And NOW, we announce FREE VISA for.......

[212traders]

Supposedly the visa fee is waived and they get landing visa. However, I have Taiwanese friends who just entered Thailand 2 days ago. The immigration officers charged them 200 Bahts each for "handling fee". But when my friends asked for a receipt, the officers said, "No receipts." It's kind of like extortion.

[MrWorldwide]

Supposedly the visa fee is waived and they get landing visa. However, I have Taiwanese friends who just entered Thailand 2 days ago. The immigration officers charged them 200 Bahts each for "handling fee". But when my friends asked for a receipt, the officers said, "No receipts." It's kind of like extortion.

 

That's a little like being 'kind of pregnant'. We can call it whatever we want - 'tea money' is the most common phrase on TV - but how many of us would accept that response in our own countries ? Not sure how prevalent petty corruption is in Taiwan, but I'd be very surprised if this is the first time they've encountered this sort of thing in SEA. If an Immigration Officer in Australia asked my GF or someone else I was travelling with for ~7 AUD as a 'handling fee' (with zero paper trail) I would ask to see his superior : I just dont have that luxury in Thailand and they know it. Various tough talkers on TV claim they would 'create problems' for Immigration if things werent going their way - I strongly suspect that things are very different when they find themselves in the Arrivals Hall faced with a single uniformed officer with the power to send them packing. Talk is cheap - entry to Thailand a little more expensive  ;)

 

(One of the smartest things Thailand ever did was have the Departure Tax added to airline tickets instead of being a separate fee payable before you could leave the country - perhaps this 'handling fee' needs to be added to said tickets for those in the situation your Taiwanese friends seem to have found themselves in ?)

[212traders]

 

Supposedly the visa fee is waived and they get landing visa. However, I have Taiwanese friends who just entered Thailand 2 days ago. The immigration officers charged them 200 Bahts each for "handling fee". But when my friends asked for a receipt, the officers said, "No receipts." It's kind of like extortion.

 

That's a little like being 'kind of pregnant'. We can call it whatever we want - 'tea money' is the most common phrase on TV - but how many of us would accept that response in our own countries ? Not sure how prevalent petty corruption is in Taiwan, but I'd be very surprised if this is the first time they've encountered this sort of thing in SEA. If an Immigration Officer in Australia asked my GF or someone else I was travelling with for ~7 AUD as a 'handling fee' (with zero paper trail) I would ask to see his superior : I just dont have that luxury in Thailand and they know it. Various tough talkers on TV claim they would 'create problems' for Immigration if things werent going their way - I strongly suspect that things are very different when they find themselves in the Arrivals Hall faced with a single uniformed officer with the power to send them packing. Talk is cheap - entry to Thailand a little more expensive  

 

(One of the smartest things Thailand ever did was have the Departure Tax added to airline tickets instead of being a separate fee payable before you could leave the country - perhaps this 'handling fee' needs to be added to said tickets for those in the situation your Taiwanese friends seem to have found themselves in ?)

 

If the fee is added to the airfare, then at least there's record of it being paid. Else for all we know, it could just go into the officer's pocket.