Thai bureaucratic madness

[cracker1]

22 hours ago, Isaan Alan said:

Krungthai don'[t need it. So I'll go that way with my fancy-schmanzy original Thai marriage cert.

Seems fortunate you are married !

[DJ54]

Had a little bit of difficulty opening BKK account. Looking back the difficulty was I could only speak English and they had limited English. But got it done one visit. 

 

Waiting in car while she was in a different bank. I saw a guy 

at the machine outside updated 32 bank books... very strange 

[Mansell]

Had two accounts in two different cities on Phuket with Bangkok Bank, got to Korat and opened two more with them....easy peasy. It must be the branches you are dealing with.

[Gandtee]

Regarding the requirement of a high grade Civil Servant. Many years ago I got caught up in this at Don Muang airport. I'd forgotten to get my tax clearance certificate after staying for supposedly over 90 days. I was already through the ticket reception and into Immigration expecting to pay for a one day overstay. I was then asked for my Tax clearance certificate. Gulp! I was then pointed to the Immigration office outside in the public area. Fortunately my wife to be had waited outside to make sure I was OK and observed this. We went across to the Inland Revenue office where a snotty officer looked through my passport and counted the previous visits  which came to over 90 days and said I would have to go to the Revenue office in Bangkok the next day. I told them my luggage was already being loaded and I was prepared to pay any fine, to no avail. My wife asked if a government officer could vouch for me and the reply was only if it is a class 6 officer. Fortunately my future brother in law was top cop at Don Muang police station whom she phoned and got him out of bed. Meanwhile a representative came and told me my luggage would have to be off loaded shortly. All of this was around midnight. The brother in law to be arrived, talked to the revenue officer and after me paying fines was allowed to embark. One of the few times if been grateful for the "Do you know who I am." method of getting out of trouble.  

[KKr]

23 hours ago, scorecard said:

high levels of bad debts on credit cards

not surprised about that when someone can draw six monthly salaries from different banks.
common sense seems to have departed the risk managers ... ...

[Parsve]

I have a Bangkok Bank account in Phichit. About half a year ago, I went in to a Bkk bank in Jomtien and said that I would like to open a new account with them. They asked why and I explained that I lived about half the year there. Ok, she said, I need to see your passport, and your rent agreement. I hand it over and also included my Phichit bankbook. How much do you want to put in on the account she asked, and do you want an ATM-card, it  is a fee for that. At the moment only 500 baht I answered. 15 minutes later I had my new account.

[Just Weird]

20 hours ago, Isaan Alan said:

The forgers. Two years ago I saw a forger advertising on Khao San Road with samples of fake passports, DLs, IDs. Totally out in the open. Does he have to pay protection money I wonder?

We're not talking about professional forgers, the topic is about a normal Thaivisa member's whinge.

 

"Two years ago I saw a forger advertising on Khao San Road with samples of fake passports..."

Is that so, fake passports on KSR?  I doubt that very much; fake ID cards and driving licences, maybe, but counterfeit passports, no way.   Have you any idea how much a counterfeit passport costs and you think that they'd be sold on the street to KSR-ers?

[Monkeyrobot]

On 7/8/2019 at 1:17 PM, MeePeeMai said:

Don’t feel bad. I went in to 3 banks here in Loei with my wife all the paperwork you mentioned. One told me no can do, one told me I must be on my wife’s parents tabian ban (we don’t live with her parents) and the third said I need to come in with a government worker.  Came back with my wife’s parents who both work at the local Amphoe and was told - not enough, need higher government worker. We got on a flight to BKK and went to BKK bank on Silom Rd where they were happy to help me open one no problem. 

I went to a bank in Taree just outside of Kanchanaburi as I was visiting there, went into the branch with my bank book ( my home branch Bangkok) Passport, Thai Driver Licence, foreign drivers licence, credit cards, ect. Wanted to withdraw 8,000 Baht 

, you think they would give me the money, Not a chance, the manager was scared I was an imposter and he would be accountable for the loss. Well that was the impression I got. 

[marcusarelus]

3 minutes ago, Monkeyrobot said:

I went to a bank in Taree just outside of Kanchanaburi as I was visiting there, went into the branch with my bank book ( my home branch Bangkok) Passport, Thai Driver Licence, foreign drivers licence, credit cards, ect. Wanted to withdraw 8,000 Baht 

, you think they would give me the money, Not a chance, the manager was scared I was an imposter and he would be accountable for the loss. Well that was the impression I got. 

You don't have a debit card or an account on your phone?

[asiaexpat]

9 hours ago, DJ54 said:

Had a little bit of difficulty opening BKK account. Looking back the difficulty was I could only speak English and they had limited English. But got it done one visit. 

 

Waiting in car while she was in a different bank. I saw a guy 

at the machine outside updated 32 bank books... very strange 

Very common for one person in an office or company to take all employee's bankbooks to update for payroll deposits.

[zhangxifu]

On 7/8/2019 at 6:01 PM, richiejom said:

If I go and ask to open a new account in this province I bet they have you for the new bankbook and debit card cost then

 

This is why I only use my Thai bank to withdraw small amounts of cash for the few things I need it for...  Electricity, Internet and most shopping gets paid by App with my Transferwise fee free Mastercard (works at 7/11, Tesco etc etc) I signed up here and had relatives post it to me in Thailand

 

I'm looking into a way to get cash to my Thai bank within 2 hours with no fees as well using a Thai Fintech app.. I'll report back

 

Would they have kept your Samui Bangkok bank account or would it have been a completely new one? as its an inconvenience to open a completely new one..you must be annoyed... I want to get local status for my existing Krung Thai not have to get all new login details.. its a pain to avoid fees 

 

Also even if it’s same bank they will still charge you that one per mille for inter provincial transfer! They will simply withdraw it and cash deposit at the new branch your at. You can do the transfer for no cost with the app but its only 50k per time so might take a while. I would recommend looking at the nob thai banks Citi and UOB. I have a UOB debit card with better insurance deal than thai banks offer and can withdraw cash for free in every province. Also in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. 

[gk10002000]

On ‎7‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 2:35 AM, richiejom said:

Yes go with Krungthai they are good. I have a Krung Thai and their online 'Netbank portal' is good

 

I'm getting the same problem as you though wherein I changed provinces and keep seeing  ฿20 inter-region' fees on ATM uses..  does this mean I have to ask Krung Thai in my new province to open a new account? that would seem wasteful.  It seems ridiculous they charge a fee for different provinces and at Krungthai ATM when paying in occurs the same fee..what is the expense for?

They charge because they can.  I hear this province fee thing mostly reported here on Thai Visa by foreigners, which of course makes sense since this site is mostly used by foreigners.  But I am wondering if the local Thai people have the same sort of inter province issues?  I also suspect that statistically speaking, the Thai banks and systems do not expect local Thais to be traveling between provinces much, as if this is still the buffalo and buggy days

[Isaan Alan]

19 hours ago, Guderian said:

Don't worry about all the snooty-nosed and unsympathetic replies on here, they're not real people, they're just automated Nazibots planted on the forum by the Thai government to give the appearance that its policies are widely supported by the expat community. Anybody who's had problems with opening a bank account here will sympathise with your situation, you're an existing customer <deleted> so what idiocy are these loons playing at?

Thx. Yes some people told me to "suck it up" and follow the banks directive and travel from Isaan to Samui. How pompous! Or maybe they are just playing power games. Such sad human beings!

 

[Isaan Alan]

15 hours ago, Just Weird said:

We're not talking about professional forgers, the topic is about a normal Thaivisa member's whinge.

 

"Two years ago I saw a forger advertising on Khao San Road with samples of fake passports..."

Is that so, fake passports on KSR?  I doubt that very much; fake ID cards and driving licences, maybe, but counterfeit passports, no way.   Have you any idea how much a counterfeit passport costs and you think that they'd be sold on the street to KSR-ers?

Saw it with my own eyes, I couldn't believe it.

However, I didn't go inside to ask for one as I had a real one.

Yes, maybe just KSR clickbait but bold on brass on display.

[Isaan Alan]

On 7/9/2019 at 12:17 AM, plachon said:

Indeed, which is why many treat farangs with contempt, even while flashing the famous smile. My personal gripe, and this is over 27 years of experience, is when you do a transaction in a Thai bank (and most of them seem to be guilty) and the cashier just presents you with a blank form to sign, as if it is the most normal thing in the world. Now, I don't know about you, but I rather dislike signing away my rights and cash without seeing what I am signing for exactly. But this lady across the counter seems to think that it is the most normal thing in the world and the customer complaining about it is an affront to her professionalism and dignity. As if she'd make a mistake or screw up in some way!! ????

So this creates that sour taste between farang customer and cashier, because Thais never complain when they asked to do something unreasonable like demand an ounce of transparency, accountability and competence in the bank, and in the past, I have to admit I did it the Thai way and just signed....but not any more, and it causes unnecessary aggro. So what do you do when asked to sign  a blank form in the bank, or is it just me being treated like this? ????

Good point, I have been given a blank form many times. I fill in the amount in English words and the amount in figures and sign. I let them do the rest. Signing a blank cheque has been the cause of many a fraud in business or life.

[Isaan Alan]

18 hours ago, DJ54 said:

Had a little bit of difficulty opening BKK account. Looking back the difficulty was I could only speak English and they had limited English. But got it done one visit. 

 

Waiting in car while she was in a different bank. I saw a guy 

at the machine outside updated 32 bank books... very strange 

Land of smiles (LOS) and land of bank books (LOBB)

 

[Isaan Alan]

17 hours ago, Gandtee said:

Regarding the requirement of a high grade Civil Servant. Many years ago I got caught up in this at Don Muang airport. I'd forgotten to get my tax clearance certificate after staying for supposedly over 90 days. I was already through the ticket reception and into Immigration expecting to pay for a one day overstay. I was then asked for my Tax clearance certificate. Gulp! I was then pointed to the Immigration office outside in the public area. Fortunately my wife to be had waited outside to make sure I was OK and observed this. We went across to the Inland Revenue office where a snotty officer looked through my passport and counted the previous visits  which came to over 90 days and said I would have to go to the Revenue office in Bangkok the next day. I told them my luggage was already being loaded and I was prepared to pay any fine, to no avail. My wife asked if a government officer could vouch for me and the reply was only if it is a class 6 officer. Fortunately my future brother in law was top cop at Don Muang police station whom she phoned and got him out of bed. Meanwhile a representative came and told me my luggage would have to be off loaded shortly. All of this was around midnight. The brother in law to be arrived, talked to the revenue officer and after me paying fines was allowed to embark. One of the few times if been grateful for the "Do you know who I am." method of getting out of trouble.  

wow, that's a story and a half. Some Thais just revel in the official status. Sad pathetic shrivelled souls. Of course it happens in every country but in the LOS you can do it and keep your job.

[Isaan Alan]

I'm impressed.

If I didn't click like or thanks or respond for your responses then please accept this a my thank you. I've received a lot of good advice and perspectives on Thailand. 95% of the responses were good and helpful.

 

Just a few wally wingnuts or worse. offering off the mark or devious advice.  Karma will get you for either good or not good. But like JL I wish it was instant karma. Oh that was my hurtful thought. Ha

[userabcd]

21 hours ago, DJ54 said:

Had a little bit of difficulty opening BKK account. Looking back the difficulty was I could only speak English and they had limited English. But got it done one visit. 

 

Waiting in car while she was in a different bank. I saw a guy 

at the machine outside updated 32 bank books... very strange 

Not very strange at all.

 

My wife has investments in several different funds and for each has its own bank book which she updates periodically at the ATM machines.

[richiejom]

4 hours ago, Isaan Alan said:

Good point, I have been given a blank form many times. I fill in the amount in English words and the amount in figures and sign. I let them do the rest. Signing a blank cheque has been the cause of many a fraud in business or life.

I have a Kasikorn bank as well but I found the Krung Thai clerk to be more friendly... she opened the account for me no questions asked but mis-sold me an insurance deal a long with it (Platinum card or something) supposed to cover me for ฿10K health insurance but was at the hospital last year and didn't try it (can you imagine it actually working for a farrang?)

 

The Krung Thai clerk had quite a timid demeanor but I got that account which has a ฿1500 signup fee so was happy I had 2 Thai accounts as backup.  Think she probably got commission on that sale.

 

 Kasikorn had 2-3 staff all looking over me when I opened there asking all sorts of questions...have seen a few ฿500 fees on Kbank that I wasnt sure of as well.

 

Krung Sri wouldn't let me have an account at the time...I think it comes down to the mood of the clerk at the time or the type of person they are.

 

I did a small Transferwise transfer to Krung Thai yesterday and got the code  BSD22 ..anyone know if this is the one accepted by immigration?

[OJAS]

On 7/8/2019 at 5:18 PM, Isaan Alan said:

I could be cynical and say the 20 baht is for the staff Xmas party but Thais don't have Xmas parties.

Indeed they don't. It's probably for their annual Songkran knees-up down at the local temple instead.

[userabcd]

I did a small Transferwise transfer to Krung Thai yesterday and got the code  BSD22 ..anyone know if this is the one accepted by immigration?

 

https://www.ktb.co.th/th/contact-us/others/personal/faq/transectioncode

 

BSD22 BPGS SAV Deposit ServType 22 Enter the savings account through KTB Biz Payment system, service type -22 about BPS (SMART original)

 

Whatever that all means?

[Just Weird]

15 hours ago, Isaan Alan said:

Saw it with my own eyes, I couldn't believe it.

However, I didn't go inside to ask for one as I had a real one.

Yes, maybe just KSR clickbait but bold on brass on display.

So you didn't see them, then.  Fake passports are not, and never have been, available on the street at KSR.

[Isaan Alan]

4 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

So you didn't see them, then.  Fake passports are not, and never have been, available on the street at KSR.

I just said I DID see them. On display outside the the shop along with DLs and IDs

I didn't go inside to get tactile and fondle the pages.

I can't say it any clearer

[Isaan Alan]

17 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

So you didn't see them, then.  Fake passports are not, and never have been, available on the street at KSR.

http://www.thebigchilli.com/feature-stories/khao-sans-fake-documents-industry

 

2014 according to this story the passports are stolen or purchased not forged

 

[Just Weird]

47 minutes ago, Isaan Alan said:

http://www.thebigchilli.com/feature-stories/khao-sans-fake-documents-industry

 

2014 according to this story the passports are stolen or purchased not forged

 

Nowhere in that story did it say that passports (stolen, purchased, fake, whatever adjective you want to apply to them) are/were available in KSR!  None of the photos accompanying the article showed passports, either.

 

But if you say that you saw them, even though they have never been available there, it must be true.

[Just Weird]

1 hour ago, Isaan Alan said:

I just said I DID see them. On display outside the the shop along with DLs and IDs

I didn't go inside to get tactile and fondle the pages.

I can't say it any clearer

Neither can I say it any clearer, passports have never been available in KSR. 

[RocketDog]

On 7/8/2019 at 12:55 PM, bkk6060 said:

So, you take the ever changing rules of banks here due to criminal behavior and western pressure personally?

Not an unusual request nowadays.

So, either buck up and get the cert., or no account. Seems all pretty simple.

Agreed.

American government (not Americans) used 9-11-2001 attack as an excuse to tighten the authoritarian reins on their own citizens as well as disrupting global banking by assuming everybody everywhere is a criminal until proven (by their own kangaroo court rules) otherwise.

Domestically this is manifest as Asset Forfeiture and the exponential growth in scope and power of the Department of Homeland Security, a yoke of serfdom for Americans and agresive surveillance on the remainder of the world. DHS is all but a forth branch of government now.

 

This style of domestic and global  financial intimidation will continue and escalate until the Petro Dollar leverage ends. That's happening now and it will leave the USD$ in tatters and impoverished middle- class Americans. The final outcome will not be good for anyone anywhere.

 

To be fair, western and many other governments are working feverishly to create similar regressive and repressive controls in their own countries. The surveillance state is being ushered onto the world stage by America, China, and the UK, but global adoption is inexorable.

 

The outcome is inevitable because the citizens of these countries choose to remain ignorant and submissive, mesmerized by their screens and plastic toys from China.

 

I'm glad I'm on my way out rather than my way in.

 

Now I'm donning my rose-colored glasses again and going back into my happy place.

[Pib]

On 7/9/2019 at 10:49 PM, gk10002000 said:

They charge because they can.  I hear this province fee thing mostly reported here on Thai Visa by foreigners, which of course makes sense since this site is mostly used by foreigners.  But I am wondering if the local Thai people have the same sort of inter province issues?  I also suspect that statistically speaking, the Thai banks and systems do not expect local Thais to be traveling between provinces much, as if this is still the buffalo and buggy days

Yes...Thais (or any nationality) get hit with the same inter-province ATM fees...it's just Thais don't talk about it on ThaiVisa.