Good afternoon, I just wanted to warn you about illegal 'service charges' at the Hua Hin immigration office. I went on 4th September at 15:01 to swap visa in old passport to new passport. This is a free service. I was charged a service charge of 500 baht. The officer made a schoolboy error. The transfer was done to a colleague's personal bank account. I telephoned 1111 and was told, as confirmation, that there is no charge for this change of visa to new passport. If you are charged an illegal service charge, tell the officer ( they all speak english ) that this is illegal. I would recommend , infront of said officer, to phone 1111 and gain confirmation that you can pass on in live time. If you pay the service charge because they are witholding docs as happened with me, then make sure you pay by prompt pay, do not hand over cash. Tell them you have none. I reported this incident to 1111 and phoned immigration the next day as I had the woman's personal bank account with an exact record of my payment ( 15:01!!). She met with my wife in a panic and paid me back my 500 baht. If this has happened to you, please get in touch with me. I do not know how long these scamming police officers have been fleecing us foreigners. Stand up to this should it happen to you. Record if you have a phone. Try to get the officer's name and report via 1111. I hope this helps you.
