Korat immigration reconfirms no need for foreign transfer code

[Chongalulu]

Several months ago at the start of the new rules I  asked an IO at Korat office about the 'Domestic Transfer' designations on my Kasikorn bank statements for funds I’d transferred from abroad using an Fx company ,World First. She made it clear they didn’t care about the codes,only the sums of money coming in. This week I went in again and spoke to another officer showing him both the 10 months of statements I’d  downloaded and printed,

pointing out the domestic transfer designation along with corresponding transaction confirmation documents from the FX company. I was with the wife but he spoke good English saying ' Don’t worry,we don’t care about that,only the money coming in each month ' ,exactly as the previous officer had said. He could also see that I had been bringing in 2/3 transfers per month,each substantially more than the 65k requirement. He simply reminded me to get the standard bank letter on the day I came in to do the retirement extension (due 20 January)renewal and suggested I bring in my documents from the FX company. All very encouraging. But TIT, and I had opened a second bank account with Kasikorn into which I plan to lodge 400k this month (to fall within the 2 month requirement)as a fallback safety net to switch to a marriage visa extension . I’ve done this because there’s a lot of activity on my first account and thought a clean separate account clearly showing 400k sitting there for 2 months not clouded by lots of surrounding transactions may make things less confusing should I change to marriage extension. I could then use that money once either visa was approved to pay for some land we’re buying. 

So in summary ,my first option is to get the easier retirement extension based on monthly transfers but should at the time of application a snag occur I could come back and extend on the basis of Marriage. Perhaps Immigration knowing this would make them more likely to grant the easier (for them) Non immigrant O retirement extension.

Perhaps I’m being over cautious given the consistency of what Korat has said,but has anyone else had a similar situation (in this office particularly). Or any constructive suggestions regarding the execution of my strategy?!

 

 

[KhunBENQ]

Common sense at an immigration office?

16 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

This week I went in again and spoke to another officer showing him both the 10 months of statements I’d  downloaded and printed,

pointing out the domestic transfer designation along with corresponding transaction confirmation documents from the FX company.

Congrats.

Let's hope others will see it same way.

[Pungdo]

A good mate of mine and I use Orbit Remit which doesn't show as international transfers and he has just successfully applied for and received a Marriage Extension in Rayong, at first they weren't agreeable, but after much discussion with head office in Bangkok, it was agreed that he could use it providing he supplied statements from his Australian bank that matched up with the interbank Thai transfers, which thankfully are normally same day.

Edited November 3, 2019 by Pungdo

[pizzachang]

It is odd that some IO haven't caught up with international electronic banking.  I've posted this before but a repeat is necessary. All foreign ATM cards (to my knowledge) can only draw on funds from a foreign account.  My bank (BBK Bank) verified this - the bank knows that an ATM withdrawal using an ATM issued by another country's bank can only draw funds from a foreign account. Technically  when you use your card in Thailand and then deposit to a Thai account, this is a foreign transfer.

[Jip99]

16 minutes ago, pizzachang said:

It is odd that some IO haven't caught up with international electronic banking.  I've posted this before but a repeat is necessary. All foreign ATM cards (to my knowledge) can only draw on funds from a foreign account.  My bank (BBK Bank) verified this - the bank knows that an ATM withdrawal using an ATM issued by another country's bank can only draw funds from a foreign account. Technically  when you use your card in Thailand and then deposit to a Thai account, this is a foreign transfer.

 

Long-winded and unnecessarily costly way of doing it. Why would anyone withdraw cash from an ATM, on a foreign card, to pay into a Thai bank account ?

[jackdd]

48 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

Long-winded and unnecessarily costly way of doing it. Why would anyone withdraw cash from an ATM, on a foreign card, to pay into a Thai bank account ?

Probably because it gives you the second best rate (only cash at Superrich headquarter beats it).

I didn't check it for all currencies, but usually a credit card (if you get the 220THB fee refunded) beats bank transfer or Transferwise.

Edited November 4, 2019 by jackdd

[Jip99]

48 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Probably because it gives you the second best rate (only cash at Superrich headquarter beats it).

I didn't check it for all currencies, but usually a credit card (if you get the 220THB fee refunded) beats bank transfer or Transferwise.

 

Fees at the Thai end, fees and overseas transaction charges at the UK end make ATM withdrawals totally unviable for me.

[OJAS]

23 hours ago, Pungdo said:

A good mate of mine and I use Orbit Remit which doesn't show as international transfers and he has just successfully applied for and received a Marriage Extension in Rayong, at first they weren't agreeable, but after much discussion with head office in Bangkok, it was agreed that he could use it providing he supplied statements from his Australian bank that matched up with the interbank Thai transfers, which thankfully are normally same day.

Don't Orbit Remit issue downloadable transfer confirmation statements (like TransferWise do, for example) which might have proved sufficient in your pal's case?

[jacko45k]

22 hours ago, Jip99 said:

 

Fees at the Thai end, fees and overseas transaction charges at the UK end make ATM withdrawals totally unviable for me.

Me too, a very uneconomical way to get spending money. I got some percentage in the exchange rate on top of the Thai End and UK End fixed charges.