.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
007 RED
-
Posts
926 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Downloads
Posts posted by 007 RED
-
-
37 minutes ago, BrakkaToss said:
Why so bitter?:)
Detention and getting deported back is one thing.
Being free after denied either in a consulate or on land crossing is another. I’m simply wanting info on where people go after this occurs.
Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile appWhat make you think that I am bitter? You asked for advice and I gave you some. In the second paragraph of your original post you stated the following:
"I will go to my last visa run adventure next week. And I really need your advice on what to do if denied entry".
The recommendation that I provided was perfectly reasonable given what you has posted in another post (Denied Entry at Suvarnabhumi on METV) about your friends experience who was allegedly denied entry at Suvarnabhumi on Tuesday and who as a result of a lawyer's intervention was released from detention within two hours.
-
1
-
-
OP.... With a history like yours, I would recommend that before you go on your so called 'visa run adventure next week', you ask your friend who allegedly got denied entry at Suvarnabhumi on Tuesday, and then released within a "couple of hours", for the name and phone number of the lawyer who expedited his/her release from detention.
It is obvoius the lawyer is able to push all the right buttons with lmmigration so you shouldn't have any problems if you get stopped.
-
1
-
-
5 hours ago, Pib said:
What bank is that? SCB, K-bank, etc.
It's not Bangkok Bank as I get SMSs of international remittances and there is no PDF attached.
I don't know which bank @Genericnic uses, but my bank is Bangkok Bank HQ and I arranged with them about 4 months ago to send me a notification email when funds (GBP) have been credited to my Foreign Currency Deposit Account.
When I registered for this service I noted that there were 2 notification options, namely; SMS or email. I opted for email notification. As previously mentioned this service is FREE.
It took them about 2 months to activate my request, so I've only been getting email notification from them for the past 2 months. I just expected a very basic email stating that they have received funds which have been credited to my account, so I was very surprised by the amount of detail which they actually provided in their email.
I have attached a screen shot of a recent email from Bangkok Bank and as you will see it not only has the Credit Advice information in the main text body, but there is also a pdf file attached (just above the bank logo) which is a direct copy of Credit Advice Note that the bank provided to me on Monday together with the letter for Immigration.
The bonus of the pdf is that I can save it in my Immigration/bank file ready for next year.
-
2
-
-
4 hours ago, sumrit said:
Thanks for your report. It seems that the only problem you and others have had is obtaining the correct documentation from the bank, Immigration have been no problem at all.
In my case the frustration of the day was definitely obtaining the letter and Credit Advice Notes from the Bank. It amassed me that they could not extract more than 6 months worth of CAN's automatically and had to locate those older than 6 months manually which took so much time.
As mentioned in my original post, I only went to my local Immigration Office on the way home to get their view as to whether or not they would accept the bank letter and ACNs pending doing my renewal next week. Much to my surprise the IO no only said that both documents were acceptable as evidence of 65K/month having been transferred into a Thai bank from abroad, but that she insisted that I do my extension renewal then - I had no other supporting documents, and as far as I was aware Immigration only allow you to do a renewal within a month of the existing extension expiring. In my case it was a week and one month. The IO copied all the necessary pages from my passport FOC all I had to do was get my photo taken and fill in a new TM7. A great service.
-
1
-
-
8 hours ago, Genericnic said:
That is why I drop by my bank a day or so after the deposit comes in to update my passbook and ask for a credit advice for the deposit. Much easier than having to collect them at the end of the year. Of course, I am lucky. I am only about a 5 minute walk from my bank so I get a bit of exercise as well.
David
You could save yourself the 5 minute walk if you want. Just ask the bank to send you a notification email when your funds have been deposited to your account. The email has a pdf attached which is the Credit Advice Note that you pick up from the bank. This facility is free.
In my case it saves a 4 hour plus round trip on the bus and BTS from home into BKK.
Of course you may well say that you need the exercise which is a good enough reason to go to the bank.
-
2
-
-
14 hours ago, Pib said:
...... it good to see your immigration office was happy with the basic bank letter and supporting credit advice docs. The immigration office didn't require letter that only listed the foreign transfers.
Thanks for your comments.
Correct, the IO was quite comfortable with the bank letter which only quoted the total amount of GBP transferred from abroad during the 12 month period. As mentioned, she quickly whipped out her calculator and divided the total by 12 and multiplied that by the exchange rate at the time.
Regarding a bank letter that only listed the foreign transfers, that was not mentioned or offered by the bank and the IO did not indicate that was what they wanted.
14 hours ago, Pib said:The immigration office apparently didn't care about passbook coding...coding that can vary (i.e., FTT, BTN, I/R, etc) depending on the transfer method, how the last leg of the transfer was handled, etc. With all the variations in coding used by different Thai banks it's got to be hard for immigration offices to determine which transfers were international or local. The immigration office seemed to place the greatest emphasis on "Thai bank letter and credit advice docs" confirming the transfers originated from outside of Thailand.
Again correct, she only compared the date/amount shown on the Credit Advice Note with that entered in the passbook. As you say, with all the various coded used by each bank, let alone used by the different banks, she would need an 'almanac' to decipher the all the codes.
14 hours ago, Pib said:One question I have is "Would Bangkok Bank have included transfers on the bank letter that did not have the FTT International Transfer or I/R International Remittance coding in their system? Like say for BTN/Bahtnet or SMT/SMART coding some people receive for some international transfers....that coding appears usually because the last leg of an international transfer was handled by another Thai bank.
That's the 64K $ question which I cannot answer as all my transfers were coded as SWIFT on the Credit Advice Notes or I/R in my passbook.
-
14 hours ago, wgdanson said:
Surely a transfer of GBP to a GBP foreign currency account MUST be from abroad, and be coded as such.
Thanks for your observation, but FYI a transfer of GBP to a GBP FCA may not necessarily be from abroad and, therefore, will not be coded as an international transfer. For example;
a) When I initially opened the FCA with BB HQ, I gave them 5K GBP in cash as the initial deposit. The cash came with me from the UK (I had a UK bank confirmation of withdrawing that amount for UK/Thai customs clearance if required) so the money came from abroad. However, the transfer was coded as a cash deposit in the bank passbook. The bank would have no idea if the money came with me from the UK or I had some form of business in Thailand that only accepted payments in GBP cash.
b) If you have 2 FCAs, at 2 different banks, and then transfer say GBP from 1 account to the other I suspect that the transfer will not be classified as an international transfer.
-
2
-
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
I renewed my extension of stay (Retirement), based upon income method, yesterday.
Background:
British citizen who over the past 8 years has relied upon the letter from the British Embassy to ‘confirm income’ in support of extension renewal.
My extension renewal is due on the 7 September. My local Immigration Office is Nakhon Pathom.
I have a GBP foreign currency deposit account with Bangkok Bank headquarters (Silom Road – Bangkok).
My income is derived from 3 pensions which are paid directly into my HSBC UK bank account.
In the past I have transferred GBP to my Bangkok Bank account, as and when required, via online banking with HSBC. The transfer is: HSBC to Bangkok Bank (London) who then transfer the amount (less their handling fee) to my BB account in Bangkok. Has worked well for me.
Following the British Embassies announcement to stop providing their supporting letter, and Thai Immigration confirming their rules in January concerning providing evidence showing income not less than 65,000 baht per month, I set up a regular 2,000 GBP transfer by standing order (HSBC to BB London) on the last day of each month. I also arranged with BB (Bangkok) to send me an email notification when the funds were credited to my account. Again, this has worked well.
Obtaining a letter from Bangkok Bank confirming transfer of funds from abroad
Yesterday I went to Bangkok Bank’s HQ in Silom Road. Arrived at 08:30am and was number 1 in the queue of the Foreign Remittance Department on the 2nd floor. I asked the counter clerk for their letter confirming that I had deposited money from overseas into my account, plus a statement showing the amounts that I had transferred for the past 12 months.
The lady showed me an example letter which only confirmed that I was an account holder and the current amount in my account. She informed me that she could only provide a statement showing all account transactions for the past 6 months. She said that they could not produce a statement showing only amounts credited to my account. If I wanted a statement showing all transaction for more than 6 month it would need to be ordered and may take a day. There would also be a fee for providing the letter and a 12 month statement.
I advised the counter clerk that earlier this year I had made an enquiry about a letter for Thai Immigration confirming funds credited from abroad and was advised by the supervisor that the bank that time was aware of Immigration’s requirements and that they were in discussion as to the format of such a letter. At this point the counter clerk called the supervisor over.
I reminded the supervisor of our previous conversation regarding a letter for Immigration. She said that after discussions with Immigration, they (the bank) decided that they would use an existing letter template which is used to confirm the amount transferred from overseas to facilitate the purchase of a condo by a foreigner. She said that the bank could provide a statement showing all transactions but not one that only shows credits from overseas. She said that they could provide Credit Advice Notes confirming each transfer and advised that these (letter and Credit Advice Notes) would be accepted by Immigration.
She said that the cost of the letter was 100 baht. The bank would provide Credit Advice Notes for the past 6 months free, however, if I wanted anything beyond 6 months they would make a charge of 500 baht.
I took the view that although the then Immigration Commissioner (Big Joke) had sent a memo to all offices earlier this year advising them to be lenient with regards to fund transfers during the first 12 months, I would still request documents to support 12 months of transactions just to be on the safe side.
Having made the request for the letter and 12 months of credit advice notes, I was informed that their system could produce 6 months’ worth of credit advice notes almost instantly but credit advice notes beyond 6 months had to be individually recovered from the system and that this process could take quite some time. No problem, I could wait.
The supervisor then directed to another counter clerk who would process my request. The counter clerk asked for my passbook and passport. When the clerk looked at my passbook she asked if I had my previous passbook. My current book was relatively new with only a few transactions in it. She explained that she needs to be able to identify dates that overseas funds have been credited to my account to enable her to extract the Credit Advice Notes from the system beyond 6 months. I asked if she could look this up on the system, or print out a statement, and she said that she could not, she needed the previous passbook. I explained that the previous passbooks were at home which would mean a 2-3 hour trip to get home and another 2-3 hour trip to return to the bank, which given the time would not be feasible that day.
Although I was doing my hardest to remain cool, calm and collective, the supervisor who was still hovering in the background could see I was becoming somewhat frustrated. She asked if someone at home could find the previous passbook and attach the photo the relevant pages to an email and send it to her BB email account. I called Mrs MoneyBaht who found the relevant old passbook and emailed photos of the relevant pages to the supervisor, who in turn printed them out for the clerk.
The past 6 months Credit Advice Notes were printed out almost instantly, but it took the clerk about 1.5 hours to extract and print the earlier 6 month’s Credit Advice Notes.
Eventually, at around 11am, I was given the bank letter and 12 months’ worth of Credit Advice Notes.
The Bank Letter
I was expecting a letter listing the dates and amounts that had been credited to my Foreign Currency Deposit Account during the previous 12 months. The letter was in Thai and only confirmed the total amount (GBP) that had been credited to my account from overseas during the 12 month period that I had requested. A conversion (at the exchange rate at the time) GBP to Baht was also given.
Because the letter contains considerable personal information and redacting it would make it meaningless, I have produced an English summary of the format which I’ve attached below for information.
The Credit Advice Notes
Upon receiving these, I realised that these documents were the same documents that the bank emails to me (as pdf’s) to inform me that funds have been credited to my account.
Note: The transfer of funds from BB (London) to BB (Bangkok) are shown as SWIFT on the Credit Advice Notes, but in the passbook the transfers are coded as I/R which is not listed at the back of the passbook.
A lesson learned here. File the pdf’s attached to email notification of funds credited to my account for next year and save both a lot of time and baht getting copies from the bank. Alternatively, when you go to the bank ask for the Credit Advice Notes applicable to your latest transfer or previous 6 months.
I have attached a redacted copy of the most recent Credit Advice Note for your information.
After the Bank (fiasco)
Because I was uncertain if my local Immigration Office (Nakhon Pathom) would accept the bank’s letter and Credit Advice Notes as evidence of sufficient income transferred from overseas, I decided to stop off at the office on the way home and show them the documents and seek their view. If they weren’t acceptable I would have sufficient time to go back to the bank before the renewal date.
I would say that my personal experience of visiting my local Immigration Office has always been very good. The wait times are normally quite short and the staff/officers always friendly.
Arrived at the office at about 2:30pm. The enquiry clerk directed me to one of the IO’s. I explained that my extension of permission to stay was due for renewal next month (7th) and I would be doing this based upon the income option (65K/month). As part of the preparation I had been to the bank in Bangkok that morning to obtain the necessary evidence of funds transfer from overseas, but that I was unsure if what the bank had given me would satisfy them (Immigration).
The officer looked at the letter and the Credit Advice Notes marking each date and the amount (GBP) of transfer. She then asked for my bank passbook and compared a few dates/amounts on the Credit Advice Notes with the entries in the passbook.
She noted that the letter stated the total amount of funds (GBP) which had been transferred from overseas during the past 12 months and promptly took out her calculator and divided the figure by 12. She then looked up the GBP to THB exchange rate for the day and said that there was no problem, the documents were acceptable, and the amount was of income was in excess of what was required.
I got floored
The IO then asked if I had my passport with me, which I did. She had a quick look at the last extension stamp and said OK I do your extension now. What, I don’t all the other documents with me they are at home as I had planned to do the extension next week if the bank documents were acceptable.
No problem she said, go get your photo taken from the booth outside the office and then fill in a TM7.
When I returned she had photocopied the relevant pages of my passport, got me to sign them plus a document acknowledging penalties for overstay and requirement for 90 day notification. After she took my photo (via web cam) she disappeared into the back office and returned a few minutes later with a big smile on her face and handed my passport duly stamped for another year extension of stay.
Arrived at 2:30pn, out just before 3:00pm. Back home at 3:30pm completely cream crackered (good old British saying).
Hope this helps other members who have a Bangkok Bank Foreign Currency Deposit Account and are contemplating their extension of stay based upon the income option. Of course, I cannot vouch for what your local BB may or may not offer you as evidence, or whether your local IO will accept such evidence.
Good luck.
PS…. As a side issue
I noted that when the IO took my passport she placed the photo page (which has the bio chip embedded on the reverse of the page) onto a passport scanner (as used at the airport/entry points). I was able to see her screen and see that my biographical data was being displayed, including my photo. She then compared the passport photo page with the information on her screen. I have never seen these scanners in my local Immigration Office before (was last there only a few weeks ago to do my 90 day report). Maybe the next piece of kit they will get is for taking fingerprints. Who knows!
-
8
-
4
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
@FarangFB FYI…. On the 2nd floor of the MFA Consular Affairs building there is a small translation shop directly in front of you at the top of the escalator. The people who do the translations for the shop are MFA Legalisation Department employees who do the translations in their ‘free time’.
Because they do translations which specifically need legalising, they have a library of document templates, so the documents that you mention will present them with no problems and they should be able to do them fairly quickly.
How long will it take? That will depend upon their existing workload and the availability of a translator.
Their prices are similar to what you will be charge elsewhere, about 300 to 400THB per sheet of A4 depending upon complexity of the document.
They can arrange (at an extra cost) to have the documents legalised. I’m not sure if they bypass the normal same day procedure, but I suspect that as they are MFA employees they are able to facilitate a quick certification if requested. The bonus with their service is that in the unlikely event that there is a problem during the legalisation process, they will get it sorted immediately.
You can collect your documents from the shop once they have been legalised, or they can arrange to have them sent to you by EMS.
Hope this helps.
-
2
-
1
-
On 7/9/2019 at 12:09 AM, wreckingcountry said:
The billing will show a charge in August for the Labour and materials,LNB etc ! Be prepared
Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa ConnectIf they do they can stuff it. The information displayed on the TV advising users to contact True to have their LNB replaced before 1 August clearly states that it is FREE.
-
1
-
-
An update.... further to my previous posts # 158, 164 & 166 regarding problems which I had encountered trying to get TV to come and replace the LNB and upgrade my 3 boxes.
TV did respond to our original letter a bout a week after receiving it. A representative called and advised that TV would contact the technical contractor who had originally been assigned to do the upgrade and find out what the problem was. The representative said that she would call us back and let us know what was happening.
A couple of days later we received a second phone call this time from another TV representative who was responding to the email which we sent to their contact centre. From the conversation it was apparent that this representative was unaware that someone from TV had already been in contact with us the previously. The lady apologised and said that she had not seen any mention of the previous contact on the computer.
A few days later the original TV representative call us again and said that the original technical contractor was under the impression that if we had more than one box operating at the same time after the upgrade, we would only be able to get a picture on one television at a time. She said that this was an incorrect assumption on the part of the contractor and that TV tests had shown that up to 6 boxes can be operational at the same time after the upgrade was done. She did say that if the 'splitter connection' was old it may degrade the signal to the boxes and that if this was the case it may need to be replaced.
She then booked for a technician to come and replace the LNB and do the upgrade yesterday (10/7). Date and time of our choosing.
The technician called us at about 9am yesterday and advised that he would be at our house around 10:30am. True to his word he arrived on time. As others have indicated previously, he began by downloaded software onto each of the 3 boxes using the original LNB. He then replaced the LNB. When he set up the first box the signal strength was about 80% which he said was lower than it should be, so he replaced the 'splitter connection' and bingo the strength shot up to 98%. The original 'splitter connection' was heavily corroded. He then set up the other boxes and as a bonus he replaced all 3 hand controllers which we've had for several years.
A positive outcome that upgrade has been completed and HD pictures appear (in my feeble opinion) to be better than before.
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
@ALFREDO…. From the information that you have provided, I am very certain that if your ‘enemy’ turns up at the airport tonight, and after checking in he then presents himself to immigration with an overstay and no money to pay the fine he is going to find himself with a big problem. I am given to understand from a conversation that I had at lunch time with very senior and reliable source within Immigration that Immigration will:
a) Not allow him to proceed to the gate to board his flight. FYI - The only time that Immigration may overlook the situation is if the overstay was caused as a result of circumstances totally outside of his control of the person.
b) Not allow him to backtrack to the check-in area with a view to obtaining funds to pay the fine (from ATM). Immigration will not allow him to backtrack because there would be a high risk of him disappearing. So far as Immigration are concerned he is now an overstayer who has not officially surrendered and paid the stipulated fine as per the relevant Police Order, therefore, he will be detained.
He will be taken to the airport police facility where he will be questioned further and then officially arrested as an over stayer. Arrangements will then be made to have him transferred to the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) in Bangkok. He will remain in the IDC until he pays the overstay fine and also pays for a new flight to his home country.
Because he was detained by Immigration and, therefore, unable to catch his flight, the airline will classify him as a ‘No Show’. This will effectively means that his return ticket will be cancelled. If he was travelling on a cheap ‘saver’ fare, it is very likely that he will not be entitled to any refund for the cancelled portion of his ticket. Hence, as mentioned (c) above he will eventually have to purchase a new ticket in order to get back to his home country. FYI – a single ticket, often required a short notice, can be very expensive.
Although the length of his overstay is relatively short, because he was handed over to the airport police who will have arrested him for overstaying, he will be subject to a 5 year ban from entering Thailand.
-
3
-
1
-
1 hour ago, wayned said:
They are currently broadcasting from both satellites, I think, since my diagnostic software now says Thaicom-8. If you wait until 1 August there will be a long Que and they haven't said when the Taicom-5 satellite broadcasts will be shutdown. You could be left with nothing if they shutdown the Taicom-5 satellite before you get the upgrade. The guy that did mine was a contractor and he had done many as the back of his truck was full of empty new LNB cardboard boxes.
I made my appointment through thr TV e-mail system and did not talk to anybody until the day they came.
Once again, many thanks for your comments/observation.
I think TV tend to use local sub-contractors. In the past when we have needed, for example, a box or remote controller replacing, it has always been someone who does not wear any TV uniform or arrives in an 'beat up' old unmarked pickup. They do have a TV job ticket/paperwork.
Have to say I'm not over impressed by TV's customer care. We contacted the TV local shop on the 9th June. The technician called the next day and explained he could not do the conversion/upgrade. On the 12th June my wife wrote to TV HQ asking for clarification/advice. The letter was sent by EMS and was received on the 13th. To date we've not had any response.
I have sent them an email today (to the address you provided). My email has the facility to feedback that the message was delivered to the address server, and more importantly, it also notifies me when the email was opened, which it was within an hour of the message being sent. So now its a case of 'holding my breath' and waiting for a reply.
If I don't get any response, then I will seriously consider closing our subscription and using Android boxes instead.
-
9 hours ago, wayned said:
They came to my house on 12/6 after I sent them a message regarding the change. They downloaded the new software using the old LNB to 2 boxes and, since the new software would not work with the old LNB, they changed it. All was fine after the change and both boxes have functioned OK ever since. However, I never use both boxes at the same time as I live alone. The technician never mentioned that there could be a problem using more than one box at the same time.
The email for True Visions Customer Service is : "[email protected]"
Many thanks for your report and details of TV email address. It seems from a couple of other reports from members that have more than one box that some technicians appear to be reluctant to do the upgrade/conversion and they are advising customers to wait until after the 1 August and see what happens and if there's a problem call back.
It's worth noting that according to the current information that is being displayed on the TV, the upgrade/conversion is free if done before 1 August, but the question is will it still be free after that date?
I've emailed TV Customer Services and asked for a confirmation that they can, or cannot, do the upgrade/conversion when more than one box is involved.
Once again, many thanks.
-
I hope that someone can offer some constructive advice (other that ditch True, which I may well do anyway).
Following the message on the TV regarding the need to change the dish sensor and update the box software, Mrs MoneyBaht and I went into our local True shop a couple of weeks ago and spoke with one of the customer assistance. So far very good, she checked on the computer system and told us that she had booked an technician to come the next day in the afternoon.
On the morning of the technicians visit he phoned to confirm that he would arrive around 2pm and enquired directions to our house. He then asked what setup we had and my wife advised him that we have 3 boxes (one in the lounge and one in each bedroom).
The technician then explained that he could change the dish sensor but that we would only be able to use one box. He stated that this is a known problem as the signal is to weak to be distributed to more than one box. He suggested that we wait until after 1st August when they change the satellite and then request the upgrade as by then they should have a fix for the problem.
I note from an earlier post that another member has indicated that he had more than one box and the conversion worked OK.
Mrs MoneyBaht has written to True (sent via EMS and we have proof of receipt), but they have not responded.
As an addition ..... Does anyone have the email address for True?
-
- Popular Post
20 hours ago, wgdanson said:hanks for this interesting info.
How does it do when for example someone (usually a man) grows or removes facial hair, or wears glasses. Cheers.
FYI….
Point 1. The face map example which I provided in my previous post (#31) was a very basic example just to illustrate that fundamental principle of the so-called facial map. There are in fact 80 distinguishable ‘landmarks’ on the face which modern high-tech systems are able to detect.. The system does not need to use all 80 'landmarks' so if a few ‘landmarks’ are not detectable, or located by the system, the system is still capable of functioning and producing a high percentage match score.
Point 2. The system does not actually measure (in inches or millimetres) the distance between any given points on the face map. The system just plots the position of each point and give that point a co-ordinate reference (rather like the GPS co-ordinates for your home). It is these co-ordinates that the system uses to compare the picture that is embedded on the chip in your passport against the photo taken by the IO, or one that may already be held within the Immigration system – bearing in mind, each time you enter/depart the Kingdom the IO has taken a photo of you as well as each time you renew your permission to stay.
Point 3. Passport photo and wearing glasses: The wearing of tinted glasses has always been prohibited, or at least since 2001, for passport photos, and the IO will instruct someone wearing them to remove them when they present themselves at Immigration arrivals/departures. The wearing of normal spectacles was permitted for passport photos up until July 2018 provided that they did not cast a shadow or produce glare. However, since July 2018 most, if not all, passport issuing authorities now prohibit the wearing of spectacles for the passport photo unless there is extenuating medical reasons.
Point 4. Facial hair (Beards/moustaches) can be a problem for the facial recognition system, particularly if it is a full beard or very bushy moustache. The problem can be exacerbated if the person has recently grown the facial hair and the passport photo shows clean shaven. That said, because the system can still plot a facial map using any number of alternative facial ‘landmarks’ it should still be capable of making a high percentage match.
-
1
-
2
-
2 hours ago, wgdanson said:
It is not possible to increase the resolution of a photo.
My pupillary distance is 68mm, measured at the opticians. On the photo I use on my passport it is 9.2 mm.
No way can that be accurately measured when it is seven times bigger. A millimeter on the photo would make a big difference.
But I am sure someone will explain to me.
Sorry to correct you, but you are wrong on both the statements that you have made.
Firstly, it has been possible for many years to increase the resolution of a low-quality photograph. If you do a search on Google “How do I increase the resolution of a photo” all will be revealed.
The photo which you provided to the authority who issued your passport will have been to a specific size, with your face (chin to crown) being between 70 to 80% of the height of the photo.
The authority which issued your passport has high quality equipment and sophisticated software that enables them to digitize your original photo and then crop it and increase the resolution and size so that they can place an encrypted, high resolution picture of just your face (no shoulders or space above your head) onto the chip that is embedded into your passport.
Secondly, facial recognition systems rely upon comparing one image against another. Your passport has a high-resolution photo of your face held on the encrypted chip that is embedded in your passport. This photo becomes available to the Immigration system when the IO scans the photo page of your passport. The IO takes a photo of you, and the facial recognition system then compares the two photos.
Facial recognition systems rely upon identifying several points on the face and producing a digital map. The maps of both photos are compared to produce a figure that gives a reliability match.
I have attached below a sample of a facial recognition map.
-
1
-
-
On 6/2/2019 at 11:39 AM, the guest said:
Currently a retinal scan is much more reliable than finger prints.
Not quite correct…. UK Boarder Agency (Immigration) introduced retinal scanning at several UK airports in 2005 in order to speed up the immigration control process for known users.
UK passport holders could voluntarily enrol in the scheme and have their retina’s scanned and their passport details recorded into a specific Immigration database. Those who enrolled could subsequently use the electronic gate on arrival which would scan their retina and if it matched the held in the Immigration database the gate would open and would allow the person to pass without the need to show their passport.
The main problem was the need for the person to align their eyes exactly with the iris recognition camera. This in many cases was very time consuming and resulted in queues forming to use the facility. I can verify this myself. As a regular traveller I was enrolled in the scheme and it was a pain in the backside to get your eyes aligned exactly with the camera.
The second and perhaps more serious problem was that the system gave 40% plus negative results which required an IO intervention. This again led to queues forming. Again I experienced this problem on several occasions.
It was also discovered that the system had allowed individual’s who were not enrolled on the iris scan database to enter.
The system was scrapped in 2012 in favour of e-Passport gate control system which uses the biographical data held on the chip embedded within the passport.
-
1
-
-
- Popular Post
On 6/2/2019 at 10:48 AM, KhunBENQ said:Many countries have introduced mandatory biometric passports.
For those fingerprinting is done and saved on the chip that is embedded in
the passport.
So quite certain this check against the passport is included.
FYI…. Over 130 countries currently issue the so called ‘biometric’ passport. The first ‘biometric’ passports were introduced by Malaysia in 1998.
Although it is referred to as a ‘biometric’ passport the chip that is embedded within the passport has not up until June 2018 contained any biometric information. The only information that is/was held on the chip is biographical and identical to the information which is displayed on the photo page of the passport (including the photo of the holder).
The chip is what is known as contactless (also referred to as machine readable) and when the IO places the passport onto his/her scanner, the scanner reads the information held at the bottom of the page between <<<< >>>>. This information is used to unlock the first level encryption code of the chip. The biographic information held on the chip is then displayed on the IO’s screen.
In June 2018 the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which is part of the United Nations, and responsible for setting the standards of passports and other machine readable documents issued an amendment to the 7th Edition 2015 of Doc 9303 to allow passport issuing authorities to include finger prints and iris scans to be placed within the chip that is embedded within the passport. The new information is held at a higher encryption level on the chip and is only available with additional security clearance.
It must be stressed that the inclusion of fingerprints or iris scan information onto the chip which is embedded within the passport is not mandatory. The decision to include this additional information is at the discretion of the individual passport issuing authority.
-
3
-
On 6/2/2019 at 8:39 AM, wgdanson said:
........ I do not think they can get any optical or facial details from the photo on my passport as the resolution is not good enough.
FYI…. The chip which embedded in your passport contains a higher resolution copy of the photo that is displayed on the photo page. It has also been cropped so that only your face is displayed - no shoulders or 'white space' above your head. It is the image on the chip that is used by the facial recognition system.
-
1
-
-
5 hours ago, Traubert said:
What?
There's no biometric machines on the streets of China. Airports and seaports yes. Same as every other country. CCTV, yes, same as every other country.
Dont believe the hype.
I can't speak for what China has, or has not, but Thai Immigration have been using facial recognition ‘on-the-streets’ for several months now.
I am aware that there are others deployed around the country, but the photos below show 2 brand new BMWs based at the Nakhon Pathom Immigration office, each fitted with tilt/pan/zoom cameras on the roof.
The camera is connected to an on-board computer which is linked to the Immigration database. Remember the photo that the IO took of you when you arrived or applied for your extension of stay. The feedback is displayed on the officer’s screen almost instantaneously– your photo plus any relevant comments e.g. overstay etc.
I’ll give you one guess where the system was obtained from…. Got it in one… MIC.
-
1
-
-
33 minutes ago, bazzer said:
Glad to say my son is now home in u. k.. he did not have to pay fine, but paid 3000bht court fee, he was held in IDC for almost 5 weeks along with 116 other prisoners, the conditions were very uncomfortable but considerably clean, food was rice and cabbage, with a boiled egg at night, allowed exercise for 1hr every other day, living space was approx. 6ft x 2ft.
Thankyou to all that posted positive comments.
Thank you for the positive news that he's back. Hopefully he will readjust to life in the UK.
-
2
-
-
49 minutes ago, UKJASE said:
i took the money to the IDC for him last week, 20600 b was paid for the ticket plus an extra 4500 b for hospitality charges ????
because of the kings coronation it took until last night until he was deported. he finally landed in UK today and Baz was their to greet him!
so time in captivity 5 + weeks
he was only fined 2000 baht i think in court (weeks ago), and somehow dodged the 20k fine. he was banned for ten years tho.
by all accounts conditions in the IDC are not good. i spoke to a couple of detainees while i was waiting to pay his air ticket, and it sounded pretty harsh. definitely to be avoided if at all possible!!
unfortunately he was not visited by the UK embassy for 17 days in bangkok, so that period must have been very hard for him as he must have been wondering if anyone even was aware he was in there. no visits either in that time as all his mates are in hua hin, and by all accounts visiting is very difficult due to big fences between detainees and visitors, plus the noise from 50 visitations all shouting at once (look youtube for video!)
anyway, hopefully son of baz will pop up on this thread soon and share some of his experiences with us ????
glad u got home safe G mate, gonna miss ya tho you numpty ????
Good on you... he was very lucky to have a real friend.
-
1
-
1
-
-
9 hours ago, bazzer said:
Flight is booked and paid for should be landing in U.K. Thurs 9th, fingers crossed.
Great news. Don't forget to give him a good clip around the ear for all the heartache that he has caused you.
-
1
-
Make sure you Check your passport!
in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Posted
At this point in time very few so called ‘biometric’ passports contain fingerprint or iris scan data.
FYI….. Up until June 2018, the only information that is held on the so called ‘biometric chip’ which is embedded in most passports only contained the same biographical information that is displayed on the photo page of the passport (including the holder’s photo). The ‘chip’ has not held any biometric (fingerprints or iris scan) information.
The biographical information currently held on the ‘chip’ is encrypted and only accessible by scanning and reading the holder’s information presented at the bottom of the photo page between <<<< >>>>. That information is then used by a software process to unlock the encrypted information.
Once unlocked the biographical information held on the 'chip' is then available to be displayed on an Immigration Officers screen to enable him/her to compare the ‘hard copy’ photo page information of the passport against that held on the ‘chip’.
The design and information held in a passport, or other international travel documents, is governed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) which operates under the auspices of the United Nations. Currently some 160 nations have adopted the so called ‘biometric’ passport.
In June last year the General Council of the ICAO approved the inclusion of fingerprint and iris scan information on the ‘biometric chip’. The inclusion of fingerprint and iris scan data is not mandatory and the decision to include such information is left entirely at the discretion of the passport issuing authority.
The above information is referenced to the ICAO document 9303, Machine Readable Travel Documents, Seventh Edition, 2015, Part 9.