I was on Friday at the immigration in Map Ta Put, Rayon, to get the extension of my one year non-immi-B visa. I run a small company, have a work permit, everything as it should.

Now the officer said that because I reduced my salary a couple of months ago from 60,000 down to 50,000 (the required minimum for Europeans), I had to notify the immigration upon doing so. As there was no notification I have to pay the taxes on the 60,000 Baht or get no visa.

Neither me nor my lawyer have ever heard about such a regulation. During the course of the duscssion, it seemed to be possible to backdate that notification with the hint, that they might need some unspecified "help" from time to time.

Is there someone out there who knows about this regulation? Or is it just another scheme to press money out of an otherwise 100% clean case?

Rayon? Is that a city near Nylon, just down the path from Dacron?

Pay the tax. It will be cheaper that using your lawyer I expect.

That extension of stay is based on what you told immigration your salary was. If you have changed that salary see every reason for immigration to expect to be so informed and perhaps reconsider your extension of stay. That some regulation may not be codified does not make it automatically wrong and in this case it does seem logical (at least to me).

Seriously, why make waves that can rebound to sink your own ship? The expense will be small and you can give the new information for the next extension.

OK. I heard it in the meantime also from someone else - just wonder why my lawyer was the only one not aware of that regulation...

What I didn't mention in my last post, during the discussion at the immigration my lawyer's secretary comitted (on the phone) towards the immigration that I will pay the taxes. This caused a mild meltdown from my side and finally my secretary was summoned in the back office. They explained her that a) the Farang gets his visa if he can produce the declaration and the Farang is not required to go there again. Further they conveyed the message about the "help". On Monday, my secretary went there, got the visa and told them that if they want something from me, they can call...