20000 at airport

[toots]

Hello, I have a retirement visa and a re-entry permit. I keep seeing on tv people being asked for 20000 bhat at swampy. Would this apply to me upon re-entry. I wont have that amount till I get to pattaya. Cheers

[Peterw42]

Proof of 20k is a requirement that is sometimes asked for multiple tourist visa arrivals.

 

[ubonjoe]

They will not ask for it in your case since you are using a re-entry permit.

They mostly only ask for it from people with tourist visas or those doing visa exempt entries not many of them are asked to show it.

[GroveHillWanderer]

Based on multiple posts on here and personal experience (both for myself and many acquaintances) it is all but unheard of for a person with an extension of stay based on retirement and a re-entry permit to be asked to show 20,000 Baht in cash. 

[bbi1]

I wouldn't risk not having 20k baht on me when entering the airport. It is really that difficult for people to carry $800 on them just to be safe of not being denied entry?

[OJAS]

3 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Based on multiple posts on here and personal experience (both for myself and many acquaintances) it is all but unheard of for a person with an extension of stay based on retirement and a re-entry permit to be asked to show 20,000 Baht in cash. 

Yes, can confirm that on the basis of my own personal experience with a retirement extension and re-entry permit, most recently as last July.

[glegolo]

4 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

I wouldn't risk not having 20k baht on me when entering the airport. It is really that difficult for people to carry $800 on them just to be safe of not being denied entry?

When you are having (as said above as well) an extension of stay, where you already have proved your financials earlier, upon applying, you DO NOT NEED any proof of 20.000 baht, just forget it....

 

glegolo

[Chivas]

Dress nicely and smile and I suspect the chances of being asked for funds are as close to zero as is physically possible.

I would be a right sod if I was an immigration officer those with tramp stamps would be the first one stopped lol

[MekkOne]

I entered September 24th, multi NON-O based on marriage, no question asked at Suvarnabhumi.

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, glegolo said:

When you are having (as said above as well) an extension of stay, where you already have proved your financials earlier, upon applying, you DO NOT NEED any proof of 20.000 baht, just forget it....

 

glegolo

Having “proved your financials” has nothing to do with the requirement to carry 20K.

 

As said above, it only tends to be long term tourists that are asked to show ‘pocket money’.

[glegolo]

18 minutes ago, elviajero said:

Having “proved your financials” has nothing to do with the requirement to carry 20K.

 

As said above, it only tends to be long term tourists that are asked to show ‘pocket money’.

So you mean that people going to Thailand having Non Immigrants O and O-A plus extentions of stay´s, they all can be asked to show 20.000 baht cash???? That is what you are saying....!!!!

 

glegolo

[elviajero]

40 minutes ago, glegolo said:

So you mean that people going to Thailand having Non Immigrants O and O-A plus extentions of stay´s, they all can be asked to show 20.000 baht cash???? That is what you are saying....!!!!

 

glegolo

Yes, they can; but it is highly unlikely to happen.

[Kerryd]

I've probably entered Thailand 25+ times using 30 Days stamps prior to 2011 when I got my Non-O(A). Probably at least 13 more "arrivals" in the 7 years since while on "Extension of Stay" (with Multi Re-entry permits).

 

Never once was I ever asked for proof of return ticket or proof of sufficient funds.

 

Then again, when I travel I shower and wear clean, neat clothes and when I get to immigration I don't smell like I just smoked a carton of cigarettes and drank all the booze on the plane. (Yes - there are people who fly that look like they just crawled out from under a bar stool and smell like it as well. I've had to stand in line behind some like too often.)
 

Maybe that has something to do with it ? 

Because, despite what all the girls on Walking Street tell me, I'm pretty sure I am not a "hansum man" so it's not my looks that let me breeze through Immigration each time !

With the Non-O/Extension of Stay (and the Re-Entry permit) I would not even worry about having much money on me at all when I arrive. Used to carry a couple thousand baht to pay for a taxi and hotel room just in case I arrived late at night or on a bank holiday, but it's not a problem these days with all the ATMs around.
 

[RichardColeman]

19 hours ago, bbi1 said:

I wouldn't risk not having 20k baht on me when entering the airport. It is really that difficult for people to carry $800 on them just to be safe of not being denied entry?

I was once at Paris airport and found a wallet with about a 1000 $ in it in the loos. I like to think I'm an honest chap and this could have belonged to someone that really needed it, so I went to hand it in to security.

 

Security said in all their years they had never had someone hand in a wallet with money in it !

 

The wallet in the end belonged to was a young student guy from Asia on a tour with his school - his thank you was more than what the money would have brought me. 

 

Point being, if you lose it at an airport, I think you are never likely to see money again.

[scorecard]

19 hours ago, Chivas said:

Dress nicely and smile and I suspect the chances of being asked for funds are as close to zero as is physically possible.

I would be a right sod if I was an immigration officer those with tramp stamps would be the first one stopped lol

On a recent flight from Don Muang back to Chiang Mai a group of about 8 young (early - mid 20s?) backpackers, all looked like they hadn't had a bath for at least several days and 2 of the boys in giant baggy singlets ... 

 

(Yes I realize they don't need to go through immigration in Chiang Mai.)

[dave moir]

In short no you don't need to show 20000 baht

[JackThompson]

The only cases I recall where re-entry permit holders had problems with "show the money," were those where they the underlying Visa or extension was of the "ED" variety. 

 

20 hours ago, MekkOne said:

I entered September 24th, multi NON-O based on marriage, no question asked at Suvarnabhumi.

The only case with this type of visa I recall was entering from Malaysia - shortly after the border-crew there had their "put money in your passport" scam shut-down. 

 

But, I would be wary that Non-O-ME Visa holders could run into this problem in the future at problem-checkpoints, including Bangkok airports.  Already, the Poipet-Aranya crossing is giving them trouble.  If entering by air with a Non-O-ME, I would carry the cash or travelers checks, just to be prepared.

 

[PerkinsCuthbert]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

On a recent flight from Don Muang back to Chiang Mai a group of about 8 young (early - mid 20s?) backpackers, all looked like they hadn't had a bath for at least several days and 2 of the boys in giant baggy singlets ... 

 

(Yes I realize they don't need to go through immigration in Chiang Mai.)

Yes, this old saw, it dates way back to the hippy days of the 60s, when Thai officialdom was appalled by the first great tide of unwashed backpackers.

 

[khunPer]

On 10/28/2018 at 6:57 AM, toots said:

Hello, I have a retirement visa and a re-entry permit. I keep seeing on tv people being asked for 20000 bhat at swampy.

Agree with other posters saying, that having a re-entry permit, you have already shown proof of funds; furthermore I talk from experience, never been asked any questions by Immigrations with a re-entry permit, last re-entry was June 1st...????

[balo]

Never been asked , last time in August . 

[how241]

I have never been asked after many entries but it is not a bad thing to carry the 20K  ,  just in case.

[Lacessit]

For ten years going back and forth between Australia and Thailand, I have never been asked to show 20,000 baht. Even early on with a tourist visa.

Perhaps I convey the impression I am affluent.

 

[Burma Bill]

For reference. I am an OAP living in Thailand on a one year retirement visa coupled with a one year multiple re-entry permit. I regularly travel to and from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Burma and have NEVER been asked to pay any money at Immigration Control. 

[JackThompson]

6 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

For reference. I am an OAP living in Thailand on a one year retirement visa coupled with a one year multiple re-entry permit. I regularly travel to and from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Burma and have NEVER been asked to pay any money at Immigration Control. 

To be clear - some just have to show the money - not pay any.  Paying is something else.  Retirement-extension and Non-OA Visa folks have not reported having to show the 20K.  This treatment is generally reserved for Tourist and ED folks.

[Burma Bill]

12 hours ago, JackThompson said:

To be clear - some just have to show the money - not pay any.  Paying is something else.  Retirement-extension and Non-OA Visa folks have not reported having to show the 20K.  This treatment is generally reserved for Tourist and ED folks.

Thank you for the clarification. All I have to do is tick the income box on the reverse of my arrival/departure card.

[Chivas]

On 10/29/2018 at 1:18 AM, Kerryd said:

I've probably entered Thailand 25+ times using 30 Days stamps prior to 2011 when I got my Non-O(A). Probably at least 13 more "arrivals" in the 7 years since while on "Extension of Stay" (with Multi Re-entry permits).

 

Never once was I ever asked for proof of return ticket or proof of sufficient funds.

 

Then again, when I travel I shower and wear clean, neat clothes and when I get to immigration I don't smell like I just smoked a carton of cigarettes and drank all the booze on the plane. (Yes - there are people who fly that look like they just crawled out from under a bar stool and smell like it as well. I've had to stand in line behind some like too often.)
 

Maybe that has something to do with it ? 

Because, despite what all the girls on Walking Street tell me, I'm pretty sure I am not a "hansum man" so it's not my looks that let me breeze through Immigration each time !

With the Non-O/Extension of Stay (and the Re-Entry permit) I would not even worry about having much money on me at all when I arrive. Used to carry a couple thousand baht to pay for a taxi and hotel room just in case I arrived late at night or on a bank holiday, but it's not a problem these days with all the ATMs around.
 

lol I've never been asked for either on any type of visa in 168 arrivals

Totally agree with you on presenting yourself clean tidy and dressed properly

Probably the reason I've never been asked