Some visitors asked to show 20,000 THB upon entry

[jimnbkk]

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/99 ... -thailand/


Thai visa is, I guess, an authoritative website. Is this something anybody on this forum knows about? I can't imagine carrying 20,000 THB around. It wouldn't fit in my wallet for one thing, and it's a tempting target for pickpockets.

Damn tourists. Always a nuisance. Gotta think of things to annoy them rascals keep them from bothering us.

[Gaybutton]

Is this something anybody on this forum knows about?

A topic about this also appeared on the Gaythailand board and a few people responded. See: http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic ... -thailand/

Asking people to carry 20,000 baht, or even assuming people are carrying much cash at all when they could just go to the nearest ATM, makes no sense to me, especially if people were not informed before their trip that this is a requirement.

My guess is, if anything, it's a means of denying entry to people trying to enter Thailand who fit some sort of profile that customs and immigration are on the lookout for. I doubt they're suddenly expecting everyone who enters Thailand to be carrying 20,000 baht cash.

I won't assume it's true without seeing enough posts from people who have experienced this for themselves.

See: http://pattayaone.news/en/tourist-visa-20000-baht-cash/

[gerefan]

My guess is, if anything, it's a means of denying entry to people trying to enter Thailand who fit some sort of profile that customs and immigration are on the lookout for. I doubt they're suddenly expecting everyone who enters Thailand to be carrying 20,000 baht cash.

Yes the profiling is people with numerous entries into Thailand and who appear to be looking to work illegally here...hence the requirement to have 20000 baht on them for their keep in Thailand.

Hardly likely to affect anyone reading these forums...

[mahjongguy]

The actual rule is 10,000 baht or equivalent for visa exempt entry and 20,000 baht for entry on a tourist visa.

The biggest complaint seems to be that there are no ATMs available until after the Immigration counters.

[Gaybutton]

WOW is that really a Requirement??

Technically apparently so, but the chances of you being asked to produce money are quite remote. You're extremely unlikely to fit the target profile they're trying to prevent from entering Thailand.

If they were really doing that with people arriving by air, then by now there would already be loads of publicity about hordes of furious people. Not going to happen.

In other words, don't worry about it and don't bother even thinking about it.

[Gaybutton]

STOPPED THINKING

Perfect. Now you know how to deal with life in Thailand . . .

[christianpfc]

Asking people to carry 20,000 baht, or even assuming people are carrying much cash at all when they could just go to the nearest ATM, makes no sense to me, especially if people were not informed before their trip that this is a requirement.

My guess is, if anything, it's a means of denying entry to people trying to enter Thailand who fit some sort of profile that customs and immigration are on the lookout for. I doubt they're suddenly expecting everyone who enters Thailand to be carrying 20,000 baht cash.

The average tourist is probably not affected by this. Strict interpretation would mean 20,000 Bath, and not other currency, and not credit card.

I am what they are looking for (spend a lot of time in Thailand on tourist visas or visa free entries), and I have been carrying 20,000 Baht every time I enter Thailand for years, and have been asked only once to show it (Sadao immigration, which is known for asking for proof of funding).

[fountainhall]

This is all a bit like the rule stating visitors on tourist visas or the more usual 30-day automatic entry must have an outward ticket. I have never been asked for this on at least 150 arrivals in 30 or so years prior to getting the retirement visa.

On the other hand, I was twice stopped at my point of origin and asked to show an onward ticket. This is an official regulation which is hardly ever enforced (indcidentally, Singapore has the same regulation and it is certainly more frequently enforced). Once was with Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong. I was only given a boarding pass because my passport showed many short-term visits to the country.

The other was far more difficult and I almost missed the BA flight from Sydney. I was on a miles ticket which, having had to change the dates at short notice, meant I had to upgrade it to first class. I was flying out of BKK two weeks later on a Finnair flight to Hong Kong but did not have the ticket with me. The lady at Sydney check-in was excessively rude. I could only board if a copy of that Finnair ticket was faxed. Yet she said she did not have a fax number. End result of a long story. I had to summon the station manager, again flash my Gold Elite status card, give him copies of two credit cards and sign a waiver that if I was denied entry and sent back to Australia, I would pay all the airline's costs and fines! Of course I was never asked for an onward ticket. I complained to BA about the rudeness of the staff, lack of fax etc. In those days, BA would actually reply and I got some miles added to my account.

[christianpfc]

As far as I know, proof of leaving Thailand is not required for visa holders, but for people who enter on visa waiver, by Thai immigration.

However, many airlines and embassies require proof of leaving Thailand (Thai embassy in Berlin wants proof of entering Thailand and proof of one exit before issuing a METV).

[Gaybutton]

a METV

I give up. What's a METV?