2023 Trip Report for Retirement Extension via Thai Bank Deposit at BKK CW

[BritTim]

2 minutes ago, Caldera said:

I'm a bit baffled that you waited for 5 hours for the re-entry permit, aren't you aware that you can apply at the airport on your way out?

 

That being said, when Big Jok(e) gets around to make his suggestions, I'd wish they do away with re-entry permits altogether and make them an integral part of every long-term extension. It's such a waste of time, hassle and passport pages for no good reason.

The current distinction between visa and "temporary permission to remain in Thailand" make this a real can of worms. Vast swathes of the legislation would need to be reworded. On the other hand, they have somehow managed to finesse that with the way the LTR visas have been set up. I agree with you that the whole re-entry permit system is needlessly bureaucratic.

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, BritTim said:

I agree with you that the whole re-entry permit system is needlessly bureaucratic.

Not to mention the added hurdles for those with Permanent Residency status. 

"Can of worms" good description. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

43 minutes ago, Caldera said:

I'm a bit baffled that you waited for 5 hours for the re-entry permit, aren't you aware that you can apply at the airport on your way out?

 

My custom, for the more than decade that I've lived here, has been to always get my reentry permit at the same time I do my annual extension at BKK CW. Which I would assume is pretty common.

 

And in almost all prior years, it was the more involved extension part of the process that generally took longer than the simple reentry permit application. So I had no habit or custom to rely on airport exits as my route for doing reentry permits...

 

Plus, my international flights out generally tend to be at or after midnight here local time. And frankly, I've never been sure that the Survarnabhumi Immigration desk for reentry permits would necessarily be staffed at those off hours, and didn't want to risk getting left high and dry, which would mean considerable grief.

 

Also PS - I didn't KNOW it was going to take FIVE HOURS when I sat down to wait at the beginning of the reentry permit process... All I knew was I was given a queue # of 171 at 10:10 am that morning, and they were on #70 for people submitting their applications at that point.

 

As it turned out, I was able to submit my application (the first part of the process) just before the noon lunch break. But then having done that, with things in their processing stage, I didn't get my passport returned and stamped until after 3 pm....

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

42 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Pretty sure they are not acceptable to immigration.

Requires bank statements with the bank stamp .

Kasikorn told me today that can be done on the day (unlike Bangkok bank) 

Cost 200baht

Last year, when I was demanded unexpectedly to produce a 12 month statement at BKK CW, the Krungsri branch there also was able to generate one within a half hour or so, I think, for the same 200 baht fee.

 

[Bosse137]

56 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Yes I had same issue last November at CW for annual extension based on retirement using funds in the bank.

In the past photocopies of bank book pages along with bank book had been accepted for many years.

Immigration issue was that I had various months with zero transactions. 

They wanted Bank Statements.

Asked to see supervisor.

Eventually approved with I had to promise to provide bank statements for next extension.

 

As for your other question.

"Retirement Visa" 

There is no such thing.

It's shorthand for non O based on retirement and subsequent extensions. OR

Could also be a Non O-A...OR

Also could be a multiple entry Non O (retirement) .

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your answer ! The only thing that could be the reason,is that I did not have any transactions.I always thought that it was good to not have any:making it easy and clear.But I now understand,that it looks suspicious,and actually makes problem.Guess I have to do some transactions in the future.( on the money that is over the 800.000 )

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 minutes ago, Bosse137 said:

Thanks for your answer ! The only thing that could be the reason,is that I did not have any transactions.I always thought that it was good to not have any:making it easy and clear.But I now understand,that it looks suspicious,and actually makes problem.Guess I have to do some transactions in the future.( on the money that is over the 800.000 )

Is your account the kind that doesn't credit interest on a monthly basis? The normal interest credit would become a monthly entry and update in your bank book (the kind of transaction that reassures Immigration).

 

On an 800,000+ baht deposit, I certainly hope it's an account that's earning interest!

 

[DrJack54]

9 minutes ago, Bosse137 said:

Thanks for your answer ! The only thing that could be the reason,is that I did not have any transactions.I always thought that it was good to not have any:making it easy and clear.But I now understand,that it looks suspicious,and actually makes problem.Guess I have to do some transactions in the future.( on the money that is over the 800.000 )

You are correct in your first sentence.

Many folk use a dedicated bank account for immigration purposes.

I can understand immigration issue with MANY transactions in various months being "consolidated" 

On the other hand accounts with various months zero transactions being an issue is ludicrous.

 

Just more rubbish from a stupid system.

I love Thailand but seriously so many areas of immigration rules are a joke.

 

Back to your post. 

All you need to do is make ONE transaction every month.

 

For my next extension I will do the bank statements.

 

[lopburi3]

15 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Is your account the kind that doesn't credit interest on a monthly basis?

Believe it is normal to credit interest June and December for normal passbook accounts - rather than monthly.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

8 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Believe it is normal to credit interest June and December for normal passbook accounts - rather than monthly.

My Krungsri MTD account credits interest monthly...which is one feature that makes it handy for Immigration purposes.

 

But my regular BKK Bank savings account, as you mention, credits twice a year...

[Pib]

10 minutes ago, Bosse137 said:

Thanks for your answer ! The only thing that could be the reason,is that I did not have any transactions.I always thought that it was good to not have any:making it easy and clear.But I now understand,that it looks suspicious,and actually makes problem.Guess I have to do some transactions in the future.( on the money that is over the 800.000 )

The problem with passbook entries is unless they are updated frequently which ensures "every" balance change/transaction is reflected in your passbook, then some transactions could have caused your balance to drop below whatever the minimum deposit requirement is required for your extension of stay....and that transaction/balance would not be reflected in a consolidated (a.k.a., summary) balance update to your passbook as a consolidated balance update just shows your current balance.  There could have been numerous transactions/balance changes in the period covered by that summary/consolidated balance update to your passbook.   

 

It seems most Immigration offices want to see a balance update to the passbook at least once a month.   If no monthly update then the immigration officer may want to ensure you maintained the required extension of stay balance throughout the required months of the extension period and a 12 month statement will provide that information as such statements will reflect "all" (each and every one) transactions/balance changes.  

 

Even if it's a fixed savings account where you don't/can't add additional deposits and the fixed acct might only pay interest once a year the immigration officer knows a "statement" will always reflect "all" transactions/balance changes even in the unlikely event there were no changes.....just as they know passbooks might not reflect all transactions/balance changes.   

 

If you can get at less one monthly passbook update to your passbook generally that good enough for most immigration offices....they will usually accept the passbook.   Otherwise, don't be surprised if the immigration office requires a 12 month statement.  If it was me I would just get a 12 month statement just before an annual extension of stay since they are cheap to get but keep in mind that at some Thai banks it may take up to a week to get a 12 month statement (like at Bangkok Bank) while some others can produce an annual statement in minutes....the kind of statement that comes on bank letterhead paper, has a bank stamp/signature.  The immigration office may not accept a 12 month statement you print from your online ibanking/mbanking account as such a statement could be photoshopped (altered).

 

And as more Thai banks are slowly transitioning to "passbook-less" accounts I expect in the not-so-distance future immigration offices will always want a statement due to passbooks not always showing all transactions and more applicants not even having passbooks.

 

 

[SingAPorn]

On 8/24/2023 at 3:20 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Was successfully able to obtain my new annual retirement extension and an accompanying reentry permit today out at BKK CW.

 

OVERVIEW:

 

And although I had everything correct and in order on both counts, the day was one of the worst I've experienced at BKK CW in my many years of living in Thailand. It was a tale of very good and very bad.

 

The retirement extension part went surprisingly quickly and easily in about an hour from the time I sat down to wait at about 9 a.m. with an L section queue number of 24 (and they already were serving #10 at that point) until I got my stamped passport back about 10 a.m.

 

But the reentry permit process was an entirely different story, where I started out at 10:10 a.m. with literally 100 people in queue ahead of my number (I was #171 and they were at about #70 when I sat down to wait), and didn't get my stamped passport back until 3 p.m. (almost FIVE hours after starting that process), at which point there were still 130 more people waiting to get their passports back from the reentry permit area.

 

I had thought about trying to schedule an appointment on the Immigration website for one or the other of the two services.... But both were fully booked up for about a week ahead of time, and I was in a hurry to do my renewals, as I wanted to complete them before any potential increase in the bank deposit financial requirements for retirement extensions (something Police Gen. Big Joke has recently publicly talked about proposing to the new incoming Thai government).  So I went ahead without any appointment today on my own, and ended up paying the price for that decision, at least as regards the grueling experience in the reentry permit section.  Lesson to be learned, if planning to schedule an Immigration service appointment at BKK CW, try to book it well in advance.

 

Just by way of comparison, for the prior 4 or 5 annual cycles at BKK CW, I typically have been able to start when the Immigration Office opens at 8:30 a.m. and be done with both extension and reentry permit by or before the noon lunch break. But got nowhere close to that today, and I have no idea why the reentry permit section was so rammed as it was.

 

RETIREMENT EXTENSION:

 

Everything pretty much as usual there and not seemingly as busy as it's been in the past. One important highlight to note: I intentionally did NOT include a copy of my 5-year-old TM30 residence report in my retirement extension paperwork packet as a test case, and the officer handling my case specifically noticed I hadn't submitted a copy and asked me for one (even though the one I had was already stapled into my passport along with an old TM6 airport departure card (which the Immigration staff told me I didn't need to keep anymore and could discard). The officer also told me I needed to include the copy of the TM30 along with my latest 90-day reporting receipt (which I had included already) in my future extension applications. Last year, the same folks didn't ask me for a TM30.....

 

One thing that I found kind of interesting... Because I had free time to wait in the retirement extension area before my queue number was called, I decided to go down to the so-called Document Check cubicle just behind the front customer service counter and have the officer there look thru my paperwork -- something I'd never done before. And as I said above, all of my paperwork was fine (the checking officer didn't call out the absence of a TM30 copy), but she did order/organize my documents in a specific way, which I'll list below just for interest's sake:

 

In order:

--my original passport and my original Thai bank book.

--the completed TM7 form, with my photo pasted on the reverse side and my phone number written at the top of the reverse side of the sheet.

--the 4 single-page signed misc. statements and Immigration rules sheets.

--photocopies of my passport facepage, original visa page, and most recent entry stamp page

--photocopy of my most recent 90-day reporting receipt

--printout of a map showing the directions to and location of my home.

and finally,

--my original Thai bank letter (no more than 7 days old) confirming my 800,000+ Thai bank deposit, followed by photocopies of my bank book pages covering all activity for the past year. And the bank book itself needing to be updated with some transaction on the day of my Immigration visit, and that last update reflected in the last photocopy.

--all of the above signed with my signature toward the bottom of each page.

 

I mention the ordering in particular because when I saw down with the retirement extension officer a few minutes later, she made a great point of telling my wife in Thai that my paperwork was in "perfect" condition (other than the missing TM30 that she had already received from me) and how she wished all her other customers organized everything so completely and correctly... So, she was happy, and I was happy, and I quickly went on my way.

 

Other odds and ends:

--wasn't asked for a copy of my last TM6 airport departure card, which used to be a staple item of retirement extension paperwork, until the government stopped issuing them to incoming air travelers. And the Immigration Officer I asked told me I could throw away my old TM6 and wouldn't need it any more.

 

--was able to file my new retirement extension application more than 30 days in advance of the expiration date for my current extension, so BKK CW is still sticking to their policy of allowing you to apply up to 45 days prior.

 

--Immigration fees remained unchanged for my two purposes -- 1,900 baht cash for the retirement extension, and 1,000 baht cash for the single entry reentry permit.

 

TRAVEL:

 

For the second time, the wife and I took the BTS Light Green Line from Central Bangkok out to the relatively new Wat Phra Sri Mahathat BTS Station, which is at the intersection of Chaengwattana and Phahonyothin Roads. From there, it was about a 20 minute and 70 baht taxi fare both in the morning and in the afternoon to/from the Government Complex. The best exit to take at that BTS station is Exit #1, where you emerge on a roundabout that leads to Chaengwattana Road heading in the direction of the Government Complex.

 

We left home in central BKK about 7 a.m. and arrived at the Government Complex at about 8:20 a.m. after the long BTS ride and then the ensuing shorter taxi trip. The one thing that made me a bit nervous about going via that BTS station is when we were walking toward Exit #1, there was only ONE taxi parked waiting along the curb, and I was afraid someone else was going to grab it first leaving us waiting... But everyone else coming out of the BTS Exit 1 this morning had other travel plans, and we were able to catch the lone waiting taxi.

 

The trip via BTS and the Wat Phra Sri Mahathat Station (along with the ensuing taxi) is probably somewhat cheaper that our normal default means of travel to BKK CW, which is taking the BTS Light Green/Sukhumvit Line to the Mochit Station, and then a taxi from there to BKK CW. Unlike Wat Phra Sri Mahathat, there are always dozens of waiting taxis at Mochit..,. But the ensuing longer taxi fare there, and potential expressway tolls, make it a somewhat more expensive trip. But also usually a quicker one overall than the 1 hour 20 minute duration of our trip today.

 

TRAVEL PS:

 

I noticed the new Pink Line elevated rail line that's almost complete (but not open yet) running along Chaengwattana Road and also intersecting with the BTS Sukhumvit Line's Wat Phra Sri Mahathat Station. So some months into the future, if government promises are kept, you'll be able to transfer from the BTS Green Line there to the Pink LIne and use it to travel along Chaengwattana Road to a station just a bit beyond the current Soi 7 entrance to the Government Complex destination, meaning a taxi trip there is no longer required, if that suits you.

 

 

Oh man !!! on reading your post I just realised that Thailand will soon be a story of the past,  and I rather put in my forthcomming retirement money in a few years,  in another Asian country that does not make so much immigration trouble for the quality retirees as yourself !

[Pib]

21 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

My Krungsri MTD account credits interest monthly...which is one feature that makes it handy for Immigration purposes.

 

But my regular BKK Bank savings account, as you mention, credits twice a year...

Yea...ditto for me.   So many different types of Thai bank accts paying interest at different times.  Regular savings accts which usually pay in Jun and Dec......fixed savings accts that may pay monthly/quarterly/semiannually/ annually..... hybrid accts like the Krungsri MTD acct which is kinda a regular & fixed acct mixed together.  

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 minutes ago, SingAPorn said:

Oh man !!! on reading your post I just realised that Thailand will soon be a story of the past,  and I rather put in my forthcomming retirement money in a few years,  in another Asian country that does not make so much immigration trouble for the quality retirees as yourself !

 

I think it's something of a mixed bag. The actual rules for retirees to stay in Thailand right now are not too difficult from a financial end of things, compared to other countries.

 

However, the price we tend to pay for that is a sometimes mind-numbingly bureaucratic Immigration system that unfortunately also suffers from opacity (the opposite of transparency) to its clients and operational policies that vary and change from place to place and time to time, creating headaches and confusion at times.

 

It will be very interesting to see what becomes -- if anything -- of a top police official's recent public trial balloon proposal to substantially increase the current financial requirements for Thailand's retirement visas/extensions.

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Bosse137]

Thanks to all who answered my question about bankstatement ! My conclusion of various info on the subject is,that I put in some money every month,resulting in a every month update.BTW,I get interest twice a year.And I will do it in more than one bank...Hopefully it will work better next extension,.Thanks again !

[Dan O]

8 hours ago, mokwit said:

No, it was in response to your point that while one IO at CW may say not needed, you may have a situation with another IO not sharing this view.

The TM6 isnt required or issued for International flights any longer although still used on border entries if I remember correctly, hence the confusion on needing one or not. 

[Kopitiam]

5 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Ahh... on the point of bank passbooks... at least in my experience, Krungsri Bank (the yellow, Ayudhya one) continues to have problems with their bank book update machines not accepting some (all?) bank books.

 

After I got my Immigration letter at my local branch earlier this week, I tried updating my bankbook in their public machine, and FAIL.... Go inside, and the bank staff can update my book just fine on their private machines...

 

And exactly the same thing with the Krungsri update machines outside the branch in the basement of the BKK CW complex... Same this year, same as last year... Same with my prior bank book, same with my newest bank book....

 

And as a consequence, each year, I'm unable do my required bank book update on the day of my Immigration visit until AFTER the BKK CW Krungsri branch opens at 8:30 am, which happens to be the same time the BKK CW Immigration office begins allowing in people from their long queue.

 

It's an ongoing hassle with Krungsri.

 

Prior to my trip to Immigration for my extension, I go to the bank for bank letter and 12 months transaction print out and they update my bank book at the same time.

[Dan O]

On 8/24/2023 at 9:20 AM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

But both were fully booked up for about a week ahead of time, and I was in a hurry to do my renewals, as I wanted to complete them before any potential increase in the bank deposit financial requirements for retirement extensions (something Police Gen. Big Joke has recently publicly talked about proposing to the new incoming Thai government

 

 

 

 

Not sure why you continue to include this statement in your posts as its not an accurate statement and to my knowledge hasn't been mentioned by any official that does have authority to make a change. As discussed in one of your previous posts he has no authority to change the amount of money required. He made a comment about it but that's all he can do. The MOI controls the monetary aspect and regulations for visas and was pointed out by a number of posters to you so to include this can be confusing to others that are not aware of who controls this issue. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 minutes ago, Kopitiam said:

Prior to my trip to Immigration for my extension, I go to the bank for bank letter and 12 months transaction print out and they update my bank book at the same time.

Yes, but that only works if you get all that done on the same day you visit Immigration, as the bank book update that Immigration wants to see must be done on the day of your visit to Immigration prior to you submitting your paperwork.

 

And since most Thai bank branches don't open until 8 a.m. or later, that seems like it's going to set back / delay your ability to get an early start with Immigration... especially in a place like Bangkok which has long Immigration queues and time-consuming travel.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

51 minutes ago, Dan O said:

Not sure why you continue to include this statement in your posts as its not an accurate statement and to my knowledge hasn't been mentioned by any official that does have authority to make a change. As discussed in one of your previous posts he has no authority to change the amount of money required. He made a comment about it but that's all he can do. The MOI controls the monetary aspect and regulations for visas and was pointed out by a number of posters to you so to include this can be confusing to others that are not aware of who controls this issue. 

The police official who proposed increasing the financials for retirement visas/extensions is a very senior leader in the current Thai police administration, as well as a current candidate for becoming the new national police chief, and former head of Thai Immigration.

 

While others have roles in the ultimate final decision on whether that kind of increase actually occurs, it's blinders thinking to suggest that someone like Gen. Surachate Hakparn publicly proposing such an increase has no significance.

 

"Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, nicknamed Big Joke, is a Thai police officer and current deputy national police chief of Thailand. He previously served as the chief of Immigration Bureau of Thailand. He had held several posts, including commissioner of the MPB, or Tourist Police Bureau."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surachate_Hakparn

 

I never said he could unilaterally impose such an increase solely with his own authority.

 

And as noted for background previously:

 

"As part of the efforts, Pol Gen Surachate promised that he would propose an amendment to the immigration law, especially concerning retirement visa extensions, through the police chief once a new government takes office. 

...

"First, as an individual of great influence with both the Royal Thai Immigration and Royal Thai Police, when Mr. Hakparn speaks it is best to listen. He is well known for many reforms and changes, many admittedly unpopular to foreigners, when in charge of Thai Immigration."

 

https://thepattayanews.com/2023/08/05/opinion-editorial-no-it-isnt-time-to-worry-about-retirement-visa-changes-yet/

 

All of the above is why I mentioned it.

 

The specifics of just what he actually may propose to the new government remains to be seen, as does the ultimate fate of his original (very general) public proposal.

 

But with the new government soon to be formed under the new PM and a new national police chief soon to be appointed, I suspect we'll all be finding out in the not too distant future.

 

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[SingAPorn]

On reading all the comments the conclusion seems obvious. Thailand really does not want farangs to live on long term in their country.

[Dan O]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

The police official who proposed increasing the financials for retirement visas/extensions is a very senior leader in the current Thai police administration, as well as a current candidate for becoming the new national police chief, and former head of Thai Immigration.

 

While others have roles in the ultimate final decision on whether that kind of increase actually occurs, it's blinders thinking to suggest that someone like Gen. Surachate Hakparn publicly proposing such an increase has no significance.

 

"Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, nicknamed Big Joke, is a Thai police officer and current deputy national police chief of Thailand. He previously served as the chief of Immigration Bureau of Thailand. He had held several posts, including commissioner of the MPB, or Tourist Police Bureau."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surachate_Hakparn

 

I never said he could unilaterally impose such an increase solely with his own authority.

 

And as noted for background previously:

 

"As part of the efforts, Pol Gen Surachate promised that he would propose an amendment to the immigration law, especially concerning retirement visa extensions, through the police chief once a new government takes office. 

...

"First, as an individual of great influence with both the Royal Thai Immigration and Royal Thai Police, when Mr. Hakparn speaks it is best to listen. He is well known for many reforms and changes, many admittedly unpopular to foreigners, when in charge of Thai Immigration."

 

https://thepattayanews.com/2023/08/05/opinion-editorial-no-it-isnt-time-to-worry-about-retirement-visa-changes-yet/

 

All of the above is why I mentioned it.

 

The specifics of just what he actually may propose to the new government remains to be seen, as does the ultimate fate of his original (very general) public proposal.

 

But with the new government soon to be formed under the new PM and a new national police chief soon to be appointed, I suspect we'll all be finding out in the not too distant future.

 

 

Again he has no standing at all to propose anything in his current role of if he were promoted  within the police ranks as MOI controls immigration and the regulations. So for you to continue to speculate that he does or will is not accurate. He like most officials in many dept in Thailand constantly comment on issues outside their area as a way to show "power and importance". So unless he is promoted into the MOI he's just talking about his opinion. No need to continue to try to trumpet this as an anticipated change.  If any change is coming you'll here about it from an appropriate official. 

[mokwit]

3 hours ago, Dan O said:

cussed in one of your previous posts he has no authority to change the amount of money required. He made a comment about it but that's all he can do. The MOI controls the monetary aspect and regulations for visas

All kinds of changes have been made with Police Orders without any Parliamentary involvement, including changes from 200k to 800k (albeit grandfathered).

 

 

[Dan O]

1 hour ago, mokwit said:

All kinds of changes have been made with Police Orders without any Parliamentary involvement, including changes from 200k to 800k (albeit grandfathered).

 

 

Police orders are used (issued) for clarification, notification and enforcement of existing regulation with associated divisions within Thailand. I don't believe they can actually create or generate new regulations as they must work with the general guidelines of regulation under the constitution. But if that's how you read it thats fine.

 

This is a circular discussion that's happened on multiple post on this forum.  I'm done as its going nowhere but in circles.  

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, Dan O said:

Police orders are used (issued) for clarification, notification and enforcement of existing regulation with associated divisions within Thailand. I don't believe they can actually create or generate new regulations as they must work with the general guidelines of regulation under the constitution. But if that's how you read it thats fine.

 

This is a circular discussion that's happened on multiple post on this forum.  I'm done as its going nowhere but in circles.  

In many, many situations, the controlling law states that the prevailing rules should be covered in Ministerial Announcements that become effective when published in the Government Gazette. The Police Orders largely reflect how the law, as qualified by the Ministerial Announcements, are implemented.

 

The above states how things are supposed to work. In practice, the officials often ignore the Ministerial Announcements, and sometimes even the clear language of the laws themselves.

[likerdup1]

Excellent report. This is exactly the kind of content that makes this board worth visiting.

 

Other times, well.. you know. A lot of sophomoric opinion at best.

[OJAS]

10 hours ago, Pib said:

The problem with passbook entries is unless they are updated frequently which ensures "every" balance change/transaction is reflected in your passbook, then some transactions could have caused your balance to drop below whatever the minimum deposit requirement is required for your extension of stay

Another problem with passbook entries, such as I have just experienced with my dedicated Krungsri 800k account, is overprinting.

 

[Pib]

2 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Another problem with passbook entries, such as I have just experienced with my dedicated Krungsri 800k account, is overprinting.

 

Yea...quite a few times over the years both the wife and I with Bangkok Bank, Krungsri Bank, and KrungThai Bank passbooks have experienced passbook printing update problems like overprint, blurred, print so light it's only partially readable, etc.  It happens maybe around 5 percent of the time.

 

 

[OJAS]

10 hours ago, Pib said:

It seems most Immigration offices want to see a balance update to the passbook at least once a month. 

This was certainly made clear to me for the first time when I applied for my latest retirement extension at Rayong in July. I am seriously wondering whether some edict has recently gone out to immigration offices from the Immigration Bureau hierarchy covering both this requirement and also the need for 12-month bank statements in the case of those offices who haven't already been requesting these (this was another unwelcome surprise which was sprung on me last July). Expect more reports on here in connection with other offices, I think!

 

[Hamus Yaigh]

On 8/24/2023 at 8:20 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

and I was in a hurry to do my renewals, as I wanted to complete them before any potential increase in the bank deposit financial requirements for retirement extensions

A good report, but an old hand like yourself seriously was concerned about this?!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, OJAS said:

also the need for 12-month bank statements

In my experience, at least at BKK CW, the only time that particular IO tends to demand 12 month bank official bank statements is when there's some perceived problem or lacking with the printed entries in the bank passbook itself.

 

On my visit Thursday, they were fine with the normal stuff -- examining the bank book itself that was updated earlier that day, and getting the signed photocopies of all the pertinent bank book pages.

 

Of course, not commenting on what other IOs may be doing.