BKK Bank passbook NOT showing SWIFT transfer as foreign transaction

[jesimps]

16 hours ago, JTXR said:

My online statement just says BAHTNET.

I know it's no help but I made a transfer last week from UK to my newly opened BB account using Transferwise and it's shown as international transfer. So far so good.

[mtls2005]

11 hours ago, JTXR said:

Thanks, Sheryl.  I'll confirm that with my Bangkok Bank branch.  And if that's the case, there should be no problem.

 

I guess I'd start with the initial transfer request.

 

Does your bank in the U.S. have the correct SWIFT code ( BKKBTHBK ), BBL account number and name? Maybe request the detail on the transfer from them.

 

Did you specify an intermediary bank, in the U.S.?

 

Did you request USD or THB?

 

Get the Credit Advice/Receipt from BBL to determine the details of the transaction. It should list the sending bank, along with your name and address of record. This should support the fact that this was a foreign-originated inbound transfer.

 

Can you share how much USD was debited from your U.S. account? This may help understand the routing, costs and other details.

 

Your bank might have used their intermediary in the U.S., who bought THB in the U.S., and then transferred THB to BBL/THL? But that's just one guess.

[ICECOOL]

16 hours ago, steve73 said:

Assuming you made the transfer of this size to satisfy the Immigration 65k/mon minimum requirement for the purpose of obtaining a future extension, I would suggest you visit your Immigration office and ask them if this coding will be OK for them.

Fine if OK... but if not you'll need to chase up via your Thai bank.

Good luck and please let us know what they say.

I had this issue recently and Immigration are insisting I get a separate statement from the International section of my bank listing the transfers. Kasikhornbank are charging me 1500 baht which along with the letter and the original verified statements is equivalent to what I was charged by the Oz embassy for a stat dec. Oh and it takes up to two weeks. Was told by bank staff the high fee was recently imposed. Fee gouging but what can you do. Interested in other bank fees to compare. 

[Suradit69]

Did you tell your credit union that you wanted to xxx dollars or xxx baht?

[gregsmithy]

42 minutes ago, ICECOOL said:

I had this issue recently and Immigration are insisting I get a separate statement from the International section of my bank listing the transfers. Kasikhornbank are charging me 1500 baht which along with the letter and the original verified statements is equivalent to what I was charged by the Oz embassy for a stat dec. Oh and it takes up to two weeks. Was told by bank staff the high fee was recently imposed. Fee gouging but what can you do. Interested in other bank fees to compare. 

I need to do this through Kasikorn next month so at least I won't be so  shocked when they ask for 1500bt. Did the bank understand what you wanted from the get go, I have had bad experiences with local banks that end up requiring call center phone calls before clarity is reached!

[Pib]

Ain't it great how foreign transfers going to Bangkok Bank (or any Thai bank) can end-up with different coding....maybe international or domestic coding when sent from a person's home country.   So many different/major transfer systems (SWIFT, US ACH, UK BACS, money transfer services like Transferwise) and how they move money and routing used can vary.  And do a transfer this week from your bank/credit union and it shows up with international coding; but repeat the transfer a month later and it shows up with domestic coding.  And with more and more payment systems trying to get a piece of the money transfer/payment market it aint' going to get any better.

 

But for you folks getting a BTN for Bahtnet on their passbook, you can read up on what Bahtnet at this Bank of Thailand webpage....it also shows the member banks....pretty much every major Thai member bank has a Bahtnet account....can move money via Bahtnet.   Bahtnet is primarily a domestic transfer system but it also interfaces with the SWIFT system.

 

https://www.bot.or.th/English/PaymentSystems/PSServices/bahtnet/Pages/default.aspx

 

 

[theoldgit]

What used to be a simple process for many of us to transfer sufficient funds to live on, whilst meeting the required level of income, has now become a logistical nightmare for many.

 

In my case I transfer whatever I need monthly from my Santander Intenational account online, via TransferWise, it's quick, easy and very cost effective.

 

The fact that as I bank with Kasikorn and the deposit shows up as "Dummy branch" shouldn't be an issue, it's a regular deposit, it comes from overseas and have the additional paperwork to support the fact.

 

To be fair if I were a Thai Immigration Officer doing these sort of applications day in and day out, I wouldn't want to go through reams of evidence to satisfy me that the applicant met the latest requirement, as they or their superior decided were needed, maybe my local office will be satisfied with the paper trail, maybe they won't and I'll be waved away when I come to apply again for my extension next year.

 

So what are my options, I could open an account with Bangkok Bank, continue to use TW and hope that they mark the next twelve months transfers as FTT, if they don't mark one as such I'm probably scuppered.

 

I could get Santander to transfer the required amount every month and hope thay don't use an intermediary bank as that may not show up as a deposit from overseas. You can't initiate a transfer in Sterling to Thailand online, you have to call Jersey, the bank costs are higher, you don't get the same rate as TW and you have to pay a receiving fee, and of course if there's an intermediary bank they'll take their cut and it may not show up as an International Transfer.

 

As I've said before, why does such a simple task need to be so difficult.

[Olmate]

7 minutes ago, Pib said:

Ain't it great how foreign transfers going to Bangkok Bank (or any Thai bank) can end-up with different coding....maybe international or domestic coding when sent from a person's home country.   So many different/major transfer systems (SWIFT, US ACH, UK BACS, money transfer services like Transferwise) and how they move money and routing used can vary.  And do a transfer this week from your bank/credit union and it shows up with international coding; but repeat the transfer a month later and it shows up with domestic coding.  And with more and more payment systems trying to get a piece of the money transfer/payment market it aint' going to get any better.

 

But for you folks getting a BTN for Bahtnet on their passbook, you can read up on what Bahtnet at this Bank of Thailand webpage....it also shows the member banks....pretty much every major Thai member bank has a Bahtnet account....can move money via Bahtnet.   Bahtnet is primarily a domestic transfer system but it also interfaces with the SWIFT system.

 

https://www.bot.or.th/English/PaymentSystems/PSServices/bahtnet/Pages/default.aspx

 

 

Yes and add this uncertainty to an IO having an off day, the fees and hassle every month, one mistake your done! Sure some folk are good at this financial aspect and perhaps enjoy the challenge, but not for me. Two months in and no clarity from banking sector.

[Jim7777]

18 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Doesn't matter what the passbook shows. It is the detailed bank statemment that matters. Check that.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

That’s right again 

[jesimps]

18 minutes ago, theoldgit said:

What used to be a simple process for many of us to transfer sufficient funds to live on, whilst meeting the required level of income, has now become a logistical nightmare for many.

 

In my case I transfer whatever I need monthly from my Santander Intenational account online, via TransferWise, it's quick, easy and very cost effective.

 

The fact that as I bank with Kasikorn and the deposit shows up as "Dummy branch" shouldn't be an issue, it's a regular deposit, it comes from overseas and have the additional paperwork to support the fact.

 

To be fair if I were a Thai Immigration Officer doing these sort of applications day in and day out, I wouldn't want to go through reams of evidence to satisfy me that the applicant met the latest requirement, as they or their superior decided were needed, maybe my local office will be satisfied with the paper trail, maybe they won't and I'll be waved away when I come to apply again for my extension next year.

 

So what are my options, I could open an account with Bangkok Bank, continue to use TW and hope that they mark the next twelve months transfers as FTT, if they don't mark one as such I'm probably scuppered.

 

I could get Santander to transfer the required amount every month and hope thay don't use an intermediary bank as that may not show up as a deposit from overseas. You can't initiate a transfer in Sterling to Thailand online, you have to call Jersey, the bank costs are higher, you don't get the same rate as TW and you have to pay a receiving fee, and of course if there's an intermediary bank they'll take their cut and it may not show up as an International Transfer.

 

As I've said before, why does such a simple task need to be so difficult.

Agreed. I guess that's why they demanded the embassy letter in the first place, which stands to reason. Goodness knows how it's been allowed to get into this state, guess it's just a mixture of the famous four embassies not giving a stuff and the lack of forethought by TI. I'd prefer to do the retirement visa income method, but I'm settling for the marriage 400,000 in the bank route.

[Jim7777]

19 hours ago, JTXR said:

It was from a U.S. credit union to Bangkok Bank Thailand.

I use a credit union as well and I don’t have this problem, the correct code shows up in my pass book however the pass book is not that big of a deal you have to ask for the Credit Advice to verify the origin of your International wire transfers and I believe Immigration needs a letter as well from the bank once they stop accepting the income affidavits which should verify that they are International wire transfers.  

 

You should ask them for the Credit Advice just to make sure that they are in fact showing up as coming from your bank in the States the Credit Advice will verify everything you need to know as long as it is showing up as coming from your bank in the States.  Immigration is going to require more than just your pass book anyway they’ll probably want to see your pass book as well as a letter from the Thai bank and possibly the statements as well.  

 

I recommend making the wire transfers manually over the phone with your bank in the States as I do and I never have any problems.  I personally don’t like apps like Baht Net or Transfer Wise I’m very leary of the gimmicks that promise you a better exchange rate.  

 

The new monthly income rules actually makes it easier for us once you understand everything.  Personally I like the new rules it’s so much easier no more trips to the Embassy in Bangkok every year just for one of many things.  Now I just go to my bank down the street and get my statements and an official letter from my bank.  But still some people don’t like the new rules, although there are a lot of people living here that will complain no matter what they do or how easy they make it for us.  

Edited February 27, 2019 by Jim7777

[Jim7777]

19 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

It suspect your bank used a intermediary Thai bank for the funds transfer.

What bank did you use for the transfer?

It looks like he’s using those darn transfer apps like Baht Net and Transfer Wise, they might be okay I don’t know but I personally wouldn’t use them.  I’ve looked into Transfer Wise but I’m a little leary about using those 3rd party apps.  I think it’s safer to go directly through your bank in the States each month manually over the phone.  That’s what I’ve been doing and all my monthly wire transfers can be easily verified as from my bank in the States and easily traced back to my Credit Union in the States according to my Credit Advices and my pass book shows the correct codes.  Sometimes the easier and cheaper methods are not the best but I don’t know for sure because I’ve never used those apps I do my monthly International wire transfers manually over the phone with my bank in the States each month and that never goes wrong or leaves me with any questions now that I understand the process.  

 

It’s really not as hard as some people make it seem.  And I’m not referring to the OP because in the beginning I had questions about it as well. It can be somewhat concerning at first but as long as you you’re doing it correctly it’s not a problem and it took me a little time to figure out little things as well such as that it has to be in my name only and not a joint account stuff like that but now I’ve got it down and it’s going smoothly.  Personally I wouldn’t use any 3rd party transfer apps but that’s just me.  

[john smith]

As previous posts have stated Bahtnet is simply an indication of the method of payment. I too have money sent from my home country and it shows BTN in my Bangkok bank book. My pension is sent via Citibank from the UK pension agency. If you ask Bangkok Bank for a credit advice / slip the print out shows the scource of the funds.  And all relevent information.In my case it shows state pension and the UK address of the state pension fund .

The UK uses Citibank for all government pension overseas transfers.

 

[Jim7777]

46 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Yes and add this uncertainty to an IO having an off day, the fees and hassle every month, one mistake your done! Sure some folk are good at this financial aspect and perhaps enjoy the challenge, but not for me. Two months in and no clarity from banking sector.

Just make your monthly International wire transfers manually over the phone with your bank in your home country I’ve been doing that with no problems.  There might be easier ways but doing it over the phone shouldn’t go wrong.  Be weary of these 3rd party transfer apps.  

Edited February 27, 2019 by Jim7777

[Olmate]

24 minutes ago, Jim7777 said:

I use a credit union as well and I don’t have this problem, the correct code shows up in my pass book however the pass book is not that big of a deal you have to ask for the Credit Advice to verify the origin of your International wire transfers and I believe Immigration needs a letter as well from the bank once they stop accepting the income affidavits which should verify that they are International wire transfers.  

 

You should ask them for the Credit Advice just to make sure that they are in fact showing up as coming from your bank in the States the Credit Advice will verify everything you need to know as long as it is showing up as coming from your bank in the States.  Immigration is going to require more than just your pass book anyway they’ll probably want to see your pass book as well as a letter from the Thai bank and possibly the statements as well.  

 

I recommend making the wire transfers manually over the phone with your bank in the States as I do and I never have any problems.  I personally don’t like apps like Baht Net or Transfer Wise I’m very leary of the gimmicks that promise you a better exchange rate.  

 

The new monthly income rules actually makes it easier for us once you understand everything.  Personally I like the new rules it’s so much easier no more trips to the Embassy in Bangkok every year just for one of many things.  Now I just go to my bank down the street and get my statements and an official letter from my bank.  But still some people don’t like the new rules, although there are a lot of people living here that will complain no matter what they do or how easy they make it for us.  

Good reply but still have to have the dig at others?? Easy for you difficult for me! Your ok so leave it at that.....

[steve73]

7 hours ago, johnmell said:

My Swift transfers from HSBC in England show as BTN in my Bangkok bank blue book, and BAHTNET on a statement.

Never shown as FTT.

Useful info - thanks for posting.

 

The overriding question is whether your Imm. Office will accept this statement as confirming your funds were from overseas.

 

If they will, then you can use this as financial proof based on income/combo for your next extension (if that's what you intend to do).

 

If they do not accept this statement as such, then it's up to the bank to revise its procedures to suit Immigration's requirements.

 

Perhaps you could ask your I/O and give us their feedback...?

 

[steve73]

3 hours ago, ICECOOL said:

I had this issue recently and Immigration are insisting I get a separate statement from the International section of my bank listing the transfers. Kasikhornbank are charging me 1500 baht which along with the letter and the original verified statements is equivalent to what I was charged by the Oz embassy for a stat dec. Oh and it takes up to two weeks. Was told by bank staff the high fee was recently imposed. Fee gouging but what can you do. Interested in other bank fees to compare. 

 Humm.. The cynic in me say it does seem a co-incidence that this newly introduced fee for the necessary statement is similar to what some of the embassies (used to) charge for their letter.

 

Further cynicism wonders if the increased use of the more efficient currency exchange specialists have been undercutting the banks "easy income" and this is their attempt to claw back some of this lost income.

 

...but it adds further weight to going for the 800k (if that's possible for you) 

[jesimps]

1 hour ago, Olmate said:

Good reply but still have to have the dig at others?? Easy for you difficult for me! Your ok so leave it at that.....

I know what you mean, there're half a dozen on here who think that because people don't do everything the same way as them is the reason that they have problems. These types haven't got the sense to realise that everyone's situation is different, and just because something works for them, it doesn't work for everybody. Personally, I was very happy with legally obtaining the embassy letter and would much have preferred it to carry on that way. Jim7777 is just the sort of smug goit that you want see turn up to TI only to be kicked back for having the wrong stuff.

[steve73]

1 hour ago, Jim7777 said:

It looks like he’s using those darn transfer apps like Baht Net and Transfer Wise, they might be okay I don’t know but I personally wouldn’t use them.  I’ve looked into Transfer Wise but I’m a little leary about using those 3rd party apps.  I think it’s safer to go directly through your bank in the States each month manually over the phone.  That’s what I’ve been doing and all my monthly wire transfers can be easily verified as from my bank in the States and easily traced back to my Credit Union in the States according to my Credit Advices and my pass book shows the correct codes.  Sometimes the easier and cheaper methods are not the best but I don’t know for sure because I’ve never used those apps I do my monthly International wire transfers manually over the phone with my bank in the States each month and that never goes wrong or leaves me with any questions now that I understand the process.  

 

It’s really not as hard as some people make it seem.  And I’m not referring to the OP because in the beginning I had questions about it as well. It can be somewhat concerning at first but as long as you you’re doing it correctly it’s not a problem and it took me a little time to figure out little things as well such as that it has to be in my name only and not a joint account stuff like that but now I’ve got it down and it’s going smoothly.  Personally I wouldn’t use any 3rd party transfer apps but that’s just me.  

 

For US transfers, the Thai bank TT rates are usually very close to the mid-market rate (MMR), and a higher cost of using Transferwise makes it roughly a similar cost to other methods - obviously depending on how much your bank/CU charges you, so I can understand your reluctance to use them.

 

But for us Brits, the Thai Bank TT rates are often more than 1% less than MMR, and TW fees for GBP are much lower.  There are relatively large savings to be made.

 

I previously used SWIFT from my UK bank who charged me 20GBP per transfer.  The transfer would take  usually 5-7 days to arrive, and it was always at an Fx rate LOWER than my bank had been stating all week.  I thought that this was partly due to the banks receiving fee, but even this didn't always account for the difference, which I came to suspect was due to intermediary banks taking their cut.

 

Since using TW (& other Fx specialists) for around 3 years now, I have managed to save a significant cost of moving my funds here.  Difficult to be accurate, but I would guess it's probably somewhere in the region of 3-4% - part of which is due to making smaller transfers in order to benefit from spikes in the rate.  The GBP rate is much more volatile than USD, so gives more opportunity for saving.  With TW I can usually get close to the week's high rate - using SWIFT I would always get (lower than) the weeks low rate.

 

But I accept it (TW) doesn't work for everyone, and possibly not suitable if wanting to use it for "income" proof....

Everyone needs to do whatever suits their own needs.

[snooky]

Going for my visa extension two weeks ago, the officer sent me down to the BKK Bank and they promptly printed out the required transfers, one for each month.  Apparently (at least at the Chaengwattana branch) they were prepared for this and I was in and out of the bank within 5 minutes.  

[Jaybott]

Why are you SWIFT anyway? The advantage of BKK Bank is you can use ACH; to your credit union it will appear as a domestic transfer to BKK Bank New York.  When it gets to Thailand it shows as FTT in the passbook. I'm sure it will  reflect the same on the statement.

[lopburi3]

8 minutes ago, Jaybott said:

Why are you SWIFT anyway? The advantage of BKK Bank is you can use ACH; to your credit union it will appear as a domestic transfer to BKK Bank New York.  When it gets to Thailand it shows as FTT in the passbook. I'm sure it will  reflect the same on the statement.

After April 1 that option is likely gone as domestic ACH transfers will no longer be accepted by Bangkok Bank New York.

[ThaiHenning]

When I transfer money from my Norwegian bank to Bangkok Bank it take about 2 hours before they are on account in Thailand. The code is KU FTT.

[Chongalulu]

5 hours ago, jesimps said:

I know it's no help but I made a transfer last week from UK to my newly opened BB account using Transferwise and it's shown as international transfer. So far so good.

It’ll only have to go wrong (differently) once in the next 12 transfers and you’re f##ed . Transferwise don’t guarantee it will always go that way. 

This OP post is the beginning of the chaos I predicted and there’ll be more to come. Welcome to the lottery of income based applications. I’m moving back  to 400k marriage visa for 2 months prior as the only certain answer.....until they have another afterthought!

[steve73]

17 minutes ago, snooky said:

Going for my visa extension two weeks ago, the officer sent me down to the BKK Bank and they promptly printed out the required transfers, one for each month.  Apparently (at least at the Chaengwattana branch) they were prepared for this and I was in and out of the bank within 5 minutes.  

Thanks - more good feedback.

How had you transferred your money (SWIFT, TW, other) and how was it coded in your bankbook or statements (online perhaps)

[Chongalulu]

3 hours ago, theoldgit said:

What used to be a simple process for many of us to transfer sufficient funds to live on, whilst meeting the required level of income, has now become a logistical nightmare for many.

 

In my case I transfer whatever I need monthly from my Santander Intenational account online, via TransferWise, it's quick, easy and very cost effective.

 

The fact that as I bank with Kasikorn and the deposit shows up as "Dummy branch" shouldn't be an issue, it's a regular deposit, it comes from overseas and have the additional paperwork to support the fact.

 

To be fair if I were a Thai Immigration Officer doing these sort of applications day in and day out, I wouldn't want to go through reams of evidence to satisfy me that the applicant met the latest requirement, as they or their superior decided were needed, maybe my local office will be satisfied with the paper trail, maybe they won't and I'll be waved away when I come to apply again for my extension next year.

 

So what are my options, I could open an account with Bangkok Bank, continue to use TW and hope that they mark the next twelve months transfers as FTT, if they don't mark one as such I'm probably scuppered.

 

I could get Santander to transfer the required amount every month and hope thay don't use an intermediary bank as that may not show up as a deposit from overseas. You can't initiate a transfer in Sterling to Thailand online, you have to call Jersey, the bank costs are higher, you don't get the same rate as TW and you have to pay a receiving fee, and of course if there's an intermediary bank they'll take their cut and it may not show up as an International Transfer.

 

As I've said before, why does such a simple task need to be so difficult.

My situation almost exactly mirrors yours except I use a different fx company. Santander also charge £25 per transfer !...and likely worse rates so minimum of £300 in additional charges plus the rate disadvantage. I’m going back to marriage visa !

[Pib]

44 minutes ago, snooky said:

Going for my visa extension two weeks ago, the officer sent me down to the BKK Bank and they promptly printed out the required transfers, one for each month.  Apparently (at least at the Chaengwattana branch) they were prepared for this and I was in and out of the bank within 5 minutes.  

What was the document named for each month they printed out?  Maybe called a Credit Advice?  And was there a fee?   

 

Additionally regarding the transfers were these SWIFT, ACH, Trasnferwise, etc., transfers...specifically how do you send money to yourself?  Thanks.

[johnmcc6]

On 2/26/2019 at 3:32 PM, ubonjoe said:

It suspect your bank used a intermediary Thai bank for the funds transfer.

What bank did you use for the transfer?

Btn means the money was sent to another institution and then transfered to B K B,.In my case pension from Australia goes to City bank Bangkok then to my account in Chiangmai. The bank cannot issue a letter saying the money  came from outside Thailand as it came from Bangkok. I had to contact City bank bangkok post 1000 baht check to get them to verify my money came from Australian  pension. Letter from bank must be from the bank that receives it form O S . Takes about a week. This post. was meant to go to pib in response to his post

Edited February 27, 2019 by johnmcc6
sent to wrong person.

[Pib]

Btn means the money was sent to another institution and then transfered to B K B,.In my case pension from Australia goes to City bank Bangkok then to my account in Chiangmai. The bank cannot issue a letter saying the money  came from outside Thailand as it came from Bangkok. I had to contact City bank bangkok post 1000 baht check to get them to verify my money came from Australian  pension. Letter from bank must be from the bank that receives it form O S . Takes about a week. This post. was meant to go to pib in response to his post

johnmcc6
Thanks...and just saw your more detailed post below on what you had to do to prove the transfers came from outside Thailand.

https://forum.thaivisa.com/index.php?/topic/1086704-Australian-center-link-deposits-to-Bangkok-bank

[johnmcc6]

On 2/26/2019 at 4:01 PM, Thailand said:

From a previous thread.

"You can request statements (at your local bank branch) for detailed statements from their HQ, itemising foreign transactions as Bahtnet or Foreign TT deposits. Takes approx 5 days to process. + Bank letter.

According to TI, all bank HQ's are already aware of Immigrations requirements for detailed statements showing overseas transfers, which your local branch may not be able to confirm or supply."

 

 

the bangkok bang will not issue a letter saying any funds marked btn arrived from out of Thailand. It means the money went to another bank first and then sent to your account at B K B. In My case all BTN deposits went from my pension allowance into City bank Bangkok. I had to contact City bank to get statement that the funds came from my pension supplier oversees. Cost 1000 baht, form posted by check  Takes about a week . B K B can identify your btn source so you can call them and get a usable letter for extension.