1 hour ago, it is what it is said:

don't take the thai wife/gf, it's embarrassing watching the petty squabbles in pidgin english

Not sure what you mean by that?

My wife deals with the immigration officer while I just stand there and only respond to any direct questions I receive. That works well.

You can’t be serious,

9 hours ago, Sigmund said:

A chunky brown enveloppe will be more then enough. No need for the costly fruit basket 😗

Ultimately why encourage bribery and corrupion. These officers get paid fairly well in the Thai salary / benefits picture.

If they are bored with same same every day then they are free to request a move or to resign and start a fresh / different work situation.

My Thai well educated, deep thinking analytical son speaks well about this situation. He compares officers like immigration / police / ministerial administrators with poor uneducated no resources laborers / farmers who don't have any chance of getting well paid work, changing employment etc.

Why would you bribe someone who is doing their job ?

I smile pleasantly to the courteous ones and show disdain to those sour faced ones.

I once saw an idiot farang walking in with a huge beam on his face and a family size pizza in his hands, the immigration officers looked at him with a combined “ not this farking idiot again ! “ look on their faces.

Do what you want but I won’t support corruption, it only means they will expect it and make it harder for those who don’t comply !

On 2/11/2026 at 12:46 PM, howerde said:

We all know how immigration can be!, while things went very smoothly last year, the previous year when i transferred my visa to a new passport it was 5 hour nightmare, a simple 10 min job became an ordeal.

So when i mentioned this to Thai friends, they said why did you not take a gift? i laughed but they were serious, so you think i should take a fruit basket this time trying to imagine myself in immiigration with a massive fruit basket, mmmm we meant a small gift like a pen will help.

Any way i am still mulling it over, but in a few months if you see someone sitting in immigration with a fruit basket you know who it is.

why offer an inducement when it is a paid for service!

4 minutes ago, tandor said:

why offer an inducement when it is a paid for service!

I do not need an inducement i have all the correct documents, BUT i have 1st hand experience how 'strange requests' can be asked for, i have been here full time 6 years, and before that would come 3 times a year since late 1980's and it was Thai friends who suggested a way around a possible situation, this is not about bribing an officer, clearly a bunch of flowers and a fantastic smile( i do still have some teeth) could be taken the wrong way. and if it does not work i can leave with the fruit basket myself, either way i leave immigration with something

5 hours ago, scorecard said:

Ultimately why encourage bribery and corrupion. These officers get paid fairly well in the Thai salary / benefits picture.

If they are bored with same same every day then they are free to request a move or to resign and start a fresh / different work situation.

My Thai well educated, deep thinking analytical son speaks well about this situation. He compares officers like immigration / police / ministerial administrators with poor uneducated no resources and very little to no opportunities / laborers / farmers who don't have any chance of getting well paid work, changing employment, having work satisfaction / happinese st work / having work/life balance etc.

Just now, scorecard said:

5 hours ago, scorecard said:

Ultimately why encourage bribery and corrupion. These officers get paid fairly well in the Thai salary / benefits picture.

My son knows and metions he's one of the lucky ones, good education, grew up to be tri lingual, high school offshore, was able to study his passion in life (sport / sports medicine) at university and now works in sports related employment for a decent salry and benefits.

Just now, scorecard said:

5 hours ago, scorecard said:

Ultimately why encourage bribery and corrupion. These officers get paid fairly well in the Thai salary / benefits picture.

We have many fruit baskets on the forum. Why not take one of them to Immigration. It would not help your case, but it would for sure make a lot of fun reading about it.

14 hours ago, Jethro Tull said:

Why would you bribe someone who is doing their job ?

I smile pleasantly to the courteous ones and show disdain to those sour faced ones.

I once saw an idiot farang walking in with a huge beam on his face and a family size pizza in his hands, the immigration officers looked at him with a combined “ not this farking idiot again ! “ look on their faces.

Do what you want but I won’t support corruption, it only means they will expect it and make it harder for those who don’t comply !

Two points:

Taking some fruit, biscuits or a coffee to give to an officer is hardly a bribe in thai culture. It's pleasantries.

If your thai spouse is intelligent and competent in dealing with others, particularly officials, let them take the lead when at immigration. I'm sure the officer prefers talking Thai with ones spouse than English with a farlang.

51 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Two points:

Taking some fruit, biscuits or a coffee to give to an officer is hardly a bribe in thai culture. It's pleasantries.

If your thai spouse is intelligent and competent in dealing with others, particularly officials, let them take the lead when at immigration. I'm sure the officer prefers talking Thai with ones spouse than English with a farlang.

My Thai spouse does take over the conversation when there is something I don’t fully understand but normally i would try to lead the conversation which i am sure pleases the immigration officers more than a foreigner who takes no interest in the culture of the country he has decided to settle in.

“ taking some fruit, biscuits or a coffee “ is a pleasantry i agree, i hope you also show the same courtesy to bank staff, hospital staff, restaurant staff, staff in Be-Quik, Big C, Top Chareon, PTT, your local market etc etc to eliminate any perception of a bribe for favourable service at immigration ?

On 2/11/2026 at 3:46 PM, howerde said:

We all know how immigration can be!, while things went very smoothly last year, the previous year when i transferred my visa to a new passport it was 5 hour nightmare, a simple 10 min job became an ordeal.

So when i mentioned this to Thai friends, they said why did you not take a gift? i laughed but they were serious, so you think i should take a fruit basket this time trying to imagine myself in immiigration with a massive fruit basket, mmmm we meant a small gift like a pen will help.

Any way i am still mulling it over, but in a few months if you see someone sitting in immigration with a fruit basket you know who it is.

That's a great idea and I would add a bottle of Chiivas Regal as well and put a big pink ribbon in the shape of a love heart on the basket. That will get you instant citizenship.

On 2/13/2026 at 8:19 AM, kingstonkid said:

I would be very careful. Pathum Thani has a large sign stating that gifts are not allowed and could be used as a reason to deny an extension.

Remember this country just fellin the CPI, so they will be looking for reasons to hang staff and others.

Remember, you were talking to THAI friends, they live in a different world.

My office in Nakhon Sawan has the same sign on the wall: 'No gifts allowed'

4 hours ago, Jethro Tull said:

i hope you also show the same courtesy to bank staff, hospital staff, restaurant staff, staff in Be-Quik, Big C, Top Chareon, PTT, your local market etc etc to eliminate any perception of a bribe for favourable service at immigration ?

No the wife and i don't show the same courtesy as we do at immigration (i.e. small gift of fruit or a coffee), as none of the places you mention can end my time in Thailand. We are though always friendly and courteous to people in those places.

When we visit our doctors in hospital, the wife ALWAYS takes fruit (and pla salid for one doctor who likes it from our area), again due to Thai pleasantries.

On 2/11/2026 at 3:27 PM, Hummin said:

Seriously, anyone done any of these things at immigration?

Only a Basket Case

On 2/13/2026 at 2:19 AM, kingstonkid said:

…Remember this country just fellin the CPI, so they will be looking for reasons to hang staff and others…

I have difficulties understanding "…felling the CPI…". Could you please expand on that?

8 minutes ago, Puccini said:

I have difficulties understanding "…felling the CPI…". Could you please expand on that?

See below.

According to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report published by Transparency International on Tuesday (10 Feb 2026), corruption remains a serious, persistent threat across the Asia-Pacific region.

In the 2025 ranking, Thailand scored 33/100, placing it 116th out of 182 countries/territories—down one place from 2024—and the decline has continued since 2022.

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40062380

On 2/13/2026 at 10:50 AM, Bredbury Blue said:

Not sure what you mean by that?

My wife deals with the immigration officer while I just stand there and only respond to any direct questions I receive. That works well.

You're doing it right. With an extension for the reason of living with your Thai wife, most of the documentation required is about proof that your marriage is de facto, not just de iure, ie that it is real, and what you are doing is the best possible proof of that.

4 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

See below.

According to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report published by Transparency International on Tuesday (10 Feb 2026), corruption remains a serious, persistent threat across the Asia-Pacific region.

In the 2025 ranking, Thailand scored 33/100, placing it 116th out of 182 countries/territories—down one place from 2024—and the decline has continued since 2022.

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40062380

Thank you very much for that. Just learnt something new (learning English as a foreign language). Until now, I took CPI only to stand for Consumer Price Index.

42 minutes ago, Puccini said:

You're doing it right. With an extension for the reason of living with your Thai wife, most of the documentation required is about proof that your marriage is de facto, not just de iure, ie that it is real, and what you are doing is the best possible proof of that.

Yes we all know in a real thai marriage wife is boss

On 2/11/2026 at 2:58 PM, MIke B Bad said:

A big fat 1000B folded into your passport will beat any basket of fruit.

No, it would not; if it did have a chance of working every bugger would be doing it already.