If Interested - Retirement Visa Extension

[Thanks2Dell]

For the past 6 years I have renewed my annual retirement visa using the same, updated documentation at the Mae Sai Immigration office. The same 2 people that processed the previous 6 visa extensions are the same people I saw today, Nov 3.

As I have always done in the past, I walked into their office and handed over my pre-prepared documentation. What I first noticed was that there were 2 trainees! One of the trainees accepted my packet of documents, then very methodically started to go through each one. My problem arose when the trainee could not figure out why there were two bank books. One of the bank books was completely used up during the visa year and the second one was the ‘new’ extension of the first book with the same account number shown on both. He just couldn’t figure out what he was looking at and proceeded to hand my entire packet to his boss! The chief of the office (Capt). The Capt reviews the documentation and then comes to talked to me.

"You do not have 800,000 baht for the past 3 months." "New regulation says must have 800,000 for 3 months." "You only had 800,000 for 1 month." I told him that had I known that the regulation required 800,000 baht in the bank ‘prior’ to the 1st of August I would have insured that the 800,000 was there today. "But he says, ‘everybody’ (Humm! Thaivisa???) knew about the new rules, he says." //edit flame - lopburi3// "He asked if I had a certified letter from my embassy showing my monthly retirement income." I presented him with one from 2004. "This is no good must have current certification." I gave him my retirement benefits statements for the current year. "This no good, he states." I then showed him the monthly deposits in excess of 100,000 baht. This was not good enough for him. So I asked what he wanted me to do.

"Go to consulate (Chiang Mai) today and return, he says!" It is 11:15 AM when he makes this statement. So I said that I could not drive over 400 KM roundtrip to Chiang Mai and return the same day. He then tells me to go on Monday. But the consulate (American) does not service American’s on Monday - I will have to go on Tuesday. He got tired of talking to me and left me standing with all my documentation.

I go back to the window and talk with the SrMajor. He suggested to me that I had 1 of 2 choices. He could send the entire packet to Bangkok to see if Bangkok would grant the visa, OR I could go to Chiangmai on Tuesday, get the certification, and return to Mae Sai - BUT, you will be charged 1,000 baht for late filing (another NEW rule? - late - 500 baht per day fine)!! I elected to go the Bangkok route. The SrMajor stamped my passport with a return date of -- Nov.

The unwritten banner in the Nation and Bangkok Post - WHITE-SKINNED FOREIGNERS NOT WANTED IN THAILAND. Why do I say this? I, like many others on this Forum have been reading the statements from officials in Thailand. Everything that is wrong with Thailand is the ‘fault’ of Westerners! NOT other Asian’s - Just Westerners! So why have we not seen this banner? It is my supposition that 1st - the ‘officials’ want us to spend our money here (why the requirements for 40,000/65,000 monthly AND 400,000/800,000 baht in bank). (there is no OR - at least in some immigration offices - remember, they set/make THEIR OWN RULES). 2nd - If the ‘officials’ revoked all visa’s (retirement, family, business, work permits, etc,) there would probably be quite an ‘uproar’ from other countries and/or embassies.

I do not mind complying with all their (Thailand) rules, but use ‘common sense’ and present these rules and regulations far enough in advance so that ‘we’ foreigners are sufficiently prepared for them. If, for instance, the ‘official’ notice was to take effect 90 days after implementation, it would have allowed people like myself to insure that we had 800,000 baht in the bank for the 3 months that they require. It is also obvious that the individual immigration offices and officers are not provided with clear, common sense options for the foreigners that have been in Thailand for many years.

Now then, some of you will, as always and usually the same people will say I am ‘Whining’ and if I don’t like the rules ‘Go Home’. I have no problem with the ‘rules’. I am fully prepared to accept and comply with the ‘rules’. Just give some advance notice is all I am asking for.

I am also aware that their are Thai Immigration officials that monitor this forum and hopefully someone will realize that changes to ‘current’ regulations and rules need to be implemented ‘after’ providing sufficient time for the ‘foreigners’ to be in a position to comply with the regulations and rule changes.

[JR Texas]

For the past 6 years I have renewed my annual retirement visa using the same, updated documentation at the Mae Sai Immigration office. The same 2 people that processed the previous 6 visa extensions are the same people I saw today, Nov 3.

As I have always done in the past, I walked into their office and handed over my pre-prepared documentation. What I first noticed was that there were 2 trainees! One of the trainees accepted my packet of documents, then very methodically started to go through each one. My problem arose when the trainee could not figure out why there were two bank books. One of the bank books was completely used up during the visa year and the second one was the ‘new’ extension of the first book with the same account number shown on both. He just couldn’t figure out what he was looking at and proceeded to hand my entire packet to his boss! The chief of the office (Capt). The Capt reviews the documentation and then comes to talked to me.

"You do not have 800,000 baht for the past 3 months." "New regulation says must have 800,000 for 3 months." "You only had 800,000 for 1 month." I told him that had I known that the regulation required 800,000 baht in the bank ‘prior’ to the 1st of August I would have insured that the 800,000 was there today. "But he says, ‘everybody’ (Humm! Thaivisa???) knew about the new rules, he says." //edit flame - lopburi3// "He asked if I had a certified letter from my embassy showing my monthly retirement income." I presented him with one from 2004. "This is no good must have current certification." I gave him my retirement benefits statements for the current year. "This no good, he states." I then showed him the monthly deposits in excess of 100,000 baht. This was not good enough for him. So I asked what he wanted me to do.

"Go to consulate (Chiang Mai) today and return, he says!" It is 11:15 AM when he makes this statement. So I said that I could not drive over 400 KM roundtrip to Chiang Mai and return the same day. He then tells me to go on Monday. But the consulate (American) does not service American’s on Monday - I will have to go on Tuesday. He got tired of talking to me and left me standing with all my documentation.

I go back to the window and talk with the SrMajor. He suggested to me that I had 1 of 2 choices. He could send the entire packet to Bangkok to see if Bangkok would grant the visa, OR I could go to Chiangmai on Tuesday, get the certification, and return to Mae Sai - BUT, you will be charged 1,000 baht for late filing (another NEW rule? - late - 500 baht per day fine)!! I elected to go the Bangkok route. The SrMajor stamped my passport with a return date of -- Nov.

The unwritten banner in the Nation and Bangkok Post - WHITE-SKINNED FOREIGNERS NOT WANTED IN THAILAND. Why do I say this? I, like many others on this Forum have been reading the statements from officials in Thailand. Everything that is wrong with Thailand is the ‘fault’ of Westerners! NOT other Asian’s - Just Westerners! So why have we not seen this banner? It is my supposition that 1st - the ‘officials’ want us to spend our money here (why the requirements for 40,000/65,000 monthly AND 400,000/800,000 baht in bank). (there is no OR - at least in some immigration offices - remember, they set/make THEIR OWN RULES). 2nd - If the ‘officials’ revoked all visa’s (retirement, family, business, work permits, etc,) there would probably be quite an ‘uproar’ from other countries and/or embassies.

I do not mind complying with all their (Thailand) rules, but use ‘common sense’ and present these rules and regulations far enough in advance so that ‘we’ foreigners are sufficiently prepared for them. If, for instance, the ‘official’ notice was to take effect 90 days after implementation, it would have allowed people like myself to insure that we had 800,000 baht in the bank for the 3 months that they require. It is also obvious that the individual immigration offices and officers are not provided with clear, common sense options for the foreigners that have been in Thailand for many years.

Now then, some of you will, as always and usually the same people will say I am ‘Whining’ and if I don’t like the rules ‘Go Home’. I have no problem with the ‘rules’. I am fully prepared to accept and comply with the ‘rules’. Just give some advance notice is all I am asking for.

I am also aware that their are Thai Immigration officials that monitor this forum and hopefully someone will realize that changes to ‘current’ regulations and rules need to be implemented ‘after’ providing sufficient time for the ‘foreigners’ to be in a position to comply with the regulations and rule changes.

JR Texas (51, USA): Right on target and you are not "whining." And if the immigration official are reading this, please note that I will happily work for you as a consultant and provide you with much needed expert advice on how to fix the immigration problems you needlessly created..............oh........can't do that anymore because of your restrictions on employment. By the way, I am not JR. I am not from Texas. I am not an American. I do not live in China. And TOXIN is a good guy........well, maybe I lied about the last one.

Best wishes,

JR

[Maestro]

Thanks2Dell, if you displayed the same kind of attitude towards the captain of the Mae Sai Immigration Office as you did – in a different context – towards somebody else in the email you quoted in your fist post on ThaiVisa, it is perhaps less surprising that the captain gave you a rough treatment.

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Maestro

[Lite Beer]

Thanks2Dell, if you displayed the same kind of attitude towards the captain of the Mae Sai Immigration Office as you did – in a different context – towards somebody else in the email you quoted in your fist post on ThaiVisa, it is perhaps less surprising that the captain gave you a rough treatment.

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Maestro

Amazed by your memory Maistro. I though he was hard done by until I saw the post you refered to. You may be right. Treat others as you would want them to treat you. Especially Immigration. They are God.

[Noel]

If the OP has successfully applied for annual retirement extensions for the past six years, how does that reconcile with his claim of less than two months ago:

I am considering on moving to CR from the USA. I have been in CR for several days trying to find a place to live.

One of the claims is clearly bullshit, perhaps both...?

[Maestro]

Amazed by your memory Maistro.

An undeserved compliment, Lite Beer. Reading the original post in this thread, a warning bell went off; I checked his status and saw he had a total of only three posts; went to read the other two posts; and the rest is history. It’s all part of the training for yob and troll sniffing

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Maestro

[wpcoe]

Hmmm, when I check to read his previous posts, I only find *two*, dated 11-03 and 09-25. What happened to the third post?

[lopburi3]

It questioned a moderator for editing his second post so was removed according to forum rules; so is not visible.

[PeaceBlondie]

Government officials who deal directly with the public can recognize certain body language, voice tones, choices of words, arguments, etc. They can spot a troublemaker within 60 seconds, and then they can play him like a violin.

[OneeyedJohn]

So what is the purpose of this thread other than to badmouth the Maesai Immigration.......

which IMHO is quite undeserving.

They have been nothing but courteous and helpful in all my time here.

Edited November 4, 2006 by OneeyedJohn