chuang Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 In and out of thailand often and you do not know about the 20K cash requirement... many like to claim they have tons of money in banks...but can't show 20K baht, USD 620....(not small money).. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbi1 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 2 hours ago, atyclb said: did u specifically ask that they let you use an atm to show the cash and other funds? if not do not expect them to connect dots Why should an immigration officer waste 20 mins of their escorting one person to the ATM to withdraw 20k in cash when there are huge lines of people waiting to clear immigration? Make the process for the thousands of others waiting even longer because one person doesn't have the required cash? People should have the required 20k cash on them, as is clearly stated on an Embassy/Consulate site under "Tourist Visa" when someone is looking for the application form and also the required documents to submit for a tourist visa. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbi1 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) 5 minutes ago, chuang said: In and out of thailand often and you do not know about the 20K cash requirement... many like to claim they have tons of money in banks...but can't show 20K baht, USD 620....(not small money).. Exactly, 20k isn't big money to carry like the OP claims. 20k isn't even enough money for one month's rent of a condo. Edited October 21, 2018 by bbi1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bbi1 Posted October 21, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) 26 minutes ago, TSF said: Is this 20,000THB cash a requirement for every foreigner entering Thailand, or just tourists? In my own case I'm on annual retirement extensions with multi-re-entry visas, and have been for the past decade. I probably make 3-5 entries each year - some by land and some by air - and have never once been asked about money. But could I be pulled up over this 20K requirement, and denied entry? Often I just have 5K or 10K Baht cash in my wallet but I always carry a Thai bank book with me that shows a balance in excess of a mill THB. I always figured if I was ever asked I'd show my Thai bank book which will prove that I have sufficient money to satisfy requirements. But reading this thread perhaps not. EVERYBODY entering Thailand should be carrying a minimum of 20k cash on them in person. Is it really soooo much money for someone not to be able to carry 20k cash on them into Thailand??? Are people worried about getting robbed at the airport or on the streets of BKK not to carry enough cash to make sure immigration can't reject you entering the country? Edited October 21, 2018 by bbi1 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackThompson Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 5 minutes ago, bbi1 said: Why should an immigration officer waste 20 mins of their escorting one person to the ATM to withdraw 20k in cash when there are huge lines of people waiting to clear immigration? Because processing a rejection takes more time and manpower. Better yet, let the airport install ATMs between the plane and immigration (curious they are absent here, but present on the way-out, no?), so a foreigner can go to an ATM, then back of the queue. 5 minutes ago, bbi1 said: Exactly, 20k isn't big money to carry like the OP claims. 20k isn't even enough money for one month's rent of a condo. I never carry that much cash. I bought travelers checks just in case Thai Immigration ever asked to see cash. Where would I spend 20K Baht on in cash - where I could not use plastic, instead? I never paid condo-rent in cash. But when staying in a series of sea-view condos close to the ocean over years, I never paid close to that in condo-rent. I rarely ate there, and when I was in the condo, I was either asleep or staring at a screen - so what would more rooms/space be useful for - dinner parties? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bbi1 Posted October 21, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 21, 2018 5 minutes ago, JackThompson said: Because processing a rejection takes more time and manpower. Better yet, let the airport install ATMs between the plane and immigration (curious they are absent here, but present on the way-out, no?), so a foreigner can go to an ATM, then back of the queue. I never carry that much cash. I bought travelers checks just in case Thai Immigration ever asked to see cash. Where would I spend 20K Baht on in cash - where I could not use plastic, instead? I never paid condo-rent in cash. But when staying in a series of sea-view condos close to the ocean over years, I never paid close to that in condo-rent. I rarely ate there, and when I was in the condo, I was either asleep or staring at a screen - so what would more rooms/space be useful for - dinner parties? I would rather have cash then traveler's cheques. Never heard of anyone still using them for maybe 15 years already. Not to mention traveler's cheques are expensive, they rip you off in fees. 20k cash can get used up pretty quickly, or even last up to 2 months even with using credit card for many purchases. There's so many places that only take cash or will require a minimum purchase of 300 or 500 baht to use a credit card. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FritsSikkink Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 10 minutes ago, JackThompson said: so what would more rooms/space be useful for - dinner parties? For people who got families. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xaos Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 You mentioned elsewhere they refused you entry on not having the 20000 in cash on you - unfortunately this is one of the legitimate ways of denying entry here.I though 20k is for a visas exempt not if u got TR visa.Tho we all know theres in out limits on TR visa.Nothing new here is it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuang Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 12 minutes ago, JackThompson said: Because processing a rejection takes more time and manpower. Better yet, let the airport install ATMs between the plane and immigration (curious they are absent here, but present on the way-out, no?), so a foreigner can go to an ATM, then back of the queue. I never carry that much cash. I bought travelers checks just in case Thai Immigration ever asked to see cash. Where would I spend 20K Baht on in cash - where I could not use plastic, instead? I never paid condo-rent in cash. But when staying in a series of sea-view condos close to the ocean over years, I never paid close to that in condo-rent. I rarely ate there, and when I was in the condo, I was either asleep or staring at a screen - so what would more rooms/space be useful for - dinner parties? 20K is a requirement not to show off...likewise you need a passport not an ID to enter a country.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie2009 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 I will coming to Thailand in December with a 90 Day Single Entry Non Immigrant O Visa based on being in receipt of my U.K. State Pension. is there the any possibility Immigration at Bangkok Airport will ask me to show 20k Baht in cash ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madusa Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 Thailand is always full of tourists or people who wants to work or live there. One day Thailand will experience a bad vertical drop on the chart with very low number of tourists coming to Thailand. I must say it is the immigration and the police who are screwing up everything. One day will come they will have to screw themselves. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atyclb Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 29 minutes ago, bbi1 said: 3 hours ago, atyclb said: did u specifically ask that they let you use an atm to show the cash and other funds? if not do not expect them to connect dots Why should an immigration officer waste 20 mins of their escorting one person to the ATM to withdraw 20k in cash when there are huge lines of people waiting to clear immigration? Make the process for the thousands of others waiting even longer because one person doesn't have the required cash? People should have the required 20k cash on them, as is clearly stated on an Embassy/Consulate site under "Tourist Visa" when someone is looking for the application form and also the required documents to submit for a tourist visa. u have a valid point but would think they'd assign airport security, police or other available non immigration cue person Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xaos Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 I was once asked for moneys i had not enough, she pointed on airplane and said go home. Luckily there is ATM so withdrawed 10k more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell17au Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 You say that you have had a few "tourist" visa's. How many days have you spent in Thailand on your tourist visa's in the last year? I know there is no actual law but if you are using tourist visa's and extensions to live permanently in Thailand then you have been sprung. I would guess that because of the amount of tourist visa's that you have used was the first red flag for the IO and then you not carrying the required 20,000B was the way that they could stop you from abusing the "tourist" visa system. No, immigration officer in any country in the world is going to let you go past the immigration point to access an ATM as by allowing you past that point they have allowed you to enter the country. You have been told not to enter for 2 weeks, well my advise is that if you want to come back into Thailand then wait that 2 weeks before trying because it will be on the computer and the date of refusal in stamped in your passport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackThompson Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 1 minute ago, bbi1 said: I would rather have cash then traveler's cheques. Never heard of anyone still using them for maybe 15 years already. Not to mention traveler's cheques are expensive, they rip you off in fees. I hadn't thought about TCs in years, until these rejections started. I found I could get them from my bank (Bangkok Bank), so topped-up with some to combine with ancient ones I still had (they never expire). Agree the fees are a bit high, but you only have to pay once, then keep them forever. And if you ever lose them (theft or other), you get your money back. Granted, my TCs were bought when I was using Tourist Visas (not anymore), in combination with my policy of never entering by air. Some border-zones can be a bit seedy, and no doubt the thieves know about this rule. I keep 3K baht on hand for the small purchases, topping up as-necessary at an ATM. But come to think of it, I did pay cash for a condo move-in once. An ATM was just around the corner, so hit it, paid - done. Online-banking xfers usually, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbi1 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 9 minutes ago, Xaos said: I though 20k is for a visas exempt not if u got TR visa. Tho we all know theres in out limits on TR visa. Nothing new here is it? It's for tourist visas too. Read your embassy/consulate website under "tourist visa" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atyclb Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Just Weird said: 3 hours ago, atyclb said: out of curiosity would an io allow the person in question to simply withdraw the 20,000 baht at the airport atm? perhaps security to escort the person? then they can also witness the bank balance per atm machine. To allow that they would have to break their own rules and allow him in with no permission to stay, or stamp him into the country. The amount of money apparently in the bank is irrelevant (that could change if payments that have not yet been debited suddenly hit the account), it's the cash that he has on him that has to meet requirements! i recall thai io at poipet cambo border helping me by escorting me back into thailand so i could retrieve my wallet inadvertently left with friend still on the thai side that was not entering cambo. i simply explained the situation humbly and sincerely and they called someone to escort me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Weird Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 Just now, atyclb said: i recall thai io at poipet cambo border helping me by escorting me back into thailand so i could retrieve my wallet inadvertently left with friend still on the thai side that was not entering cambo. i simply explained the situation humbly and sincerely and they called someone to escort me. What's that got to do with IOs allowing visitors who do not meet the IO's requirements for entry to use ATMs in Thailand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackThompson Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 9 minutes ago, Xaos said: I though 20k is for a visas exempt not if u got TR visa. Tho we all know theres in out limits on TR visa. Nothing new here is it? Rule is 10K for Visa Exempt, but some report IOs saying it is 20K, so better to have 20K. Rule has always been 20K for Visa-entries - all types - TR, ED, Non-O, etc. 10 minutes ago, jamie2009 said: I will coming to Thailand in December with a 90 Day Single Entry Non Immigrant O Visa based on being in receipt of my U.K. State Pension. is there the any possibility Immigration at Bangkok Airport will ask me to show 20k Baht in cash ? Very unlikely. No reports of it I recall, except the border from Malaysia - and only then, for a brief time when they were angry, after Bangkok shut-down their "100 Baht per entry fee" scam for the 2nd time. Another case at the same Malaysian entry-point around the same time, they tried it on someone with a retirement-based extension, who protested to speak to the supervisor, and they backed-down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lkv Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Russell17au said: .No, immigration officer in any country in the world is going to let you go past the immigration point to access an ATM as by allowing you past that point they have allowed you to enter the country. Well, let's just say that, when I got a reentry permit in Suvarnabhumi, I exited the country via Immigration 3, came back into the country via Immigration 2, to the application and photo printing service, which is located before Immigration 2 booths, then onto the reentry permit office which is past the Immigration booths, then onto transit again skipping Immigration 2 since I had been stamped by Immigration 3. So this "in the country" or " out of the country" is quite relative in Thailand, even more relative at some land borders. Edited October 21, 2018 by lkv 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atyclb Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 7 minutes ago, Just Weird said: 9 minutes ago, atyclb said: i recall thai io at poipet cambo border helping me by escorting me back into thailand so i could retrieve my wallet inadvertently left with friend still on the thai side that was not entering cambo. i simply explained the situation humbly and sincerely and they called someone to escort me. What's that got to do with IOs allowing visitors who do not meet the IO's requirements for entry to use ATMs in Thailand? i guess an example of them breaking their own rules by letting someone back into the country without doing the cambo exit stamp and thai immigration entry first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Naam Posted October 21, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 21, 2018 45 minutes ago, bbi1 said: EVERYBODY entering Thailand should be carrying a minimum of 20k cash on them in person. Is it really soooo much money for someone not to be able to carry 20k cash on them into Thailand??? i can vividly imagine what a person looks like and how he/she is dressed if asked by immigration to show 20k Baht. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will27 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 21 minutes ago, Russell17au said: You say that you have had a few "tourist" visa's. How many days have you spent in Thailand on your tourist visa's in the last year? I know there is no actual law but if you are using tourist visa's and extensions to live permanently in Thailand then you have been sprung. I would guess that because of the amount of tourist visa's that you have used was the first red flag for the IO and then you not carrying the required 20,000B was the way that they could stop you from abusing the "tourist" visa system. No, immigration officer in any country in the world is going to let you go past the immigration point to access an ATM as by allowing you past that point they have allowed you to enter the country. You have been told not to enter for 2 weeks, well my advise is that if you want to come back into Thailand then wait that 2 weeks before trying because it will be on the computer and the date of refusal in stamped in your passport. That's pretty much incorrect. You're not allowed into the country until you've been immigration cleared. An immigration officer can walk you wherever but you're not cleared until you've ben stamped in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanaplaza666 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 I geuss it will not be a problem if you fly back to hanoi and then back to thailand but just make sure you have the 20000 baht cash on you when you do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Vacuum Posted October 21, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 21, 2018 Several posters here seems to be upset about having a bit of cash money in their pockets to show the Immigration. Obviously/sadly they've been brainwashed from childhood by their governments and banks, that 'plastic money' is the way to go. And there's a reason for it.... 3 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lkv Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) 28 minutes ago, Vacuum said: Several posters here seems to be upset about having a bit of cash money in their pockets to show the Immigration. Obviously/sadly they've been brainwashed from childhood by their governments and banks, that 'plastic money' is the way to go. And there's a reason for it.... Don't you think it's a bit ironic that Thailand heavily promotes PromptPay, supermarkets such as Gourmet Market already have QR payment machines, and now they are discussing implementing cross border QR payment systems, but then I hear this cash requirement idiotic thing from some other Thai authorities? Another example is that Kasikorn has just recently introduced (quite late I would say compared to other banks), cardless ATM withdrawal based on QR code. Edited October 21, 2018 by lkv 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vacuum Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 3 minutes ago, lkv said: Don't you think it's a bit ironic that Thailand heavily promotes PromptPay, supermarkets such as Gourmet Market already have QR payment machines, and now they are discussing implementing cross border QR payment systems, but then I hear this cash requirement idiotic thing from some other Thai authorities? It,s a developing country, if you haven't noticed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enlguy Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 This had actually been happening a lot lately. I was denied entry for not having enough money, even though I had over $100 in cash and three credit cards. They are money grubbing <deleted>, plain and simple. Find somewhere else to go that will be more grateful for you. I watched them try to extort someone with a Thai wife at immigration for $15,000 USD, and he said it happens every time he returns from visiting family back home. I'm not hating on all Thai people, but as a country, the policies (or the way they're being interpreted as of late) are extremely intolerant and exploitative. I will not even transfer planes in that country anymore. They want to kill tourism when it accounts for as much of their GDP as it does, let them have at it. Everything will change again when they realize they've <deleted> themselves. 1 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lkv Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 1 minute ago, Vacuum said: It,s a developing country, if you haven't noticed. You stated that we are brainwashed by Governments with "plastic money". Nobody brainwashed me, although I love the idea of QR code payments. But yes, it's developing. I have noticed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post MyFriend You Posted October 21, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 21, 2018 4 hours ago, Vixiena said: Well I told them then money was in my bank account and they didn't seem to care. I have heard that immigration have let others to do though. As stated, there is no ATM in the arrival area before Immigration, you have to have it in cash obviously they considered you were working illegally in Thailand with so many entries and extensions, so they didn;t offer to escort you to an ATM on the other side of Immigrations - so you learned an expensive lesson. Don't be surprised if another IO denies your Extension request because you have had several in the past year or so., you're obviously not a tourist. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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