Enormous shakeup of visa and immigration rules

Post by **john2005** » October 13, 2006, 1:18 pm

Arjay and Val.My post was on the back of two people posting on Thaivisa.I have not seen it in print from a Thai agency.I shall endeavor to get the links for you.

No luck with the seven day thread but here is one on "only two tourist visas per year etc":

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=87909

Post by **arjay** » October 13, 2006, 2:20 pm

It could be that the 7 days has come from - what they give you if you don't meet the criteria for a particular (Non-Imm) visa and you have to leave the country. You then have 7 days to pack your bags.

I think one needs to be cautious about taking everything one reads on other Forums at face value. Often the comments are based on some particular individual's experience or observations, and we don't know ALL the facts and circumstances involved. And sometimes the poster doesn't either..

It would be best if we can get sight of the actual regulations that Immigration are (supposed to be) applying.

Post by **Dakoda** » October 13, 2006, 6:29 pm

john2005 wrote:Arjay and Val.My post was on the back of two people posting on Thaivisa.I have not seen it in print from a Thai agency.I shall endeavor to get the links for you.

No luck with the seven day thread but here is one on "only two tourist visas per year etc":

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=87909

but that is Savannaket

This use to be a friendly place, but no longer so. I don't know if "THAT WOMEN" is new, or just newly in charge, but I do know she has her own agenda

I also do not think you will get a multi entry in Singapore, unless the person in charge is new in the last six months

I also don't buy the 7 days

PS: I also should say, if you have not been to Mukdaharn, it is a clean, friendly place with many nice places to eat, and a nice market, well worth the trip. On the other hand, Savannaket is a piss hole! Maybe thats why she is not happy, because she is stationed there

Post by **BKKSTAN** » October 13, 2006, 6:57 pm

Bet some money would make her happier

Post by **Coot** » October 13, 2006, 8:03 pm

She was probably getting frustrated with the reticence to make a donation.It's the perfect situation to lubricate the wheels.Were there no Thai wives/GFs present to help with negotiations?

Post by **rickfarang** » October 14, 2006, 12:18 am

The 400K/800K requirement is starting to look like a security deposit., and I am a little miffed about apparently being required to have these funds locked up three months prior to applyng to the extension and three months after, for a total of 6 months.

Thinking about this, I asked the Krung Thai branch at Charoensri Complex what kind of interest I could get on a time deposit (similar to a Certificate of Deposit)., and the lady wrote down these rates:

Term 6 months 12 months
Amount
< 1,000,000 B. 3.75% 4.00%

>= 1,000,000 B. 4.25% 4.75%

According to the bank, and earlier correspondence with the head office in Bangkok, foreigners can only receive interest on time deposit accounts, not regular savings accounts.

The interest rates are pretty good compared to the 0% I have been getting the last few years, and not too shabby compared to similar deposit amounts and terms in the U.S.

At least this security deposit can earn interest. But I am not happy about having to lock this money away

Post by **kevh** » October 14, 2006, 1:29 am

Do you know if the interest is tax free?

And also why are their 2 interest rates for each savings band?

Kev

Post by **Golfer-to-be** » October 14, 2006, 2:29 am

Can anyone expand on the provision/legal text in National Police Office Order No. 606/2006, Reasons of Necesary, and more specific points 7.17 - 7.19?
It seems, to a layman, that visa could be granted for a full year in several cases discussed here.
Has this been covered already in another thread?

Post by **arjay** » October 14, 2006, 9:40 am

Golfer-to-be, yes that's correct, marriage visas (where the husband and wife are living together in Thailand) are usually granted for 1 year.

Post by **rickfarang** » October 14, 2006, 10:39 am

The bank will withould the taxes and forward them to the government. If you file an income tax statement, then you may be able to recover some of it.

I'm sorry about the rates table. I hadn't ntoiced that the formatting came "undone" while posting. The rates vary as a function of amount and time. More clearly:

6 month less than 1 million baht = 3.75%
12 months less than 1 million baht = 4.00%

6 months 1 million baht or more = 4.25%
12 months 1 million baht or more = 4.75%

Post by **InAsia** » October 14, 2006, 6:20 pm

Regarding this sizable deposit, do Thai banks allow for the funds to go to a foreign beneficiary in the event of one's untimely demise?

Post by **arjay** » October 14, 2006, 6:28 pm

That's a different topic. Please stay on topic.

We've progressed from Visas and Immigration through to time deposits with banks and their interest rates and now we're onto what happens to the money when I die.

Most of these questions have been covered before. It's just a case of looking on the various Forums for the appropriate topic. I think wills etc were covered about a month ago. The problem is finding the right thread, as often the thread content is not the same as the topic title!!!! I wonder why???

I'm still looking..................

Try this thread: http://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/v ... php?t=2109

Post by **Dakoda** » October 14, 2006, 6:50 pm

rickfarang wrote: 6 month less than 1 million baht = 3.75%
12 months less than 1 million baht = 4.00%

6 months 1 million baht or more = 4.25%
12 months 1 million baht or more = 4.75%

just as info. Bank of BKK is paying around the 3.5 area for just a regular savings account. But (and this might be all thai accounts) the interest is paid in June and Dec. Its not compounded like in the states, in fact I have the foggest idea how it works, think if you were to close the account, say in Nov, kiss the July - Dec interest goodbye. Sorry I'm just use to daily interest!

Plus is it insured? We are under military rule, just say they seised foreign accounts, might take years to get your money.

just some thoughts.

Post by **InAsia** » October 14, 2006, 6:56 pm

That's a different topic. Please stay on topic.

We've progressed from Visas and Immigration through to time deposits with banks and their interest rates and now we're onto what happens to the money when I die.

Most of these questions have been covered before. It's just a case of looking on the various Forums for the appropriate topic. I think wills etc were covered about a month ago. The problem is finding the right thread, as often the thread content is not the same as the topic title!!!!.

I'm still looking.

Arjay, sorry if it appeared to be off topic. Thanks for your intention to look in past postings, but as you said that is difficult because the subjects do not often match the content.

So please don't waste your time looking. Since this question is not specific to Udon, and relates to visa deposit requirements in all of Thailand, I will search, and/or post the question on Thaivisa forum.

Post by **arjay** » October 14, 2006, 7:02 pm

InAsia wrote:as you said that is difficult because the subjects do not often match the content.

And that's an understatement if ever!

It's Ok I've found it now. I subsequently added the link to my earlier posting, but again apologies because it doesn't stay on topic either. You will maybe see it "ebbs and flows"!!

This is it again anyway: http://www.udonmap.com/udonthaniforum/v ... php?t=2109

Post by **arjay** » October 14, 2006, 7:05 pm

Can we please now keep this thread on the topic of:

"Enormous shake up of visa and immigration rules".

Thanks.

Post by **InAsia** » October 14, 2006, 7:57 pm

Can we please now keep this thread on the topic of:

"Enormous shake up of visa and immigration rules".

Thanks. Very Happy

Will do; thanks for the link.

oldfield · Post by **oldfield** » October 14, 2006, 9:25 pm

So back to the OP,

Does anyone know of anyone receiving a "red stamp, (you have 15 days to collect your possessions and leave Thailand etc.)"?

Post by **arjay** » October 17, 2006, 4:39 pm

This might act as a sober warning, not to alter or mess with the visa stamps in your passport:

From the Independent Newspaper (London) in August this year:

European aristocrat dies in notorious Thai jail
Independent, The (London), Aug 17, 2006 by Graham Keeley in Barcelona

Christoph von Hohenlohe, a member of one of Europe's most illustrious aristocratic families, was buried yesterday in Mar- bella after dying in mysterious circumstances in a Bangkokjail.

"Kiko" von Hohenlohe, 49, was a prince and member of the Agnelli family, the powerful Italian industrial dynasty. But he died earlier this month at the hospital unit of the notoriously squalid Klongprem Central Prison in Thailand.

His mother, Princess Ira von Frstenberg, 66, a well-known European socialite and former sister-in-law of the fashion designer Diane von Frstenberg, is demanding an autopsy and an investigation into her son's death. The Thai authorities have so far declined to open an inquiry.

Hospital sources have suggested the playboy aristocrat died from a blood infection or insulin deprivation. A glittering array of European aristocrats attended the funeral, as Von Hohenlohe was buried next to his father Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe at San Pedro de Alcntara, near Marbella.

Alfonso von Hohenlohe was famous for turning the former fishing village of Marbella into a fashionable resort for the Hollywood jet set and European aristocrats during the 1960s and 1970s.

His Marbella Club Hotel became a popular refuge from the paparazzi for the likes of Grace Kelly, James Stewart, Tony Curtis and Sean Connery. European royals rubbed shoulders there with Arab sheikhs and South American dictators.

Christoph von Hohenlohe's grandparents on his mother's side were Prince Tassilo Egon Maria Karl George Leo von Frstenberg and Clara Agnelli, a Fiat heiress. Von Hohenlohe was arrested and jailed in Bangkok on 31 July for falsifying documents. The prince, who had travelled to Bangkok apparently for treatment to lose weight at a luxury health clinic, was due to return home to Hawaii, but was delayed by three days after failing to get on a flight.

As his exit visa had run out, he changed the date in pen so as to avoid more paperwork, but it was spotted by officials and he was sent to Klongprem jail. Klongprem has been condemned by Amnesty International for its inhuman conditions.

Von Hohenlohe's health deteriorated rapidly in the overcrowded cells. Though not a diabetic, his blood-sugar levels were abnormally high just before he died. The prince's brother, Hubertus von Hohenlohe, told the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera his mother had only been able to visit him once before his death.

"It is all a bit strange. He was held in a small room with 40 inmates and no mattresses," said Hubertus, who travelled to Bangkok to try to get his brother out of jail. Bail had twice been denied. An unnamed prison official said: "Christoph von Hohenlohe died on 6 August. We've sent the details to the Swiss embassy. He was here on charges of possessing false documents."

The Swiss embassy in Bangkok, which acts for Liechtenstein, Von Hohenlohe's birthplace, confirmed it was investigating the death. An embassy spokesman said: "It is a matter of privacy. At this point we don't see the case escalating into a diplomatic issue."

It is all a bit strange. He was held in a small room with 40 inmates and no mattresses'

Copyright 2006 Independent Newspapers UK Limited
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

Post by **Astana** » October 17, 2006, 5:58 pm

A veritable Prince among Thieves

Enormous shakeup of visa and immigration rules

800,000 Bt. Visa Bank Deposit

Off Topic