'How To' - Requirements for visa extensions etc

[HHTel]

I'm using the income route as opposed to the 800K. However, I have friends who, when renewing using the 800K method were told their 90 day report had to be at the main office, and not Bluport because bank balances needed to be checked. This information is 2nd hand, but I have no reason to doubt what I'm being told.

Did mine last week using the 800K. No mention of a return for bank balance check. As far as I know, only Jomtien and a couple of others are requiring this.

[Big Boy]

As I say, it was 2nd hand information, which made sense. However, I wouldn't go out on a limb to say it's right. Out of interest, when renewing by the 800K method, is anything special marked in your passport? If not, unless their IT systems are joined up at last, how would they know?

Apologies if my friend's experience is not the norm.

[lomuamart]

Logic isn't exactly the password over here and I can sort of see why Imm might check a balance after 3 months but surely a person has been granted a year's extension already so let them get on with it. The simple process would be to ensure that the rules have been observed at the next extension stage. Yes, no?

That seems easy to me. No need for computer systems to work together. Just ask for a year's bank statements. It took all of 2 minutes and 200 THB to have mine printed off at the bank the other day.

[HHTel]

As I say, it was 2nd hand information, which made sense. However, I wouldn't go out on a limb to say it's right. Out of interest, when renewing by the 800K method, is anything special marked in your passport? If not, unless their IT systems are joined up at last, how would they know?

Apologies if my friend's experience is not the norm.

Just the normal extension stamp. Permitted to stay until August 2020. Nothing extra.

[HHTel]

Logic isn't exactly the password over here and I can sort of see why Imm might check a balance after 3 months but surely a person has been granted a year's extension already so let them get on with it. The simple process would be to ensure that the rules have been observed at the next extension stage. Yes, no?

That seems easy to me. No need for computer systems to work together. Just ask for a year's bank statements. It took all of 2 minutes and 200 THB to have mine printed off at the bank the other day.

I'm sure that's what the majority of IO's are doing. As you say, makes complete sense.

[lomuamart]

Finally hauled my carcass up to Imm today to renew an annual retirement extension using the new monthly income deposit rules as I can't get an Embassy letter any more.

It really was quite painless. Got there just after 3pm and was seen within 5 mins. Checking of all documents took the officer a further 5 and then the stamps went in the passport. The longest wait was to get the passport back which took another 15 mins.

As others have already experienced and reported, I took the following:

1. Photocopies of relevant passport pages (details page, the latest extensions over the past 6 years and the departure card). They weren't interested in anything from the old passport, including the original visa from Penang 11 years ago.

2. A copy of my tenancy agreement and hand drawn map to the house.

3. One passport photo

4. Application form

5. 1,900 THB

Then stuff from KBank:

1. A bank letter confirming that the account was mine and active. The letter also stated my balance although that wasn't strictly necessary as I wasn't doing things by savings. The letter was some 10 days old which wasn't an issue. (Cost 200 THB at the bank)

2. Bank statements from July 2018 run off by the bank (cost 100 THB)

3. Credit advices going back to July 2018 (free, at least this time)

4. Bank book


That was it. Interestingly, although I had a TM30 form in my passport, it was put there 3 years ago and there was no mention of why I hadn't updated it as I've been out of the country probably 6 times since then with my last re-entry to Thailand being mid last month.

Maybe I got lucky? And I had some extra cash with me in case I got fined. But it was no problem.

[smiles]

2. A copy of my tenancy agreement and hand drawn map to the house.

Congratulations ... a pretty seamless procedure.
In my case also ~ just a week or so earlier ~ the map was all they seemed to be interested in.
I had a tenancy agreement with me as well, but I just left it in my folder never to be released. They just never asked.

Interestingly, although I had a TM30 form in my passport, it was put there 3 years ago and there was no mention of why I hadn't updated it as I've been out of the country probably 6 times since then with my last re-entry to Thailand being mid last month. Maybe I got lucky? And I had some extra cash with me in case I got fined. But it was no problem.

I'm not sure about 'lucky'. I've come to the conclusion that Hua Hin Immigration is simply less needy than some other Immigration offices.
That feeling is only mentioned because I've been going for my Extention for 9 years now in Hua Hin and the process has been nothing but easy going. But friends from Chiang Mai and Pattaya/Jomtien have told me about those two offices being quite frustrating.

The annoyances at Thai Immigration usually stems from ex-pats ~ including myself ~ being used to the national bureaucracies all running on the same page, all the time. Each office of whatever government office uses the same playbook, the same rules.
But not in Thailand, never. Not a chance.

[TunnelRats]

Rumors were heard from a guy who made his Visa Extension in Hua Hin the classic way:
His monthly pension was granted by German embassy but it falls below 65k due to the exploded THB (or the weak Euro).
He held the Difference (with a Bank confirmation letter) on his Savings Book - Immi said NO, if you fall down
below 65k you have to show 400k in Bank account and you better never touch this amount. We will check
it every 90 days.

Any comments on that?

[caller]

Any comments on that?

I'm happy to be corrected, but I don't believe the old combination method became a part of the new rules.

Was he okay, were they lenient as promised?

[handdrummer]

Friday's misadventure at the IM office.
My wife and I went in with all the paper work for my marriage visa extension. Sat down at the info desk to have it all examined. The first thing Capt. Scheiskopf, the Cerebus at the desk did, was to shove an envelope in front of my wife to make a donation to some Wat. She put in a 100 BHT and handed it back. He grunted. Next, Capt. Scheiskopf handed her a brochure for a skin tonic that he was selling through a multi-level marketing scheme. She took the brochure, he pulled out some photos of his upline standing in front of a new car and went into his sales pitch. She said she'd look at it at home. He them proceeded to look at my paper work. He didn't like my hand drawn map so he re-drew it over mine. By the time he'd finished no one could ever find there way to my house. Interestingly he knew the layout of all the streets in the sub-division. When he got to the photos of us in the house, he said I needed 3 copies instead of 2. I asked him to show me, on the TM7 form, where it said that? He replied, "It doesn't have to say it. I say it. After an hour of him checking and re-checking each sheet of paper 5 times, in duplicate. he gave me a piece of paper with number 106 on it and told to go sit down. We sat for about 40 mins. I looked at the number board and saw that they were calling only the 200's so I asked my wife to ask a desk officer if we were in the que? He said, he'd see us next. A few minutes later we sat down in front of him as he looked over the paper work. When he came to the bank statement, he said, "Both your names are in here, only mine is allowed. The day before we went to Bangkok to get the statement. Tues. we'll go back and ask them to remove my wife's name. Hopefully they can do that.

Saturday afternoon a car pulls up in front of our house and my wife's phone rings. It's Capt. Scheiskopf with another sales pitch and says he wants to come in and talk to her. She said, I don't have time now, he drove away, she blocked his number. If he pulls another stunt like that,I'll report him to the head of Immigration. That's probably more prudent than hitting him with a baseball bat.

Question: How can I follow the rules if they don't tell you the rules? The TM 7 form is not accurate.

[HHTel]

I'm assuming it's HH immigration. In which case, report him to the 'boss'. His number is on the wall in the office next to the queue machine asking for any complaints.

I've lived here for almost 20 years and never had a problem with the staff at HH immigration.

[lomuamart]

Are you sure that the officer's visit wasn't a routine call to check that you were living together? As well as pitching for some business.

[smiles]

I'm assuming it's HH immigration . . . I've lived here for almost 20 years and never had a problem with the staff at HH immigration.

Ditto from me at 10 years of quite decent treatment at HH immigration. I sniff some exaggeration.

[buksida]

Just observation here and a little of my own experience. There seems to be two types of experience which are correlated to visa type. Those on retirement extensions, which are effectively just rubber stamped locally, sail through and think immigration officers are all angels. Those on others such as marriage/student/child support extensions generally get a totally different immigration experience which is far from easy or pleasant.

[Big Boy]

Just observation here and a little of my own experience. There seems to be two types of experience which are correlated to visa type. Those on retirement extensions, which are effectively just rubber stamped locally, sail through and think immigration officers are all angels. Those on marriage/student/child support etc generally get a totally different immigration experience which is far from pleasant.

I've not experienced the 'other' side of immigration, but talking to many friends not on retirement extensions, I would tend to agree.