800k On Current Account Not Accepted!

[auntyedna]

Q: When is 800,000 Baht in the bank for retirement visa renewal not 800,000 Baht?

A: When it is on current account!

I produced a set of original current account statements, plus the standard bank letter to Phuket Immigration. Not accepted! I was told it has to be a savings account. Now think about that for a minute... If you transfer it to a savings account, you don't satisfy the "three months rule". If you can't supply alternative documents showing salary, etc, in time, then you have to apply for a new visa. And if you are trying to accumulate an unbroken record of visa renewasls for residence, etc, you are back to square one.

This "making it up as they go along" rule was presented to me by the unsmiling woman on the front line at Phuket Immigration, and endorsed by the boss at the back. The Honorary Consul at Phuket said he'd never heard of the rule before. Have you?

Aunty Edna

[ubonjoe]

Trying to think of a good comment to make but can't. Or at least one that wouldn't break the rules.

All the rules say is that it has to be in a bank account.

I would go back and ask if you can put the money into a savings account and show the transfer from one to the other and show both accounts so that you can maintain the 3 months.

That has been done before at another office when they would not accept a joint account.

[Mario2008]

Nothing in the rules suggest it has to be a savings account. Can only suggest you try again and see another immigration officer and maybe ask to see a superior. Most likely the officer didn't come across a curent account with the money in it beofre and because of that just rejected it.

[thaicbr]

1st question. how did you get a current account? i thought we farang could only get saving accounts.

Allan

Edited by mario2008: flame deleted

[Pdaz]

1st answer..... He was lucky.

2nd answer..... Yes.

[Jingthing]

1st answer..... He was lucky.

Or was he?

[malcolminthemiddle]

I always thought a current (cheque book) account with a Thai bank was only ever issued in the name of a company?

[Mario2008]

I always thought a current (cheque book) account with a Thai bank was only ever issued in the name of a company?

That is probably why immigration said no can do.

[ubonjoe]

Current personal accounts can be opened and even by expats.

See this webpage: http://www.bangkokbank.com/Bangkok+Bank/Pe...nts/Default.htm

[stuandchris]

Phuket immigration are being very arsey at the moment and refusing for all sorts of stupid reasons. Don't know why.

[Jingthing]

Phuket immigration are being very arsey at the moment and refusing for all sorts of stupid reasons. Don't know why.

Ask Simon?

[Pattaya46]

Current personal accounts can be opened and even by expats.

See this webpage: http://www.bangkokbank.com/Bangkok+Bank/Pe...nts/Default.htm

Hummm... Not for everybody or every expat.

By instance on the page you linked : "Expatriates need to produce their work permit."

[ubonjoe]

Current personal accounts can be opened and even by expats.

See this webpage: http://www.bangkokbank.com/Bangkok+Bank/Pe...nts/Default.htm

Hummm... Not for everybody or every expat.

By instance on the page you linked : "Expatriates need to produce their work permit."

I posted the link to prove it is possible.

There are ways to do it without a work permit. One is a certificate of residence.

But I honestly I can't think of any reason that I would need a current account here.

[lopburi3]

The current account opening requires a work permit in my understanding. Passbook savings account can use the certificate of residence (and other methods).

[Guderian]

I thought the main criterion was that the account had to be capital protected? So they will, for example, accept a savings or fixed-term deposit account, but not an SCB SFF account. That's how it seems to work in Pattaya Immigration, anyway. I assume that a chequeing account would be capital protected, so as long as it's in the OP's name, I should have thought he would be OK with that route. Sounds like Phuket making up the rules as they go along...

It does show, though, that if you change the procedure you have used previously, it's worth tripping along to Immigration just to check that what you want to do is OK with them. I've done that twice over the last two years. The first time they told me that the SFF account was no good for holding the 800K; the second time they said that a fixed-term depoist account was fine.

[wpcoe]

Regarding the SCB SFF account, which is a bond account like a mutual fund, I recall a discussion about the acceptability of it somewhere (perhaps here on thaivisa.com?) and one "risk" that Immigrations may see with such a account is that the fund share balance fluctuates daily on market conditions and could drop siginificantly below B800,000 without notice.

The other contention raised was that Immigrations officers are not Harvard Business School graduates and probably have no great understanding of the banking industry, so that to keep it simple (K.I.S.S.) they require savings accounts, and only savings accounts.

[lopburi3]

You do not have the money if it is not a cash deposit account. Simple. Those of us with mutual funds this last year can vouch for that.