sidleonard

Yes, we have attempted to call, but at $4.00 per minute we found the wait time unacceptable. I was hoping that someone with a similar situation might be kind enough to share their knowledge of same.

My wife (Thai) and I have a joint savings account at Bangkok Bank and would like to transfer funds back to our account at Bank of America in the US without having to come to Bangkok to do so. Because we do not have a Thai mobile number to receive an OTP verification I know we cannot make the wire transfer from our online Bangkok Bank account. Is there another way to transfer the funds without coming to Bangkok and doing so in person at the bank; if not, will my wife be able to do the transfer (by wire) from our joint savings account without me being there? Thank you.

Dr.Jack54 My thanks also to John for his input regarding the best method of going from downtown Bangkok to the Chaeng Wattana government complex; sure seems like the best option is via taxi (perhaps Grab?) - anyone know the best day/time and how long it takes? Also, Dr. Jack, regarding your statement that “400k baht in Thai bank account does not need to be shown to come from overseas.” I would certainly prefer to simply transfer the funds from our joint savings account at Bangkok Bank, which has a balance of >฿1M (all transferred via WISE over the last 3 years), to the personal account that I must open, but there seems to be a difference of opinion among expat bloggers as to whether or not I can do so; some refer me to the SIAM LEGAL law firm website regarding the visa extension based on marriage which states that the supporting documents as proof of the ฿400K security deposit in a personal Thai bank account include an updated passbook and a Bank letter stating that the money had been deposited to the account from an overseas source for not less than 2 months. Since you, and Ubonjoe, in whom I have confidence, both have said, with assurance, that I can do the aforementioned transfer would you please provide, I assume from your personal experience, the reason you are so confident I can do said transfer. I thank you, with my promise that this is my final request regarding this matter.

Since my last post here regarding the matter of extending my Non-immigrant O visa based on marriage I have considered all the information I have gleaned from this blog and others and have decided do the following in obtaining my annual visa extensions. I would greatly appreciate any comments of confirmation correction, or additional information regarding same. 1.) As I am sure you know, it is now possible to make an online appointment for visa extensions at the Chaeng Wattana government complex, which I intend to do, and I would appreciate knowing the quickest transportation method of getting to the complex from where we will be staying in the CBD of Bangkok, and exactly where to report in the complex for our appointment (I understand that my wife must accompany me). 2.) Also, perhaps you know that it is now possible to apply for a visa extension online (including uploading required documents, etc.); however, after completing the online application, one must then go to the government complex to complete the process. Therefore, I have decided to go the route of making an appointment and taking with me a completed FORM TM7 with all the other required documents, including my bank passbook showing an overseas ฿400 deposit and bank letter. Again, with great appreciation, I am requesting input, particularly from any expats with personal experience with the visa extension based on marriage procedure.

As the time is nearing for our return to Thailand, and after reading many expat comments re: sending funds to/from Thailand, and the financial requirement for annually extending a Non-O visa based on marriage, my wife and I would greatly appreciate confirmation of our understanding regarding the following. We have decided that the best option, for us, for sending funds from our Bangkok Bank joint savings account to our checking account at Bank of America in the U.S. (until it will be possible to do so via WISE) is to wire same directly via SWIFT; I was pleased to read on Bangkok Bank's website that when using this option there is “no need to apply for the service in advance or submit any supporting documents, you can make a transfer by yourself online.” Regarding the financial requirement for obtaining, annually, my visa extension: My wife and I have been transferring funds, via Wise, into our Bangkok Bank joint account (opened in 2017) over the last 3 years and now have a balance in that account of >฿M. I have been assured by individuals on this forum that the least complicated option, even though I qualify for the ฿40K/month option, is the ฿400K in a personal bank account for a minimum of 2 months before applying for a visa extension, and that I can open such an account and transfer the required funds into it from our existing Bangkok Bank joint savings account without any requirement as to where the funds came from. An aside: Does Bangkok Bank offer a fee-free credit card which can be used to purchase4 (in baht) and pay the balance each month via debiting our savings account? I thank all respondents for your time and generous sharing of your experience and knowledge. Sidney Leonard

My Thai wife and I (U.S. Citizen), after residing 30 years in the U.S., will soon permanently move to Thailand. In preparation for our move I have prepared my will, with much assistance from my wife, using the English-Thai format that I downloaded from a link provided by someone on this forum who assured that it would be valid in Thailand even if I have prepared and witnessed it here in the U.S., as, he said, Thailand recognizes wills which are prepared in a foreign country. - I did notice that the aforementioned format did not include, in addition to requiring two witnesses, that a Thai will must be notarized; is this the case with Thai wills, and, If notarization of wills is required in Thailand, would the notarization, as well as the witnessing, in the U.S. Be acceptable? Thank you.

DrJack54, It is my intention to apply for a non-immigrant O visa in Los Angeles and apply in Thailand annually for a one year extension based on marriage. Btw, based on your previous advice, I have decided to meet the financial requirement for a visa extension by opening a personal saving account at Bangkok Bank where my wife and I now have a joint savings account. I recall you suggested that I use the ฿400K in a personal account method vs the more complicated minimum ฿40/month, and you said that I could just transfer the ฿400K from our joint account into my personal account vs the necessity of transferring that amount (via WISE) from our Bank of America joint checking account to my personal saving account at Bangkok Bank; are you still certain that either transfer method would be acceptable to immigration? Thanks for sharing your time and expertise.

I will be applying for a non-immigrant O visa and would like to know if giving an AirB&B booking is acceptable as proof of resident on the application. I think, but not sure, that as long as the owner files a TM30 form indicating that we are residing there, and we have a booking for at least 28 days it would be acceptable - or would it be best to consider staying only at a hotel, given the somewhat questionable legal status of booking at an AirB&B?

To ubonjoe & Dr. Jack54 Many thanks for your assistance as we prepare for our move to Thailand. Please share a bit more of your knowledge regarding the following pertaining to my yearly visa extension applications. Regarding personal bank account requirement: Will there by a concern about where the funds come from? 1.) Can I transfer the required ฿400K from our joint savings account at Bangkok Bank, or must I make the transfer (we use WISE) from our joint account at Bank of America? 2.) Do I need to make both a deposit and withdrawal from my personal account to show activity on the day of my application, or just one of the two transactions? 3.) Lastly, do I need to have the ฿400K in my account 3 months before applying for my first visa extension, or will 2 months suffice even for my first visa extension? Do we need to get documentation of our 30 year marriage (Kor Ror 22 certifying our marriage in the U.S. is on file at the district office) from the district office each year as a visa extension requirement? Again, thanks for all.

Ubonjoe, you suggested that the person having trouble with the online TM47 site try the new site as it is much better than the old one, including the fact that it does not have a space for the TM6 number. Which of the following sites is the updated one you referred to. Thank you. https://tm47.immigration.go.th/tm47/#/login https://tm47.immigration.go.th/tm47/#/register/add

ubonjoe, please clarify "The longer you have been married than not can smooth out the application process." I'm not sure what you are saying; if I read it without than not I think you are saying that being married for such a long time will make the application process smoother. Thank you.

Thanks, ubonJoe, for clarifying the matter of the two additional forms required for a visa extension (based on marriage in my case). I feel fortunate that I have found in you someone who seems very knowledgeable about this topic. Now, please clarify a couple of the items in your list of requirements for a visa extension. 1.) Am I correct in assuming that since the TM6 card has been suspended, at least temporarily, the item on the APPLICATION FOR EXTENSION, Arrival/Departure Card TM.6 No., should just be left blank? Also, before it was suspended what No. was required in that space (I assume the Arrival number)? 2.) Regarding the Map to our residence from the nearest main road or street item: Am I correct in assuming that if my wife and I are staying in a hotel, or renting a condo, they want a map to where we are staying, however well-known its location, not a map to the residence indicated in the required Tabien Baan? Finally, will the fact that we have been married 30 years make the immigration process any smoother, with less suspicion on the part of immigration? Again, thank you for the generous sharing of your time and knowledge.

Where can I download the two additional forms required for a marriage extension, in addition to the TM7 form, referred to in this post? Are said forms a new requirement? Thank you.

Thank you, Xlophone for the recent link to an English/Thai language will. Now, can you provide a similar link for an English/Thai language Advanced Directive, which I believe is called a Living Will in Thailand; perhaps this is asking too much. In any case, again, thank you for putting my mind at ease re: this matter. P.S. I assume the will your provided is legal in Thailand without any need to consult with a lawyer.

I assume this topic has been dealt with elsewhere in this forum, but I have been unable to see where, so I apologize for being repetitive if I am being so. My wife, a Thai national, and I, a US citizen, after residing for many years in the U.S., will be moving to Thailand next year and I am now doing my due diligence in preparation for the move. Thanks to the help I have received from this source, I understand how I will be affected by one of the inevitable realities facing expats, taxation, and now I am seeking information regarding the other inevitable reality facing us all, death. Because of our age differential, it is highly likely that I will be leaving the party (so to speak) long before my wife, and it is important to me that she knows exactly what steps to take, what procedures to follow, when the time comes. I am sure there are in Thailand many retired expats who are similar to me in this regard, and I am hopeful that such individuals with knowledge of said procedures will respond, with confirmation and correction, to the following conclusions and questions resulting from my, so far, due diligence regarding this matter. If I pass at home, I assume the first step will be for my wife to notify the police who will release my body, I assume to a mortuary, if the cause of death is without suspicion; if in the hospital, I assume the procedure will be the same. If so, please confirm which of the steps listed below (and any I have not included) are required, and in what order. My body will be released to a mortuary; who is responsible for making this arrangement? My death will be registered at the district Amphur office and, at the same time, a death certificate will be provided. My wife will get the certificate translated for provision to all entities requiring a copy (i.e., banks, U.S. Social Security, my retirement system, etc.) I understand that once the Thai authorities (who exactly?) are content that the cause of death has been established and no further examinations of the body is necessary my wife can proceed with arrangements for my cremation at my wife's family wat where my cremains will be placed in a designated structure with other members of her family. I see under US Citizen Services on the US Consulate website that “Thai authorities normally notify the U.S. Embassy when a U.S. citizen dies in Thailand.” However, since my wife is next of kin and all the services listed on the website will be taken care of by her, I assume she will not be required to notify the U.S. Consulate of my death, as I read somewhere that “Deaths must be registered in the country where the person died; not required to be registered in US.” Is this so? I will greatly appreciate any responses to my, I am sure, imperfect understanding of all that must transpire during what will be, I assume, a difficult juncture in my wife's life.

ubonjoe, I justify this further inquiry based on the fact that this is not a new question, just a request for further clarification of my previous question regarding the tabien baan/residence requirements. The house book (tabien baan) pages which I attached, shows that my wife is a registered resident at that house, which is owned by her sister; my wife does not own a residence. However, I understand that this document showing where my wife is a registered resident is required when applying for a visa extension, although, as previously stated, we do not intent to stay there during my remaining years; it is our intention to rent for the duration of our remaining time together. However, it is possible that, if I predecease her, my wife may, or may not, decide to reside in said house, owned by her sister, but where she is a registered resident. Here is my confusion: You said, “No need to use your wife's sister's tabien baan or anything else related to her” but the Requirement Document link you provided includes the following as required documents: Copies of your wife's house book (tabien baan) registry and ID card. She, of course, has the latter item, but I do not know what the former refers to, as indicated above, my wife is a registered resident at her sister's house, but my wife is not an owner of a house. Photos of you and your wife in an around the house... Map to your residence from the nearest main road or street. So, do we need to provide the above documentation, which obviously assumes that we will be residing at my wife's sister's house, but, as explained, we will not be doing so, even though my wife is a register resident there, as certified by the attached pages from my wife's sister's tabien baan. Or, as explained above, since we will be renting, not living with my wife's sister, do we simply need to provide a copy of our lease agreement provided by the proprietor of whatever condo, etc., we may be renting at the time of my visa extension each year? Do we also need to provide a map to same? I assume that we should also confirm that the proprietor has filed the required TM30. Thank you.

To ubonjoe, You certainly have been patience with my persistence in picking your brains to get the answers I need as my wife and I prepare for our move to Thailand. I am sure you are thinking, when will this guy ever stop with his questions? Well, at age 86 I have been around the block (so to speak) enough times to never take anything for granted, so if I am not sure of something I pursue it until I fully understand it. So, if you will bear with me for one more clarification session, I promise that I will cease and desist imposing upon your time and expertise further. My confusion regards the residence requirement for obtaining a visa extension based on marriage. Included among the documents required when applying for same are a Tabien Baan and map showing the location of the household (and maybe even pictures) and a rental contract. Am I correct in assuming that my wife and I will not be required to reside in the residence, owned by her sister, certified by the Tabien Baan & map (attached) and that a rental contract certifying wherever we are residing (hotel. Condo, etc.) at the time of my application will be acceptable? And can I then also assume that said address will be the address requested on page 2 of the TM.7 form (attached)? Last question (I promise): Also stated as a requirement for obtaining a visa extension is “Once you get the Thai Visa Extension, you have to get a Re-Entry Permit and then, 90 days after entering, you have to report your address to the Immigration authorities.” From what I have described as my situation, do you agree that this requirement does not apply to me? Again, thank you all your generous help. TABIEN BAAN & MAP.pdf TM7 - EXTENSION OF STAY.pdf

Thank you, ubonjoe, for your always knowledgeable, coherent responses to my questions. Regarding my question pertaining to the residency requirement: Yes, we were married in the USA (30 years ago) and our married certificate has been translated to Thai. Regarding your statements, “Your wife's tambien baan does not have to be for where you apply for the extension.” and “You will need something from your wife's sister stating you are living in her house along with signed copies of her tambien ban and ID card.” I assume such documents will be necessary when I apply for the visa extension only if we are, in fact, living with my wife's sister – correct? Although the Tabien Baan certifies my wife as a resident, actually, we do not intent to ever live there. I will be 87 years old when we move to Thailand next year and it is our intention to rent for the duration of my remaining years, or perhaps, depending upon said duration, until we decide to purchase a residence. - A related detail: It is my understanding that the proprietor of the residence, wherever we are staying (hotel, condo, etc.), is required to file a TM30 notification to immigration of our presence. Is this correct? Again, thank you for taking the time to provide your obviously well-informed responses to my inquires.

I am not sure my first attempt (yesterday) to post the following was successful, so I am doing so again. As I explained in a previous post, my wife, a Thai national (with dual citizenship), and I, a US citizen, after residing for many years in the US, will be moving to Thailand. Pursuant to our move, I will apply for a Non-immigrant O visa at the Los Angeles Thai consulate with the intention of then applying, annually, in Bangkok for a one -year visa extension based on marriage. I would greatly appreciate comments regarding the following questions vis-a-vis said applications. 1.) In applying for a non-immigrant O e-visa am I correct in understanding that a one-way ticket w/single entry option will be acceptable; someone who has provided a video about applying for an e-visa is not sure if I may need either a round trip ticket or another one-way ticket to show that I will be leaving before my visa expires. Also, if I must for some reason return temporarily to the US, can I can get a re-entry permit (TM8) allowing me to return to Thailand without having to apply for another non-immigrant O visa? 2.) Regarding requirements for a visa extension (Thai Marriage Visa): Thanks to certain of you veteran expats sharing your knowledge, I understand that I can meet the financial requirement by opening a personal account in my name only and transferring, at least 2 months before applying for said visa extension, ฿400K from our joint saving account at Bangkok Bank into my personal account, without having to show that the funds came from overseas (USA); did I get this right? 3.) I believe we have all the required documents (i.e., marriage registration [Kor Ror 22], my wife's national ID card, Tabien Baan [ทะเบียนบ้าน], but I am unsure if our intention to rent, indefinitely, condos, etc., in the CBD of Bangkok rather than residing at the residence indicated by said Tabien Baan, which is owned by my wife's sister, will be a problem with immigration. Any offered wisdom regarding this matter will be greatly appreciated.

I want to thank Dr. Jack54, ubonjoe, et al. for clarifying for me what I must do regarding the financial requirements for obtaining a visa extension based on marriage to a Thai national. I wish you all the best.

First, thank you, a legendary and obviously well-informed member, for taking the time to share your knowledge of the matter in question, including the link you provided, with me. Perhaps you would be willing to allow me to provide a more detailed picture of our status and intention vis-a-vis moving permanently to Thailand. In April 2017, my wife, a Thai national (with dual citizenship), and I, a US citizen, after residing for many years in the US, came to Thailand with the intention of stayanng permanently, but due to a family hardship it was necessary for us to return to the US. However, before we knew about having to leave, we filed, at the Bangkok district office, and the US embassy, the required paperwork needed regarding our marriage and to open a joint savings account at the Bangkok Bank, which we now have. Therefore, I believe we have fulfilled all the requirements for us to move to Thailand (i.e., marriage registration, my wife's national ID card, Tabien Baan, etc. So, at moving time, I will apply for a Non-immigrant O visa at the Los Angeles Thai consulate with the intention of then applying, annually, in Bangkok for a one-year visa extension based on marriage. My only concern regards the financial requirement, but if I understand your answer to this concern, regardless of my lingering confusion, particularly whether or not I need to open an another account, all I need to do is open an account at Bangkok Bank in my name and transfer ฿400K into same from our joint account, and timing is not a problem, as I can do this shortly after we arrive in Bangkok, right? One further question: Will I need to verify that the ฿400K was transferred from the US; it was, but the money was transferred via WISE where my wife and I each have a membership and most of the money was transferred by her, via WISE, from our Bank of America join account. Again, thank you for generous help with this matter.

Thank you for your reply. The information I quoted from the Immigration Bureau only specifies that the alien husband must earn an average annual income of no less than ฿40,000 per month and must attach documents such as any particular individual income tax return together with payment receipt, evidence of receiving retirement pension." My income is from my state teachers retirement plan, on which I, of course, pay US income tax, and for which I can provide an income verification letter from the retirement system as specified above. The Immigration Bureau website cited above says nothing regarding required bank deposits for those alien husbands who have the required monthly income. If I find on checking further that I must do as you indicate, I assume I will need to open an account in my name; my wife and I now have a joint savings account with >฿1M on deposit, funds which I assume we will be able to transfer into a personal account in my name.

The following is a quote from the Immigration Bureau website; there is no indication that any amount must be in my personal bank account. - I would very much appreciate hearing from a pensioner who has met the financial visa extension requirement quoted below from the Immigration Bureau. The alien husband must have no less than ฿400,000 in a bank account and must must attach a funds deposit certificate issued by a bank in Thailand and a copy of a bankbook, "or must earn an average annual income of no less than ฿40,000 per month and must attach documents such as any particular individual income tax return together with payment receipt, evidence of receiving retirement pension."