CM Immigration Q&A (2018)

[grin]

31 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

Most people report no problem going in 2-3-5 days late. A few have been asked to do it within 24hrs. Can not recall anybody being fined for a few days late.

Mostly too much worry about nothing.

Imm will not “always” anything.


Sent from my iPod touch using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

You have a point there about worrying about nothing. Now that I think about it I should just forget about updating my TM30 every time I come home even if I stay longer than a weekend. Then I will only have to pay the fine once a year when I go in to do my extension of stay. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. What a load off. This will save me about 20 trips to immigration every year.

 

Edited April 16, 2019 by grin
fix typo

[Lizard2010]

3 minutes ago, grin said:

You have a point there about worrying about nothing. Now that I think about it I should just forget about updating my TM30 every time I come home even if I stay longer than a weekend. Then I will only have to pay the fine once a year when I go in to do my extension of stay. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. What a load off. This will save me about 20 trips to immigration every year.

 

Just go to immigration after you come back

When you do your Visa Extension

Sometimes it can take only a few minutes

Other times it can take a while

it depends on how many New TM 30 have to be done

Just make sure you know when the Govt Holidays are

[scottiejohn]

3 minutes ago, grin said:

You have a point there about worrying about nothing. Now that I think about it I should just forget about updating my TM30 every time I come home even if I stay longer than a weekend. Then I will only have to pay the fine once a year when I go in to do my extension of stay. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. What a load off. This will save me about 20 trips to immigration every year

Just make a TM30 report ASAP after your last return to Thailand before your extension is due.  They will not be interested in previous trips/TM30 reports only that your present status is up to date.

[grin]

11 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Just make a TM30 report ASAP after your last return to Thailand before your extension is due.  They will not be interested in previous trips/TM30 reports only that your present status is up to date.

 

Very good to know. I had just assumed that they will fine me when I try update my TM30 after not doing it on previous trips.

[Bill97]

 
Very good to know. I had just assumed that they will fine me when I try update my TM30 after not doing it on previous trips.

I have skipped a report several times, once last month, no problem or comment.


Sent from my iPod touch using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[WaveHunter]

2 hours ago, Bill97 said:

Most people report no problem going in 2-3-5 days late. A few have been asked to do it within 24hrs. Can not recall anybody being fined for a few days late.

Mostly too much worry about nothing.

Imm will not “always” anything.


Sent from my iPod touch using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

It seems that is the only thing that CM IMM does NOT hassle you about.  I was a week late because I returned from the States on a Saturday and then had to fly down to Bangkok on Monday morning, travelled all around in the South for a week and returned to CM the following Monday, went into IMM the following day, armed with hotel receipts, plane receipts, etc, to defend my actions and expecting a battle with IMM officers.  They didn't even want to see anything but my passport and entry card, stamped my passport and I was outta there in about 15 minutes ????

 

[Konini]

22 hours ago, grin said:

You have a point there about worrying about nothing. Now that I think about it I should just forget about updating my TM30 every time I come home even if I stay longer than a weekend. Then I will only have to pay the fine once a year when I go in to do my extension of stay. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. What a load off. This will save me about 20 trips to immigration every year.

 

Ding ding!  This is the winner.  Owner reports online every time we arrive back in the country, we only physically go to immigration to do TM30 with a screenshot of the latest report on the phone (we don't bother printing it, they don't seem to care) the one time before we do our extensions.  There is an old TM30 receipt stapled to the last page of our passports, it's never looked at in detail but they make sure one is there.  It's just ripped out, binned, and the new one stapled in.

 

We leave the country between 8 and 10 times each year and one of us rides over to immigration once a year with both passports.

 

Your mileage may vary.

[cusanus]

12 minutes ago, Konini said:

Ding ding!  This is the winner.  Owner reports online every time we arrive back in the country, we only physically go to immigration to do TM30 with a screenshot of the latest report on the phone (we don't bother printing it, they don't seem to care) the one time before we do our extensions. 

Assuming the "owner" makes the report. In 28 man/woman years here, the "owner" makes no such report, but you're responsible, anyway. 

[moe666]

Went for my 90day report in and out in 5 min. all they wanted was the last 90day recept and my passport. the girl did her thing put the recept in passport and I was gone. Will use the copies I made for extension.

[cusanus]

4 hours ago, moe666 said:

Went for my 90day report in and out in 5 min. all they wanted was the last 90day recept and my passport. the girl did her thing put the recept in passport and I was gone. Will use the copies I made for extension.

Outrageous. I took my disabled friend in to do at the same time as myself, we were parked and leaving in under three minutes. The gals and I did a thumbs up on our way out. 

[worgeordie]

I did my annual retirement extension today,it was like day and night.... literally ,

last time at Prom up at 4 in morning to get in que, still 5 sitters and a couple

of genuine applicants before me, finished just before noon.

 

Today,the bank does not open till 10.00, so from getting the letter,traveling

to Immigration,receiving a new extension out the door at 11.30,what a change,

i don't know if less retirees or much more efficient Immigration,or both. 

i just hope it stays this way now.

 

The immigration lady said, you can get a bank letter 7 days before,BUT you

must update your bank book on the day applying for extension,and amounts must be the same.

regards worgeordie

[davehowden]

"The immigration lady said, you can get a bank letter 7 days before"

 

Maybe it was just the colour of your eyes !!

[CMBob]

6 hours ago, worgeordie said:

....like day and night.... literally....

No kidding.  Did my annual retirement extension and ME re-entry permit today....arrived at 11:01 and was done with both at 12:26 (including the time to truck across the street for a copy of the new extension).  A far cry from Promenada days.  

A heads up in that they wanted a copy of the original Non-O (my original was 10 years ago so, in my case, they simply took a copy of the transfer stamps in my newer passport).  They required the same thing last year (which was the first time for me).

Other than that, standard documents, no issues, no problems.

[EricTh]

On 4/24/2019 at 2:47 PM, worgeordie said:

I did my annual retirement extension today,it was like day and night.... literally ,

last time at Prom up at 4 in morning to get in que, still 5 sitters and a couple

of genuine applicants before me, finished just before noon.

 

Today,the bank does not open till 10.00, so from getting the letter,traveling

to Immigration,receiving a new extension out the door at 11.30,what a change,

i don't know if less retirees or much more efficient Immigration,or both. 

i just hope it stays this way now.

 

The immigration lady said, you can get a bank letter 7 days before,BUT you

must update your bank book on the day applying for extension,and amounts must be the same.

regards worgeordie

I've got my bank book updated and letter one day before applying without any problems in the past. It doesn't have to be updated on the same day.

 

Did they require you to come back after  90 days to check you still have 800k and after that to have 400k for rest of the year?

 

I am wondering that after Big Jok has left, does the new rules still apply or was it abolished?

 

Edited April 27, 2019 by EricTh

[worgeordie]

Now, your bank book needs to be updated same day.

no mention of returning with updated book after 90 days,

but when you do next extension,if you go below 800,000 THB

then later do not keep 400,000 THB in account,then will be

a problem .

Nothing has change due to Big Joke leaving.....YET.

regards Worgeordie

[CMBob]

39 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Now, your bank book needs to be updated same day.

no mention of returning with updated book after 90 days,

It seems that the "updating the same day" only applies to those keeping the 800k in a regular savings account and/or an account which you regularly deposit and withdraw.  For fixed term accounts, it seems that the "same day" rule (if there is really is one) does not apply.  When I got the new extension three days ago, I used a term account at SCB that was last updated in December of 2018 and matures in December of 2019 (it's not even capable of being "updated" regardless if I or the teller stick the passbook in the machine).  No problem or comment as usual.

Nothing at all was said about returning or verification of the amounts later....I presume they'll check in a year when I apply for the next annual extension.

[Vacuum]

15 minutes ago, CMBob said:

I used a term account at SCB that was last updated in December of 2018 and matures in December of 2019 (it's not even capable of being "updated" regardless if I or the teller stick the passbook in the machine)

Works fine with BKK bank.

[EricTh]

3 hours ago, CMBob said:

It seems that the "updating the same day" only applies to those keeping the 800k in a regular savings account and/or an account which you regularly deposit and withdraw.  For fixed term accounts, it seems that the "same day" rule (if there is really is one) does not apply.  When I got the new extension three days ago, I used a term account at SCB that was last updated in December of 2018 and matures in December of 2019 (it's not even capable of being "updated" regardless if I or the teller stick the passbook in the machine).  No problem or comment as usual.

Nothing at all was said about returning or verification of the amounts later....I presume they'll check in a year when I apply for the next annual extension.

I've moved my FD to SCB, I was afraid that might be a problem if we can't update to the latest balance.

 

Bangkok Bank FD doesn't have a problem with updating to the latest

[Sparkles]

I have for 10 yrs used a BB term account and got the bank letter the day before I go to Imm and they update passbook at the same time.Never a problem except last January the officer remarked I should have more than 800,000b.Just nit picking I guess.

I wish I did have more???? but it would be somewhere else earning more than 1.5% which has now gone to 1.65% I believe. 

 

Thai banks must love us .How many indiviual 800,000's must be sitting in their reserves

[CMBob]

4 hours ago, EricTh said:

I've moved my FD to SCB, I was afraid that might be a problem if we can't update to the latest balance.

 

Bangkok Bank FD doesn't have a problem with updating to the latest

Apparently BB will update but, for a fixed term account, SCB won't (and their machine cannot).  I even discussed this with the Immigration Officer and she said "no problem."  I'm guessing she/they already know about the issue.

[cusanus]

1 hour ago, CMBob said:

Apparently BB will update but, for a fixed term account, SCB won't (and their machine cannot).  I even discussed this with the Immigration Officer and she said "no problem."  I'm guessing she/they already know about the issue.

That hitch never occurred to me. Have used BB fixed deposits some years in the past and no bank letter was required then. What's the basic problem now, were bank books actually being modified to show fake balances? So, I went the 800,000 fixed deposit method (1.5%) and just assume that with the bank letter there should be no problem. Maybe that assumption is wrong, wouldn't wanna make an ass out of u and me. 

[CMBob]

1 hour ago, cusanus said:

Have used BB fixed deposits some years in the past and no bank letter was required then. What's the basic problem now, were bank books actually being modified to show fake balances? 

Puzzled by that comment as in all 9-10 years of basing my retirement extension on the 800k in the bank, every single year the bank letter was required. What was required prior to 2009 is unknown to me and perhaps that's the time period you're talking about.

The issue that was discussed was whether one needed to update the passbook as of the day of the application for an extension (or some date near that) and it appears that all regular savings passbooks from all banks can be updated whenever, Bangkok Bank's (and perhaps other banks also) passbook for a term deposit can be updated whenever, but Siam Commercial Bank's term passbooks cannot be updated.  In a sense it doesn't matter as one can obtain an extension using a SCB fixed term passbook without having it updated. 

[cusanus]

13 hours ago, CMBob said:

Puzzled by that comment as in all 9-10 years of basing my retirement extension on the 800k in the bank, every single year the bank letter was required. What was required prior to 2009 is unknown to me and perhaps that's the time period you're talking about.

The issue that was discussed was whether one needed to update the passbook as of the day of the application for an extension (or some date near that) and it appears that all regular savings passbooks from all banks can be updated whenever

I was thinking back to 2008, but my memory is less than perfect so I might be wrong. The issue for me was the allegations that bank books were being falsified to deceive immigration officials and that was the main reason for the recent crackdown. This was supposedly a common practice by agents. Hard to believe, really Would seem quite difficult and risky. Wouldn't a bank letter not also be contrived? Do we have any such examples, or maybe we shouldn't ask such questions. 

[WaveHunter]

On 4/28/2019 at 7:38 AM, worgeordie said:

Now, your bank book needs to be updated same day.

no mention of returning with updated book after 90 days,

but when you do next extension,if you go below 800,000 THB

then later do not keep 400,000 THB in account,then will be

a problem .

Nothing has change due to Big Joke leaving.....YET.

regards Worgeordie

Im living in Pattaya temporarily, and the ChonBuri IMM office is in fact requiring that you come in to show 400k in bank after 90 dats, so I think it’s just a matter of time before CM does as well.

 

 

[cusanus]

2 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Im living in Pattaya temporarily, and the ChonBuri IMM office is in fact requiring that you come in to show 400k in bank after 90 dats, so I think it’s just a matter of time before CM does as well.

Seems like the safest assumption is that you will be called on it. Seems 800k in a fixed account would be the most sensible and convenient for most of us unless struggling for cash. 

[davehowden]

9 minutes ago, cusanus said:

Seems like the safest assumption is that you will be called on it. Seems 800k in a fixed account would be the most sensible and convenient for most of us unless struggling for cash. 

And if your not in Thailand at the time of your next 90 day report what will happen I wonder.

[cusanus]

1 minute ago, davehowden said:

And if your not in Thailand at the time of your next 90 day report what will happen I wonder.

Maybe that would be a good use for an agent...

[Olmate]

3 minutes ago, davehowden said:

And if your not in Thailand at the time of your next 90 day report what will happen I wonder.

90 days not necessary if not here,resets on return

[davehowden]

8 minutes ago, davehowden said:

And if your not in Thailand at the time of your next 90 day report what will happen I wonder.

Maybe you will have show proof of 400/ 800 when you go to get your TM 30 updated when you return, farcical.

[WaveHunter]

12 minutes ago, cusanus said:

Seems like the safest assumption is that you will be called on it. Seems 800k in a fixed account would be the most sensible and convenient for most of us unless struggling for cash. 

I just think it’s unfair for them to freeze funds in perpetuity.  It serves no purpose and only benefits the bank.  I don’t care how much money a person has; I think it’s a sin to have funds tied up like that.  I just think IMM has finally gone too far with this arbitrary red tape.