Wasp

Is there such an Immigration Office in Korat ? I just don't know .

Is that Automatic ? I mean is there never any problem ? Just pay the fee and you get the 30 day extension ?

On 12/24/2019 at 3:24 PM, papa al said:

bump 120

bargain

Was this sold ?

Just now, KhaoYai said:

Hardly the same as an Immigration department making its own rules up.

"  I can't think of a situation where a regional office in the UK can employ its own set of rules. "  

It's a Regional Office and its applying whatever rules it wants to .

There are many other examples but I think you are just looking to be contrary .

51 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Can you expand?  I can't think of a situation where a regional office in the UK can employ its own set of rules.

I didn't think you'd be interested enough . But here's an example . Genealogy Websites receive requests for photos of Graves mostly because the person requesting is hoping there will be other names and dates on the Headstones . Helping to expand or confirm the Family Tree . Requests within 10 miles of my home are directed to me . Within 10 miles is Brookwood Cemetery which has 270 000 Burials . I was looking for one Grave . I knew he was there somewhere but could not find him . So I went to the Office and the lady there was actually holding the Record Book at the time . I asked if I could please look in the book . She said " No " . " Data Protection " . Now I know she is wrong . Completely wrong .

First -- it's a Public Cemetery and the Records are Public Records . Anybody can go and look in the Records . And Second ..... Data Protection does not apply to deceased people . Additionally - if the family wanted the person's details to be secret they would not be carving them onto a 5 foot block of Granite and mounting it on a 3-tiered plinth . I know my stuff here . And told her so . " No " . " No " " Public can not look in this book " . 

She is wrong . Totally wrong . What do you do ? 

On 1/19/2021 at 10:30 AM, KhaoYai said:

Legally obliged? Really?  Please let us know what course of action you are going to take if obstacles are put in your way?  My friend was told that his income must be from outside Thailand, even though his totally legal business is in Thailand and he has a work permit. He was told that either the money comes from outside the country or he provides 400,000 in the bank.  He called Immigration head office in Bangkok who agreed with him that Korat were wrong but refused to call them and advise accordingly.  What would you do in that case with a rapidly expiring visa?

 

I fully agree with you that they are not following the rules , and I think we both know why.  The problem is - doing anything about it, this is Thailand.

 

Having said that, there is a lawyer's office in Korat that is run by a foreigner and employs Thai lawyers, I'm told they have taken Korat Immigration to court on a number of occasions and won - that is probably what I would do to be honest but I'd suggest that most people wouldn't want to go down that route when a wheel oiling alternative is available. Going down the court route is going to take time which may not be available if youre visa is about to expire.

 

My friend ended up putting 400,000 in the bank and the following year, instead of going through the same problem or taking it to court, he used the lawyers office to make his extension application - exactly the same details as the year before (income from Thai business), visa granted.

 

I know that thousands have successfully obtained extensions at Korat but if you're one of those that gets refused for dodgy reasons, what are you going to do?

You are talking here about a very real and frustrating problem . You can be right . You KNOW you are right . You have discussed it with many knowledgeable people and read all the necessary Documentation . You are right . Then you go to an Official .... who says you are wrong !! What CAN you do ?  I have come up against this many many times and not just in Thailand but in the UK too . What can you actually do ?

On 1/19/2021 at 3:38 AM, jomtienisgood said:

Q from a non-UK National ( out of interest ) . In case OP is Legally married in UK, can this then be registered at UK/Th embassy? Or does it have to be translated/certified at MOFA -Chang Whattana Bkk?? 

Yes . The Marriage was in the UK .

On 1/19/2021 at 2:31 AM, jimn said:

See what I mean. You have not got a chance in hell with being able to complete a successful application for an extension of stay based upon marriage with an attitude like that. You do not even know what a COE is. Where have you been, what planet are you on?

I bet you checked all your Spellings for this one ! ( 'Hell' gets a capital . It's a Proper Noun ) .

3 hours ago, jimn said:

You are very dramatic arnt you. It sounds like you get frusterated over every little thing.

Especially Spellings .

17 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

It would appear that you think that I have two profiles and I alternate between the two ??

 

You couldn’t be further from the truth, I personally met Peter about a year ago and consider him a good friend. The lengths he goes to help others with visa related issues on this forum is definitely worthy of our praise and I feel his knowledge of these matters is comparable with UbonJoe.

 

Also , there’s no way you could think we are the same person;

I am a svelte hansum man from Yorkshire while Peter has been described as as a “ fat old Belgian “ ????

 

( sorry Peter , hopefully our friendship will surpass my little faux pas ???? )

 

 

That " fat old Belgian " is nearly my best friend in the World !!!!

1 minute ago, Peter Denis said:

Lol > in my previous life I was a Quality Management / Business Excellence consultant, so well acquainted with complex, non-aligned and confusing processes that needed improvement...

>> I have PM-ed you a comprehensive Guideline document outlining all details and options on how to stay long-term in Thailand when over 50 years of age.  But you would probably need some time and some Strong Coffees to go through it (no problem PM-ing me when you have questions). 

I need another coffee and a banana pancake just to read this impressive CV . Mr Denis - you're hired .

2 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

It is difficult to make it 'super simple' for your situation because of 3 intertwined issues:

1 - Being +50 years of age AND married to a Thai national, you have many options to apply for Visa and extensions (which is of course a good thing);

2 - Currently EVERYONE wanting to re-enter Thailand, also needs to comply with the CoE (Certificate of Entry) requirements - and those requirements are not 'static' but are in-flux and on top of that are not consistently applied everywhere;

3 - You being married to a Thai national in UK will allow you to apply for a Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage in UK.  But when entering Thailand on a different Visa (or Visa Exempt) and then applying for a Non Imm O Visa or an extension of stay for reason of marriage, requires that you get a Thai Marriage certificate as your UK one will not be accepted by Thai immigration.

 

Nevertheless I will try to provide you with a simplified overview of the options you have, so that you can make a well-informed choice.

In your situation there are basically 4 options you need to choose from, when wanting to enter Thailand, and the option you chooses has consequences for how to proceed once you are in Thailand.

The 4 options (and their pros/cons) are the following:

1 - Entering Thailand Visa Exempt, which will provide you with a 45 day permission to stay stamp.

The PRO of that option is that you do not need to apply for a Visa at the London Thai Embassy, and the consequence of doing that is that you will need to apply for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa (for reason of marriage or for reason of retirement) at the local Imm Office of the province where you intend to stay long-term. The application for such 90-day Non Imm O Visa needs to be done, when you still have at least 15 days left on that 45-day permission to stay you received on entry.  So in practice you will have a 15 day window to do it, as the first 15 days of your stay you will be in an ASQ quarantaine hotel.  Having applied for the Non Imm O Visa, you will need to collect your 90-day permission to stay at the end of the approx 2 week 'under consideration' period.  And in the last month of that 90-day permission to stay, you would then need to apply for a 1-year permission to stay based on that original Non Imm O Visa.

So the CONTRA of that easy no Visa required entry process, is that you will need to visit your local Imm Office 3 times in a relatively short period, having to make 2 applications.

2 - Applying for a 60-day Tourist Visa, at the London Thai Embassy which will provide you with a 60 day permission to stay stamp.

The process is exactly the same as for a Visa Exempt entry, so the PRO-CONTRA consideration is whether you are inclined to apply for that Visa just to get 15 days longer on the permission to stay stamp you will receive on entering Thailand.  Imo that is not worth it...

3 - Applying straight-away for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa, at the London Thai Embassy which will provide you with a 90 day permission to stay stamp.

The PRO of that option is that you then do not need to apply for such a Visa at your local Imm Office, but that you can then in the last month of that 90-day permission to stay, apply for the 1-year extension of stay.

When applying for that 90-day Non Imm O Visa at the London Thai Embassy, you have 2 options.  You can either apply for reason of marriage, or for reason of retirement (+50 years of age).

The requirements to be met for both applications are different, but a current CONTRA factor for doing this for reason of retirement is that the CoE now requires a Thai IO approved health-insurance for doing that.  So in your case it would make sense to apply for reason of marriage.

4 - You might be surprised that I also mention as fourth option to apply for a 1-year MultipleEntry Non Imm O-A Visa at the London Thai Embassy.  An absolute PRO of that Visa is that it will provide you with a 1-year permission to stay stamp on entry.  And each time you exit and then re-enter Thailand while the Visa is still valid (1 year from date of issue), you will once again receive a 1-year permission to stamp.  So when timed right, that Visa can provide you with almost 2 years of stay in Thailand WITHOUT the need to visit your local Imm Office for an extension of stay.

And on top of that during that almost 2 year stay, there is NO need to park or transfer funds to a Thai bank-account.

The only down-side of that Non Imm O-A Visa to start your long-stay in Thailand, is that it requires a Thai IO-approved health-insurance policy.  When reading the requirements for that on the Thai Embassy website you would be inclined to 'give up trying', but in actual fact it is neither difficult nor costly to subscribe to such a policy (just PM me if you are interested in a Guideline document I compiled on how to meet that insurance requirement, it is easy if you know how).

 

Some additional comments:

I - When applying for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa at your local Imm Office (after having arrived in Thailand Visa Exempt or on a 60-day Tourist Visa), you can do this for reason of marriage or for reason of retirement.  The requirements are different, but the financial requirements to be met for a 1-year extension for reason of marriage are way lower (+400K to be parked on your personal thai bank-account for approx 3 months - 2 months before application + the 3-4 week under consideration period) than what is required for a 1-year extension for reason of retirement (+800K to be parked on your personal thai bank-account during 2 months before and 3 months after your application, and +400K during the remaining months of the year, but having to top up again to +800K two months before your next 1-year extension of stay application).

However, a 1-year extension of stay application for reason of marriage requires proof that you are still married to your Thai wife and that both of you are living together at same address.  Sounds easy, but the Thai love for documents makes that somewhat of a challenge (especially if you are not very admin-minded).  Also in your case, you would need to get hold of the Thai Marriage Certificate as your UK one will not be accepted (see an earlier post of mine to you on that subject).

II - When applying for the 1-year extension of stay, you can SWITCH the reason for such application.  So having applied for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage at the London Thai Embassy, you would be able to apply for the 1-year extension of stay at your local Imm Office for reason of retirement (when you meet the requirements for such application).

Similarly, when having applied for the 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa at the London Thai Embassy, you would be able to apply at the end of the 2-years the permission to stay could provide you, for a 1-year extension of stay for reason of marriage (thus avoiding the mandatory health-insurance for a retirement extension based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa).

 

Hope this info (simplified as much as possible without skipping essential details) will help you determine your best choice of Visa to enter Thailand for intended long-stay.

Unfortunately, navigating the Thai Visa jungle is not easy and quick/easy 1-sentence replies on questions you might have provided by the Embassy staff or by Immigration officals, will often not address consequences of your choice or possible alternatives.

Luckily the Thai Visa Forum members are there to help you.

Cheers and success!

Peter ..... I would think that if you don't work as an advisor then you should . This looks comprehensive but I cannot deal with it while loafing around . I must Copy it , Print it , maybe Laminate it ....... and take it a line at a time . I'm the same with electrical circuit plans . Just cannot get my head into it . Maybe I should just post my Passport , her ID Card and Marriage Certificate to you .  Many thanks . 

6 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

OP mentioned that he married his Thai wife in UK.

When applying for the Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage at the London Thai Embassy, he will be able to use that UK marriage certificate (accompanied with a copy of the Thai ID-card of his wife) for his application.

But once in Thailand, as Peterw42 correctly mentions, OP will need to get hold of a Thai marriage certificate as the UK one will not be accepted by Immigration when applying for a Visa or an extension for reason of Marriage to a Thai national.

As @ubonjoe wrote >

... Immigration requires your foreign marriage be registered at a Amphoe (district office) to get a Kor Ror 22.

You marriage certificate must be legalized by a authority it in the UK and the Thai embassy in London to do the registration. The procedure is here. Best to get it done before leaving the UK.

 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714089/Legalisation_info_June_2018.pdf

Then after you are here it will need to be translated to Thai and the translation be certified by the Department of Consular Affairs. Not a big problem to get done before going to the Amphoe.

>> To avoid any problems getting hold of that required Kor Ror 22, OP needs to ensure that he legalizes his UK marriage certificate in UK before leaving for Thailand  according to the procedure mentioned in the link provided by UJ.

They do love paper - don't they ? I mean they absolutely ADORE paper , paper , paper ...... 

5 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

The fact that you already have a personal Thai bank-account (with Kasikorn Bank) greatly simplifies things, as the crazy Thai banking system is such that it is not as easy as walking into a Thai bank and open an account.

When you are not able from UK to get hold of the 6-digit pin number which you don't remember anymore, it would normally be simple to solve the issue once you are in Thailand by going to a Kasikorn Bank branche with your bank-book and debit-card and they will re-set it for you.

It's a small problem to be solved and you won't need that Thai bank-account when you apply for a Visa from UK (if you opt for a Visa that requires financial requirements to be met, your UK bank-account will be accepted).

The one problem I have is that from time to time I send money from the UK to my Account at Kasikorn . Wait and check that the money is there . And then pay money on to the family . I want to see all the steps as I don't trust anybody's word at all . The Thais are nice enough . But too many think that lying is a good hobby . ( Plenty of those here too ... I know ).  So I want to see all the steps but without PIN2 I cannot send it on . That is until I am actually at a Bank in Thailand again . Which may not be for a long time yet .

3 hours ago, timendres said:

 

I believe the retirement extension is much simpler than the marriage extension, and I believe that IO's prefer processing a retirement extension over a marriage extension. But the retirement extension also has its downsides. Locking up 800k versus 400k. You can obtain a work permit with a marriage extension, you cannot with retirement. My own opinion: I suspect the marriage extension will be more stable over time with regards to any modifications of the extension laws and requirements.

OK Timendres . I do appreciate . I don't need a work visa but locking up twice as much money is a pain . No good me asking and then not listening so I think the retirement visa is the way to go . I'm a good age and I certainly hope to leave her more than a million so 800000 in the bank is doable . Thank you .

23 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

get ur 90 day non o in the UK:
on arrival, wherever you plan on living, go ask the local immigration office what THEY require , as they all are a law unto themselves

Which takes me back to Covid Certification being needed and doctors being unwilling to see you . We get automated messages every day telling us only to book an appointment if we are actually already dead .

1 hour ago, steve187 said:

a non immigrant 'O' visa obtained from the London Thai embassy. for being married to a Thai national will give you a 90 day permission to stay stamp on entry. brewster is wrong about the 60 day option

once in Thailand you can either extend this permission to stay stamp

for 60 days to visit Thai wife, no financials required, just your wife and copy of marriage certificate wither from Thailand of any other country.

or for 1 year, financials required, marriage cert from Thailand, if from another country lots of hoops to jump through a whole new subject, photos, witness, copies of wifes id card and house book  etc. both extensions are 1,900 baht

 

Thank you Steve . My confusion is starting again . It's like going to a new address and they say " Oh ! It's easy to find !!"   And it is indeed easy for THEM to find because they've driven in and out of there a thousand times . But it's not easy when you are trying to find the building and there are 12 different signposts pointing all over the place . The Thai Embassy site is horrible .

Just now, Peterw42 said:

Switzerland is nice, lol but dint you just leave the EU ?

Seriously, as others have said, dont worry too much.

Split the whole thing into two parts, part one, getting to Thailand and then part two. marriage extension  2-3 months later.

Make sure you pack your UK marriage docs, and transfer money over when you land here, otherwise there is plenty of time to sort out the Thai side of things once you are here.

Switzerland is not in the EU .

Your words here are like a cooling cloth laid across my forehead . Smelling of 4711 . And Weissbeer .

It seems sensible to do exactly as you say . Though even just getting to Thailand is not an easy task now . You must have a clear Covid Test from your Doctor . Signed. And doctors are not inclined to see anyone now as they are so busy . Of course if I was female , 24 and Pregnant they would whizz me straight in . But as I am none of those I don't have a chance of being seen . 

ChouDuFu wrote  " If you have the cash to set aside, maybe consider 800k in the bank and claim retirement rather than marriage.  Unless I'm mistaken, that should greatly reduce the paperwork."

Is that right ?  Do you guys think the Retirement route is simpler than the Marriage Visa ?

10 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

OP, did you get married in UK or Thailand ?

If its UK there will be a process to translate, register etc, your UK marriage in Thailand.

Its no big drama but something you need to be aware of.

Once again . Something I didn't know about though it might have turned up in the Visa Forms . 

We married in the UK .

I think maybe I'll try Switzerland . I'm sure it's much easier .

25 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

might be simpler to get a tourist visa (or enter visa exempt) and get a NON-O in country to avoid the insurance requirement.

 

if you have the cash to set aside, maybe consider 800k in the bank and claim retirement rather than marriage.  Unless I'm mistaken, that should greatly reduce the paperwork.

Didn't know about Insurance Requirement either .

There are lots of people being very helpful here .... and I thank all of you .

I have to log off and read every little thing because I'm sidetracking myself into Bank enquiries also !

I do appreciate everything here .

W.

4 minutes ago, Bangyai said:

Might be worth pointing out that you can't just walk into any old bank with your passport and open an account any more. They will say you need  to have a work permit.

 

To circumvent this obstacle it might be necessary to go the bank of your choices head office , most likely in Bangkok.

Fortunately I do have a Bank Account . Kasikorn . With which I have a problem . I can open it on the Internet and I can check it and send money to it but I can't send money on . Because I must use a PIN2 . Which I've forgotten . I tried to change my PIN2 but you must enter the old one ....... which ------ I've forgotten !  Big problem is that if I try what I thought was my PIN2 and I fail it will Lock my Account and I've locked it before and its a massive pain . So IF ( separate issue ) you know how to get around this I'd very much be appreciating .

10 minutes ago, timendres said:

A friend of mine from the US just entered Thailand one month ago (Dec 2020). It was definitely more involved than previous trips where he simply arrived visa exempt. He complained at length about the seeming complexity of the process. However, once he made a list of everything he needed to do, and got about doing it, it was all relatively straightforward. It is not as terrible as it first appears, it just requires some organization and persistence. The most difficult part will be the 2 weeks in quarantine, so be sure to plan that as best you can - make sure you get a room you can tolerate, look for the best deal, and plan to deal with the boredom.

As far as you know ..... do you get any say about where the quarantine will be . Can you ask for a Hotel say in Korat ?

15 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

 

I know the youtuber you are referring to , he was applying for a retire visa/extension so not that relevant.

Also, he wanted to have a drama to make youtube content, There were some widely publicised changes to money in the bank rules for retire extension a while back, it was chucks first extension since the changes. Youtubers often have a vested interest in making a drama were none exists

He appeared to be not aware of the changes, he must have literally been the only guy in Thailand who wasn't aware.

 

Fair Comment . 

But he puts a big Dramatic Title " ...... Denied !! " and then its all about applying and waiting and he wasn't denied at all . I realise its Clickbait but he's been there a while and when I saw he was supposedly 'denied' I was surprised . I clicked and sure enough I got baited .

1 minute ago, Mutt Daeng said:

So optimist or pessimist?

Deep Pessimist .   Shouldn't be .  Made many many mistakes but I am still better off than a good few people and I should appreciate that more . Not rich at all . But when I am in Thailand I feel very fortunate . Still naturally a pessimist unfortunately .