JohnB1945

Further on this, where many people suggested that the 400,000 baht can be in more than one account.

Last thursday I went to Korat Immigration to renew my Stay Extension. Despite my showing that I had more than 400,000 baht always in K Bank, they refused the extension as Korat Immigration insisted that the 400,000 had to be in one account. So because it dropped to 399,500 for about 5 minutes in December, I now have to wait until my present extension expires ( mid Feb), then apply for a 60 day visit wife visa, then apply again for an "Accompany Wife" extension, after the visit visa expires! So a lot of hassle, and probably expense! And multiple 250 Km round trips!

Are they right? I asked to speak to an Immigation Officer and they said "too busy".

If not, whats my next step? Is there anything in writing (in Thai) that says that the 400,000 baht may be in more than one account.

Would be grateful for any advice here!

Many Thanks to all for the advice!

By the way it was definitely K Bank's fault! I was in the "general living account" area of the website, my daughter checked as she is computer savvy, but it still took the money off the wrong account! Some software glitch I suppose. 

As an aside I don't understand why Thai organisations - especially the government - don't get their software written by the many excellent Indian companies, as it is cheaper, and much better.

Hi All,

Could I please ask advice from those who understand Thai Immigration? I am here on an “Accompany Wife” visa, and my bank account balance fell briefly below 400,000 baht inside the two months before renewal. Through no fault of mine, but entirely thanks to K Bank!

·       I have two K Bank accounts; one that I keep slightly above 400,000 and which I use for Visa (Stay Extension) renewal, and another which I use for general living.

·        A few days ago I was at lunch with my family, and I picked up the bill, which was about 3,500, and I paid with the Scan function on my phone. I very clearly used the second, general living, account, and my daughter checked that I had done it right. But the money was taken from my Visa Renewal account, dropping it to 399,555.72 baht.

·       I immediately transferred money from my general living account to my visa account, but for maybe 3 or 4 minutes the visa account was below 400,000 baht.

·       My Stay Extension is due for renewal on 16 Feb, and I am sure that this will be an issue!

So what do I do? In fact the total in K Bank has always been well above 400,000 baht (Visa and General Living accounts added together), but will Korat Immigration accept adding together two accounts? I would need to take copies of both bank books, and two letters from K bank I guess, even if the Immigration would accept this!

Is it worth talking to Korat Immigration before Stay Extension renewal?

One possibility would be to use an agent but this is likely to be quite an expensive option. I have never used an agent before as I have always been fully compliant with the regulations.

So please could someone with knowledge of Immigration advise here !

Hi,

I'm 78 and on continual marriage extensions. I would rather lose 6% interest on 400K rather than 800K, and also earn a little consultancy income (you can get a work permit on marriage extension). Only advantage to a retirement extension is you get it there and then, while with marriage you have to go back a month later to pick it up.

Korat tried to get me to change a couple of years ago, but I plead poverty, and they haven't asked since. Retirement may be less paperwork for Immigration, but that is on account of the excessively bureaucratic systems. My wife lived 5 years in UK, we both lived 8 years in Pakistan, and 15 years in India, and the bureaucracy was trivial compared to Thailand. However it is up to Thailand to have the systems that it wants!

Well registration didn't work for me! Failed at the password stage, time and again. What a surprise that some Government software in Thailand doesn't work!

The old 90 day reporting system online worked for me, every time! A clear example of the truth of the adage "if it ain't broken, don't fix it"!

A 31% drop in Thai visitors and a 95% drop in foreign visitors! Why would that be?

Could it be something to do with dual pricing? Surely not! Despite dual pricing being clearly against the constitution some judge said it was not!

I live 15 km from Khao Yai Park, and I've been once in four years. The displeasure I get from being cheated exceeds the please of visiting the park. 

Got mine done in Chennai with plastic lenses in a private hospital when I lived in India about 3 years ago. Top guy, excellent private hospital, less than 50K baht for both eyes. Why so costly in Thailand?

I sometime buy pipe tobacco from a US company, as it is vastly over-priced here, and you can't get the brand I like.  Usually I buy 3 x 100 g tins, and of 4 shipments sent by post, I had to pay 800 baht once. One I bought 5 x 100g tins, these got stopped and sent back. (Customs cannot understand the difference between branded tobacco in tins (allowed) and loose tobacco (not allowed)). Even if I pay 800 baht still slightly cheaper than inferior tobacco bought in Thailand.

Did mine on Opera (VPN off) about 2 weeks ago. Worked fine, only they have stopped sending an email to tell you its approved. Now you have to go back in to check if approved, and -if so - download next date.

Actually leaving your shirt off will increase your Vitamin D production, and high Vit D looks like it reduces the severity of Covid!

Did you do it over the internet? Have you checked on the website? I ask because I did my 90 day on the website as usual, about a month ago. Previously I have got an email saying it is approved, after two or three days, so I download the next appointment. This time no email. but I went on the website anyway, and there it was, approved.

I got my first shot of AZ at Phyathai 2 hospital about 10 days ago, I had booked in person, going in about a week before as the website was not working. It was all well managed, good humoured and efficient. Quite a lot of foreigners there. 

I live in Khao Yai, and nobody said anything about being Bangkok only.

Next shot is September.

I got my first AZ shot at Phyathai 2 Hospital yesterday.

After multiple failed attempts to get the website to work, I went into Phyathai 2 about 1.5 weeks ago. I left my details and they said that they would email me; I had no very strong hopes that I would hear anything from them! However I did  them an injustice, as I got an appointment for yesterday by email. 

There were a lot of people there, and I queued up with the others. Anyway it was all quite well managed given the large number of people. My appointment was for 1.30 pm, I arrived at 1 pm, and it was all over including blood pressure check and vaccination, plus 30 minutes "observation" for adverse reactions by about 3.30 pm. So well done Phyathai 2 hosital! Efficient and well managed. 

No issues after being vaccinated, apart from a small headache.

The people being vaccinated were mostly 60+ foreigners, like me, but there was quite a number of 20 something Thai bimboes, who had presumably fluttered their eyelashes to jump the queue. No surprises there!

2nd shot not until September. But even the first shot markedly reduces your risk getting Covid, and of dying if you do get it. 

I must say that my wife, in her early 60's, has not managed to get a vaccination in Khao Yai area, despite asking for it weeks and weeks ago. But a lot of local people have had it, including many people much younger than her. So I guess locally it all depends on who you know. 

Made a 90 report on line. Usually get the OK in 1 or 2 days, but no email this time, so went on the website and did an enquiry, putting in the huge reference number. It said "approved".

So it's working for me at least!

I went into Pak Chong Ampur office to apply for a yellow book and a pink ID card. I took along two copies of all the documentation required. 

First they said that I needed even more documentation: 2 Thai Neighbours  had to attend with their blue books, and the also wanted copies of my adult children's ID cards (Why?).

Then they said that they had stopped the issue of yellow books and pink ID cards "because of Covid"! I pointed out that to register for a vaccine, even privately, you need to have a Thai ID card, they then said that the vaccine was only for Thai people and foreigners could not have vaccination until all Thai people have been vaccinated!

This is the reality on the ground, despite whatever the Government say! So the Government say one thing with a big face, but they also make sure that it doesn't happen. 

It will not be reversed as it is full of weasel words so that it will never happen, but in a deniable way! "Creation of a mobile app", "Continuing to work on ways" and "will be released at a later date"! This is the Thai way of telling foreigners to go forth and multiply.

The reality is that foreigners will come right at the very end of the queue, after 100% of Thai citizens, even given that many foreigners are high risk, older, with other conditions, there will for sure be deaths due to this; but don't expect the manslaughter charges to come soon!

My experience is different from the positive reviews above. Bought a Carryboy on a Navara 4 years ago. Firstly the rear washer/wiper are complete rubbish. Continually take it for fixing and - at best - it lasts a few weeks until it fails yet again. Also it leaked and the best the Service people could do was the bed it in gunge. So now I don't have the option of taking it off when I want to carry any large things. 

Also it was initially wired up wrong, before the ignition switch. So if you left on the heated rear screen when you parked the car it flattened the battery. 

I am not happy about FRP as it would disintegrate in a roll over. Steel might give some small amount of protection.

I would not buy Carryboy again. 

A low baht will aid exports (badly down at present) but will make imports expensive; but how many Rolex watches and BMWs do the Rice farmers buy?

A high baht will damage exports, but make imports cheap. BMWs and Rolexes cost less and money shipped abroad is worth more in GBP, USD or whatever.

So it depends on who you want to be nice to - rice farmers or the BMW/Rolex crowd.

Got two debit cards from my UK Bank in late December, but no PIN number for either, which is sent separately. So some mail gets through, some does not.

Yes, it may take a long time. But things can go frighteningly fast when a critical point is reached. The first public act of defiance against Ceausescu's was when his speech was booed on 21 Dec 1989. Four days later, Christmas Day, he was put against a wall and shot. 

Lets hope Thailand makes a peaceful change.