This about annual retirement extensions with using the 800k baht in a Thai bank method.

It is now REQUIRED and STRICTLY ENFORCED that there must be a transaction on the same day as your application.

This was probably mentioned here before but I ignored it based on so many years of using previous day transactions.

In other words, previously I would do a transaction, go to my bank to get my immigration letter, and then show up at immigration the NEXT day.

Never a problem.

Now it is a problem.

I was told this is a new regulation (new as it is now being enforced at Jomtien).

Yes, I know, I know, other major offices have been requiring same day for years.

But Jomtien hasn't been.

Now they are.

If you didn't know, now you know.

Some related info -- Jomtien accepts bank letters as old three days.

If not using a same day bank letter, of course with the new enforcement you would need to do a transaction on the day of the immigration appointment.

Edited July 10Jul 10 by Jingthing

35 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I was told this is a new regulation (new as it is now being enforced at Jomtien).

Yes, I know, I know, other major offices have been requiring same day for years.

Was to be expected.

Many/most offices require bank book up date on day of application.

The best way to do that is to make small transaction.

I do a 100b deposit

The fact that the bb does not match the Bank Letter obtained days earlier is not an issue.

You mention bank letter accepted 3 days previous.

The bank statement and bank letter should be accepted up to 7 days early.

Nothing Jomtien does surprises me

IMPORTANT DETAIL:

If you go in later without a same day immigration letter, the transaction that you must do the same needs to be a deposit only.

If the balance is even one baht under the balance on the bank latter, it will be rejected and you'll need to get a new letter.

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

Was to be expected.

Many/most offices require bank book up date on day of application.

The best way to do that is to make small transaction.

I do a 100b deposit

The fact that the bb does not match the Bank Letter obtained days earlier is not an issue.

You mention bank letter accepted 3 days previous.

The bank statement and bank letter should be accepted up to 7 days early.

Nothing Jomtien does surprises me

Well I certainly didn't expect it after the previous day even once Monday after a Friday update one time for so many years!

But with all the news about foreigners behaving badly, yeah I get your point.

I did notice the officer going over each page with an intensity I've never noticed before.

I didn't even dare to plead for a one time break based on it being new which I might have done in the past.

Yeah as said later the balance doesn't need to match the letter but if it doesn't it needs to be higher, never lower.

I don't think 3 days is so bad really, well at least for me and my bank (SCB) it isn't.

Edited July 10Jul 10 by Jingthing

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

If the balance is even one baht under the balance on the bank latter, it will be rejected and you'll need to get a new letter.

That is unrealistic however again does not surprise me re Jomtien.

Many reports of 100b withdrawal.

Why an issue. Balance could be eg 1mill.

How do you know withdrawal not possible to show activity and updated balance.

What the io had chit chat with you

I didn't notice this new enforcement on the Pattaya City Expats Club website which I always check for news for any enforcement changes.

But that doesn't mean it isn't there. I may have missed it.

If you're reading this and involved in that club. perhaps make sure this is updated.

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

That is unrealistic however again does not surprise me re Jomtien.

Many reports of 100b withdrawal.

Why an issue. Balance could be eg 1mill.

How do you know withdrawal not possible to show activity and updated balance.

What the io had chit chat with you

The officer was very clear about this.

I came in with a previous day update and yes I did ask questions.

I knew i had to do a transaction but I hadn't realized that only a depoirt would be accepted. I only found out because I asked. Withdrawal not OK. The number on the update book cannot be under the letter balance.

Even more absurd my 800K has almost no activity. I just keep it for immigration as so many do. The idea that I would drain the account in the short time between the letter and the application (next day) is comical to consider.

Anyway don't ask why.

Just learn the rules.

Tell him to lighten up and that he's lucky any foreigners that want to stay there - esp outside of December and Jan (when the weather is liveable).

If he pushes back ask him how his mother, daughter, wife and all the other women in pattaya would survive without foreign money.. Tell him he should go for a short break to think it through as without people like u he'd be out of a job.

Should bring him to his senses

15 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Even more absurd my 800K has almost no activity. I just keep it for immigration as so many do.

If you have a dedicated bank account for extension purposes then I assume you also provide a 12 month bank statement unless you have an FD account.

Most offices would not accept bank book with zero activity in some months

Which you would not as 100b deposit not possible with FD account

8 minutes ago, Tourist2 said:

Tell him to lighten up and that he's lucky any foreigners that want to stay there - esp outside of December and Jan (when the weather is liveable).

Thanks for the laugh.

The thread concerns annual extensions and seems you don't understand requirements

Trolling post removed @Celsius

I posted this 4 months ago

It's the last thing you do on the day you go to the Immigration office with your visa application paperwork...

Stop by your bank and get a letter for immigration.

If you don't actually have ~$24Kusd, that's a different topic.

8 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

It's the last thing you do on the day you go to the Immigration office with your visa application paperwork...

Stop by your bank and get a letter for immigration

I usually get to immigration just after 8am, beat the queue.

Bit hard finding a bank open before 8am.

16 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Bit hard finding a bank open before 8am.

If waiting in an immigration line once a year is your biggest problem you have a pretty good life. 😂

That's nice.

Can't wait, for the new THIM, requirements in a few months time

for all extensions !!.

Let the Games Commence.

Edited July 11Jul 11 by rocketboy2

1 minute ago, SiSePuede419 said:

If waiting in an immigration line once a year is your biggest problem you have a pretty good life. 😂

Have you ever done business at Pattaya immigration?

You want to get in and out as quick as possible, too many psycho foreigners for me.

It would be handy if you could do the deposit via a transfer online, sitting in front of the IO!

What's disheartening (and a little alarming) is that this hyper-vigilance to make sure passbook is updated on same day as visa application suggests that monitoring to ensure that deposit requirements are adhered to for 3 months after visa renewal may be right around the corner. The only thing that has stopped this from long ago being implemented is that it would throw a monkey wrench in the gravy train collusion between agents and IO officers. In other words, if everyone was required to come into immigration to verify funds were on deposit 3 months after the visa was renewed, that would put an end to the sham deposit schemes agents use. It would also necessitate an additional trip to immigration every year, which would significantly lower the value of a one year visa. It doesn't make sense to be hyper-vigilant during the less than 30 days leading up to the visa renewal and then not monitor balances throughout the year, does it?

26 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

The only thing that has stopped this from long ago being implemented is that it would throw a monkey wrench in the gravy train collusion between agents and IO officers.

You do not understand how the agent obtained extension stamps work.

Re a check of bank book 3 months after extension approval has been done previously by Jomtien immigration.

Means nothing for agent assisted extensions.

Off topic post re emoji use removed

1 hour ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Have you ever done business at Pattaya immigration?

You want to get in and out as quick as possible, too many psycho foreigners for me.

I used an agent this year for my extension. I had to pop in Soi 5 for a pic. Was told to ask for Mr Football. Turns out it was a cute Tom.

17 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

You do not understand how the agent obtained extension stamps work.

Re a check of bank book 3 months after extension approval has been done previously by Jomtien immigration.

Means nothing for agent assisted extensions.

Please explain this more thoroughly. If an agent deposits money in your account in order to meet a visa's financial requirements, they're only doing it for the amount of time required to secure the visa. They're not leaving the funds in the account year round. Just because an immigration office might have had a policy in the past of checking bank books at the post renewal three month mark, and was only enforcing this for non-agent applications and were turning a blind eye to those renewals handled by agents which didn't meet that requirement, doesn't mean that there couldn't be a crackdown under the Anutin regime in the same way a police department could crack down on internal corruption in a local precinct. That's exactly what they're doing with the crackdown on land ownership nominees. They're by-passing local officials and attorneys. They could easily do the same thing through internal auditing at immigration. If you think it can't happen with immigration, I'd say you're the one who might need a reality check. You seem to be suggesting that visa fraud is so entrenched in the system it can never be rooted out. I don't share that opinion. You are free to disagree, but I don't think my opinions deserve to be laughed at.

13 hours ago, Jingthing said:

This about annual retirement extensions with using the 800k baht in a Thai bank method.

It is now REQUIRED and STRICTLY ENFORCED that there must be a transaction on the same day as your application.

Has been the rule for me in Jomtien for as many years as I can recall

16 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

They're not leaving the funds in the account year round.

Of course they are not.

Perhaps go back to OP (actually read it) and focus on what thread is about.

Legality or otherwise of agent obtained extensions backand forth debate is a given in this forum.

Sadly always off topic.

By all means start a thread to discuss that. Mind you it's been covered many times.

16 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

Has been the rule for me in Jomtien for as many years as I can recal

I like to play it safe. At CW they also want update/transaction on day of application.

Sadly Kasikorn, SCB no longer have a branch at CW.

I attend branch that opens at 8am.

The branches in shopping malls open much later at say 11am

2 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Of course they are not.

Perhaps go back to OP (actually read it) and focus on what thread is about.

Legality or otherwise of agent obtained extensions backand forth debate is a given in this forum.

Sadly always off topic.

By all means start a thread to discuss that. Mind you it's been covered many times.

Excuse me????

All I said in my first post was that if immigration is being hyper-vigilant about bank balances in the lead up period to renewal application then I feared that an intensification of scrutiny during the period of time the visa was in force might be on the way..... which, excuse the heck out of me, is on topic.

I thought that was always the case at Jomtien.

Anyway, I did the same day update one time at the same time I was getting my bank letter, but it was early in the morning and someone hadn't set the machine for the current date. It was still stuck on the day before. That seems strange, but that's what happened. I didn't pay anything attention, and when I got to Jomtien immigration, they made me go back and get an update with the right date.

1 hour ago, jas007 said:

I thought that was always the case at Jomtien.

Anyway, I did the same day update one time at the same time I was getting my bank letter, but it was early in the morning and someone hadn't set the machine for the current date. It was still stuck on the day before. That seems strange, but that's what happened. I didn't pay anything attention, and when I got to Jomtien immigration, they made me go back and get an update with the right date.

What's unclear? The "Bank Letter" had the right date, but the update to the bank book was somehow dated the day before. One would think the whole thing would be connected to a computer and that the computer would know the right date, but maybe not. Anyway, I wasted half the day fooling around at the bank.

4 hours ago, CallumWK said:

Has been the rule for me in Jomtien for as many years as I can recall

Well you're wrong actually.

I've been doing previous day up until last July for many many years.

It was never even commented about by any officer.

So you thought it was the policy but it wasn't.

O