At Mae Sai it is written 20,000, do any other borders, airports require a higher sum?

Edited March 9, 20197 yr by metisdead
ALL CAPS removed from topic title.

Nup

Ok , excuse double posting

The 20k baht is the standard number but it is seldom asked for.

I have never heard of any location asking for more.

Just to clarify: Who exactly does the 20K requirement apply to? (to the extent that it applies - either theoretically or in practice - to anyone).

 

I'm about to head to Veetnaaam in 3 weeks for a few days. I'm in Thailand for - I hope - the rest of my life on retirement extension and I can't remember ever being asked before to show cash on arrival back in LOS, but I get nervous when I constantly read these things on TV ...

 

 

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

Just to clarify: Who exactly does the 20K requirement apply to? (to the extent that it applies - either theoretically or in practice - to anyone).

 

I'm about to head to Veetnaaam in 3 weeks for a few days. I'm in Thailand for - I hope - the rest of my life on retirement extension and I can't remember ever being asked before to show cash on arrival back in LOS, but I get nervous when I constantly read these things on TV ...

 

 

If you do not fit the profile you will not be asked.

10 minutes ago, KarlS said:

If you do not fit the profile you will not be asked.

Mmmm, well that's a bit random though, isn't it? The issue is: If they ask me to show cash & I have, say, only 8K on me, can they/will they stop me entering?

 

[I am, otherwise, a sweet elderly gentleman, looks 50, wears glasses, always dressed in relaxed middle class style (jeans & s/l shirt, plimsols & socks.) ????????????]

I've NEVER Been asked to show ANY Cash,And I've had MANY Non-Imm " O"s ( Marriage ) Over the Years......

3 hours ago, mfd101 said:

Mmmm, well that's a bit random though, isn't it? The issue is: If they ask me to show cash & I have, say, only 8K on me, can they/will they stop me entering?

Yes they can deny entry under section 12 (9) if the immigration act. But in reality, if you have a non immigrant visa, they are unlikely to ask and even less likely to deny entry if you don’t have it.

 

They tend to use this law as a reason to deny entry to tourists that have — in the opinion of the border IO — spent too long  in the country as a tourist.

 

As a retiree entering with re-entry permit you have nothing to worry about.

What is the problem with having 20k with you? It's a bit of money, sure, but hardly enough to make a big deal out of.

7 minutes ago, Myran said:

What is the problem with having 20k with you? It's a bit of money, sure, but hardly enough to make a big deal out of.

I agree, but I don't usually even think about it so I could easily arrive with less in my wallet (or some jumble of foreign currencies) & receive a nasty surprise ...

45 minutes ago, Myran said:

What is the problem with having 20k with you? It's a bit of money, sure, but hardly enough to make a big deal out of.

Well, I can think of one. Carry just too much damn cash. You go on a holiday only to return with 20 x 1000b notes or carry an extra 800 on top of the XX you carried abroad already.

 

Fine, if you must but I would not say that's something I sim to do.

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

I agree, but I don't usually even think about it so I could easily arrive with less in my wallet (or some jumble of foreign currencies) & receive a nasty surprise ...

It doesn't have to be baht. They should accept foreign currency that's equivalent to 20K baht, or travellers cheques.

I heard that it does have to be in baht.  I heard a tale about one guy asking to be excused to visit a nearby ATM to get the required 20,000 baht from his account.  His request was declined.  I have no other details than that.   As a returning retiree on an annual visa I have never been asked to show money carried.

19 hours ago, mfd101 said:

I agree, but I don't usually even think about it so I could easily arrive with less in my wallet (or some jumble of foreign currencies) & receive a nasty surprise ...

The total can be from any exchangable currency.

 

28 minutes ago, Postmaster said:

I heard that it does have to be in baht.  I heard a tale about one guy asking to be excused to visit a nearby ATM to get the required 20,000 baht from his account.  His request was declined.  I have no other details than that.   As a returning retiree on an annual visa I have never been asked to show money carried.

Correct on all counts.  The ATM is just a few feet away, but you cannot touch it, as that would eliminate the twisted-reason they would be using to deny entry. 

I have only read one instance of someone on a retirement-extension w/ re-entry permit being asked to show the cash - coming in from Malaysia at Sadao; the foreigner asked to speak to a supervisor, and the request was withdrawn.  This was soon after Sadao's "money in passport" scam was shut down (for the 2nd time), and they were hassling everyone in anger.

Edited March 10, 20197 yr by JackThompson

On 3/9/2019 at 9:50 AM, ubonjoe said:

The 20k baht is the standard number but it is seldom asked for.

I have never heard of any location asking for more.

I'm still confused, I thought it was 10K for an individual and 20K for a family?

Just now, coppywriter said:

I'm still confused, I thought it was 10K for an individual and 20K for a family?

That is for a 30 day visa exempt entry.

Entry with a visa requires the equivalent of 20k baht or 40k baht for a family.

On 3/9/2019 at 8:50 AM, ubonjoe said:

The 20k baht is the standard number but it is seldom asked for.

I have never heard of any location asking for more.

Ubon, the 20,000Baht isn't the price of the O Visa. 20000B is the amount of money you are requested to bring into the Kingdom of Thailand . You already have the Visa. I've only been asked to show it once, I keep it in a Thai Bank.

Their is no requirement according to imm rules to have money as this is a visa you must come into the country if you intend applying for a retirement visa, then you need money , 20,000 Baht or equivalent in other monies or 65,000Baht/month or a mixture of both to make up 20,000Baht. In a Thai Bank. How can you have monies in a Thai Bank of you've never been to Thailand . Different Embassies and Consulates have their own rules. I use Penang they like to see you have 400,000 Baht. Imm rules don't require you to have a Thai Bank Acc when applying to this O Visa but you would 23rd their some time counting it out if you brought it I cash.  Never mind you learn listening to other travellers.

 

3 minutes ago, Percy P said:

Ubon, the 20,000Baht isn't the price of the O Visa. 20000B is the amount of money you are requested to bring into the Kingdom of Thailand

I was replying to a question about the equivalent of 20k baht on entry to the country not the cost of the visa. It does not matter what visa you have immigration can ask to see but as I wrote is it seldom asked for.

On 3/9/2019 at 9:02 AM, mfd101 said:

Just to clarify: Who exactly does the 20K requirement apply to? (to the extent that it applies - either theoretically or in practice - to anyone).

 

I'm about to head to Veetnaaam in 3 weeks for a few days. I'm in Thailand for - I hope - the rest of my life on retirement extension and I can't remember ever being asked before to show cash on arrival back in LOS, but I get nervous when I constantly read these things on TV ...

 

 

The 20k is asked on entry into the Kingdom Of Thailand Boarder. I have a Thai Bank Acc with 20k in it. I get a letter from the Bank to verify it if I'm going out of the country, with the words in Thai Money can not be taken out of of the Acc outside of Thailand.

On 3/9/2019 at 8:50 AM, ubonjoe said:

The 20k baht is the standard number but it is seldom asked for.

I have never heard of any location asking for more.

You know I just remembered when I first entered Thailand on my marriage visa back in 2014 at the airport they didn’t ask me anything about how much cash I had on me.  I do remember going to the currency exchange booth and exchanging about a thousand US dollars cash into Thai Baht.  Just the cash I was traveling with but no one asked to see it.  I always thought that you had to show 20,000 baht on the 60 day tourist visas.  But I don’t know when we used to come here on vacation back in the day when we were living in Japan I never stayed for more than 30 days at a time so I never needed a tourist visa.  I wasn’t expecting them to ask either because back then I only knew the basic visa rules and not much more than that.  

Edited March 10, 20197 yr by Jim7777

Thanks all it was Sadao I had in mind never had any issues up here in the North. 

On 3/9/2019 at 10:20 AM, mfd101 said:

Mmmm, well that's a bit random though, isn't it? The issue is: If they ask me to show cash & I have, say, only 8K on me, can they/will they stop me entering?

 

[I am, otherwise, a sweet elderly gentleman, looks 50, wears glasses, always dressed in relaxed middle class style (jeans & s/l shirt, plimsols & socks.) ????????????]

 

22 hours ago, Myran said:

What is the problem with having 20k with you? It's a bit of money, sure, but hardly enough to make a big deal out of.

Little money to you maybe but to a Thai it a lot of money . If there's 2 of you that's 40,000B .Could easily be mugged coming over the boarder.

35 minutes ago, Percy P said:

 

Little money to you maybe but to a Thai it a lot of money . If there's 2 of you that's 40,000B .Could easily be mugged coming over the boarder.

Please read what I write properly. I clearly said that "it's a bit of money". And what does Thai people have to do with this? They don't need to show any amount of money when crossing the border.

 

And no, I very much doubt you could easily be mugged coming over the border, as literally thousands of people do it daily without issue.

By the time I return to Bangkok I have almost all of the Bt 5,000 I took home and about £130 enough to get home from Heathrow. My debit card is there if I need cash. With retirees I expect the Director General to apply Clause 14 of the Immigration Act which says “cash in hand or ‘guarantee’ or without conditions at his discretion” although that would be clarified in the police orders. As Karls says I don’t think that I fit the profile.


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4 hours ago, Percy P said:

The 20k is asked on entry into the Kingdom Of Thailand Boarder. I have a Thai Bank Acc with 20k in it. I get a letter from the Bank to verify it if I'm going out of the country, with the words in Thai Money can not be taken out of of the Acc outside of Thailand.

A bank account/letter does not meet the requirement. So if you were asked to show 20K it almost certainly wouldn’t be accepted.

 

I recommend that no one follow your example. Especially someone entering for ‘tourism’.

On 3/9/2019 at 8:50 AM, ubonjoe said:

The 20k baht is the standard number but it is seldom asked for.

I have never heard of any location asking for more.

Interestingly i was flying 2 weeks ago from Macau to Pattaya on Air Asia and there was a large Mainlander group travelling and at check in they were all asked to show  how much cash they had with them what credit cards etc. Saw a a couple come back to check in counters showing obviously more cash withdrawn from ATMs.

To all those who say "I've entered lots of times and never been asked to show 20K" - times are changing, I've never been asked either but that's cold comfort to the ones that have and been denied entry!

30 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

To all those who say "I've entered lots of times and never been asked to show 20K" - times are changing, I've never been asked either but that's cold comfort to the ones that have and been denied entry!

Yes, precisely.

4 hours ago, tgeezer said:

By the time I return to Bangkok I have almost all of the Bt 5,000 I took home and about £130 enough to get home from Heathrow. My debit card is there if I need cash. With retirees I expect the Director General to apply Clause 14 of the Immigration Act which says “cash in hand or ‘guarantee’ or without conditions at his discretion” although that would be clarified in the police orders. As Karls says I don’t think that I fit the profile.


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The amount of cash (10/20/40K) required was published in accordance with section 14, and is enforced under section 12 (9). It’s not required to be “clarified in the police orders”.

 

No exemptions were published, but clearly IO’s have discretional power regarding enforcement.