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[YanTree]

I don't see a problem with this and those are relatively low numbers. Surely they would allow you to visit the ATM machine before they booted you out of the country, if you didn't have paper currency.

I got hassled last time I entered the UK because I had something like five euro's on me and was dressed like a bum (also had a big beard at the time). They made me go to an ATM and show them my balance despite the fact that I had a nice laptop with me and multiple ATM, Debit and Credit cards - and had visited the UK many times in the past.

Edited by YanTree, 2010-02-19 14:56:26.

[Ayutthaya69]

No Paranoia loll  when people come to Thailand for vaccation i think people have more  the 400$ so  its not a big deal if the custom ask you to   show the  money you said yes no problem

[brianb1944]

thecatman, on 2010-02-19 12:14:49, said:

Bedrockguesthouse, on 2010-02-19 12:01:01, said:

Thanks i have been in and out 7 years but never heard of this one. Amazing Thailand

I was aware of these rules/requirements, but they are seldom inforced.

However, a friend of mine in Chiang Mai did run into problems with regards to this at the border in Mae Sai one time.

For my next 2 or 3 runs there I made sure I was carrying the necessary funds. (I don't bother anymore).

Having travelled here several times a year on Visa on arrival, Tourist, and the last 4 or 5 years on Non O, I have never been asked to show funds. However, I would never enter the country without at least the required amount, just in case.

[richieudon]

geriatrickid, on 2010-02-19 12:45:11, said:

Why are people panicing? 10,000 baht is nothing. It's approx  $300. usd/$320 CAD/$330AUD and 220 Euro.  It's hardly a fortune.

If you are not carrying  some cash on you when you travel, then you  are not being prudent. What happens if there is a power failure and the atms or cc  systems go dowm? what happens if you are stranded somewhere and there is a gigantic line at the atm or it runs out of cash? What do you do if the atm eats your card? What happens if you are stranded and the cc doesn't work. I have had all of these scenarios happen to me in the past 5 years of  traveling. That's why I carry cash. I have yet to be robbed, scammed or pickpocketed (knock wood.)

A lot of people (myself included) would probably wait until they arrived in Thailand before going to an ATM machine to withdraw THB.
A simple solution would be to install ATM's before you go through immigration. Have you ever seen the rates they give for THB in say Heathrow Airport?
If it's 52 baht to the £ in Thailand, you'll probably get 42 in London.
Just another stupid rule really...TiT!

[humqdpf]

If every falang arriving in Thailand must have minimum 10,000 CASH, this will be a significant leg-up for the muggers, bag-snatchers and thieves. And if you must have it on entry, it will be enforced that you must have it on you at all times. Therefore, all thieves and robbers will be certain that falang are always going to be a good hit. This will mean that ordinary Thais won't have to worrry about crime of this sort as no sane mugger/thief will bother them when there are so many foreign walking atms to be hit.

If we follow the logic, crime stats are also likely to go down. No falang in his right mind will bother the police if he is robbed or mugged as he will be in breach of the 'must have 10k on you at all times' rule if/when that money is stolen.

This is in keeping with the 'in possession of a prescription drug but with no script and you go to jail for minimum one year" rule. Many of the drugs that you get legally across the counter in other countries officially require a prescription in Thailand. Valium for your fear of flying, heart medicine that you have been taking for years or even viagra and its derivatives can get you into trouble.

[Paul123456]

[size=3]They want  to make sure you have enough money for the scams at the airport [/size]
[/quote]





Is it going to be enforced?  It would be a problem in Mae Sai - there are no ATMs in Tachilek and no where to go from there - if you don't have a Myanmar visa, you are only allowed in a restricted area.

[SeanMoran]

brianb1944, on 2010-02-19 07:55:38, said:

thecatman, on 2010-02-19 12:14:49, said:

Bedrockguesthouse, on 2010-02-19 12:01:01, said:

Thanks i have been in and out 7 years but never heard of this one. Amazing Thailand

I was aware of these rules/requirements, but they are seldom inforced.

However, a friend of mine in Chiang Mai did run into problems with regards to this at the border in Mae Sai one time.

For my next 2 or 3 runs there I made sure I was carrying the necessary funds. (I don't bother anymore).

Having travelled here several times a year on Visa on arrival, Tourist, and the last 4 or 5 years on Non O, I have never been asked to show funds. However, I would never enter the country without at least the required amount, just in case.

It's fairly normal that people will spend around ten grand a week on a holiday here anyway, so it's in everyones' best interests to prove it at the customs desk before they let us in.

[PoorSucker]

If I enter on a re-entry permit on my extension of stay, what would the amount be?

[jonclark]

If you feel humiliated, just kindly ask the immigration official to show you how much he has in his pockets. Then wave your wad of 1000's in front of him and give him a 20 baht tip     

I'm sure he'll be less than impressed, but what the hel_l, he asked to see.

[humqdpf]

YanTree, on 2010-02-19 14:51:46, said:

I don't see a problem with this and those are relatively low numbers. Surely they would allow you to visit the ATM machine before they booted you out of the country, if you didn't have paper currency.

I got hassled last time I entered the UK because I had something like five euro's on me and was dressed like a bum (also had a big beard at the time). They made me go to an ATM and show them my balance despite the fact that I had a nice laptop with me and multiple ATM, Debit and Credit cards - and had visited the UK many times in the past.

Here's a tip. Don't go to the UK if you have a beard. Even when I was a resident in the UK (pre-9/11), everytime I returned I was stopped and questioned. It got to the stage that I even got to know the Special Branch chap who would pull me out of the line whether I was with others or not. It was clear that they were profiling for men with beards. As soon as I shaved it off, I became invisible to them.

Remember that the UK likes its terrorists not to become dependent on state handouts!  So if you have a beard, either shave it off or have wads of cash. (Hint - this is irony!)

[Maejo Man]

Paul123456, on 2010-02-19 15:00:08, said:

Is it going to be enforced? It would be a problem in Mae Sai - there are no ATMs in Tachilek and no where to go from there - if you don't have a Myanmar visa, you are only allowed in a restricted area.

It has been in force at Mae Sai for years, as the permanent notice on the wall informs you. I have frequently seen returning foreigners being asked to show "means" Although I always carry it, personally I have never been asked. Maybe because I have been "squiring" one of the immigration officers for a while now.

[gbswales]

they want to make sure you can afford the taxi fare from the airport  

Seriously should they really encourage tourists to carry large amounts of cash with them........thereby making it easier pickings for theft and scams?

[TAWP]

geriatrickid, on 2010-02-19 12:45:11, said:

Why are people panicing? 10,000 baht is nothing. It's approx  $300. usd/$320 CAD/$330AUD and 220 Euro.  It's hardly a fortune.

If you are not carrying  some cash on you when you travel, then you  are not being prudent. What happens if there is a power failure and the atms or cc  systems go dowm? what happens if you are stranded somewhere and there is a gigantic line at the atm or it runs out of cash? What do you do if the atm eats your card? What happens if you are stranded and the cc doesn't work. I have had all of these scenarios happen to me in the past 5 years of  traveling. That's why I carry cash. I have yet to be robbed, scammed or pickpocketed (knock wood.)

If I have to start doing border-runs to Cambodia again or renewal trips to Malaysia, I rather not carry more than I need. As I never do anyway, CC/ATM card works...

[brianb1944]

It's fairly normal that people will spend around ten grand a week on a holiday here anyway, so it's in everyones' best interests to prove it at the customs desk before they let us in.
[/quote]
Yes I live here and budget on 10,000 pw, sometimes that works too. Also must mention that the cost of an ATM withdrawal of 20,000 baht through Mastercard, is in total, approx, 900 baht. Build it in to your budget. Much cheaper to bring cash and exchange it when rates are favourable.

[SeanMoran]

TAWP, on 2010-02-19 08:07:44, said:

If I have to start doing border-runs to Cambodia again or renewal trips to Malaysia, I rather not carry more than I need. As I never do anyway, CC/ATM card works...

Yes.  That's why they have PIN numbers on ATM cards.

[CPT]

how241, on 2010-02-19 03:41:12, said:

If I read it correctly, a US citizen, entering on a tourist visa needs  to be able to show about 700 USD ?

If you are coming from the US with a tourist visa you already had to show sufficient funds when you applied for the visa. I don't know how it works for other countries but I suspect it is a similar situation. Seems unlikely immigration would inquire again when you arrive unless you appear truly destitute.

Edited by CPT, 2010-02-19 15:18:33.

[stub]

geriatrickid, on 2010-02-19 12:45:11, said:

Why are people panicing? 10,000 baht is nothing. It's approx  $300. usd/$320 CAD/$330AUD and 220 Euro.  It's hardly a fortune.

If you are not carrying  some cash on you when you travel, then you  are not being prudent. What happens if there is a power failure and the atms or cc  systems go dowm? what happens if you are stranded somewhere and there is a gigantic line at the atm or it runs out of cash? What do you do if the atm eats your card? What happens if you are stranded and the cc doesn't work. I have had all of these scenarios happen to me in the past 5 years of  traveling. That's why I carry cash. I have yet to be robbed, scammed or pickpocketed (knock wood.)

Really? I normally travel with little more than taxi fair + visa fees, and maybe 100US if I'm going somewhere third world for the first time. If you are unable to get local cash or a hotel room with passport and credit cards these days you have bigger problems happening, such as being in a war zone. Worst hassle I've had was needing to try 3 ATMs in Kathmandu until I found one connected to a generator since they only have power 11 hours per day and I hadn't bothered to get cash at the airport.

Any hard currency is a laugh. Exchange booths can't even do 'any currency'. How many Tunisian Dinars is it to the Baht, and is this pink 10000 Dinar note legitimate?

Silly and unenforcable rule like needing to see a ticket - irrelevant since etickets came around. All I carry is the booking number since the only ticket that matters is the one inside the computer. Yet still I get asked for one and waved on when I say I have an eticket. Just silly since you can make your own trivially with 50 Baht and a nearby Internet Cafe.

I doubt the airlines would ever let this get enforced - I think they are the ones liable for the return airfare for people refused entry and I don't think they would be particularly happy having to check this on check in along with visa status etc.

[PattayaParent]

bdenner, on 2010-02-19 12:03:42, said:

Don't remember seeing an ATM machine on the air side of immigration and I for one will not be carrying hard currency of any sort on me to a 20K value so I guess it'll have to be a notorized bank statement from KasikornBank no older that 24 hours. Just to figure out how I'm going to get it?

Then again they may install internet access to the visitors so as we can show em our assets through internet banking.

Shlt silly me, Thailand is still in the 19th century.

HTF are they going to enforce this stupid law?

Easy, when you're at the immigration counter the Immigration Officer says "Show us your cash Mr. bdenner.

bdenner says "no have"

Immigration Officers says "you can't come in, go away"

This used to be a requirement to enter European countries 35 years ago, seems like the Thais are just catching up to Europe standars from back then?

[Foggy Bottom]

cougar52, on 2010-02-19 14:25:08, said:

Sorry folks, sometimes you are to quick to write before you read. The op says

The above funds may be held in any permitted currency.Kindly adhere to the above as insufficient funds on arrival could result in refusal to enter Thailand.

Has been the requirement for many, many years.

 toymoney.jpg   30.36K   11 downloads

10 Baht gets you a pack of around 200 assorted notes in most Chinese-run toys shops

[CNF55]

Wouldn't the process already start at the place of your departure? Similar to visa requirements the airlines would have to check that you carry sufficient funds to enter Thailand because if they turn you away at immigration they will have to fly you back home or wherever...

[Tejas]

Thai at Heart, on 2010-02-19 11:20:00, said:

Stupid requirement!

Totally stupid requirement!

It does not matter if it is enforced or not.

It sends a confusing and negative message abroad.

It facilitates theft (great.....they all have cash in their pockets.......or maybe you have to give out personal financial information that a person can use to steal money from you).

It does nothing to facilitate tourism (on the decline in Thailand).

It helps increase tourism numbers in all the other surrounding countries that have better sense than to voice such nonsense or keep something that stupid "on the books."

[Mario2008]

That you have enough money to spend for your stay is a requirement all over the world. Let's not get over excited here over nothing. Especially since it is not a new requirement, only the amount has gone up for some categories.

[Tanaka]

neverdie, on 2010-02-19 08:51:29, said:

negreanu, on 2010-02-19 13:35:01, said:

This title needs to be changed to stop hysteria.  THIS IS NOT A NEW RULING it has been there for years.

So it has & of course I always wear my massive 5 baht gold chain around my neck and if questioned I would just flash them the currency accepted in every land.....GOLD!

Yep and they will ask you: "Sir we need to weigh your chain to see that it holds more than 1 baht or whatever visa you have. Please take it off and we will take it behind this curtain to weigh it."

[Navalator]

Another bonanza for King Power scams.

[Felt 35]

Hmm….this is an old one, but quit  usual  “when we have a good tourist season we tighten the rules a bit” and visa versa “when its not so good we give out free tourist visas.”

More to come folks, wait for September/October, increased requirements for different kind of visas.