800 baht for a Residence Certificate at Immigration ??

[owl sees all]

8 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

It seems the Op was the victim of 'greed' inflation !!.

Indeed!

 

If the powers that be can't stop the 'inflation', then it is up to us to show them the errors of their ways.

 

I'm saying that we must show the way. If we do that, the more observant Thais will follow suit.

 

 

 

 

[Doctor Tom]

1 minute ago, owl sees all said:

Indeed!

 

If the powers that be can't stop the 'inflation', then it is up to us to show them the errors of their ways.

 

I'm saying that we must show the way. If we do that, the more observant Thais will follow suit.

 

 

 

 

You people crack me up.  You need to get it into your stubborn  heads that you have no rights here, no come backs,  Get with the programme, the Thais don't care about your hurt feelings, your western views on mild corruption/over charging/duel charging, and as for your over reactions, well good luck with that idea, see how far that gets you, except nearer to a stroke or heart attack. 

[DrJack54]

Some off topic posts removed

[ChicagoExpat]

@Andrew Dwyer I can answer this pretty authoritatively ("I know a guy").  Are you American?  The reason I ask is I know the American Embassy is going after crap like this pretty hard, the thought being that while they know they can't change Thailand, they can draw a line in the sand on Thais extorting Americans.  They have had success in several instances in getting cops etc to give back 1000s of dollars and getting reprimands.  And the Americans are the ones that got Immigration to change its rules -- so yes, the certificate is supposed to be FREE.

 

So all that to say -- email them and tell them --- they'll intervene and 1) get your certificate issued and 2) let this guy's supervisor know not to bother you again.

 

I don't know if other embassies will help you, should you be of a different nationality.

[Andrew Dwyer]

49 minutes ago, ChicagoExpat said:

@Andrew Dwyer I can answer this pretty authoritatively ("I know a guy").  Are you American?  The reason I ask is I know the American Embassy is going after crap like this pretty hard, the thought being that while they know they can't change Thailand, they can draw a line in the sand on Thais extorting Americans.  They have had success in several instances in getting cops etc to give back 1000s of dollars and getting reprimands.  And the Americans are the ones that got Immigration to change its rules -- so yes, the certificate is supposed to be FREE.

 

So all that to say -- email them and tell them --- they'll intervene and 1) get your certificate issued and 2) let this guy's supervisor know not to bother you again.

 

I don't know if other embassies will help you, should you be of a different nationality.

I am a Brit , British Embassy unlikely to help I would imagine .

[kuzie57]

Just get a Yellow Book and save all the hassle.

[Boedog]

my last 1 they wanted to charge me 500baht if you wanted it same day but it's free if you are happy to wait l think waited 3 days, some will do it same day for free, l had 1 where they said go down hall and go to another room 2 workers playing on there phones doing nothing wanted 500baht do it straight away, amazing thailand 

[BoganInParasite]

500 baht at my IO. No attempt by them to hide the payment. First couple of times was next day pickup but last two times were immediate service and handover. (Presumably because someone senior was there to sign it...but that is very much a guess by me.)

[Jaxxper]

At my local office they charge 300 for a Residence certificate, and have always refused to give a receipt for the service, although someone on Pattaya Oracle assured me getting a receipt from that same office was absolutely no problem.

[Bangkok Barry]

 

The fee is whatever they say it is. Same as any rule or law in Thailand is what the person in uniform says it is. You can argue and think you've won, but you haven't. They have the power, you have nothing. They know that.

[lom]

5 hours ago, lom said:

17 hours ago, Liquorice said:

Your address is already on your existing licence, so why another CofR, unless you moved.

Q: How can the DLT know if you have moved or not?

A: By looking at the CofR that you provide them.

 

3 hours ago, Liquorice said:

They don't, it's based on the proof of address you supply.

CofR is based on the address you registered with Immigration.

Yellow book and ID card is based on the address you registered with the Thai government + a Thai ID number.

OP never mentioned having a yellow book so he has to supply DLT with a CofR from immigration.

It is completely irrelevant that he still lives on the same address as registered on his old DL,  he can not use his old DL as a CofR as you suggested.

[Captain Monday]

4 hours ago, Liquorice said:

They don't, it's based on the proof of address you supply.

CofR is based on the address you registered with Immigration.

Yellow book and ID card is based on the address you registered with the Thai government + a Thai ID number.

So the DLT can decline my Yellow book and request a COR from immigration anyway ? 

 

The last time I did my renewal in Chiang Mai of 5 year drivers licenses I used an agent, to save time so I don’t know. 🤷‍♂️ 

Was in and out in 15 minutes. 

[paahlman]

Its a free service.. But normally they play the "you can get it now or in one week".. Free after a week or 200 baht instantly. Difficult to discuss with and they know that.. Reciept.. no.. big boss that issue reciepts is always on holiday.. Imagination is not so great i guess.

[Woof999]

I have no real problem "greasing the wheels" as that's just the way things are done here. I also laugh at those that say they would never do this, as it's just not realistic.

 

However, if we all just rolled over and paid whatever was asked without question, the amount of grease that the wheel needs will likely just keep increasing by whatever amount "they" think you might pay. Not linked to something like inflation, real cost of providing the service or anything else that is reasonable or we can control.

 

I would have questioned the fee, said something along the lines of "it's supposed to be free, but here's 300 baht" and seen what happened. 800 baht is still less than the hassle it would have been for me to walk out without the CoR, but I can't have them thinking that they can just ask for whatever they want, whenever they want, without some kind of push back.

 

To keep things in context, an official speeding fine here is 500 baht. How happy would we be if it was this trivial back home?

[trainman34014]

What i would do is what i did many moons ago; get a Yellow House Book.  Not Rocket Science and you will never need another COR for your entire life in Thailand !

[jensmann]

18 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

So as the title suggests I was asked to pay 800 baht for a Residency Certificate ( for driving licence renewal ).

 

3 things stood out for me:

1) I was asked to enter a small back office with ( presumably ) no cameras and away from colleagues.

2) the residence certificate had nothing on it stating 800 baht or any other amount.

3) when i asked for a receipt I was given the “ no have “ reply.

 

The reason i was given is that Residency Certificates should be issued by the Embassy and not Immigration and this service was not their obligation.

 

Now i always understood ( rightly or wrongly ) that the issuing of certificate of residence was immigration responsibility,  a free service which could take up to 2 weeks or an express service for a small fee ( 200 to 500 baht ).
When i presented my passport and filled form I was told only to return after lunch, wasn’t offered any options and when i returned was ushered straight into the small office behind the IO’s desks.

The IO gave me the cert in an envelope and said “800 baht”, i said “ i thought it was free “ to which he laughed and said again “ 800 baht “, i then replied “ i give you 800 baht and you give me a receipt, yes ? “. His face changed drastically and he answered bitterly “ no receipt !! “, at this point i knew i was going to stand my ground.

 

I dug my heels in and refused to pay and was told that the next time I had to go to the Embassy for C of R. I left with the residency certificate, one of the office minions followed me out to explain in better English but was surprised to see my wife sitting outside and said more or less “ this time okay but next time go to the Embassy “, my wife thought it suspicious.

 

I have had 2 residence certificates before but my memory is a little cloudy, more or less this:

Dec 2016 : FOC and instantly issued at another Immigration Office.

Dec 2018: maybe FOC but possibly a small fee ( certainly not more than 300 baht ) at my current IO.

 

I understand your experience will differ as every IO has their own ideas so this is not about what they charge you elsewhere but what would you have done in my situation ??

 

So:

Did i do the right thing ?

Did i act like an arrogant Farang ?

Have i set myself up for immigration grief in the future. ?

Should i have put 300/500 baht on the table as a compromise ?

 

 

Well, first of all I am proud of you and you should be proud of yourself for standing your ground. 

But: Be aware that your name got a mark on it. The law says "any other evidence the IO will request". Next time you might have to do a little extra work...

I've got my COR in Udon this week in 5 Min. They charged 500 for car and 500 for motorbike, were you only need one for both.

It's for 5 years. Fair enough.

 Think about it and good luck!

.

[Wake Up1]

17 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Why is the location so important to you ? 
The question is:

Did I overreact or what would you do in this situation ?

If you will not tell the location it makes your story seem unbelievable. 

[khunPer]

Seems like OPs "express fee" was inflation raised to 800 baht...

–which might be going rate now, as I paid 500 baht 10-15 years ago, before I got my Yellow House Book...

[DrJack54]

22 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

What i would do is what i did many moons ago; get a Yellow House Book.  Not Rocket Science and you will never need another COR for your entire life in Thailand !

Incorrect.

 

[trainman34014]

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Incorrect.

 

It's worked for me for 20 years, so i'm happy !

[DrJack54]

Just now, khunPer said:

Seems like OPs "express fee" was inflation raised to 800 baht...

–which might be going rate now, as I paid 500 baht 10-15 years ago, before I got my Yellow House Book...

I have seen 800b posted in the many threads on this trivial topic.

That is the highest I have ever read.

500b often mentioned usually provided certificate on the spot.

200b at CW and takes approx 5 days.

 

You refer to yellow house book.

Also some have mentioned Pink ID card.

These enabled renewal of eg TDL, particularly years back at some offices.

In some land/transport offices a certificate of residence is required and yellow house book won't cut it

 

[oldcpu]

2 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

It's worked for me for 20 years, so i'm happy !

 

This is Thailand and what works one time, may not work another time or not work in another place.

 

When I went to renew my Thai driver's licence in Phuket a few years ago, I used my yellow book/pink-ID combo instead of a residence certificate from Thai immigration in Phuket. It was accepted for the renewal.  I was a "happy camper".

 

A short time later, I mentioned such to a Phuket based foreign friend, and he was surprised, as he had tried the same a couple of years prior, and the yellow book was not accepted.  

 

So maybe I was just lucky, with the right person on shift at the licence bureau at the right time.

 

There appears to be no consistency - which is not a surprise.  Fortunately the amount of money being mentioned in this thread for a residency certificate (from 0 to 800 THB) is not large.

[DrJack54]

6 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

It's worked for me for 20 years, so i'm happy !

Where and when did you last renew a TDL with yellow house book..

[thesetat2013]

19 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

where did this happen?

honestly... they have your info, so you can expect anything. is it supposed to be free? yes

do most of us pay? yes

used to be 500bht... seems they increased the fee...

so once again, where did this happen?

it is still 500 baht as far as i know.. and it is a form typed and signed and stamped. 

 

[khunPer]

4 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

I have seen 800b posted in the many threads on this trivial topic.

That is the highest I have ever read.

500b often mentioned usually provided certificate on the spot.

200b at CW and takes approx 5 days.

 

You refer to yellow house book.

Also some have mentioned Pink ID card.

These enabled renewal of eg TDL, particularly years back at some offices.

In some land/transport offices a certificate of residence is required and yellow house book won't cut it

Yes, it's not the same all over, but where I live a Yellow Book is luckily (still) accepted by the Land Transport Office and others...👍

[Farma]

In my province residence certs are free and done while you wait if accompanied by a request letter from DLT.

 

No probs renewing my drivers licence with yellow book less than a year ago.

[sungod]

18 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Thanks for your answer, i think i overreacted, hopefully i haven’t caused myself any future problems.

 800 is the most I have ever heard of, 300-500 is the norm.

 

Maybe apologise, cheeky smile and say you only have a purple persuader on you.

[tjintx]

44 minutes ago, jensmann said:

Well, first of all I am proud of you and you should be proud of yourself for standing your ground. 

But: Be aware that your name got a mark on it. The law says "any other evidence the IO will request". Next time you might have to do a little extra work...

I've got my COR in Udon this week in 5 Min. They charged 500 for car and 500 for motorbike, were you only need one for both.

It's for 5 years. Fair enough.

 Think about it and good luck!

.

 

Yup, right night to your grade school permanent record, you know when you fought another 6 year old, they put a mark next to your name and it has limited you the rest of your life. 

[DrJack54]

6 minutes ago, Farma said:

In my province residence certs are free and done while you wait if accompanied by a request letter from DLT.

 

No probs renewing my drivers licence with yellow book less than a year ago.

Yet another "in my province" 

Same as the OP and many other posters so secretive about naming their province. 

[JensenZ]

18 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

My immigration office takes 500 baht for the paper, but why have a problem. Yeah, it´s supposed to be free. However, we chose to live in Thailand, we are aware of the special rules made up and corruption. We stay here because of many reason, where one is that it´s much cheaper than home. Then it´s not such a big deal to pay a little extra sometimes. It´s like taking the good with the bad, where the good is holding the power. Otherwise we would have left.

Also, the payments make their processing a lot faster.