Scam?

[loong]

I did my 90 day report 14 days ago. I would have applied for another year extension at the same time, but I didn't have enough time to get to the bank and get the letter.

I was in a hurry and only noticed later that the officer had entered the next reporting date as 11 September, the same date that my permission to stay expires. This struck me as strange as I understood that extensions of permission to stay and 90 day reports were unrelated.

I went today to get a new extension and to be on the safe side, I filled in the extension form and another 90 day report. I took one ticket for the extension and one ticket for the report.

The ticket number for the report came first and so I went to the desk.

He saw that I had the paperwork for the extension, ignored the 90 day report and processed the extension instead.

He spent a ridiculously long time going through my bank passbook, I couldn't understand why, because there is just short of 900,000 Baht in there and that is the lowest balance for the last 4 months. Even so, I started to worry that something was wrong.

Eventually, he put the bank book down and said "You have a lot of money"

The he said that he can do something special for me and that I don't have to do any more 90 day reports. I could come back to renew the extension next year and make sure that I see him. This way, I only have to go to immigration once a year and he will sort out the 90 day reports for me. Of course, I had to "do something special for him and give him some money"

Didn't discuss how much this was going to cost as I politely declined and told him that it really wasn't that much bother to do the 90 day report.

After he has processed my extension, he then takes my passport to the back office. It is another 30 minutes before my passport is returned to me. I then had to point out that he had removed the stapled arrival/departure card and that is was missing. There was no reason for that to be removed. He found it and gave it to me, but did not re-staple it into the passport.

I should also add that when I went to do my 90 day report 2 weeks ago, people who had arrived early were grumpy because Nobody was manning the report desk. On that day, they did not process any 90 day reports before 10:30 AM

The slip that I now have in my passport re next reporting date is different to what I used to get which was torn off of the bottom of the 90 day report.

Now it states the next reporting date and gives the warning

"Any Alien that fails to comply with will be punished with a fine not exceeding 5,000 Baht and with an additional fine not exceeding 200 Baht for each day that passes until the law is complied with"

Note the 200 baht per day is additional to the maximum fine of 5,000 Baht

I am pretty sure that this is not the correct fine for failing to report, which makes me think that this could be a double edged scam. Take them up on their offer and pay the money to not do the 90 day reports. Then when you go to extend, they hit you with a big fine which can be reduced with an under the table payment.

My advice. Do the 90 day reports.

[ubonjoe]

The 5000 baht fine and 200 baht per day fine is what the immigration act says.

Policy is 2000 baht fine.

[Somrak]

The he said that he can do something special for me and that I don't have to do any more 90 day reports. I could come back to renew the extension next year and make sure that I see him. This way, I only have to go to immigration once a year and he will sort out the 90 day reports for me.

I did this for many years and never had a problem.

Why nobody ask me again to pay this 500 Bath? :-(

[OJAS]

Which immigration office are we talking about here?

[loong]

Which immigration office are we talking about here?

Khon Kaen

[mca]

Khon Kaen accept postal reports so that's one way of doing your 90 days.

Plus I've never had one not returned with the next reporting date which was my main concern that they'd say "We never got it" even if it was sent registered post.

[loong]

The 5000 baht fine and 200 baht per day fine is what the immigration act says.

Policy is 2000 baht fine.

I didn't realise that. Seems wrong that you have to refer to the Immigration act to find out that the immigration website statement is just policy.

From The Thai immigration wbsite

http://www.immigration.go.th

• The notification of staying in the Kingdom over 90 days is in no way equivalent to a visa extension.
• If a foreigner staying in the kingdom over 90 days without notifying the Immigration Bureau or notifying the Immigration Bureau later than the set period, a fine of 2,000.- Baht will be collected. If a foreigner who did not make the notification of staying over 90 days is arrested, he will be fined 4,000.- Baht.
• If a foreigner leaves the country and re-enters, the day count starts at 1 in every case.

[kriswillems]

In my local office there's a girl excepting "donations" to jump the queue. They also have a tip-book. Whenever somebody is charged for something he shouldn't get charged (like a proof of residence) they'll write it down in the book, but you don't get a receipt. I would be very surprised if there would be any government office in Thailand were there is not some kind of corruption. They don't even consider it to be corruption, it's a "special service". That's also what they did to you, offering a "special service".

Edited September 9, 2013 by kriswillems

[gosompoi]

My local immigration office for the past year has been charging 20 baht for 90 day reports, 200 baht for residency letters, 2000 baht for one year extensions (1900 normal fee+ 100 baht mandatory tip) and 1,000 baht home inspections. Even the local labor department has started adding these extra fees. Oh and all receipts given do not list the extra fees.

Edited September 10, 2013 by gosompoi

[BangkokHank]

Normally countries become less corrupt with economic progress. It seems that Thailand is becoming more rather than less corrupt. This is worrying.

[mickjn]

Didnt have enough time to get to the bank and you live in LOS.No pressure here to have enough time to do anything

[loong]

Didnt have enough time to get to the bank and you live in LOS.No pressure here to have enough time to do anything

My bank is in BigC and doesn't open until 11AM and it always takes them a long time to sort out the letter.

I cannot always be certain that I will be back home in time for when my daughter finishes school.

So if I am unable to make arrangements for my daughter in case I am late, I don't have time to go to the bank and immigration on the same day.

I had to do the 90 day report on that day as it was 97 days since my last report. I thought that I had marked the calendar, but I hadn't, so nearly missed the deadline.

[899cc]

Op my friend had the same thing happen to him at Khon Kaen on his 90 day reporting and he decided to pay the extra [1500-baht] for this extra help and then the officer stamped and dated his 90 day reporting slips for the year, to him it was worth it as he's got over an hour drive each way to Khon Kaen to do his 90 day reporting. This is the first time he has had this offer made to him, so may be there has been some staff changes there and this is a new side line for them...

[OJAS]

Op my friend had the same thing happen to him at Khon Kaen on his 90 day reporting and he decided to pay the extra [1500-baht] for this extra help and then the officer stamped and dated his 90 day reporting slips for the year, to him it was worth it as he's got over an hour drive each way to Khon Kaen to do his 90 day reporting. This is the first time he has had this offer made to him, so may be there has been some staff changes there and this is a new side line for them...

This strikes me as an illegal practice and, hence, not to be condoned despite its apparent convenience for your friend.

What if a possee from Immigration Bureau HQ in Bangkok were to visit Khon Kaen one day and unearth this particular scam through a spot-check of that particular office's activities? I suspect that not only the officer(s) who perpetrated it would be in serious trouble but also your friend and any other farangs who were deemed to be willing participants.

In any event, since, as has already been pointed out in post #6, Khon Kaen accept mailed-in reports, why does your friend not save a 2-hour return drive every 90 days by reporting in this way? EMS postage costs + 10 THB return stamps over a whole year would amount to a fraction of the 1,500 THB "fee" which he paid!

Edited September 11, 2013 by OJAS

[899cc]

Op my friend had the same thing happen to him at Khon Kaen on his 90 day reporting and he decided to pay the extra [1500-baht] for this extra help and then the officer stamped and dated his 90 day reporting slips for the year, to him it was worth it as he's got over an hour drive each way to Khon Kaen to do his 90 day reporting. This is the first time he has had this offer made to him, so may be there has been some staff changes there and this is a new side line for them...

This strikes me as an illegal practice and, hence, not to be condoned despite its apparent convenience for your friend.

What if a possee from Immigration Bureau HQ in Bangkok were to visit Khon Kaen one day and unearth this particular scam through a spot-check of that particular office's activities? I suspect that not only the officer(s) who perpetrated it would be in serious trouble but also your friend and any other farangs who were deemed to be willing participants.

In any event, since, as has already been pointed out in post #6, Khon Kaen accept mailed-in reports, why does your friend not save a 2-hour return drive every 90 days by reporting in this way? EMS postage costs + 10 THB return stamps over a whole year would amount to a fraction of the 1,500 THB "fee" which he paid!

You are quite correct in what you say, I too pointed out to him about mailing it also, but as said to him it was worth it and that's why he payed the extra, his choice.

[loong]

Op my friend had the same thing happen to him at Khon Kaen on his 90 day reporting and he decided to pay the extra [1500-baht] for this extra help and then the officer stamped and dated his 90 day reporting slips for the year, to him it was worth it as he's got over an hour drive each way to Khon Kaen to do his 90 day reporting. This is the first time he has had this offer made to him, so may be there has been some staff changes there and this is a new side line for them...

This strikes me as an illegal practice and, hence, not to be condoned despite its apparent convenience for your friend.

What if a possee from Immigration Bureau HQ in Bangkok were to visit Khon Kaen one day and unearth this particular scam through a spot-check of that particular office's activities? I suspect that not only the officer(s) who perpetrated it would be in serious trouble but also your friend and any other farangs who were deemed to be willing participants.

In any event, since, as has already been pointed out in post #6, Khon Kaen accept mailed-in reports, why does your friend not save a 2-hour return drive every 90 days by reporting in this way? EMS postage costs + 10 THB return stamps over a whole year would amount to a fraction of the 1,500 THB "fee" which he paid!

You are quite correct in what you say, I too pointed out to him about mailing it also, but as said to him it was worth it and that's why he payed the extra, his choice.

Personally, I think that you'd have to be crazy to pay 1500 Baht to try to circumvent the law when the mail in option is so simple. If your friend is caught, who knows what could be charged with. Bribing an official? What's the penalty for that?