20,000 Baht

[baz69er]

Hi All,

 

Ive never had a problem of have ever been asked before but just thought ide ask, will be landing at Suvarnabhum in a few days time, i have a Single entry Tourist visa (London Embassy) ive been doing this for a number of years staying in thailnd for around 5 months & returning to the uk to work, have been reading about the crack down & also being asked to show 20,000 baht in cash, i dont really like to carry large amounts of cash on me, does anyone know whether i would be pulled up & asked for this requirment or even proof of return flight as i only book my return flight when my boss gives me a start date.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Baz

[Nyezhov]

20000 Baht is not a large amount of cash. 500 Quid as you would say. Thats three nights in a Go Go.

[OneMoreFarang]

If you consider 20,000B cash a large amount then you are probably the kind of guy they would check and ask you to show that money.

[MARK74]

I don't have any experience of this but as you aren't getting much of a positive response I'd suggest making sure you have the 20k as you know they are the rules and it would be unfortunate to be denied entry because of it.

I think the pattern of travel you describe wouldn't raise any eyebrows with immigration so unlikely you would be asked to show it but just take the money in case.

Can't help with the flight requirement question, sorry.

[Aerosolist]

Hi All,
 
Ive never had a problem of have ever been asked before but just thought ide ask, will be landing at Suvarnabhum in a few days time, i have a Single entry Tourist visa (London Embassy) ive been doing this for a number of years staying in thailnd for around 5 months & returning to the uk to work, have been reading about the crack down & also being asked to show 20,000 baht in cash, i dont really like to carry large amounts of cash on me, does anyone know whether i would be pulled up & asked for this requirment or even proof of return flight as i only book my return flight when my boss gives me a start date.
 
Thanks in advance
 
Baz

Hey there, i highly recommend to have the 20k cash with you. Read my recent post with my experience i made:

Almost refused entry
https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/applications/tapatalk/index.php?/topic/1065838-Almost-refused-entry



Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[baz69er]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Your nom de plume contains a reference to one of the more intricate positions of the Karma Sutra, yet you need to ask what a Go Go is?

 

3 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If you consider 20,000B cash a large amount then you are probably the kind of guy they would check and ask you to show that money.

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Your nom de plume contains a reference to one of the more intricate positions of the Karma Sutra, yet you need to ask what a Go Go is?

 

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Your nom de plume contains a reference to one of the more intricate positions of the Karma Sutra, yet you need to ask what a Go Go is?

 

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Your nom de plume contains a reference to one of the more intricate positions of the Karma Sutra, yet you need to ask what a Go Go is?

 

1 hour ago, MARK74 said:

I don't have any experience of this but as you aren't getting much of a positive response I'd suggest making sure you have the 20k as you know they are the rules and it would be unfortunate to be denied entry because of it.

I think the pattern of travel you describe wouldn't raise any eyebrows with immigration so unlikely you would be asked to show it but just take the money in case.

Can't help with the flight requirement question, sorry.

Hi Mark, 

Thanks for your reply, i will take the 20,0000 baht with me anyway just in case, like i said in the post i have never been questioned in the past, Ive also never entered Thailand without a valid Visa from my home country & my passport isnt full of in & out land border runs either, so i would be very surprised if i did have problems, but i know that any indiviual travelling to any country can experience all types of problems regarding immigration.....

 

Cheers

 

Baz

 

[baz69er]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If you consider 20,000B cash a large amount then you are probably the kind of guy they would check and ask you to show that money.

How would they know?

 

 

[JackThompson]

5 hours ago, baz69er said:

 have been reading about the crack down & also being asked to show 20,000 baht in cash, i dont really like to carry large amounts of cash on me,

I don't like carrying a wad of cash around either.  Completely unnecessary with ATMs everywhere.  I bought some travelers checks, for only one reason - to satisfy Thai immigration.  They never expire.

[Goldbear]

Because it wasn't mentioned, I will add that the requirement is 20,000 Thai baht or its equivalent in a major convertible currency (e.g., US dollars, British pounds, Euro). Large bills in western currency don't take up much room. 

 

Have a good flight.

[baz69er]

16 minutes ago, Goldbear said:

Because it wasn't mentioned, I will add that the requirement is 20,000 Thai baht or its equivalent in a major convertible currency (e.g., US dollars, British pounds, Euro). Large bills in western currency don't take up much room. 

 

Have a good flight.

Cool, cheers for that, so i can show English pounds at Thai immigration ?

[elviajero]

4 hours ago, baz69er said:

does anyone know whether i would be pulled up & asked for this requirment or even proof of return flight as i only book my return flight when my boss gives me a start date.

You can’t get a definitive answer.

 

There is always the chance of getting pulled aside and asked what you do and why you visit so often. If you do get questioned they could ask to see hotel bookings, onward flight bookings or 20K. The chances of being questioned have increased but the chances remain low.

 

They definitely profile; e.g. a 20 something is more of a target than a 40 something.

[Maestro]

Removed an off-topic post and the replies to it.

[Maestro]

3 hours ago, observer90210 said:

...Carry the ca$h as required by the law !...

There is no such law.

 

This is what the law says:

Quote

 

Section 12 : Aliens which fall into any of the following categories are excluded from entering into the
Kingdom :

...

2. Having no appropriate means of living following entrance into the Kingdom.

...

 

Source: Immigration Act

[AYJAYDEE]

6 minutes ago, Maestro said:

There is no such law.

 

This is what the law says:

Source: Immigration Act

where does the 20,000 number come from?

 

[Maestro]

8 minutes ago, AYJAYDEE said:

where does the 20,000 number come from?

  

If anything has ever been published in the Royal Gazette about it I have yet to find it.

[elviajero]

54 minutes ago, Maestro said:

There is no such law.

 

This is what the law says:

Source: Immigration Act

Section 12

9. Having no money or bond as prescribed by the Minister under him.

 

This is the law pertaining to the 10K/20K. There was an announcement back in 2010 regarding the amounts, and I don't think it was necessary to post anything in the gazette. The law says the minister can set the amount of money we should have on entry.

[HappyAndRich]

10 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

20000 Baht is not a large amount of cash. 500 Quid as you would say. Thats three nights in a Go Go.

Now I definately know where the phrase "Cheap Charlie" originated from. 3 nights?

To OP: Yes you should always carry 20K in cash money with you when entering Thailand.

[Maestro]

33 minutes ago, elviajero said:

Section 12

9. Having no money or bond as prescribed by the Minister under him.

 

This is the law pertaining to the 10K/20K. There was an announcement back in 2010 regarding the amounts, and I don't think it was necessary to post anything in the gazette. The law says the minister can set the amount of money we should have on entry.

I'd like to see a copy of what the Minister prescribed. 

 

That English translation of section 12(9), taken from the English version of the Immigration Act made available on the website of the Immigration Bureau, does not make much sense. I went to double-check it just now on the version published by the Office of the Council of State on krisdika.com and there it reads as follows:

 

Quote

 

Section 12. Aliens falling into any of the following categories are excluded

from entering the Kingdom —

...

(9) Having no money or bond as prescribed by the Minister’s publication

under Section 14;

...

Section 14. The Minister shall have power to publish in the Government
Gazette requiring the aliens entering the Kingdom to have with them either money or bond,
or shall have power to make exemption under any conditions.

The publication mentioned in paragraph one shall not apply to children

under twelve years of age.

 

3

 

Who is good at finding things in the Government Gazette of years ago? 

[Maestro]

Last year I saved the link http://library2.tu.ac.th/gazette/index.html but it doesn't seem to work now.

 

www.krisdika.go.th also offered a search function for the Government Gazette but this site also seems inaccessible at the moment.

[elviajero]

20 minutes ago, Maestro said:

I'd like to see a copy of what the Minister prescribed. 

 

That English translation of section 12(9), taken from the English version of the Immigration Act made available on the website of the Immigration Bureau, does not make much sense. I went to double-check it just now on the version published by the Office of the Council of State on krisdika.com and there it reads as follows:

 

 

Who is good at finding things in the Government Gazette of years ago? 

No idea how to find old gazette announcements.

 

There was a thread on TV with details of the announcement, but I can't find it.

 

Edit:

Found one thread.

 

Edited October 31, 2018 by elviajero

[Maestro]

I found this on the website of Thammasat University:

https://koha.library.tu.ac.th/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=233931&query_desc=kw%2Cwrdl%3A Government Gazette

 

Apperently, issues of the Government Gazette in Thai and English back to 1973 can be consulted at the Pridi Banomyong Library, which Google Maps shows on the Thammasat University Tha Phra Chan Campus in Bangkok.

 

[Maestro]

1 hour ago, elviajero said:

No idea how to find old gazette announcements.

 

There was a thread on TV with details of the announcement, but I can't find it.

 

Edit:

Found one thread.

 

 

You're good, Viajero. That post is probably the strongest and most detailed confirmation we can get of the ministerial directive issued in 2010 or earlier unless a copy of the actual text published in the Gazette can be dug up somewhere.

 

"Must hold...in any permitted currency" suggests indeed that the funds need to be in cash but just the same I wish I could get hold of the published Thai text to verify if this is really the only possible interpretation.

[HampiK]

8 hours ago, baz69er said:

Hi Mark, 

Thanks for your reply, i will take the 20,0000 baht with me anyway just in case, like i said in the post i have never been questioned in the past, Ive also never entered Thailand without a valid Visa from my home country & my passport isnt full of in & out land border runs either, so i would be very surprised if i did have problems, but i know that any indiviual travelling to any country can experience all types of problems regarding immigration.....

 

6 hours ago, baz69er said:

Cool, cheers for that, so i can show English pounds at Thai immigration ?

Or you choose to change your money to Euro as they have a bigger value bill... take 1x 500€ (about 18'000 Baht) and have some small British pound with you.

To care only 1 extra bill is not that dangerous, as this one could easily be hidden somewhere ????

 

Or you choose to change it to a 1x 1'000 CHF (about 33'000 Baht) also only 1 bill, but the Euro is more widely accepted for normal use, as it is used in most European countries. For changing it doesn't matter.

 

 

Edited October 31, 2018 by HampiK

[baz69er]

Ok everyone, thanks for all your input on this topic, its the same old story, the rules & regulations have always been there but have never been implemented, its only when they start clamping down that you get to hear about them.