New Thai Immigration Commissioner From October 1, 2011

[SICHONSTEVE]

Presumably Annual extension for under 50s not qualifying under existing rules

Although this doesn't concern me as I can get my 90 day stamp at the local immigration office, wouldn't it make sense to make it possible for EVERYONE to be able to do this. Some of the money saved (1,000 -1,500 baht for example) on not having to exit Thailand and come back in again could instead be collected by the government instead of having to put up with all the hassle and inconvenience of making a rather pointless trip 4 times a year in order to get their stamp to remain in Thailand!!!

[cowslip]

I would like to know why those renewing work permit and visa should be subject to a special test for syphilis.

//Edit: work permit question. Not suitable for meeting with Immigration Commissioner.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro

[Reasonableman]

I hold a Permanent Residence Visa - why do I need re-entry visa any time I leave the country?

Re-entry permit

and why do I have to pay a considerable sum for it each year?

and why do I also have to pay a FINE if I am unable to complete my intended trip and DO NOT USE the re-entry permit?

//Edit: Note that no fine is due if re-entry permit is not used during its period of validity.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro

[thaikahuna]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

If they must have the 90 days reports, then allow us to go on line and do so FOR FREE!

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro
Deleted superfluous text.

[Raindancer]

Retirement extension

Thank you for attempting to pose questions to the new head of immigration So I have some questions that I would like you to address.

1; Why does a retirement visa holder  (who may or not be married to a Thai National and may or not may have to support her children etc) have to have 800K in the bank or an income of 65K per month or a combination of both amounting to 800K in one fiscal year, whereas a Farang married to a Thai National (who may have to support her children etc) only be required to have 400K in the bank or an income of 40K per month or indeeed a combination of both amounting to 400K per annum.

Secondly  there is an anomaly of the combination of the required income....For the person on a retirement visa.....12 ( months) times 65k = 800K. So i can accept the logic of the calculation. But for the Farang married to a Thai the monthly income requirement of 40K times 12 months == 480K. Something wrong with their rationale?

Finally on these figures, why is there the need for a Farang to have such a huge income compared to indigenuous poulation. Maybe to make sure we can pay hospital bills etc. I do not know.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro
Deleted off-topic text.

[lonewolf99]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

As previously stated - what purpose does the 90 day reporting serve ?

A one year Visa in any other country is exactly that - Valid for one year.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro
Deleted off-topic text.

[CWMcMurray]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

Like many others have mentioned. I would be interested in if any chance for either eliminating or providing an on-line submission of 90 day report.

Marriage extension

I would also like to know if any chance of having a longer extensions available at some point. Perhaps this option could be made available to long terms expats after a certain number of years.

For example: after 3 consecutive 1yr extensions, the applicant could then qualify for a longer 5 yr extension with 1 yr reporting... or something similar.

Edited September 24, 2011 by Maestro
Amended category title based on poster's clarification.

[thaikahuna]

Priority number one

Make implementation of rules consistant

Annual extensions in general

Indeed and do away with the ridiculous requirement to renew your visa where it was obtained or where you now reside.

(example: I live in Bang Na and can go to Samut Prakan office and back in an hour taking care of business Going to Chaeng Wattana takes most of the day.)

[Wombat6]

Retirement extension

I use the combination method of income plus money in Bank when applying for an extension to my Retirement Visa. The last two occasions, the Immigration Officers in Ranong was not familiar with the rules and due to the confusion, a lengthy process ensued. I know the process is detailed in their guide book but they simply do not understand. Better Education required. Secondly, why should we have to go to the considerable expense to Travel to our Embassies in Bangkok to get a Stat Declaration stamped (Embassy letter ). No proof is required for this document to be stamped (Australian Embassy). I can provide the necessary proof of Income to my local Immigration Officer ie....Computer print out from Centrelink of pension payments made to me and Bank Statement showing these amounts received.

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

The 90 day reporting should be scrapped as there is already a law of reporting any change of abode.

[Phil Conners]

Permanent Residence

What is the status now for Permanent Residence? This thread suggest that it is nearly impossible at the best of times and that no applications are being processed at this time. Will this ever change? 10 years of repeat extension of marriage visa should not be necessary.

[Siriam]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

90 days notification:

do you think it will be possible in future abolish it and instead force the foreigners who change domicile to report? Perhaps being more severe with those who fails to comply?

[Titoyohn]

Retirement extension

Retirement Visa: we need every year proof of cash or pension. I have expensive hassel every year to get the statement from my Embassy. My goverment pension will never decline untill death, so

Question:

If the Embassy confirms the lifelong pension, would such then not be accepted by the Immigration for at least 5 years???

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro
Fonts changed for better reading

[Hyponeros]

Permanent Residence

Why can a foreigner who is married to a Thai citizen for several years (3, 4 or 5 years) not receive automatically at least the permanent residency?

[thaiphoon]

Some posts have been removed. Please keep this thread focused on questions for Immigration. Thx.

[avidflyer]

Employment extension

There is a Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations between the Government of Thailand and the United States of America. The Thai Ministry of Commerce recognizes this Treaty of Amity. The Ministry of Commerce has registered me, an individual, as a Sole Proprietorship.

The Ministry of Labor recognizes the Treaty of Amity. The Ministry of Labor has given me a Work Permit that allows me to work in Thailand as a self employed person. No company. No Board of Directors. No employees. Just me working alone. I pay Thai taxes every month.

Thai Immigration does not recognize a Sole Proprietorship under the Treaty of Amity. Thai Immigration will not give me a Non Immigrant B visa. It would be very good if the new Thai Immigration Commissioner understood what a Sole Proprietorship under the Treaty of Amity is about. Maybe then a Non Imm B visa would be made available.

[toffo9]

Some people are Disabled and confined to a wheelchair and cannot access a bus to take them to do a visa run... It would make it alot easier if they could go to there local immigration office which is alot closer to where they live and get a stamp in and out

//Edit: visa question. Not suitable for meeting with Immigration Commissioner.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro

[Gerald14]

I have heard that for the retirement visa it is possible at some Immigration offices (not all, but I was told Pattaya is one) to pay a "service fee" of around 20,000 to 25,000 THB and in return one receives a bank book with a deposit of THB 800,000 for a few minutes until the retirement visa is granted. No seasoning of the cash necessary and as soon as the visa is done the cash is withdrawn.

This annoys me because if retired expats do not have the financial means to live here, send them home. I have lived the last 15 years in Thailand always legally and have always provided all necessary documents and I do not approve of shortcuts like this. I hope the new commissioner will stop this illegal practice if indeed this is true.

//Edit: hear-say story about alleged irregularity. Not suitable for meeting with Immigration Commissioner.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro

[JustinCredible]

Retirement extension

I have always been curious why someone on an Extension based on Retirement needs to show double the financial requirements of someone on a Marriage Extension.

Surely a Retired person, with a regular monthly income, will not need so much to live on. Often Retired people live alone and do not have to support a wife and children.

Can you explain please?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Uniform interpretation of rules

I like a lot of the very reasonable, sensible questions posed above...

Let me try to phrase one of those issues in a way that might be more presentable:

Does the Immigration Bureau have a policy/expectation that all of its offices throughout the country should apply the same rules and requirements for applicants/foreigners, as spelled out in the national regulations?

And if so, who can applicants/foreigners contact in the central Immigration Bureau HQ for assistance when a local office is making rules/policies/requirements that don't match with the national ones?

[thespian]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

Does the 90 day sign in serve any useful purpose? And if it does, would it be possible to sign every 90 days 'online'?

I have a retirement visa, and this week I went to Chiang Mai Immigration to sign in and was given a queue number with 100 people in the queue before me. With 30,000 expats in Chiang mai and untold Burmese workers the staff are overburdened and the system is not always able to cope. Surely the situation is unsustainable.

[Pib]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

Why can't 90 day address reporting be done online? Better yet, get rid of 90 day address reporting (via law or regulation change) to save immigration manhours/resources and save customer manhours/expense.

[streetlite]

Retirement extension and Marriage Extension

My question concerns the Income Verification letter from the Embassy for retirement Visa. Every year I must travel to the US Immigration Office, after making an appointment, write down an amount of income, pay $50 and get it stamped. At the Thai Immigration office I trhen have to supplement the letter with all the bank book copies and letters. Surely the bank book says it all. Why the need for the letter from our Embassy?

[hansnl]

Annual extensions in general

- Would it be possible to make available a 5-year extension of stay for expats having lived in Thailand continuously for 5 years or longer?

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

- Would it then be possible to scrap the 90-day notification and replace it with a once a year personal appearance?

Retirement extension and Marriage extension

- Would it be possible to use a (translated) letter of income from the pension fund or the employer or the tax authorities of the home country.

This in place of the stamped by the embassy/consulate own declaration of income?

More and more Embassies will not give you a declaration of income on official paper of the embassy, but will just stamp your own statement as legalisation of your signature.

My pension fund will happily send me an income declaration in English, however, the Embassy will not stamp this document.

Annual extensions in general

- Would it be possible in this day and age of electronic banking, to show the immigration officer on line and in his office how much money is in the Thai bank account and for how long?

Annual extensions in general and 90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

- Would it be possible for expats to renew their extension of stay and/or the 90-day notification in another office in case of a holiday or temporary stay elsewhere

Re-entry permit

- Would it be possible to reduce the price of the multiple re-entry permit and all re-entry permits to be obtainable on Suvarnibhumi.

In case of urgent family business the available time for obtaining said permits in one's own office is NOT in the weekend for example.

These are just a few thoughts.

[loserlazer]

Permanent Residence

I am curious about Residency Visa for Thailand.

I am working here in Thailand for 3 and half years and i have uninterrupted three consequent one year Non Immigrant B Visa on my stamp.

On top of that, i have invested more than 2 million thb to my company and i am a share holder now.

So, i meet all the requrements for a resident visa for Thailand stated by law.

I would like to know, when can i apply for residency visa as i know, there is a quota for residency visa in Thailand and the application for it is not always open.

Is there any exact date for the application and for the quota?

Thanks.

[daiwill60]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

Why do I have to fill in the same form and take a new photo every time I do a 90 day report. Surely they keep the previously supplied paperwork and photos don't they???

When will this 90 day system be computerised so that my photo, and my info can be held on computer???

If it is an identity issue, why not take a fingerprint scan which can be used everytime, they have one for my clocking in and out of work everyday?

Why if I have worked in Thailand for 10- 15 years and been paying into the system, do I have to show nearly 800000 baht in my bank acc't if I want to remain here?

//Edit: not clear what this question refers to.

Why can I not have a credit card if I have a work permit, and am clearly settled with my wife in Thailand?

//Edit: banking question. Not suitable for meeting with Immigration Commissioner.

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

Why why why do i have to do 90 day reporting if I have a Non Imm B visa and a work permit and work contract????????????????

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro

[janderton]

Corruption

How about the 200Baht (at Jomtien immigration) without receipt i've always (5 times till now) been asked to pay (and paid)

in order to obtain a Residence Certificate (the one you need for driving licences or vehicle puchase/registration)?

is an abuse of authority that shall be reported, but to who? to MP Chuvit?

Edited September 22, 2011 by Maestro
Deleted superfluous quote.

[SurfRider]

90-day notification of staying longer than 90 days

"Could the 90 Days reporting be done online?"

This should become a PRIORITY issue. A few years back, it was announced that on-line 90-day reporting was being established at Pattaya Immigration. A computer was purchased by local businessmen and donated to Pattaya Immigration for this purpose. Free systems and software implementation was also offered by local businesses. It never happened.

According to reliable sources, the idea was killed by the Bangkok Immigration bureaucracy.

90-day address reporting should also be changed so that reporting is ONLY REQUIRED if and when your address actually changes. If the purpose of repeated reporting of an address that never changes is to keep tabs on the whereabouts of all Expats, it's a futile gesture - since anyone not wanting Immigration to know their address will either not report at all, or will report a fake address.

An even better solution: When I lived in the Philippines a few years back, the only requirement for renewing your visa was to take your passport to a credible travel agency - the daily batch of passports was delivered to Immigration by a courier and the necessary stamp for a 6 month extension was applied. Total cost US$15 and the agency would deliver the passport to your residence for an additional $2. I never even knew where the Immigration office was located.

It's about time that Thailand looks around at neighboring countries and implements some of the streamlining that these countries have done-- as opposed to maintaining the outdated draconian Immigration procedures that have been in place in the former land-of-smiles for far too long!

[beejoir]

Visa-exempt entry period of stay

Giving genuine tourists 2 weeks at an over land boarder is too little time, any plans to change this?

[Toscano]

Marriage extension

At Present Those of us who live in Thailand all the year are made to feel unwelcomed . The immigration staff can be charming and helpful ; but I find year on year a requirement of more and more documents and photos , even the photos must conform to a certain format . When I first was attending immigration , I was asked to have a folder of photos illustrating that my wife and I lived together . When I presented it ,the same officer didn't want to see it at all .

Permanent Residence

I am English , before coming to live in Thailand I lived in Italy ; after 5yrs my permission of residency was made permanent .

Annual extensions in general

I am 74yrs and live in Kalasin district , near the border with Khon Kaen . I have to drive a tortuous road , 3 hours drive each way to Sakhon Nakhon . I could drive to Khon Kaen immigration in 50 minutes . Why can we not go to our nearest immigration office ?

[robertson468]

Annual extensions in general

Would the Commisioner consider some form of Quality Control for the Immigration Offices? This could be done simply with a questionaire available in each Immigration Office to be completed and posted to the Central Immigration Office in Bangkok. This would allow Immigration to be aware if standards are different from office to office and why, also what valid issues are arising so that they may address them.