Sisaket Immigration no longer flexible on recency of dating of statements/passbooks for financial resources proving

[SantiSuk]

Sisaket Immigration has always been one of the most user-friendly of immigration offices in Thailand and very quick to get through. Today I (and another expat who was in at the same time) were sent back to our banks to make sure that our passbooks (or presumably bank statements* if one is using that route) were clearly dated the same date as our visit/application. At past visits there has been a few days flexibility when presenting proof of money in the bank for visa extensions requiring financial proof. Today they did not mind the bank certification being a couple of days 'old' but they wanted to make sure the money was still there by getting the passbook bang up to date.

 

Yes - I recognise that this has probably always been the rule - it's just a heads up for anyone else who has previously availed themselves of a more flexible approach by this one office.

 

[Krungsri cannot date passbooks with the current date so I found myself having to deposit some money just to have a transaction that facilitated an update]

 

*bank statements, as opposed to bank certification of a particular balance

[SantiSuk]

Hardly (though have to admit that was my initial reaction and I rather lost my rag for a few minutes!). They still make everything else easy enough though - they still do all the copying (for an extra 20baht) and the form filling for you. 

 

The immi officer who was doing extensions was wearing a Nakhon Panhom Immi shirt so it may have been a temporary import of an out-of-province office's practices, but probably better to be safe and sure. 

[crazygreg44]

I did my extension at the Sisaket Immigration on tuesday 26th. 9 years ago a bankbook guarantee letter was accepted as long as it was no older than one day, yet since 2015 they ask for a same day letter of guarantee.  They also sent me outside to an ATM in order to withdraw a small amount like 500 THB,  so they are able to compare the amount on the slip that shows the remaining balance after the withdrawal to the bankbook's last entry.

 

I use the Siam Bank Plc Kantharalak for my savings account and fortunately they are able to do the guarantee letter plus the listings of previous three months balance on early morning of the same day I plan the visit to the Immigration Sisaket which is a 70 km one way trip.  I always keep a copy of the previous bank guarantee letter at hand which I show the clerk to make sure she understands what I need to show immigration. 

 

I find Sisaket Immigration a very courteous Team, never had any problems with them, they are all friendly and nice. The officer you mentioned was the same one who asked for an ATM withdrawal outside of the office.  Everything was multi-copied and multi-signed. . the usual procedures, two photos passed across the desk and stamping. I came in at 11:43 and was out at 12:02 (stealing two minutes of their lunchtime break!)

[SantiSuk]

"yet since 2015 they ask for a same day letter of guarantee".

 

Not the same as my experience for several years, nor yesterday*. Just as well as Krungsri Bank (in Kantharalak and in Sisaket) seem to issue certificates dated on the day you go in (if you don't go in too late for them, in which case they may say they will do it after close and you may end up with a letter dated the day after) but certifying the balance at close of business the previous banking day.

 

Anyway - best advice (IME) is to take in:

 

* an original bank passbook or bank statement - if no passbook is issued - that clearly shows the balance on the day you apply at Immigration (and movements for the past year)

* a certificate that is dated and shows the balance on the day you apply, or if not possible (for good reason) one that is dated and shows the balance on the previous banking day

 

 

 

* If by letter of guarantee you mean the letter stating the balance of an account or all accounts held with the bank on a specific day

[bprinceuk]

I had the same experience for the first time after 8 years in Khon Kaen, last September. The other half nipped out to an ATM inside the University across the road from the immigration office to get an updated receipt. The letter from the bank was dated the previous day. The officer said it was because there was a new boss there and that was his requirements. But still apart from that little hick up, all went smoothly, extension renewed and multi entry visa all within 30 minutes.

[VocalNeal]

I believe it helps if you deposit/keep the money in a bank that has a branch in or close to immigration! Makes all the running around easier.

[connda]

What is actually the issue is the total lack of regulatory continuity between Thailand immigration offices.  They should all be in lock step; but they act as fiefdoms. 

[hkt83100]

Hmm. That procedure with the ATM would not work for me, since I got the funds on a fixed deposit, and that will not show up at an ATM. Anyway, in Phuket a letter from the bank of yesterday is perfectly welcome. Boxing Day is my favorite date for the extension, just after lunch break. I got sequence number 1 and was done in under 20 minutes. Pickup of the passport on the next day took about 3 minutes.

[Sumarianson]

On 14/12/2017 at 6:03 PM, dfdgfdfdgs said:

I edited my post after I saw you were married as I guess you could use that as a visa too.

 

You're 23 years old.  Assuming you take care of yourself then you can pull any number of normal Thai girls who you don't have to give any money to and who are a lot less likely to be ****ing other men.

 

I got here when I was 24 and I remember how easy it was.  I never gave anybody any money, if a girl asked for it I just say goodbye and moved onto the next one.

 

You can start to pay for girls' company when you're 50 or 60.  No need to do it at that age.

 

On 28/12/2017 at 1:40 AM, crazygreg44 said:

I did my extension at the Sisaket Immigration on tuesday 26th. 9 years ago a bankbook guarantee letter was accepted as long as it was no older than one day, yet since 2015 they ask for a same day letter of guarantee.  They also sent me outside to an ATM in order to withdraw a small amount like 500 THB,  so they are able to compare the amount on the slip that shows the remaining balance after the withdrawal to the bankbook's last entry.

 

I use the Siam Bank Plc Kantharalak for my savings account and fortunately they are able to do the guarantee letter plus the listings of previous three months balance on early morning of the same day I plan the visit to the Immigration Sisaket which is a 70 km one way trip.  I always keep a copy of the previous bank guarantee letter at hand which I show the clerk to make sure she understands what I need to show immigration. 

 

I find Sisaket Immigration a very courteous Team, never had any problems with them, they are all friendly and nice. The officer you mentioned was the same one who asked for an ATM withdrawal outside of the office.  Everything was multi-copied and multi-signed. . the usual procedures, two photos passed across the desk and stamping. I came in at 11:43 and was out at 12:02 (stealing two minutes of their lunchtime break!)

The reason to ask you to withdraw funds is that, if you had a company supply the funds 800K for a fee, you would not be able to withdraw from the account. Heads up for anyone doing that.

[Searat7]

This happened to me in Bangkok a few years ago. I had updated the passbooks the day before and I was told to go to the bank to update again. What I did have, however, was an Internet printout of my account balances at Bangkok Bank which I had printed the same day....they reluctantly accepted this so I was saved a stupid trip to the bank.

[LoZth]

A friend of mine also had this same problem at Sriracha Immigration about three weeks ago, his bank letter was dated the day before he went in to renew. He was told it was no good and he had to go to the bank and get a letter with that days date.

 

He had to go all the way back to Bangsaen, get another letter from his bank and take it back to Sriracha before they would process him.

 

He's been using Sriracha for the last eight years but still needed the letter with ''today's''  date on it, the day before was no good they said.

 

Two trips to and from Bangsaen, plus 100 baht for each letter from the bank.

 

He was not a happy bunny. (Nationality Withheld, he is not American or nor a Brit) ;-)

[SantiSuk]

It's reasonable for Immigration to ask for an online statement or updated passbook that shows the balance on the day you apply at Immigration, as one of these is easy/practicable enough to obtain on the day you apply (so long as you have an account with a bank that has branches everywhere, including the town at which your Immigration Office is located.

 

It is reasonable for them to ask in addition for a bank letter dated on the same day or on the day before showing the balance on the same day or one/two days before.

 

I think a combination of those two is good protection for them against most of the deviousness that applicants might get up to (but not the paid-for service that one poster refers to above).

 

It's not reasonable for Immigration to ask for a bank letter dated the same day, as some applicants live and bank remotely from their immigration office* It is particularly unreasonable for them to ask for a same-day balance to be confirmed in a bank letter dated the day of application, as some banks will not do that as a matter of course**.

 

Like another poster said, what we want is consistency between Immigration Offices and within reason from year to year so that they do not put themselves in the position of asking an applicant who has driven a long way already to make a 10 klick return journey into the local town to try to negotiate with unfamiliar banking staff when the applicant is potentially up against a time deadline. It would also be nice to know that whoever sets policy in this area has had meetings with the banks at an industry level to understand the practicalities nationwide of what they are asking for when it comes to dating specifics.

 

 

*  Yes I know that you can go to your bank branch in the same town as the Immigration Office but you do not have any relationships there (I contend that they feel less obligation to do stuff quickly for you if you are not a local customer). Also if you do not have a wife/GF or Thai speaker with you when you apply it can be more tricky getting your instructions properly interpreted at a bank you do not usually use.

 

** Based on my experience with Krungsri. I agree that I might have been able to persuade them to break their normal process had I had a fluent Thai speaker with me. As it was, with my (better then basic/less than intermediate) Thai capabilities I had a hell of a job to get across to the staff in a bank with no English skills that all I wanted was a passbook with a today's date balance in it. They would and did print off a same day statement of my savings account for me, but that also simply showed the balance at the last transaction date as would any update of the passbook. When I pointed out that their piece of paper was undated they pointed out that the statement said "Last Page". "Not enough! I said (in Thai) at which point the clerk did the Thai equivalent of a shoulder shrug/what can I do motion. That was when I handed over deposit money and my passbook and said "deposit: update" and she finally understood. Cost 20 baht and an updated letter (unwanted but I could not get that across to them) would have cost 100 baht had I not been a Krungsri Exclusive customer. 

 

[SantiSuk]

On 12/27/2017 at 11:53 PM, SantiSuk said:

Hardly (though have to admit that was my initial reaction and I rather lost my rag for a few minutes!). They still make everything else easy enough though - they still do all the copying (for an extra 20baht) and the form filling for you. 

 

The immi officer who was doing extensions was wearing a Nakhon Panhom Immi shirt so it may have been a temporary import of an out-of-province office's practices, but probably better to be safe and sure. 

I was responding to a post that contained a profanity directed toward Immigration, which unsurprisingly has since been removed by admin.

[jenny2017]

On 12/27/2017 at 11:53 PM, SantiSuk said:

Hardly (though have to admit that was my initial reaction and I rather lost my rag for a few minutes!). They still make everything else easy enough though - they still do all the copying (for an extra 20baht) and the form filling for you. 

 

The immi officer who was doing extensions was wearing a Nakhon Panhom Immi shirt so it may have been a temporary import of an out-of-province office's practices, but probably better to be safe and sure. 

The "good times" at Sisaket Immigration seem to be over after "Khun Daeng" had to leave.

 

  

[DILLIGAD]

The "good times" at Sisaket Immigration seem to be over after "Khun Daeng" had to leave.
 
  

Has she gone again? I saw her there a month or so ago.


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[jenny2017]

9 minutes ago, DILLIGAD said:

Has she gone again? I saw her there a month or so ago.


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Opps? Last I've heard was that she'd work in Phoosing, it would be great when she's back.

 

  I'm currently not doing any 90 day TM 47 stuff, but leaving the country every 90 days instead. 

 

  Have a great new year, mate!! 

[Ron19]

A post containing a derogatory comment about an immigration officer has been removed.