embassy in Bangkok announcing on Oct 8 that it will no longer provide British nationals with letters confirming their income, also effective from Jan 1 next year. (See story here.)
For more information on US Embassy services to US citizens, click here.
Kurt | 29 October 2018 - 11:47:37