My Visa renewal and dramas with Citibank

Oh, the dramas I had today with the visa renewal here in Thailand. Of course, my problem wasn’t with Thailand immigration so much but with Citibank Thailand and the fact that they are no longer recognised in the Thailand Immigration system as a Thai bank. This would have been nice to know 3 months ago when I specifically asked them for information on all the changes that have been taking place. One of the most frustrating things about Thailand is the lack of freely available information that would make the whole process run smoothly. Why couldn’t I be sent a letter from Immigration to tell me of the new regulations? Why can’t my bank keep me informed of changes in the regulations? It all seems way too hard and this can get very frustrating. You can accept that you lose a whole day at immigration just to complete the renewal process, but when they throw you curve balls and additional paperwork on the spot, you can get really frustrated. I basically had to promise that I would change banks before renewal next year just to get my extension. Not only that, it needed the head of immigration to approve my extension this year. Although I clearly had sufficient funds to support myself for the next 12 months, it wasn’t in a “Thai” bank and therefore not accepted under immigration regulations.

For all those viewers who have taken my recommendation to get a Citibank account here which can give easy access to Citibank in your own country, I deeply apologise for any inconvenience I may have got you in. My recommendation now is to stick strictly with a Thai owned bank who will issue you with a propper bank book and use Transferwise to move your funds around.

Immigration: Government Complex
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