Carolina Reaper

6 minutes ago, denby45 said:

For me there would be a problem here because when I get the passbook updated they add a block sum (kasikorn). It does not show the individual deposits. I don't actually use this method however but if I did, I would have to remember to get the book updated every month. Worth thinking about.

 

Den

Maybe someone else can confirm, but I don't think Immigration wants the bankbook for the purposes of having all the same foreign deposit detail as what's reflected in the letter that itemizes them. I think it's more about showing that you have the bank account, under your individual control, that matches the account described in the itemizing letter and the account certifying letter.

13 hours ago, Neeranam said:

These days a medical certificate is not required, you wasted a trip and the associated stress.

In my prior post, I forgot to mention the medical certificate. I did have one because I knew I needed one. it is in fact required (specified in written DLT requirements at the highest level -- it's in "the binder"). I think some folks here happen (luckily?) to be taken care of by a "formal process challenged" employee.

19 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Yes it does, on the back. At least, mine does.

Mine does too.

19 hours ago, sumrit said:

With your yellow book and ID Card combined you can renew your Thai DL, you can't with your old DL.

 

With your yellow book and ID Card combined you can open a bank account, with a DL you can't.

False. Change "can" to "may be able to". In fact, I suspect there are more cases of "can't" than "can" countrywide.

13 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

That's news to me but thank you for that information.  I don't actually have a Yellow Tabien Baan yet but I will be going for one once I become eligible again.  I guess as with a lot of things it depends on the local rules or even the individual officer.  I do know that they can actually do more or less what they want when It comes to documentation which makes you wonder sometimes.

 

For example, I know a staff member at Pak Chong DLT, I've had various things done there with very little of documentation that is supposed to be required.

 

However, if the binder in which its written 'don't accept it' was presented to me, I'd take a photo and report/challenge that at a higher level. The Yellow Tabien Baan is a legal document and as far as I know, it is every bit as credible as the Blue Tabien Baan issued to Thai nationals.  In refusing such a document, the 'refuser' is going against the rules.

The binder of rules/policies originated at the higher (or highest level). Wife was there for translation purposes, and the policies essentially stated that proper evidence of residence address could be satisfied only by (1) Certificate of Residence obtained at local Immigration office; or (2) A notarized affidavit attesting to residence address obtained at Embassy or Consulate. 

I believe the Yellow Tabien Baan is not every bit as credible as the Blue Tabien Baan -- not by virtue of any legal language that defined and gave rise to the former but rather by its routine (and increasing) lack of acceptance for its purported intended purposes. I'm seeing the same thing with the pink ID card. The once-genuine usefulness of both documents is being progressively diminished. A while back I presented my pink ID and yellow book for opening another account at the main Silom BKKB branch. The girl looked at the ID card with some curiosity, front and back, browsed through the yellow book, and then smiled and (according to wife) she mumbled something about this making things way easier when setting up the account. She was quickly overruled by senior level bank personnel, however, who indicated that for a foreigner a passport and visa establishing non-tourist status were required, as well as certification of residence provided via either of the two aforementioned methods applicable to DLT (and the official documentation from HQ was there -- in a cute binder of course -- to prove it). My yellow book and pink ID were returned to me and they started processing my application based on the passport, non-O, and the embassy affidavit certifying residence residence.

We will continue to see amphurs cranking these things out (1) because they can;  (2) there are regulations governing them; and (3) foreigners still ask for them. But they are being relegated to the status of "paper prize in a modern box of cracker jacks". It's happening now and others here have reported their own anecdotal evidence supporting this belief. 

There appear to be DLT and bank employees who, at the current time, fall into any of the following 3 generational categories:

(1) Never knew about or understood -- and still don't -- what the yellow tabien baan and pink ID cards are for (due to poor supervision, weak training, and/or individual learning challenges);

(2) Know by past training or experience the intended purpose of and policy formerly surrounding said documents but weren't properly informed of internal policy changes (due to poor supervision, weak training, and/or individual learning challenges);

(3) Know by past training or experience the intended purpose of and policy formerly surrounding said documents and are now aware of published internal policy changes concerning them.

When conducting business where there are documentation requirements that ought to be satisfied by the yellow book and/or pink ID card (by virtue of their respective purported intended purposes), and a foreigner is served by a category 1 or 3 employee, his/her yellow book and/or pink ID card will be returned and he/she will need to come up with alternative documentation. However, if the foreigner is lucky enough to be served by a category 2 employee, his/her yellow book and/or pink ID card will be accepted and he/she will post on this forum about how wonderfully useful yellow tabien baans and pink ID cards are. Unfortunately, the beloved category 2 employee is becoming extinct.

About a year ago, I did get the khon Thai price at Nakhon Ratchasima zoo upon presenting my pink ID card (as a visitor, not a subject animal).

20 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

Once you have a Yellow Tabien Baan, you no longer need to confirm your address - the Tabien Baan does just that.

Perhaps in theory, but not always in practice. The DLT closest to me does not accept the Yellow Tabien Baan. I think they used to but have stopped. The DLT employee had a binder with pages containing highlighted passages to be used as a script for the interaction with foreigner. Yellow book was in the script as "don't accept it". This is in Nakhon Ratchasima province. Others have reported here that indeed it is no longer accepted  by their local DLT, perhaps implying that some rules have changed.

22 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Biggest advantage so far is that renewing your 5 year DL is much easier - don't even have to see an IO, let alone visit an office.

In Korat, yellow book was absolutely worthless for my 5 year DL renewal. Had to do COR with IO (I think I had to pay 500 Bt for that)... and they couldn't do that until my wife did another TM30 filing (even though I hadn't been registered anywhere other than at home).

Also, the yellow book was completely worthless for opening my Bangkok Bank accounts (in Bangkok, even at main Silom branch). They only wanted my passport with Non-Imm O visa (unexpired at the time) and COR (I used affidavit from embassy to meet that requirement).

So, absolutely, YMMV.

On 8/18/2019 at 7:01 PM, wgdanson said:

I just did Cigna Close Care, 71 years old, Bht 12M cover, £3131 premium = 125,000 Bht. Coronary or stroke covered.

Organ transplants are not covered and kidney dialysis coverage limited. I wonder how those costs compare with their Silver plan....

9 hours ago, Queenslander said:

or intra

That part is a fabrication. Misinterpretation by somebody, no doubt. Even the "inter" part was false for Korat as of 2 months ago.

On 8/5/2019 at 11:25 PM, pauleddy said:

It has never worked for me (I use a Mac), even after tips received from helpful members. I'm still clueless--I just get the second page, as above.

Almost always works for me on Mac (Safari) -- but sometimes the site is genuinely broken or overwhelmed. Try clearing website data (cookies, local storage, etc.) for immigration.go.th. Also, if you have any content blockers installed, be sure to whitelist immigration.go.th (and all subdomains thereof).

40 minutes ago, Somtamnication said:

The website states CERTIFIED copy of spouse ID and tabien baan. By certified they mean countersigned or?

 

Yes, copies of spouse's documents signed by spouse. 

36 minutes ago, sniggie said:

The fact that you own a condo is of no relevance to the requirement to do a TM30 report. 

I think it has some relevancy. If you own your own condo, then you are your own landlord and must bear the responsibility to do the TM30 filing. Otherwise, if you live in spouse's home or rent a condo, apartment, or house, then it is the spouse or landlord's responsibility to do the TM30, otherwise he/she is subject to a fine (NOT the foreigner). It's about the Thai "host" and not the foreigner. Now if, say, a landlord isn't willing to play ball on the TM30 (scared of fines for not having complied for years, doesn't want to get "involved", etc.), then the foreigner must take matters into his/her own hands and file the TM30 his/herself (as submitter and subject) if he/she wants to be able to proceed with extensions of stay, COR, etc.

So if you don't live in your own condo, and your spouse or landlord, whichever is applicable, is a decent, responsible person, then there is no TM30 for you, the foreigner, to worry about. Easy.

Otherwise, if you own your own condo, then you have to do your own TM30. A bit of extra pain. But I'd say the difference is indeed relevant.

11 hours ago, BestB said:

outpatient only cover

There is no such thing as outpatient only cover. 

A few years ago I got stung by an adolescent Arizona bark scorpion -- the most venomous in North America -- that I stepped on in the bathroom. At first I thought it was just an exposed carpet tack in the hallway but the pain kept escalating and felt like 100 bee stings within a few seconds. After googling around, I decided to wait for any possible foaming at mouth or other symptoms before going to work, but I was okay other than numbness and intense burning and tingling. Half my foot ended up being completely numb for about 18 hours. 

I bring this up because it turns out the small, young scorpions are more deadly than the larger, older ones because (1) the concentration of toxin is much higher in the young specimens; and (2) the young ones don't try to control the volume of their injected toxin to hold a reserve as a defense for a possible subsequent attack -- so they shoot their entire load. This makes a lot of sense, considering that the little beasties need maximum defense because of their vulnerable position. I wonder if this holds true for the centipedes as well....

17 hours ago, jacko45k said:

UK, Oz and USA no longer issue Embassy letters

Isn't there a 4th country? ... Denmark, iirc.

On 7/6/2019 at 10:56 AM, Thingamabob said:

Just deposit 800k into a Thai bank account and leave it there. I've done this for nearly 40 years, including this year, with no problem whatsoever.

Uhh, then wouldn't it only have been like 200k or 500k for you? I seriously doubt you would have deposited the magic post-10/1998 requirement of 800k into a Thai bank nearly 40 years ago if you didn't have to. I assume you had a [regrettable] break in your stay, then??

3 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Now extensions based on retirement are being hit up for the TM30.

And, in Korat, the wife and I just got hit up for a fresh TM30 at Immigration (even though there was no reason to have to do another one) as a prerequisite for being issued a COR for drivers license renewal. A notice/receipt for the fresh TM30 being done (by wife) was stapled in my passport on the page after where my TM47 filing receipt was stapled. Sigh. An outbreak of acute TM30-itis is upon us, it seems.

1 hour ago, ThailandRick said:

I can 2nd this method... For years been using this way ever since high fees were added to ATM withdrawals.  This way takes a few working days to runs it's course but works well for me.  Here is the information on bangkok bank: https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Other-Services/Transfers/Transferring-Into-Thailand/Transfer-money-from-US-to-Thailand-via-Bangkok-Bank-NewYork-branch

 

In Basic, this is how it works for me:

1.  I transfer from my USA Bank to Bangkok Bank New York Branch via (ACH - used in the USA for Bank to Bank transfer) 

    -Many Banks in USA do not charge a fee for this type of transfer

    -NY Bangkok Bank appears as a USA Bank in the eyes of other Banks... (Seems they work as a middle man to Thailand)

 

2.  Depending on the dollar amount transferring to Thailand, Bangkok Bank New York charges a transfer fee:  

fee            amount transferred

 free          < 50usd

3.00usd      50.01 - 100.00usd

5.00usd      100.01 - 2,000.00usd

10.00usd     2,000.01 - 50,000usd

 

3.  Once it hits Bangkok Bank Thailand, there is a conversion to Baht Fee prior to deposit into your account no greater than 500b a minimum of 200b calculated by .25% of transferred amount.  I was told the conversion rate used is based on USD50 > TT Buying Rates (30.48b at time of this post) https://www.bangkokbank.com/th-TH/Personal/Other-Services/View-Rates/Foreign-Exchange-Rates#

I've been doing this for a few years, too. But that party will be over soon. Read the fine print at the bottom of https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Other-Services/Transfers/Transferring-Into-Thailand/Transfer-money-from-US-to-Thailand-via-Bangkok-Bank-NewYork-branch. "With effective from April 1, 2019, New York branch only process ACH with appropriate IAT format and all non-IAT transactions will be returned." No U.S. based bank allows regular consumer accountholders to do the necessary IAT-flavored (international) ACH transactions. BKKB has extended their grace period, though, as folks are reporting that their transfers (done as you've so nicely described) are still working. But FINCEN and the U.S. banking regulators have forced Bangkok Bank to put a stop to the current standard ACH practice. 

On 7/3/2019 at 9:08 AM, Old Croc said:

If you move around internally,

This part isn't quite true. I've read the legal language surrounding this assertion and it's effectively neutralized by a separate paragraph that says that the 90-day reporting requirement for those staying longer than 90 days (i.e., on long stay visa or extension) satisfies the "internal movement" part of the overall TM30 reporting requirement, at least from the foreigner's point of view.

However, something like a hotel is never relieved of their TM30 reporting obligation.

10 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

We will see.

I got a letter from BKK Bank stating June 1 so I assume it took effect.

Two transfers later no issues.

Nope, it hasn't yet gone into effect. And, actually, Chase is behind the times. Even their commercial division can't accommodate IAT.

[3] Chase Commercial Online is not designed or intended to be used for any ACH Transaction that is required to be formatted under the NACHA rules as an “International ACH Transaction” (or IAT).

I'd been using New York branch for a few years, just like you. But I stopped because I didn't want the big surprise later at some random time after April 1. 

8 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

I do not understand it.

I have Chase Bank.

My retirement check goes into Chase on the first and I set up a transfer to BKK Bank every month.  I just received it today and have been doing it this way for several years.

When I set it up I simply added BKK bank online for the transfer since they have a US facility.

No Swift code blah blah.

It takes 2 days to receive it in my BKK account. And, it is always identified as "international transfer".

That will stop soon.

"With effective from April 1, 2019, New York branch only process ACH with appropriate IAT format and all non-IAT transactions will be returned." The thing is, no U.S. based consumer account has been blessed with the ability (by the financial institution) to capture the necessary additional info and then send in IAT format.

See https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Other-Services/Transfers/Transferring-Into-Thailand/Transfer-money-from-US-to-Thailand-via-Bangkok-Bank-NewYork-branch. 

An extra grace period is being extended by BKKB. So you will need to find another method soon.

From my experience, it is generally acceptable -- if not expected -- that a family group (including just a married couple) not be separated when entering the immigration queue area. So, both a Thai and non-Thai spouse could use a Thai (non-automated) line. But what I have found at Suvarnabhumi is that many of those unskilled helpers whose job is to herd people into queues just look at the faces and decide that a farang belongs in the non-Thai line. On multiple occasions I've had one pull me away to go in a separate line. After I reluctantly started walking away, a different sheep dog barked for me to go back in queue with my wife. The earlier advice to humbly ask ahead of time is good. Worst case, it's no big deal to separate and rejoin on the other side (unless there are kids in tow).

3 hours ago, CelticTam said:

Secondly, there is a regulation that prohibits exit from Thailand and return same day

I've heard that, too, but I'm quite sure it is only folklore, at least for Vientiane and many other border crossings. I did the Nong Khai/Vientiane border run (Non-O ME @90 days) in late 2017. With some subtle, weird feelings of guilt, I made an immediate U-Turn after being admitted into Laos side. No problem whatsoever. Just had to suffer the loss of an entire passport page for the Laos visa and a piece of another page for stamps in/out.

3 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Original Thai marriage certificate and copy

Just the certificate and no updated/recertified Kor Ror. 2?