inalyat

Having been a member for a number of years and taking on board many suggestions and comments, I tend to stay silent and soak it all in, not comment nor post. 

To get to the point of my question I’ll give some background information which may bore some people, but please bear with me. 

I have lived In thailand for approx the last 10 years, done all the silly things including married, children (not the silly thing) and divorced (again not the silly thing, however the outcome was) several costly court appearances I eventually got joint custody of my children. 

Having also worked internationally I have never really required a proper visa and always got the rubber stamp 30 days on arrival. The last few years haven’t been favorable, haven’t worked and had no income (although I have the amount required in a thai bank account for any visa), this required me to get a non o visa to stay to jointly look after my children, but here is the dilemma,

i now live in Roi Et, my children in Nong Bua Lam Phu, (why Roi Et I hear you ask, well it’s the mid way point between my children and my current Missus family to keep my kids close enough and her parent far enough away, the happy medium so to speak), I pick my children up after school on fridays and have them with me until they start school Monday mornings, or longer if there is a public holiday and I have them on all school holidays. I further pay all school fees and medical insurances as was court ordered. Despite doing this I can not turn the non o into a dependent parent visa as I live in a different province and immigration don’t see how I “jointly” look after them from a different location. Sure, I could bullshit my way through and get a false address etc etc which I did and submitted in Nong Bua Lam Phu to meet this but again, for reasons too hard to explain I was knocked back again. This left me with an only option of non o multi entry which I have had and renewed for 2 years. 

Now going out of the country every 90 days is a pain in the bum, not to mention the stamps quickly fill a passport which causes another headache, just to meet requirements of not breaching a visa to allow me to stay and look after my kids, but now I digress. 

I have recently tried to renew the visa but was knocked back on multi entry but paid the price of hotels and visa (single entry only) and other minor expenses, nothing that breaks the bank but still unnecessary . 

I have a legitimate APEC card that I have never used for Thailand is I try to do it right, but now I am forced into using it, if anything it will save on unnecessary hotels and visa costs to get the same 90 day stay on a single entry non o (unless someone gives me other options and instructions on how to stay in Thailand another way without having to leave, note well I am not old enough for a retirement visa)

so after the long winded pre amble, can some one advise me what I need to put on my arrival card when using the APEC card, obviously not tourist, transit. Maybe business? But then I’m not on business and don’t have a business visa or do I put “other” and if so what do I write as other, particularly if questioned. And what will happen if I use my APEC card at the same border or even at different land borders on multiple back to back entries? Has there been any knockbacks with this, do they always give 90 days or do I have to request it and give a reason why?

I know its its long winded but don’t want the authorities to get me on some jumped up technicality (even though I’m using APEC for a purpose other than its intention) but i feel I’m left with little legitimate choices. 

Im open to all comments. 

Thanks in advance. 

Hi all, maybe I'm on the wrong site or area, but I'm chasing some information about extending my stay based on a court hearing. 

Long story short, was married for 5 years before my then wife decided that an affair that she was having was better for her so we divorced, we have 2 young children. Unfortunately at the divorce I was not represented and I unfortunately gave away my parenting rights which also lost me any way of getting a dependent visa as the divorce documents say I have no parenting rights. As a responsible father, I want to be a part of my kids lives so I have been residing here in pattaya for the last 12 months on visa exempt stamps and extensions from immigration, the odd run to Cambodia and even back home to Australia to get a non o visa. This is very costly. I have also applied to immigration for the spouse visa only to be told "not my problem" when I tell them the situation and they just tell me to leave the country. 

As a result of not wanting to breach immigration rules but also to make wrong thing right I have started the process of court to get joint custody. I have to attend chinburi child services in April and a hearing in court is scheduled in May. 

The question is, I come into Thailand on the visa exempt 30 day stay which I completed, then I went to immigration and got a 30 day extension which now expires on the 4th of march. How can I extend this without leaving thailand on the basis of having to attend court and also liaise with my legal team should I choose to appoint one. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. 

4 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

They were wrong or thought you were wanting a one year extension. Many people get them to visit their children that are not married to the child's mother.

I don't your children's house book registry listed in your post which is a firm requirement to apply for one.

Yes, I took the blue book for my kids registered address, I took my 12 month lease agreement with me to confirm my address, I took all passports, (kids have Thai and Australian), took a letter from my kids school that I have them enrolled in, a letter from my ex wife, birth certificates and Australian citizen ship by descent documentation, marriage certificate and subsequent divorce paperwork and still they said "you do not have custody, not my problem" and only granted 30 days extra. Pain in the arse as one person at the court fee told me I could get 60 days, then when I filled I the forms, the girl doing it only gave me 30 days, then she said come back in 30 days and we will give you another 30 days, however when I went back there I got some jumped up smart girl who was having a bad hair day and she refused to give any extra time, giving no reason or advise and just throwing my passport back at me saying "not my problem" hence the reason I am trying to obtain the correct visa so I can avoid all the hassle of going to immigration and being at the whim of the immigration official who seem to please them selves without following any due process or consistency. 

Thanks for your reply, I tried to get an extension previously, took my kids with me, their birth certificates and their duel citizenships and even a letter from their mother, only to be told at immigration in jomtien "not my problem" and they only extended it for 30 days. Looks like I might have to give Penang a try. 

Hi,

I have been a silent member for a number of years, having lived in the Pattaya area (sattahip) for the past 7 odd years. I was working international so never needed a visa to enter the country as the 30 day visa exemption stamp at the airport worked fine for my work arrangements. 

My story, I married a Thai woman, had 2 children now aged 4 and 5 and after 5 years am now divorced from the woman. On our divorce she was given full custody of our children as I was working internationally. (As well as all property, vehicles, bank accounts etc etc even the dog, god I miss him, but that's another story)

I have for the last few months however been out of work so I am living in Thailand so I can still be a part of my children's upbringing, I get the non o visa when I can but to leave every 3 months to go to Australia is a pain in the butt and also costly.

My current non o visa expired yesterday so I had to do a boarder run to Cambodia get 14 days extension so as to meet my departure flight to Australia on the 21st of Dec. They told me at the boarder not to do this again. 

The Thai embassy in Australia is shut during the time I am there so I cant get another visa so will be entering on the visa exempt again on the 4th of Jan. I know this can be extended for 30 extra days at immigation but again not practiclemand defeats the purpose of trying to get a long stay visa, or at least a multi entry. 

I have asked many places and people but no one is giving me credible information as to how I can obtain a visa (which visa and how and where to obtain it, also the cost of it) to stay and continue to be a part of my young children lives, I have gone to immigration to try and get a Dependants visa based on my 2 children but they advise me I can't because the divorce order has my my ex wife as the custodian, immigration were no help and would not advise what I needed to do to allow me to continue to stay in Thailand only saying "not my problem". I am too young to be eligible for the retirement visa and the education visa that has been explained to me is more costly per year than going to Hong Kong business class 6 times a year and returning on the visa exempt stamp and getting it extended for 30 days each time. 

I know if I sift through the thousands of threads of information on here I may be able to find the same circumstances which have been answered, this is just in hope that some kind person/s can expedite the correct information as they too may have been in this situation and know away around it.