My 10th retirement visa renewal

[nongsung]

Today was my 10th retirement renewal and boy oh boy every time I get annoyed more and more. I understand that this is the law and we are foreigners (aliens as they call us) and rules should be in place but the endless stream of copies, signatures, and prove of this and that drives me nuts. 

 

With the changed rules I now have to proof every 90 days that I still haven’t touched my 800K/400K. That means every 90 days I have to get the dreaded bank letter confirming the amount present.

Dreaded because it takes 3 signatures and half an hour waiting time. Plus 100THB.

And a copy of my bank book.

And of course a signature at the IO.

 

There’s no such thing as bonus points for being a good and trustworthy ‘alien’; I’m using the same bank account with the same 1+M THB since 10 years. Not using it for anything else than my visa extension.

But I’m still an alien and aliens are not to be trusted.

 

The rules are (in my opinion) not fair. I need to keep a balance of 800K/400K for emergencies; I get that. But if I was receiving a pension of 65K and spent it every month, where’s the check on an emergency fund then?

 

One year I need to have ALL passport pages copied, the next year only the identification page and another year I also need to copy the visa stamp page.

It drives me completely crazy.

 

For ten years my wife draws the route to our house, every year again. Last year they visited me so they CAN find my place.

They must have it stored somewhere, they had 8 drawings of the route...

This year the exactly same drawing was rejected; not enough details.

The IO said ‘with this drawing we can not locate your house’. Well, last year you could.

 

I’m very lucky with a wife that understands that I can’t handle this kind of stupidity; she just smiles and takes care of the communication with the IO’s.

 

I can’t do that; I would lose my cool.

 

I love living here but every 3 months I feel very unwelcome.

 

Very unwelcome.

 

Unwelcome to the point that I start to doubt... you know...

 

Ok, enough, thanks for letting me vent out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jingthing]

Hi there. If you were ordered you must go back to show your bank book in 90 days. I do not think you need a bank letter for that. If so yours would be the first report like that. It's not determined yet if any offices will be ordering later reports for the 400k.

I totally agree they're jerking us around.

I'm learning Spanish.

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[marcusarelus]

What immigration office did they tell you had to bring a letter every 90 days?

[nongsung]

Mukdahan

[TGIR]

I feel your pain brother.....a couple of weeks ago we went through a similar routine.  I have learned (most of the time) to sit quietly and read a book. 

 

On our tenth year appointment they gave my wife a hard time because her middle name wasn't the same on her American passport as her Thai I.D. card.  Seems they changed the rules after ten years......so I sort of blew a gasket and said quite loudly "We've been coming here for ten years and NOW they want you to do WHAT??  She gave me the evil eye and I went back to my book, but fixing the "problem" required two trips to Bangkok.....one she went by herself and one we paid another person to run the errand for her.....absolutely unnecessary.

 

Another time after we had lived here for several years she came back from the desk she was at and said she had to go to the Tessabaan to certify my yellow book or something.......she told me she would go herself, which surprised the hell out of me because she hates to drive in Hua Hin.......obviously didn't want to listen to my whining and bitching in the car.....

 

What gets me so riled up is we are the ones that make sure we follow all the rules and take their crap like a bunch of sheep, while the people they really should be after are the ones that spend years avoiding their duty to show up at all.  That and the fact that you can go one time and it takes just a couple of minutes and you're done......then the next time it's some crap they never wanted before and you start sweating "is this the time it's something so bad I have to move out of the country?"

Edited April 5, 2019 by TGIR
grammatical error

[lkv]

OP, do the 90 day report online and avoid interaction. The less the better.

Edited April 5, 2019 by lkv

[quandow]

Just now, lkv said:

Do the 90 day report online and avoid interaction. The less the better.

I've been doing them online for over a year, I believe they finally got one right.

[chickenslegs]

3 minutes ago, lkv said:

Do the 90 day report online and avoid interaction. The less the better.

I believe the OP is talking about the new 90-day rule - to show that the 800,000/400,000  THB is still in the bank account. This can not be done online.

 

Yes, the online report of an alien remaining in the Kingdom longer than 90 days is very convenient.

[Justin Side]

1 minute ago, chickenslegs said:

 

Yes, the online report of an alien remaining in the Kingdom longer than 90 days is very convenient.

It is if it works.

For most of us it don't.

[lkv]

5 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

I believe the OP is talking about the new 90-day rule - to show that the 800,000/400,000  THB is still in the bank account. This can not be done online.

 

Yes, the online report of an alien remaining in the Kingdom longer than 90 days is very convenient.

I am not aware of any specific report to be made about the money every 90 days. I would not present myself at Immigration unless I had to.

 

They just want tea money.

Edited April 5, 2019 by lkv

[nongsung]

Well, the IO was clear that the next 90 reporting should include an updated bank book AND the confirmation letter from the bank.

With at least 800K. After that (2nd 90 days) I don’t know.

Would not be surprised if it’s not needed elsewhere. Since three years female IO’s are running the show in Mukdahan and they are extremely difficult to deal with.

Irritated faces, no-one smiles; it’s not a nice place to go to.

Edited April 5, 2019 by nongsung

[lkv]

Just now, nongsung said:

Well, the IO was clear that the next 90 reporting should include an updated bank book AND the confirmation letter from the bank.

With at least 800K. After that (2nd 90 days) I don’t know.

Would not be surprised if it’s not needed elsewhere. Since three

years female IO’s are running the show in Mukdahan and they are extremely difficult to deal with.

Irritated faces, no-one smiles; it’s not a nice place to go to.

Which is why I have advised you to do your 90 day reports online from now on and avoid contact with dodgy Immigration.

[Jingthing]

Mukdahan

Wow. You've made history with this report. Congratulations! You win a lot of aggravation.

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[Jingthing]

Which is why I have advised you to do your 90 day reports online from now on and avoid contact with dodgy Immigration.

That's silly. He's been ordered to show up with bank proof. Totally separate from address report. I think the only valid excuse from a bank book report is being out of the country but then you'd need to show up when you return.

 

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[Andrew Dwyer]

I believe the OP is talking about the new 90-day rule - to show that the 800,000/400,000  THB is still in the bank account. This can not be done online.
 
Yes, the online report of an alien remaining in the Kingdom longer than 90 days is very convenient.

It is if your IO accepts them.
Mine doesn’t (Ayutthaya ).

[lkv]

Just now, Jingthing said:

That's silly. He's been ordered to show up with bank proof. Totally separate from address report.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

And if he does not show up what will happen exactly?

[HampiK]

4 minutes ago, nongsung said:

Well, the IO was clear that the next 90 reporting should include an updated bank book AND the confirmation letter from the bank.

With at least 800K. After that (2nd 90 days) I don’t know.

Would not be surprised if it’s not needed elsewhere. Since three years female IO’s are running the show in Mukdahan and they are extremely difficult to deal with.

Irritated faces, no-one smiles; it’s not a nice place to go to.

What I would like to know, what if you leave the country always before 90 days.. therefore you never would do a 90 day report?

 

Not that would be an easier option, but this would also result in no real 90 days reports.

[lkv]

2 minutes ago, HampiK said:

What I would like to know, what if you leave the country always before 90 days.. therefore you never would do a 90 day report?

 

Not that would be an easier option, but this would also result in no real 90 days reports.

Not reporting a whole year carries a penalty of 2,000 baht. Meaning 170 baht per month.

 

Not that I would be advising the IO to do such a thing if online reporting is available.

Edited April 5, 2019 by lkv

[nongsung]

1 minute ago, lkv said:

Not reporting a whole year carries a penalty of 2,000 baht. Meaning 170 baht per month.

 

Not that I would be advising the IO to do such a thing if online reporting is available.

170THB per month NOT to undergo the 3-monthly crap is a bargain!

 

Unfortunately I’m joking...

[mlkik]

10 minutes ago, lkv said:

Not reporting a whole year carries a penalty of 2,000 baht. Meaning 170 baht per month.

 

Not that I would be advising the IO to do such a thing if online reporting is available.

Due to my Fathers poor health I left Thailand many times during the last year and never made a single 90 day report.The reporrts are for if you stay 90 days not less and leave the country.

I never received a fine or warning when renewing this year.

Why would there be a fine for using the multi re entry permit that I have?

Edited April 5, 2019 by mlkik

[lkv]

4 minutes ago, mlkik said:

Due to my Fathers poor health I left Thailand many times during the last year and never made a single 90 day report.

I never received a fine or warning when renewing this year.

Why would there be a fine for using the multi re entry permit that I have?

Because you probably did not stay longer than 90 days at one time.

 

90 day reports have to be made when someone spends more than 90 days consecutively in Thailand. If your stays are always under 90 days, no report is needed.

 

The penalty for not reporting is a fine of 2,000 baht, and it catches up with you next time you interact with Immigration, in the case of the OP on his next annual extension.

Edited April 5, 2019 by lkv

[Jingthing]

58 minutes ago, lkv said:

And if he does not show up what will happen exactly?

We don't know. Quite possibly have police banging at his door though. 

[lkv]

12 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

We don't know. Quite possibly have police banging at his door though. 

He can put the headset on as he would be listening to music.

 

If there is a legal requirement to report money every 90 days, I would like to know about it.

 

I just think the OP is being harassed by unscrupulous IO's looking for bribes.

Edited April 5, 2019 by lkv

[Jingthing]

5 minutes ago, lkv said:

He can put the headset on as he would be listening to music.

 

If there is a legal requirement to report money every 90 days, I would like to know about it.

 

I just think the OP is being harassed by unscrupulous IO's looking for bribes.

Jomtien has been ordering every income method retirement extension applicant since March to come in after 90 days AFTER their extension to show their bank book has not gone one baht under 800K baht. They are simply ENFORCEMENT the police order about post seasoning. That's the legal justification. Sorry to say as onerous as this is, it is completely legally justified.

 

Legal consequences of showing and being under? We don't know but the general assumption is that the current annual extension would be then CANCELLED.

Consequences of not showing for an ordered money showing if not abroad? Again, we don't know but I also think it's fair to assume that they wouldn't be above making house calls. 

 

The new immigration rules -- no joke. (Groan.)

Edited April 5, 2019 by Jingthing

[lkv]

15 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Jomtien has been ordering every income method retirement extension applicant since March to come in after 90 days AFTER their extension to show their bank book has not gone one baht under 800K baht. They are simply ENFORCEMENT the police order about post seasoning. That's the legal justification. Sorry to say as onerous as this is, it is completely legally justified.

 

Legal consequences of showing and being under? We don't know but the general assumption is that the current annual extension would be then CANCELLED.

Consequences of not showing for an ordered money showing if not abroad? Again, we don't know but I also think it's fair to assume that they wouldn't be above making house calls. 

 

The new immigration rules -- no joke. (Groan.)

Disturbing.

[tgeezer]

To be consistent someone using the income method should have to report monthly and prove it. Unless the office suspects that the retiree has been cheating for ten years nothing should change with a fixed account. Immigration are treating you unfairly, they are not following the spirit of the law.  

[Jingthing]

5 minutes ago, lkv said:

Disturbing.

Very or as I say these days … muy. 

[Neeranam]

2 hours ago, nongsung said:

The rules are (in my opinion) not fair.

Out of interest, can Thai pensioners retire to your country with the same amount of cash in the bank for 10 consecutive years?

[lkv]

22 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Out of interest, can Thai pensioners retire to your country with the same amount of cash in the bank for 10 consecutive years?

To give Spain as an example, with an annual proof of EUR 25,560 ( THB 915,000 at current rates), they can. They would also be entitled to free public healthcare and after 5 years get permanent residency (no more proof of money).

Edited April 5, 2019 by lkv

[Neeranam]

1 hour ago, lkv said:

To give Spain as an example, with an annual proof of EUR 25,560 ( THB 915,000 at current rates), they can. They would also be entitled to free public healthcare and after 5 years get permanent residency (no more proof of money).

I heard that the USA ask for 16 million baht to be invested in a US company.