immigraton & visa renwal. dont forget your tea money

[pfotoguy369]

Well it was time to renew my retirement visa. My forth, Last year they shuttled me back and forth to Pattaya and HH 6 times. I was hoping this year would be easier...NOT!

All my paper work was in order. I even made the 800k depeosit back in June which has to remain untouched for 3 months. Note: not necessary in Bangkok or Pattaya they waive the rule after the first time because you're established.

Well not in Hua Hin.they have their own perception of the rules.

All the paperwork done. all the stamps in place in the passport and off it goes for the final signature.

The officer refuses to sign off my passport because the deposit ( of well over a million baht was made on June 6.

that means it hasn't been a FULL 3 months.

Now the rules are you can apply up to 30 days early and still get your stamps and visa done.

Wait for it.... here it comes... the 1st officer doing my paper work leans over and quietly says her "BOSS" will sign off for 4000 baht!!!

I was short of cash so off to a ATM I went. Id already paid 5700 in fees.

I get back and give the "BRIBE" to the fist officer who instructs me to to hand it to the officer who has the desk in front of the "Boss" who is quietly sitting with her back to us all while this goes on.

IT"S A MIRACLE!!!.. the BOSS has a change of heart and signs my visa...

Isn't this a great land!!!

I'd like to report her to someone, but who? they're all corrupt. One hand washes the other.

And I know if I did I'd either get kicked out of the country (they don't need a reason) any immigration officer can deport you at any time.

Or my next retirement visa wouldn't go through.

The Thai wife doesn't know "why" im so upset. This is Thailand and that's the way things are done.

That's why I'm upset...No one in your country gives a s*%t!!!

[JimmyGreaves]

I wonder, should you have bartered :-)

Yep it stinks and if you are staying here I believe you have to apply here. Do you need a permanent address then for renewal?

[chopsticks]

Paying bribes just encourages it to continue until it becomes the norm and is demanded from everyone they reckon will cough up.

[bozzman101]

a new female boss has she a name???

[Zidane]

So you paid 5700 baht in fees plus 4000 extra for an extension ??

1.The fee for an extension based on retirement should be 1900 baht.
2.If you would have waited a couple of weeks till Sept 6th your money would have been in the bank for 3 months so you could have ignored the request for another 4000 baht.
Do you live a long way from Hua-Hin so a return trip would have been inconvenient ?

[nanyang]

It shouldn't be too long before we hear from the 'established' posters who will, no doubt, defend the corrupt bastards.
I recently had, unfortunately, to cross their, Thai Immigration, new threshold and nothing has changed.
I will not elaborate as I'm tired of receiving such blinkered responses such as, " I've been here for X number of years and never had a problem."
Their office is shambolic which, in itself, serves their nefarious practices.
The officers within that establishment are a disgrace to the L.O.S.

[pitsch]

If you are more than 4 years in Thailand, you should really know the Thai mentality. First they stick to the paragraphs (money must be 3 months in bank account). If the detect something wrong, as in your case, they want to make money out of it. So you can be glad that they accept bribes to give you the signature.

If they were not corrupt, you would not have got your extension and had to start the whole procedure from beginning.

So what's the problem?

[chopsticks]

Yes, here they saw an opportunity to make some quick money and grabbed it.
Should have gone by the book and strictly followed the 3 month rule (or the HH office interpretation of it) then they would have had no temptation to do a deal.
So in this case both parties are culpable.
QED.

[Lung Per]

Didn't I see, in a different thread, that Khun Abhisit was going to do away with bribery and corruption in Thailand? Surely he must have established a telephone hotline by now, where such can be reported .... Or not??

[chopsticks]

a new female boss has she a name???

Miss Moneypenny

[beachyhead]

Miss Moneypenny, I like that, I think that nick name will stick but to fair I have paid the 4 grand when I never got the money over in time, so it suited me to do it ! we can't have it both ways !

[Super Joe]

All my paper work was in order. I even made the 800k depeosit back in June which has to remain untouched for 3 months.
Note: not necessary in Bangkok or Pattaya they waive the rule after the first time because you're established.
The officer refuses to sign off my passport because the deposit ( of well over a million baht was made on June 6. that means it hasn't been a FULL 3 months.

You seem to be saying that because you failed to meet application criteria, they then offered to bend the rules for you, for a bung/fee naturally, which you decided to accept rather than come back at the appropriate time. Is this the basis of your compaint and reason for your participation in the corruption here by accepting to pay the tea money ? (as many of us do minus the drama.)

Or is there something else, the latest criteria is that for first time applicants they only need the funds in for 60 days, but is that the first application after the new rules, or someone's first ever application ?

(4) Account deposit with a bank in Thailand of not less than 800,000 Baht as shown in the bank account for the past 3 months at the filing date of the application. For the first year, the applicant should have that amount in his bank account for not less than 60 days

SJ

[pfotoguy369]

As far as the fees are concerned it's 1900 for the retirement visa and 3800 for a multi entry visa. with out that you end up with a tourist visa once you leave the country you have to pay 1000 for a new stamp every 30 days.

As for the early renewal you are allowed to do this 30 days before the old one expires. so I was within the "appropriate" time

According to Bangkok and Pattaya immigration they can waive the 3 month rule after your first entry because you're established and living in the country. Pattaya did this 3 times so I know it can be done.

Also according to Bangkok each office is allowed to interpret the rules as they see fit.

as for waiting it out, they had already put all the stamps in my passport and would have held it till after the 6th.

I have plans on leaving to the PI before that.

there's another little rule that they enforce whenever the mood strikes them.

If you leave HH for over 24 hours you HAVE to go into immigration and report to them that you're back or risk heavy fines.

At one time they even put a 8 1/2 x 10 piece of paper in you passport wit a grid for the dates and stamped DO NOT REMOVE

And I know there were people on this board that were fined.

[buksida]

a new female boss has she a name???

Yes and it would be wise to keep it off this forum.

If you leave HH for over 24 hours you HAVE to go into immigration and report to them that you're back or risk heavy fines.

I can confirm this, a friend got fined this week for not reporting ... after going to Ranong on a visa run.

Never happened to me though so I presume they're selective about it.

[brianks]

Don't really understand all the fuss here over the 800,000 thb deposit in Bank. You don't need to have anything in a Thai bank. Just read the renewal requirements from immigration. As an American, I go to the embassy and fill out a form to verify my monthly income. I can put any amount I want on the form. Pay the 1,000 thb notary fee, swear that what you have put down is true and correct and they hand you the notarized form that can be presented on visa renewal. Have done it once and will do again in two months.