Thai Immigration Bureau To Take E-Payments

[jackspratt]

The Immigration Bureau could be paying people on TVF 5% for the convenience make electronic payments, and they would still be whinging.

For god's sake, if you can't afford the 1%, keep paying by cash - or even better, reconsider whether you really should be living in a foreign country.

And how about you grow up and stop making comments like a pre-teen. It's none of your business whether someone else can afford something or not. It's none of your business how or who they pay. Such a sanctimonious comment! Nobody needs you here - wherever that may be.

I didn't think pre-teens could join TV - but apparently you slipped through.

I really don't care if people can afford the 1% or not - I just wish they would stop whinging about it on TV (given that they have the alternative of paying cash).

Please come back when Thai Immigration make it compulsory to pay by card.

Edited November 30, 2012 by jackspratt

[SteveH]

Maybe I am wrong on this, but when you sign up to have payments processed by Visa and Mastercard don't they have in the contract that merchants are not allowed to assess additional fees to process the cards. Essentially for the customer it has to be the same as paying cash. The merchant has to eat the processing charge. Every time I see a hotel or restaurant try to take on that 3% for using Credit or Debit cards, I thought that it is against Visa and Mastercards policy. Am I wrong?

I know that some U.K.Government departments charge extra for using credit cards.

[quiuvo]

TheOldGit above has a point about having to go to the immigration office after all because you still have to FILE the documents. He states:

Am I missing something here? You still have go to the Immigration Office, so you still have to spend time and have hassle of traffic, there is an ATM outside the office, so what are the benefits to us? I'm not bothered about the fee though.

So, I am or maybe was, a newbie but I have a valid point on having to copy and file documents with them----- at least in some cases! We must be careful were we thread guys. Don't be blinded, narrow minded.

[cosmont]

800 Millions mult by 1% = good business

[cyborgx]

Maybe I am wrong on this, but when you sign up to have payments processed by Visa and Mastercard don't they have in the contract that merchants are not allowed to assess additional fees to process the cards. Essentially for the customer it has to be the same as paying cash. The merchant has to eat the processing charge. Every time I see a hotel or restaurant try to take on that 3% for using Credit or Debit cards, I thought that it is against Visa and Mastercards policy. Am I wrong?

I worked in banking for many years, and I too believe this to be correct. Perhaps they leave that out of the Asian contracts....

[tingtongtourist]

As for payments, this 1% for this end only. If you use a foreign visa card they do also charge 3% fee of every transaction for themself,yes?

SO if use Australian bank you get a total charge of 4% in fact.

Please,just to divert for a minute,

Does anyone know about this?:

When Aus bank do process an overseas visa purchase how is this purchase settled as for exchange rate? Do Aus bank send the baht amount to the Thai vendor based on their own robbing exchange rate or is it that the Thai bank will bill the Australian bank for Aus dollars at the rate of its own conversion for baht?

edit:actually i like to ask cyborgex about this as he say he worked in banks

Edited November 30, 2012 by tingtongtourist

[timewilltell]

Hmm - well don't you have to go to the Immigration Department to do everything anyway - well either yourself or a lackey. If you are going yourself there is not much benefit to be paying by credit card. Just go with sufficient cash. Now if they made for e-filing for your visa like for instance Australia offers for some countries and e-payment - then we would have moved into the 21st century and there would be a much reduced workload. The whole 90 day reporting thing is a complete farce anyway and if they really wanted to keep it, seems an ideal candidate for e-submission. I guess a few bods would have to be moved to a different department then and so no jobs for the boys.

[ubonjoe]

The 90 day reports are called for in the immigration act of 1979. It is not a police order or policy that can be easily changed.

[nakhonandy]

A couple of people have pointed out that this is an option, not mandatory.

If you don't want to pay the 1% then just use cash, up to you.

In a lot of countries it is mandatory to pay by card and the fee is around 3%, don't quite see the Thai rip off angle here myself.

[Amras]

As for payments, this 1% for this end only. If you use a foreign visa card they do also charge 3% fee of every transaction for themself,yes?

SO if use Australian bank you get a total charge of 4% in fact.

Please,just to divert for a minute,

Does anyone know about this?:

When Aus bank do process an overseas visa purchase how is this purchase settled as for exchange rate? Do Aus bank send the baht amount to the Thai vendor based on their own robbing exchange rate or is it that the Thai bank will bill the Australian bank for Aus dollars at the rate of its own conversion for baht?

edit:actually i like to ask cyborgex about this as he say he worked in banks

Correct.

1% charge from the local bank (credit card fee). You then pay 2.5-3% (usually) currency conversion fee. So if you had to pay 1000 baht, it would be plus 1% (10 baht), plus 3% conversion fee (from the Australian bank) on the 1010 baht, ie 30.3 baht. So your charge to the credit card in aus is 1040.3 (converted into AUD at whatever the exchange rate at the time was).

This is common for all credit card transactions in another currency. IF you have the option of charging your credit card in the cards local currency (ie the Thai Bank merchant does the conversion for you at an agreed rate on the machine) you do not have to pay the currency conversion fee as it is debited to your card in AUD already. Ie the local bank does not need to convert it to AUD (at least with my bankwest card). It would depend on the wording of the 'overseas fee/currency conversion fee' as to how it is charged on what.

[tingtongtourist]

As for payments, this 1% for this end only. If you use a foreign visa card they do also charge 3% fee of every transaction for themself,yes?

SO if use Australian bank you get a total charge of 4% in fact.

Please,just to divert for a minute,

Does anyone know about this?:

When Aus bank do process an overseas visa purchase how is this purchase settled as for exchange rate? Do Aus bank send the baht amount to the Thai vendor based on their own robbing exchange rate or is it that the Thai bank will bill the Australian bank for Aus dollars at the rate of its own conversion for baht?

edit:actually i like to ask cyborgex about this as he say he worked in banks

Correct.

1% charge from the local bank (credit card fee). You then pay 2.5-3% (usually) currency conversion fee. So if you had to pay 1000 baht, it would be plus 1% (10 baht), plus 3% conversion fee (from the Australian bank) on the 1010 baht, ie 30.3 baht. So your charge to the credit card in aus is 1040.3 (converted into AUD at whatever the exchange rate at the time was).

This is common for all credit card transactions in another currency. IF you have the option of charging your credit card in the cards local currency (ie the Thai Bank merchant does the conversion for you at an agreed rate on the machine) you do not have to pay the currency conversion fee as it is debited to your card in AUD already. Ie the local bank does not need to convert it to AUD (at least with my bankwest card). It would depend on the wording of the 'overseas fee/currency conversion fee' as to how it is charged on what.

ok thanks for this info, i have to look further into my conditions.

Aus bank will rip you no matter which way, now ANZ try to blackmail..they charge over $32 for each swift transfer IF you do not let them send your funds in Thai baht. If you relent and allow to send in thai baht they rip you off on exchange rate but charge only $ 24 per transaction

@$%^s

[Amras]

As for payments, this 1% for this end only. If you use a foreign visa card they do also charge 3% fee of every transaction for themself,yes?

SO if use Australian bank you get a total charge of 4% in fact.

Please,just to divert for a minute,

Does anyone know about this?:

When Aus bank do process an overseas visa purchase how is this purchase settled as for exchange rate? Do Aus bank send the baht amount to the Thai vendor based on their own robbing exchange rate or is it that the Thai bank will bill the Australian bank for Aus dollars at the rate of its own conversion for baht?

edit:actually i like to ask cyborgex about this as he say he worked in banks

Correct.

1% charge from the local bank (credit card fee). You then pay 2.5-3% (usually) currency conversion fee. So if you had to pay 1000 baht, it would be plus 1% (10 baht), plus 3% conversion fee (from the Australian bank) on the 1010 baht, ie 30.3 baht. So your charge to the credit card in aus is 1040.3 (converted into AUD at whatever the exchange rate at the time was).

This is common for all credit card transactions in another currency. IF you have the option of charging your credit card in the cards local currency (ie the Thai Bank merchant does the conversion for you at an agreed rate on the machine) you do not have to pay the currency conversion fee as it is debited to your card in AUD already. Ie the local bank does not need to convert it to AUD (at least with my bankwest card). It would depend on the wording of the 'overseas fee/currency conversion fee' as to how it is charged on what.

ok thanks for this info, i have to look further into my conditions.

Aus bank will rip you no matter which way, now ANZ try to blackmail..they charge over $32 for each swift transfer IF you do not let them send your funds in Thai baht. If you relent and allow to send in thai baht they rip you off on exchange rate but charge only $ 24 per transaction

@$%^s

Sign up for Pennytel Transfer. Free transfers to Thailand (and all over the world). They do make you transfer in AUD or Thai baht, but the exchange rates are equivalent to what you would get here for cash (so vary good). Use it all the time, takes about 3 days and no dealing with the bank. Can also use credit card.

Search for Pennytel and see the Penny transfer section. They are mainly a VoiP provider, but do other stuff as well. Great service and well worth using.

[Psych01]

As for payments, this 1% for this end only. If you use a foreign visa card they do also charge 3% fee of every transaction for themself,yes?

SO if use Australian bank you get a total charge of 4% in fact.

Please,just to divert for a minute,

Does anyone know about this?:

When Aus bank do process an overseas visa purchase how is this purchase settled as for exchange rate? Do Aus bank send the baht amount to the Thai vendor based on their own robbing exchange rate or is it that the Thai bank will bill the Australian bank for Aus dollars at the rate of its own conversion for baht?

edit:actually i like to ask cyborgex about this as he say he worked in banks

Correct.

1% charge from the local bank (credit card fee). You then pay 2.5-3% (usually) currency conversion fee. So if you had to pay 1000 baht, it would be plus 1% (10 baht), plus 3% conversion fee (from the Australian bank) on the 1010 baht, ie 30.3 baht. So your charge to the credit card in aus is 1040.3 (converted into AUD at whatever the exchange rate at the time was).

This is common for all credit card transactions in another currency. IF you have the option of charging your credit card in the cards local currency (ie the Thai Bank merchant does the conversion for you at an agreed rate on the machine) you do not have to pay the currency conversion fee as it is debited to your card in AUD already. Ie the local bank does not need to convert it to AUD (at least with my bankwest card). It would depend on the wording of the 'overseas fee/currency conversion fee' as to how it is charged on what.

ok thanks for this info, i have to look further into my conditions.

Aus bank will rip you no matter which way, now ANZ try to blackmail..they charge over $32 for each swift transfer IF you do not let them send your funds in Thai baht. If you relent and allow to send in thai baht they rip you off on exchange rate but charge only $ 24 per transaction

@$%^s

Sign up for Pennytel Transfer. Free transfers to Thailand (and all over the world). They do make you transfer in AUD or Thai baht, but the exchange rates are equivalent to what you would get here for cash (so vary good). Use it all the time, takes about 3 days and no dealing with the bank. Can also use credit card.

Search for Pennytel and see the Penny transfer section. They are mainly a VoiP provider, but do other stuff as well. Great service and well worth using.

Thanks for this info, I get monies sent to me bi weekly through Paypal, I am getting a 2.1% rate diference on XE.com rates.

[Mario2008]

Up-date: From immirgaiton website:

On Nov. 3

On Nov. 30, 2012, 10:00 a.m. at the event hall, Ratthaprasasanabhakti Building (building , Government Complex, Chaengwattana Rd., Lak Si, Bangkok, Pol.Lt.Gen. Panu Keudlappol, Commissioner of Immigration Bureau, along with his 5 Deputy Commissioners Pol.Maj.Gen Chisanupong Yooktatath (1), Pol.Maj.Gen Sakda Cheonpakdee (2), Pol.Maj.Gen Montri Potranan (3), Pol.Maj.Gen Preecha Thimamontri (4), Pol.Maj.Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn (5) joining with Khun Arisara Dharamadhaj, First Executive Vice President of Government and State Enterprise Relations Group had published news from the Immigration Division 1 (Imm. Div.1), service area only in Bangkok, about new method of fines/ fees payment by all banks debit/credit cards.

Pol.Lt.Gen. Panu Keudlappol, Commissioner of Immigration Bureau stated that this Imm. Div.1 initiative project is one of the stressed policies of Immigration Bureau called "THE SIX" in the aspect of immigration service and being ready to serve for ASEAN Community. Such policy comes from the concept of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinnawatra that "Information Technology must be utilized for working support." combining with the idea of Police General Adul Saengsingkaew, Chief of RTP that "It's time for the police to look ahead in the future. The Immigration Bureau has to utilize information technology as much as possible in order to be professionals and internationalization, particularly in immigration service" As Krung Thai Bank supports this financial technology by using debit/ credit cards through Electronic Data Capture (EDC) machine for fees/ fines payment instead of paying in cash, this will contribute international standard of immigration service and finance, conforming with government policy of investment, tourism and being ready for AEC in 2015. The alternative method of payment is more convenient to the foreigners residing in Bangkok.

Imm. Div.1 under the responsibility of the Commander, Pol.Maj.Gen. Krissada Surachettapong, seems to be the first division of Immigration Bureau and RTP leading to the change of financial service. The regulation formerly specified the fees/ fines payment in cash only. The fact is that Imm. Div. 1 collected the total fees and fines for public revenue almost 800 million Baht per year. Thus, paying fees/ fines by debit/ credit cards could make foreigners residing in Bangkok more convenient and have more selective way of payment.

As a result, foreigners working or residing in Bangkok are able to pay fees/ fines by all debit/ credit cards, not just only by cash, available now at Imm .Div.1 Government Complex, Chaengwattana Rd., or Visa and Work Permit One Stop Service Center at Chamchuri Square, Payathai Rd., or Three nationals labors (Mynmar, Laos, Cambodia) service Center at Immigration Bureau, Soi Suan Plu. Other Immigration Divisions are not available now but will be in the future.

The Commissioner also said that for more interesting, from Dec.1, 2012- Feb 28th , 2013, Krung Thai bank will except bank transaction fee in case of using ATM & VISA Debit of Krung Thai bank, and charge 1% of each purchase in case of debit or credit card (VISA and MASTER Card) of all banks.

posted on3 Dec 2012

This makes clear it is (for now at least) for Bangkok Immigration at Cheang Wattana Road only.

[tingtongtourist]

As for payments, this 1% for this end only. If you use a foreign visa card they do also charge 3% fee of every transaction for themself,yes?

SO if use Australian bank you get a total charge of 4% in fact.

Please,just to divert for a minute,

Does anyone know about this?:

When Aus bank do process an overseas visa purchase how is this purchase settled as for exchange rate? Do Aus bank send the baht amount to the Thai vendor based on their own robbing exchange rate or is it that the Thai bank will bill the Australian bank for Aus dollars at the rate of its own conversion for baht?

edit:actually i like to ask cyborgex about this as he say he worked in banks

Correct.

1% charge from the local bank (credit card fee). You then pay 2.5-3% (usually) currency conversion fee. So if you had to pay 1000 baht, it would be plus 1% (10 baht), plus 3% conversion fee (from the Australian bank) on the 1010 baht, ie 30.3 baht. So your charge to the credit card in aus is 1040.3 (converted into AUD at whatever the exchange rate at the time was).

This is common for all credit card transactions in another currency. IF you have the option of charging your credit card in the cards local currency (ie the Thai Bank merchant does the conversion for you at an agreed rate on the machine) you do not have to pay the currency conversion fee as it is debited to your card in AUD already. Ie the local bank does not need to convert it to AUD (at least with my bankwest card). It would depend on the wording of the 'overseas fee/currency conversion fee' as to how it is charged on what.

ok thanks for this info, i have to look further into my conditions.

Aus bank will rip you no matter which way, now ANZ try to blackmail..they charge over $32 for each swift transfer IF you do not let them send your funds in Thai baht. If you relent and allow to send in thai baht they rip you off on exchange rate but charge only $ 24 per transaction

@$%^s

Sign up for Pennytel Transfer. Free transfers to Thailand (and all over the world). They do make you transfer in AUD or Thai baht, but the exchange rates are equivalent to what you would get here for cash (so vary good). Use it all the time, takes about 3 days and no dealing with the bank. Can also use credit card.

Search for Pennytel and see the Penny transfer section. They are mainly a VoiP provider, but do other stuff as well. Great service and well worth using.

Thankyou so much Amras for this info i will look into this for sure

[tingtongtourist]

As for payments, this 1% for this end only. If you use a foreign visa card they do also charge 3% fee of every transaction for themself,yes?

SO if use Australian bank you get a total charge of 4% in fact.

Please,just to divert for a minute,

Does anyone know about this?:

When Aus bank do process an overseas visa purchase how is this purchase settled as for exchange rate? Do Aus bank send the baht amount to the Thai vendor based on their own robbing exchange rate or is it that the Thai bank will bill the Australian bank for Aus dollars at the rate of its own conversion for baht?

edit:actually i like to ask cyborgex about this as he say he worked in banks

Correct.

1% charge from the local bank (credit card fee). You then pay 2.5-3% (usually) currency conversion fee. So if you had to pay 1000 baht, it would be plus 1% (10 baht), plus 3% conversion fee (from the Australian bank) on the 1010 baht, ie 30.3 baht. So your charge to the credit card in aus is 1040.3 (converted into AUD at whatever the exchange rate at the time was).

This is common for all credit card transactions in another currency. IF you have the option of charging your credit card in the cards local currency (ie the Thai Bank merchant does the conversion for you at an agreed rate on the machine) you do not have to pay the currency conversion fee as it is debited to your card in AUD already. Ie the local bank does not need to convert it to AUD (at least with my bankwest card). It would depend on the wording of the 'overseas fee/currency conversion fee' as to how it is charged on what.

ok thanks for this info, i have to look further into my conditions.

Aus bank will rip you no matter which way, now ANZ try to blackmail..they charge over $32 for each swift transfer IF you do not let them send your funds in Thai baht. If you relent and allow to send in thai baht they rip you off on exchange rate but charge only $ 24 per transaction

@$%^s

Sign up for Pennytel Transfer. Free transfers to Thailand (and all over the world). They do make you transfer in AUD or Thai baht, but the exchange rates are equivalent to what you would get here for cash (so vary good). Use it all the time, takes about 3 days and no dealing with the bank. Can also use credit card.

Search for Pennytel and see the Penny transfer section. They are mainly a VoiP provider, but do other stuff as well. Great service and well worth using.

Amras: have you used this service for a long time and know for sure it be OK?

Any others who use this can comment?

I do get nervous when have to put in credit card number, name and also have to add the security code.

seem like to give this information could lead to trouble and fraud if in the wrong hands

[quiuvo]

I am also not going to give all my credit card info. it is not secured. I will go to the office and file the documents and pay cash. If and when they force us to pay electronically I will get the answer about having to file the documents in person or not for the one year extension.

[Morakot]

Payments using debit cards of other banks or financial institutions
and credit cards of any financial institution would be subject to a 1%
fee, he said.

Currently at 2% for local debit cards.

Also expect additional time for processing, as five (5!) different receipts are printed, filed away with further information such as nationality hand written on them, and their IS manually synchronised with the E-payment system.

Edited March 28, 2013 by Morakot