9 hours ago, placnx said:

So, was the bank-certified statement for the year not required? I just use my regular passbook account, and forgot to update it for months, so the individual transactions don't show. Even so, they can see that no deposits were made during this time, which means that I didn't go under the 800K or 400K limits.

even though I update the passbook with every transaction on the account I am required to provide an annual bank certified statement and a copy of the passbook back to Page 1 (2014) giving copies only back as far as 2018 was not acceptable. 

4 hours ago, EricTh said:

5500 baht is cheap considering we have to pay 1900 baht for the extension itself. 

 

So the agent only took 3500 baht to be shared with the 'c' officer inside.

 

The only con is that if one is caught by higher-up, it will be difficult renewing it in the future.

 

 

The 5,500 (I paid 7,900 in Bangkok & will pay 8,000 in Pattaya) is if you meet all of the requirements so there is nothing to be "Caught" for. 

 

The agent is simply doing the paperwork for you & ensuring that it's all in order so you can be more confident that you're going to be successful in getting the extension at the 1st try. 

 

Quotes of 12,500+ are typically for when you don't meet the financial requirements but even then a Senior Immigration Officer has the authority to waive the requirements so your extension is legit & should cause no problems with future extensions (though sometimes it's done in a different Immigration center so your agent may need to do your 90 day reports for you). 

 

Edited June 20, 20224 yr by Mike Teavee

1 hour ago, Mike Teavee said:

The 5,500 (I paid 7,900 in Bangkok & will pay 8,000 in Pattaya) is if you meet all of the requirements so there is nothing to be "Caught" for. 

 

The agent is simply doing the paperwork for you & ensuring that it's all in order so you can be more confident that you're going to be successful in getting the extension at the 1st try. 

 

Quotes of 12,500+ are typically for when you don't meet the financial requirements but even then a Senior Immigration Officer has the authority to waive the requirements so your extension is legit & should cause no problems with future extensions (though sometimes it's done in a different Immigration center so your agent may need to do your 90 day reports for you). 

 

Sorry I must have misunderstood. I thought the 5500 baht is for those who don't meet the financial requirements.

 

In this case, the agent itself get to pocket 3500 for work that I considered simple.

 

This first option is completely legal but probably not the second one.

 

If you think the second option is legal, why not ask someone from the anti-corruption dept to investigate whether it's legal or not?

Edited June 20, 20224 yr by EricTh

7 hours ago, EricTh said:

If you think the second option is legal, why not ask someone from the anti-corruption dept to investigate whether it's legal or not?

I'm not saying the 2nd option is completely legal but there is scope for a Senior Immigration Officer to use his discretion to waive the financial requirement so if he were to do this without any "inducements" being given then it would be 100% above board. 

 

There have been guys who have accidently fallen foul of the seasoning rules (seem to recall 1 guy got caught out by a 300THB fee for a new debit card & another who's wife took 15K out of the wrong account) and turned to agents to help them get that extension before going back to doing it themselves so there is a legitimate need for Senior IOs to be able to "Bend the rules" every now & again.

 

Obviously I'm not naïve enough to think that this is the case for the vast majority of agent assisted extensions but I don't think the person who got the extension would be the one in trouble, at worse they would need to be able to show that they can meet the financial requirements for their next extension which granted would probably be impossible as if they didn't have the 800K in the bank at extension time, they probably didn't have it in the bank for 3 months afterwards. 

Edited June 20, 20224 yr by Mike Teavee

There is for everyone, but especially for the elderly and disabled, the possibility to get an appointment on the website of the immigration!

I have never needed more than 45 minutes! Usually 30 minutes!!!

 

Here is the website: 

 

https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/[email protected]/bookings/

 

The 90 day notification goes completely online!

 

Here is the website: 

 

https://www.immigration.go.th/en/#serviceonline

 

I print out the certificate at home, and staple it into a passport!

So nothing with outside somewhere have to wait!

It can not be more convenient, right?

And the few thousand THB I give no agent, at least I can, also better use ????

 

17 minutes ago, Richard 2020 said:

There is for everyone, but especially for the elderly and disabled, the possibility to get an appointment on the website of the immigration!

I have never needed more than 45 minutes! Usually 30 minutes!!!

 

Here is the website: 

 

https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/[email protected]/bookings/

 

The 90 day notification goes completely online!

 

Here is the website: 

 

https://www.immigration.go.th/en/#serviceonline

 

I print out the certificate at home, and staple it into a passport!

So nothing with outside somewhere have to wait!

It can not be more convenient, right?

And the few thousand THB I give no agent, at least I can, also better use ????

 

Been online for a long time

15 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

The 5,500 (I paid 7,900 in Bangkok & will pay 8,000 in Pattaya) is if you meet all of the requirements so there is nothing to be "Caught" for. 

 

The agent is simply doing the paperwork for you & ensuring that it's all in order so you can be more confident that you're going to be successful in getting the extension at the 1st try. 

 

 

 In this scenario do you still have to go to Immigration yourself?

 

I would gladly pay to avoid that (extreme, in case of my particular IO) unpleasantness. But if I would still have to  bring all the paperwork in person, and endure the usual abuse and shenanagins, then I don't see the point.

 

Getting the paperwork in order per the actual rules is quite easy (if one meets the financial requirements). But it is no protection against suddenly made up nonsensical "rules", demands for bribes, verbal abuse etc.  If any one knows an agent who would handle that, and at the correct imm office (as opposed to sending my passport to some remote place where I do not live), please advise, either here or by PM. Thanks.

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 In this scenario do you still have to go to Immigration yourself?

 

I would gladly pay to avoid that (extreme, in case of my particular IO) unpleasantness. But if I would still have to  bring all the paperwork in person, and endure the usual abuse and shenanagins, then I don't see the point.

 

Getting the paperwork in order per the actual rules is quite easy (if one meets the financial requirements). But it is no protection against suddenly made up nonsensical "rules", demands for bribes, verbal abuse etc.  If any one knows an agent who would handle that, and at the correct imm office (as opposed to sending my passport to some remote place where I do not live), please advise, either here or by PM. Thanks.

Unfortunately you still need to go on the day, apparently guys who pay the 12,500+ fees don't always have to go but I would worry that my extension was being done "Up Country" if I didn't go.

 

I do think you're treated a little better if you go with an agent known to the IO & it wouldn't surprise me if 1-2,000 from the fees you pay found it's way into the Immigration Benevolence fund ???? 

 

Edited June 21, 20224 yr by Mike Teavee

On 6/21/2022 at 7:20 AM, Excel said:

Online for a long time

Yes, that's right!

But I have not written that this is a new thing!
But many expats do not know it ????