Thai Immigration Asks Foreigners for Bank Accounts, Social Media, Hangouts

[retarius]

I'm really ready for a move. Maybe to Viet Nam or even back home. Every year new laws and procedures come into place which make Thailand just a little less attractive to live in each year. You would have to be an idiot to hand over all your bank details to an immigration official with the history of corruption in the department.

[BookMan]

Anyone been asked to fill this anywhere other than the One-Stop?

I did a 30 day extension at Chaengwattana yesterday and this form was nowhere in sight

[soalbundy]

Anyone been asked to fill this anywhere other than the One-Stop?

I did a 30 day extension at Chaengwattana yesterday and this form was nowhere in sight

you are not an ex-pat with a 30 day extension,you are a tourist and tourists aren't being targeted

[MadMac]

Could anyone confirm that this document is required at any other place than Sam Yan (One Stop Service Center)?

[ubonjoe]

Could anyone confirm that this document is required at any other place than Sam Yan (One Stop Service Center)?

Only one report for the one stop center to get a re-entry permit and one for Chaeng Wattana for a 90 day report.

[MadMac]

Someone wrote in the german forum (Nittaya.de) that it was not required for 90 days report in Chaeng Wattana today.

[MadMac]

If you reached page 3 you may have noticed that there is no signature required. Unofficial and complete waste of time. Fill in anything you like

[ThaiTony2]

Thai local are not being required to provide their personal bank account information. Applying for a 1-year visa requires me to provide evidence that I have the required funds in my account. Beyond that, I would expect that if they are requiring this new information then they will have to have a good explanation. How secure is your personal information in the hands of the immigration and or their servers? They cannot even get he 90 day online working.

[lkv]

...Beyond that, I would expect that if they are requiring this new information then they will have to have a good explanation. How secure is your personal information in the hands of the immigration and or their servers? ...

So you expect Thai immigration to provide you with an explanation.

I understand.

National security reasons and crime suppression. Ah, I almost forgot, and ASEAN integration.

Servers are secure now, don't worry about it. If they were not secure, we would not ask you for all this information.

(Circular logic)

Edited April 19, 2016 by lkv

[Moonlover]

Absolute BS for the intended purpose to track down terrorists and criminals. National security??What about Thai criminals which frequently disappeared in the past?? The only purpose I see is to sample information, which otherwise would be difficult and costly to access. But as it is not mandatory to fill in...in more than 30 years here I never gave them any information regarding my bank details.

Well, if you are here on a marriage or retirement visa they will have already had access to the details of whatever account your supporting money is held in.

This is not neccessary true. I am here on retirement (although I am actually married to a Thai). As I am using the income method (pensions), all that is required of me is a 'proof of income letter' from my embassy. I have never given immigration my bank details and have no intention of doing so!

[sawadee1947]

as far as I know they ask you to fill in the form. But....only asking. It's not a must, no law (yet)

[dbrenn]

Not everyone uses social media. I don't - it's a curse. So in my case I'd just leave that section of the form blank.

Is there a story here? Using social media is not compulsory. There are lots of other ways to communicate.

[RabC]

Mai Mee no hab will be my answer to a lot of the questions. Bank they already have from my extensions, car registration in partners name and hangouts I will just make up............

[gk10002000]

If enforced as written I would never comply. I will never give them my bank account information. A lot of the other stuff is not a big deal for me, even though I consider it excessive, distasteful, and a few other words. In this day of electronic information passing and security issues, there is no way I would feel confident that the information is handled and controlled properly. If that is really going to be requested and possibly required or left up to the judgment of a local immigration official when going to get a visa approved or an extension approved, then Thailand sadly will have become a police state.

[wobalt]

Briefly Talking to lawyers about the form yesterday- in the current drafted form void for several reasons. Therefore it is not mandatory to fill in (at present)

[johnatong]

This is, in my opinion , little more than a storm in a tea cup !

This form has been dreamed up by an officer who has then gone on to attempt its implementation without (it seems) any formal order to do so.

The form , its format and the demands it makes are extreme and cannot IMHO be supported or justified.

I do not believe any requirement for this form to be completed will be issued in the form of a formal police order.

The form should be regarded as a bad joke -------------it will disappear !

[Halfaboy]

I don't see them have the manpower to process and manage all this info.

[SamuiAxe]

Actually, I don't mind so much. Many people forget that we are guests in this beautiful country! Try to get a Visa in The Netherlands, while being a Thai! Virtually impossible! My son tried iths for his (American!), wife. No sir cannot do! Now he's living since four years happily in The United States with his wife.. I'm sure there are many country's whom are far more difficult than Thailand! I don't mind giving my bank account, heck, they might even decide to put money on it!

As for the bitching towards all that is Thai: Simple, don't do that! You are a guest, behave like a guest! if you don't like it, go back to where you came from! Nobody is forcing you to stay in Thailand... As far as I'm concerned Thailand is my new home country and I intend to stay here until my dying day. I love Thailand!! Came here in 2007 and hope to stay here for many years to come.....

" if you don't like it, go back to where you came from! " Yawn - again!

Then don't read it! As if your comment is breaking records!

There are some things you can't undo! For example you can not "unread" something. And I have been here for a number of years, and there are some things that are great about this country, and some things that aren't. I come from a country that lets you voice your disagreement about something, not just express your love blindly for the country, and remain oblivious to its faults. And the OLD retort "if you don't like it, go back to where you came from" doesn't exactly rectify any problems does it?

True, but I did say more than just that You didn't

[Thechook]

Not everyone uses social media. I don't - it's a curse. So in my case I'd just leave that section of the form blank.

Is there a story here? Using social media is not compulsory. There are lots of other ways to communicate.

You say tell us on social media that you don't use social media. There is evidence that you have used it in excess of 1,000 times. Look at the number of your posts.

[gk10002000]

It does appear somewhat archaic and almost invasive - but what is immigration really getting that they don't already have?

It's voluntary so not a big deal. It's also embarrassing to see some of the questions on the TM6 Immigration card we fill out on entry to the Kingdom - Who actually provides their income ????

The information being discussed has some reasonable and some whacky ideas...

2.2: Information of Foreigner overseas - this is on most applications Address etc (Imm. will have this anyway)

2.3: Information of Foreigner in Thailand - Address etc (Imm. will have this anyway)

2.4: All Social Media Used by Foreigner - This is alarming given Thailand's draconian and erratically encored laws (I have no wish to provide this information)

2.5: Vehicle used by Foreigner - I see this as a little invasive - what possible use to Imm. could this information offer.

2.6: Frequently Visited Places - Requesting this is just strange / odd.

2.7:Persons whom can contact the foreigner or whom the Foreigner will contact: I can see benefit for Imm. and understand why they need Next of Kin information.

Some of this form is just down right odd - but it is clearly a product whereby someone, in this case a Police Major Gen. has had an idea and no one who surrounds him is prepared to offer any criticism constructive or otherwise.

This is how silliness slips through the gaps and makes Thailand and its daft policies a laughing stock for those observing from the outside.

I don't use any social media. I could honestly put down I don't visit any places "frequently". Now the bank information will never be provided by me. If that actually becomes a requirement, then my Thai visits are never going to exceed 90 days and I won't make my retirement anywhere near permanent there. I can live with that

[roiethome]

"Of course Thailand is concerned about their guest's funds in the banks. People who have little to no funds are a liability for the country when it comes to public hospital medical expenses, incarceration expenses, crime concerns, etc."

I have a pension to support my retirement visa and keep almost nothing in my Thailand account.

My money is kept off shore and I would not be providing that information for sure.

[seedy]

Flaming post Removed. Answer the post, do not attack the poster.

[dbrenn]

Not everyone uses social media. I don't - it's a curse. So in my case I'd just leave that section of the form blank.

Is there a story here? Using social media is not compulsory. There are lots of other ways to communicate.

You say tell us on social media that you don't use social media. There is evidence that you have used it in excess of 1,000 times. Look at the number of your posts.

TVF is not social media. It is an anonymous bulletin board or news group, where the identities if people contributing is not revealed.

Social media is Facebook, Line and the like, were people don't hide who they are and post their private lives, photos, thoughts and everything else online for the whole world to see, giving up their privacy in doing so.

Now do you see the difference?

[dbrenn]

I think it is a great idea, now we might see some of the foreigners that have been hiding behind businesses being flush out, and with that will come some stability in so far as prices will be more affordable for thai's, far too many people have stuck their fingers in the pie, also it will catch the overstays, with a bit of luck the crime rate will go down with thai's being able to afford to live and work. great to see....

Total nonsense !

Go back to La -La land.

Ha, Ha, it sounds as if i may have hurt your feelings, or maybe your purse strings, i would love to have the job of rounding up as many as possible foreigners that have trouble adhering to the laws of this country, and while i am at it, i think it is wrong for T.V.F to allow people to post content, which is showing how to avoid the rules and paying taxes in this country, not able to make it in their own country, so come here and fly under the radar...

Same mentality as a Kapo.

[Langsuan Man]

Look at it this way

If they try and include these questions on the online 90 day report system we will have a couple of year before they can implement it

[ThailandNo1]

Love it! So Thai immigration is assuming that every foreigner uses social media and communicates in English on such sites and not their native language.

Loving those silly comments, to the effect of "if you don't like it go back your own country, Thailand is still great place".

It's not a case of Thailand being a great place to stay (or not). We may be aliens/residents/immigrants/tourists/whatever/spouses & parents of Thai nationals . There are still laws that Thailand really should adhere to, civil rights, privacy, human rights and so that do apply to foreigners. Just because we are not from Thailand it does not mean that laws do not apply to us or for us.

[ThailandNo1]

"Of course Thailand is concerned about their guest's funds in the banks. People who have little to no funds are a liability for the country when it comes to public hospital medical expenses, incarceration expenses, crime concerns, etc."

And yet Thailand is not concerned by what some government employees* have in their bank accounts or how such massive amounts were obtained and the possible criminal activity involved or the negative impact that may have?

*government employees or rather wealthy citizens who have never been employed or worked a day in their lives. Or military personal that amassed a 597M THB fortune while on a paltry salary, by comparative measure.

As for the comment about hospital expenses, immigration could quite easily oblige travel insurance or medical insurance to cover their stay. No insurance, No visa or no visa extension or 90 day report rejected! Simple.

[GarryP]

I think it is a great idea, now we might see some of the foreigners that have been hiding behind businesses being flush out, and with that will come some stability in so far as prices will be more affordable for thai's, far too many people have stuck their fingers in the pie, also it will catch the overstays, with a bit of luck the crime rate will go down with thai's being able to afford to live and work. great to see....

Total nonsense !

Go back to La -La land.

Ha, Ha, it sounds as if i may have hurt your feelings, or maybe your purse strings, i would love to have the job of rounding up as many as possible foreigners that have trouble adhering to the laws of this country, and while i am at it, i think it is wrong for T.V.F to allow people to post content, which is showing how to avoid the rules and paying taxes in this country, not able to make it in their own country, so come here and fly under the radar...

Same mentality as a Kapo.

Had to look it up. Agree with your sentiment.

[ubonjoe]

New topic here: Confusion over controversial new Immigration Form

No need for two of them discussion can continue in the other one.

This one