007 RED

8 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

It's transferred in $ and held in $.

It's transferred in $ and held in $.

You exchange to baht when ready at 0.25% maximum fee 500 baht.

 

Interest rates vary depending on the type of Foreign currency account.

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/DailyBanking/Accounts/ForeignCurrencyAccount/Pages/Default.aspx

 

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBankThai/Documents/Site Documents/Interest Rates/FeesFCD_Table5_151116_En.pdf

"It's transferred in $ and held in $." ..... Correct

"It's transferred in $ and held in $."  ......  Wrong - when funds are transferred from USA BB HQ in Thailand make a deposited charge of between 200 and 500 Baht depending upon the amount being transferred.

"You exchange to baht when ready at 0.25% maximum fee 500 baht."  ..... Wrong - No fee is charge when you exchange to THB.  When you want to transfer from US$ to THB BB uses the TT rate which is better than the standard currency exchange rate.

Above info based upon Bangkok Bank details.

I have been transferring funds on a regular basis from my account in the UK to BB in BKK for 6 years plus.   Having today discovered through TV that BB that they now require registration to facilitate such transfers I contacted BB London by email with a couple of questions.

The following reply came back within 10 minutes.

Dear 007 RED

Thank you for your email.  I can see from our records that you are a long-term customer and have been sending funds from the same UK account for a few years. 

Therefore, provided you do not change that account, you do not need to register.

If you change the UK account that the funds are coming from, then you will need to register.

Regards

Christine Cownley

Admin. Officer

Customer Service

Bangkok Bank Pcl.

33 St. Mary Axe

London EC3A 8BY

Tel: +44 (0)207 929 4422 Ext. 2214

Fax: +44 (0)207283 3988

www.bangkokbank.com

A follow up email arrived 20 minutes later stating that they may ask for proof of ID and address etc. in the future, but at the moment they are concentrating of new customers

I have been transferring funds on a regular basis from my account in the UK to BB in BKK for 6 years plus.   Having today discovered through TV that BB that they now require registration to facilitate such transfers I contacted BB London by email with a couple of questions.

The following reply came back within 10 minutes.

Dear  007 RED

Thank you for your email.  I can see from our records that you are a long-term customer and have been sending funds from the same UK account for a few years. 

Therefore, provided you do not change that account, you do not need to register.

If you change the UK account that the funds are coming from, then you will need to register.

Regards

Christine Cownley

Admin. Officer

Customer Service

Bangkok Bank Pcl.

33 St. Mary Axe

London EC3A 8BY

Tel: +44 (0)207 929 4422 Ext. 2214

Fax: +44 (0)207283 3988

www.bangkokbank.com

1 hour ago, elviajero said:

.....It would be good idea to get a Tourist Visa this time to avoid extra scrutiny.

Having a valid TV in does not guarantee that you wont be scrutinised on arrival or admitted into the Kingdom.  Both factors are at the discretion of the immigration officer.

As others have indicated you should be allowed to enter the Kingdom as your overstay did not incur a ban.  That said, don't be surprised when you arrive and the immigration officer scans your passport that he/she asks you a few questions and may want to see some proof of funds to support your stay, hotel bookings and a departure ticket.

Someone might suggest that you get a new passport in order to avoid any problems.  Don't bother as the immigration system is very good at matching new/old passports and displaying your history to the immigration officer.

30 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Only 1st of January is a holiday unless they make the 2nd a substitute for new years eve.

The Cabinet yesterday (07/11/17) approved that the New Year holiday will be the 1st & 2nd January 2018.

Forgive me, but I was under the impression that this forum was dedicated to matters concerning Thai visas, residency and work permits not an agony aunt forum. 

I guess ladyboyHaHaHa is laughing at all the comments. 

Come on folks, his/her question was answered in the first couple of posts. Time to put this one to bed.

OP… you really need to do your homework on shipping personal items to Thailand, and don’t take what your local shipping agent tells you as being gospel. 

Thai customs officers are paid a bonus (x% of the amount of duty they collect), so it’s in the personal interest to ‘sting’ you for as much as they can.

A few years ago a good friend of mine was coming to live in Thailand with his wife on a retirement extension and they shipped most of their treasured possessions over.  The shipping agent assured them that if they listed the goods as second hand and gave a low cost figure for the items they would only be liable to a small amount of duty or a contribution to the 'tea fund'.  When the container arrived in Thailand the local representative contacted them and arranged to meet them at the port so as to complete the formalities.

When they arrived they were presented with a horrendous import and VAT bill from customs.  In fact that bill amounted to substantially more than they had estimated the second hand value of the goods.  It appeared that customs don’t work on second hand values, they work on 'as new' book prices.

To add insult to injury the calculations are done as follows:

The total cost of the items (as per customs reckoning) plus the cost of shipping plus the cost of insurance.  That figure is then used to calculate the import duty at x% which is then added to the first  total.  VAT at 7% is then charge against the grand total.

The local representative tried to negotiate a lower figure by arranging a donation to the 'tea fund', but the officer was having none of it.

My friend eventually decided to call it a day and abandoned the shipment as the costs were so prohibitive.  They also learned later that their items would be actioned off but they were unable to find out when/where that took place.  No doubt the customs officers are the only ones privileged to that information in order to buy the stuff cheaply and resell later.

To say my friends were 'shafted' is an understatement.

2 hours ago, sandyf said:

I got married in 2008 shipped the goods in 2009 when I sold my house, didn't get an extension of stay until 2014, spent the first 6 years here on a multi non imm O.

My wife hadn't been to the UK so all in my name. My wife made all the arrangements this end and I just had to deal with the dxxxhead in the UK. The service itself was excellent, packers were excellent, nothing broken. Container turned up exactly when they said.

Sanyf… Things have changed substantially since 2008.  Now you will find (with a few exceptions) any good being shipped into the Kingdom are subject to import duty and VAT, regardless of them being new or second hand.

The only exception are if a Thai person has been living outside the Kingdom for 12 months or more, they are allowed to bring back a reasonable quantity of household items.  The other exception is if a non-Thai person is coming to work in the Kingdom they also can bring a reason quantity of personal household items with them.  They need to show a work permit and valid non-B visa or extension .

OP.... I think that Ubonjoe made mentioned in passing in one of his excellent posts that your friend will not only be deported but he will be banned from returning to Thailand for some considerable time.

In your original post you indicated that he had overstayed for "some years" but did not specify actually how long he had overstayed.

Because he was apprehended the length of the ban will be considerably longer than had he surrendered to immigration at the airport.

If his overstay was less than 1 year, he will be banned from entering the country for 5 years.  If the overstay was more than 1 year he will be banned for 10 years.

Once again... Good luck.

3 hours ago, Aditi Sharma said:

....Giving him a prepaid card with 100 euros on it after he has got out, right, to buy some food and coffee in the airport lounge? He hasnt called since, dont know why. 

 

Sorry but you really don’t seem to understand the situation that the Ops friend is in.

Once a flight has been arranged and paid for the OP’s fiend will not be free.  He will remain in detention until he boards the plane at BKK.

Normally on the evening before his flight is scheduled to depart he will be taken from the IDC in Bangkok to the ‘backdoor’ of the Airport in a prison van.  Upon his arrival at the airport he will be escorted to the secure immigration holding area (which is airside) where he will remain until his flight is due to start boarding.  He will have no opportunity to avail himself of any of the public lounges or be able to purchase any duty free. 

Shortly before boarding starts, he will be escorted onto the plane (usually before normal passengers start to board) and his documentation will be handed over to the purser.

Although conditions in immigration holding area at the airport are slightly better than the IDC in Bangkok, it is by no means a first class lounge.  Entry is strictly by invitation only.

4 hours ago, MobileContent said:

Dear OP,
The phones are normally only on Cell 5 and in the private cells (detainees fighting and delaying extradition but sit on millions of Baht). Their is a strong chance that your BF did made the call from Cell 5 but because he didn't had any funds they moved him to Cell 2 or 3 which is hell compared to 5. In cell 2 or 3 are no chances of making another phone call and those detainees have no visitors, no extra food and have no funds to buy even a ticket. Some have been in for years and some didn't even made it.

 

The consulate should be your first option but I would try to call the IDC and my second option would be the UNHCR under +662 056 0000. Give the officer at IDC on the phone the full name, date of birth, passport number, citizenship and tell them you call from Europe to find out more so that you are able to assist and get him out of the mess. The second option would be the UNHCR, especially for countries such as Rwanda, Sudan, etc.

 

If it has been confirmed that your BF is in IDC, buy him a prepaid Visa or Mastercard and put a 100 Euros on it and send it to him via express without the PIN. He will be able to call you again to get the PIN.

 

All the best !!

 

 

A few observation regarding your post.

Firstly, the Op in his original post indicated that he had received a video call from his friend and that it looked like he was in a cell.  That would seem to suggest the friend was using an internet connection of some sort via a mobile phone/tablet/laptop.  These devices are not allowed in the IDC Bangkok as they would most certainly been taken away from him on his arrival at the center.   I suspect that the video call was made when he was first apprehended and put in a local police station cell as it’s not uncommon for prisoners to be allowed to retain their mobile whilst ‘enquiries’ are being made.

Secondly, regarding you suggestion that the OP might possibly contact the UNHCR for assistance.   I don’t think that that they will offer any assistance what so ever, on the simple basis that the friend is not a refugee.  He is basically a person who has broken the law in Thailand, been convicted and awaiting deportation to his home country in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom.

Thirdly, regarding consulate involvement.  Again I doubt that they will be of much assistance as their role in such matters is extremely limited (e.g. notifying next of kin and seeing that his basic health needs are being met) and they would not normally wish to, or cannot, become involved in situations where one of their citizens has broken the law and been convicted.  At best they will only offer some ‘lukewarm’ advice, like get a solicitor.

19 minutes ago, Wake Up said:

I understand your thoughts. I am old and have seen similar scenarios and based on that history and her comments my advice on what to do next is drop the bat and walk away. You have other ideas on what she should do next. IMO if she accepts my advice she will be better for it and he will find another “love” to get him out of the next mess.  If you like to live with a man who constantly creates problems and issues and ignores responsibility then this guy is for you until he finds another girl better for him.   This guy does not love himself so he cannot love her IMO.  But I say some of this through experience so I understand her belief that he loves her. He can be quite convincing in his actions toward others. Take care. 

Wake Up.... Please go back to the OPs post No.61on page 5 and read it.... May be several times.... She is actually a he and has been in a stable relationship with the person who is detained for quite some time.   Sorry but Wake Up is a good name .

OP... Thank you for your further explanation.. I think the advice given by me, and a number of other posters, was to beware of so called 'love' scams which have been much in the news here recently... that is now clearly not the case in your situation.

Regarding his video call to you, I suspect that may well have taken place before he was transferred to IDC in Bangkok.  There they take aaway mobiles, tablets or laptops from the detainees.  His only contact now will be by normal landline phone and he will have to pay for calls.

As I posted earlier you will be able to visit him at the IDC in Bangkok.  You can take him food and ask to deposit money into his account so that he can buy some addition items from the 'shop' which is inside the centre.  If you want to assist him with funding his flight I suggest that you speak to the guards - surprisingly they can be helpful.

Regarding his departure.  Once a flight has been paid for, IDC will make arrangements to transport him to the airport the day before departure and he will be held in the airport detention facility (which is slightly more civilised) until his flight is ready for boarding.  You will not be able to have access to him at the airport.

Good luck and please keep us informed as to the outcome.

1 hour ago, Aditi Sharma said:

If you look carefully, it's not a bribe. A bribe in Mumbai is called chai-paani. 

I was always lead to believe that chai-paani means "tea and water" and is Indian slang for going out for a cup of tea or a tasty bite/snack.  When I was working in Maharashtra a good few years ago bribes were always referred to as  rishwat, bahsheesh, ghoos or hafta.

2 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

If done correctly by a judge/court a blacklisting could be removed by a court order. It would require the order to be submitted to immigration to remove it.

The administrative court would likely be the correct route to get it done. 

Joe… Sorry, but with all due respects, having overstayed in the Kingdom by over a year on what grounds is OP going to appeal against the 3 year ban?  I don't think "laziness" (to quote the OP) is not really a justifiable reason for an overstay appeal.

As you are aware the overstay ban is automatic and there is no appeals procedure, so it is highly unlikely (unless there are extenuating circumstances) that a Court would even entertain hearing such a case.

16 hours ago, Thai Ron said:

I know a fella who got deported for being in the wrong place at the wrong time (Police conducted a raid on an office and charged everyone with working without a permit even though he was just meeting a friend)

He paid 250000 baht to a fixer (who I presume bribed a court official to remove the blacklisting) and was back in the country 2 months later like nothing had happened.

 

I'm sorry but that is just hear say... court officials have nothing to do with immigration and they certainly no access to the immigration system to be able to expunge such a ban.

OP…. In your original post you asked “Anyone has experience with reversing the ban?  Are there lawyers who has done it before? (Successfully)".

To be honest, your chances of having your overstay ban expunged are extremely remote.  The ban has been imposed by immigration in accordance with the Ministerial Regulation and there is no official route for appealing against that ban.

There are a large number of agents/lawyers who claim to have connections in high places and will sweet talk you into believing that they can get your ban removed for a ‘fee’.  These people will happily string you along and take your money with little/no comeback when they don’t come up with the goods.

You mentioned in a later post that you would be willing to pay to be able to return to Thailand.  If you were able to find a Mr Fix-it, you will be talking in the order of 10 million Baht plus. 

Just now, overherebc said:

Seems right. Been searching a few UK Gov' sites and they do state that.

Believe 2006 was the year UK started chips in PP's.

2005 actually.