Bangkok Basha

"Combination method" not working at Chaeng Wattana, at least for me. In spite of having transferred nearly 1 million baht over the past 12 months, I was denied for having one single month a year ago with less than the required minimum of 65,000 month. And not only did they want to see the passbooks and photocopies of every page, they wanted "credit advices" from my bank (Bangkok Bank) for every single foreign currency transfer. I was unable to provide those for July 2019 because I had used TransferWise for three transactions this month, and only one of them showed up as "FTT" (foreign currency) tranactions. The other two were "SMT", or interbank transfer via Kasikorn Bank, TransferWise's correspondent bank here in Bangkok. It was a complete mess, and the agents were neither helpful nor even slightly encouraging. So much for "lenience" in this first year of no embassy affidavits. My current Extension of Stay expires this Sunday, so I will have to start over from scratch and apply for a new Non-O-A Retirement Visa somewhere else. Any suggestions most welcome? Cambodia? I would like to avoid the expense of traveling back to the U.S.

What time do the doors open at Chaeng Wattana, and what time do they start handing out queue tickets?

Bangkok Bank requires 3-5 working days to produce copies of bank statements (I mistakenly shredded mine after entering the data into financial software). Unfortunately I waited until the week before my Extension of Stay expires, but got 12 months of statements today. When I went to the counter to get the official letter with the monthly transfer totals (for use with the 65,000/month option), I was told it might take "several days". Only after I practically begged did the banking associate agree to provide it by close of business tomorrow, and said she'd have to work on it after hours (as they don't work on them during customer banking hours- for some reason). I plan to get it tomorrow and go to Chang Wattana on Friday- the last day I can apply for it, as my Extension expires on Sunday. The lesson here is not to wait until the week before, as I did. 

I'm going into Chang Wattana this week with only THB 715,000 in total monthly deposits for 12 months, but with over 65,000/month in the months since January, when the U.S. Consulate stopped providing affidavits. I have almost 150,000 in two Bangkok Bank savings accounts, so I'll find out if they accept that as a "combination" or not. Otherwise, I'm back to square one and may have to fly back to the U.S. and apply for a new Non O-A retirement visa there and start from scratch. I plan to consult with a law firm first to see if they have any options if refused Extension. 

How can a tenant (not an owner) file his/her own TM 30 upon return? (Assuming the landlord does not?)

I'm worried that recent transfers to my Bangkok Bank account using TransferWise show up as "Interbank Transfer Via Smart", and not FTT as previous ones had. I'm going to Bangkok Bank tomorrow to get 12 months' worth of foreign deposits, and they may not count those as foreign deposits for purpose of the letter required (I'm using the THB 65,000/month method). If this does not work at Chang Wattana Immigration, I'm screwed, as I only have a week before my current Extension of Stay expires on Aug. 4. My neighbor who is also on a retirement extension of stay, but who has not made the required deposits for the past year (using ATM cash advances instead) is returning to the U.S. to apply  for a new retirement visa, something I hope I won't have to do. I'm prepared to go the agent route and pay to expedite an extension of stay as the much cheaper alternative, but how do I go about finding one? Thanks in advance. 

More than just an actor. During questioning, Keelor told officers that he was an actor working in China, and was hired by a Singaporean to be Executive Director of Eagle Gates Group Co Ltd in order to build credibility and reputation for the company.

Read more at https://www.thephuketnews.com/dsi-arrests-american-in-phuket-over-b235mn-fraud-scam-68333.php#q6rdMmisglcxgGk1.99

Someone I know was at Chang Wattana today. TM 30 is definitely required, and those applying for Extensions were fined 800 bahts for not having reported within 24 hours of their last arrival, as shown on the TM 6. The fine itself was not the problem, it was the time it took for the two agents in Section B (who are also dealing with 90 day reporting) to fill out the identical paperwork in triplicate (no carbon paper here). In the case of my friend, the process took 2 and a half hours, as the vast majority of those applying for Extensions of Stay did not have a TM 30. On any given day, that number could be in the hundreds. If this sound like chaos, it is. Immigration don't have the personnel to deal with this, and there were a lot of dissatisfied "customers" today. Given the number of expats living in Bangkok alone, and the thousands of them who fly in and out on a daily basis, the new policy is completely unworkable. Does that mean that sanity will prevail? You guess.

I have never submitted a TM30, but have only had to do one (1) 90-day notification in 3 years (I have otherwise always traveled outside of Thailand before the next 90-day notification was required, and have never submitted a TM 30 on return). When I did the single 90-day notification, and when I have applied for Extensions of Stay (each of the last 3 years), I have not been asked for a TM30 at Chang Wattana. I do take a copy of my residential lease and a copy of the most recent rental receipt (for the Extension). A friend from Phuket says he has always submitted a TM 30 each time he returns from abroad. My condo building management has submitted a TM30 for each foreign tenant (as far as I know), and asked for a copy of my passport to do that several years ago (and they have no idea when I have traveled since then). Has something changed? Thanks in advance.

I would love to choose Thai Airways for frequent trips to Europe and other destinations, but they are usually 40%-50% more expensive than other full fare carriers. Until they become competitive on the basis of price, they will never increase their revenues. The proposed purchase of new aircraft is not the solution- being competitive is. They have recently downgraded the  benefits for their frequent flier program (as have other carriers I use- such as United), so they are not alone in that. They are also not winning in the service category compared to ANA, Emirates, Etihad, or Cathay Pacific.

Can someone over 65  get a work permit in Thailand? I was under the impression that they cannot.

A previous post on this Forum mentioned the name of the specific letter that Bangkok Bank will issue to account holders showing international (foreign) transfers for the past 12 months in order to provide this to Immigration showing monthly transfers meeting the THB 65,000/month minimum. Can someone please remind me what that letter is called? Thanks in advance. 

I am interested in house rentals in Jomtien. Where is your place located, and do you have any photos of it yet? 

Sangtaew Number 1240 is very convenient, and it stops (but does not terminate) at the Lumphini MRT station. It continues along Rama IV, and then turns down Sathorn as far as Soi Suan Plu, which it follows until the expressway, from which it circles back via a long loop and then returns to Suan Plu back to the intersection of Sathorn; makes a U-turn at Soi Convent, and then left on Soi Saladaeng and Saladaeng Soi One to Rama IV again. Seven (7) bahts from some of all of the journey. I use it to get to the Suan Plu market and to the MRT station regularly. It is full of office workers on Sathorn during the lunch break. There are numerous sangtaews at the Sathorn Pier (Saphan Taksin BTS), but I've never figured out where they go. I suspect that are available for private hire- like a taxi- but probably overcharge as it's a tourist destination. 

Always at Chang Wattana (Bangkok), where I've rented and lived for 5 years. 

In 3 years of renewals of Extension of Stay, I've never once been asked for a TM30, and I've never had my landlord fill out one either. I always present a copy of my most recent rental receipt and a copy of my lease, but that's all. Has something changed, and should I anticipate an issue with this when I renew next July?

Stop the immigration process in its tracks (or simply tell her you have) and see what happens next. Tell your 30 friends that the Thai wedding is being postponed, or wish them well on their Thai vacation (as many will have non-refundable tickets. Since she's already cashed in for a considerable amount of money from her rich farang b.f., her true intentions will be evident when you tell her "No green card, and no money, honey!" Jeez. 

There is no such thing as a "Family Support Unit", Counselor. Nor has there ever been such a thing here in Bangkok. There is and always has been the American Citizen Services unit of the U.S. Consulate, which serves the passport and affidavit notarization needs of U.S. citizens. The embassy has decided, for good reason, that they can no longer be put in the position of notarizing potentially fraudulent statements for whatever purpose, especially when it concerns income declarations. If there are other embassies where ACS notarizes income affidavits, I'm sure they are also reconsidering it and will also cease doing so. The extra time required to verify income exceeds the capacity of the staffing of the unit. As the website clearly states: Services we CANNOT provide: 

• Statements beyond the Consular Officer’s knowledge: e.g. that the document satisfies specific a legal requirement, that a person is the spouse of another, or an individual is an employee of a certain business or corporation.

In any case, anyone who is not happy with this outcome can very easily demonstrate the required monthly income transferred to Thailand (if they have it) or the required amount deposited in a Thai bank. Since this is what we have all been swearing before the consular official to obtain the affidavit, I don't see what the problem is (unless of course you don't have the assets or income required).

Consular outreach in Phuket is provided by the American Citizen Services unit of the Consulate in Bangkok, so this will apply anywhere that they conduct outreach services (Pattaya, Phuket, etc). People thinking that the grass is greener elsewhere should look at what Malaysia requires. Applicants over 50 have to show liquid assets over RM350,000 ($83,842) , and a monthly income over RM10,000 ($2395.00). They must make a fixed deposit in a Malaysian bank of RM150,000 ($36,000). (Applicants who receive a government pension used to be exempted from making any fixed deposit although recently this exemption is no longer being given). A $5000 bond is also required to be posted. Whether this is refundable or not I don't know. Thailand has set the bar much, much lower for us. 

It doesn't say how many were actually granted a visa. Methinks that the application numbers do not tell the whole story. There are many rejected applications at other Schengen visa consulates in Thailand.