BritTim

Off topic, but briefly: my views on how to address transgender rights have changed greatly over the last month. My views on abortion (a subject I feel very uncomfortable about) has changed several times just over the last couple of years.

Right, mentally disturbed individuals brandishing knives has never been known in Europe except among those of non European ethnicity. EDIT: Note that Syria is not in Africa.

I am curious. That is the only way you can remain willing to change your mind about things. Some are saying that allowing local officials to make up their own rules (such as one-year retirement rentals) is conducive to preventing criminal elements from entering Thailand. I fail to see how it helps, but maybe I am missing something.

I think if every official in Europe was allowed to make up their own rules there would be massive protests, and not just from refugees. Once officials are no longer subject to the rule of law, they will justify almost anything in the name of "fighting crime". Personally, I do not think the answer to complex issues is to abolish due process.

What supporting documentation did you supply together with the application for a Non O for a dependant wife? It was some years ago, but I am almost sure I recall Vientiane supplying this in the past.

I am genuinely curious. Which customary rules or local variations do you think have been most important in keeping criminal elements from coming to Thailand? Do you regard requiring a one-year rental agreement as a useful tool in keeping out transnational crime?

Member @Red Phoenixhas requested (and I agreed) to add this warning, specifically for those in Chiang Rai:

Those who believe this might be a religiously inspired attack should re-evaluate. The attacker is a Christian, and terrible things have sometimes been done throughout history in the name of Christianity. However, in no way is this kind of attack typical of the vast majority of Christians, now or in the past. It is clearly just the action of a seriously mentally disturbed man. I hope that he, and most of all his victims, get the help they need.

There is probably nothing of note left to post on this subject. PM me if you think you have something significant to add and I will reopen the thread. For now, it is CLOSED

Everything you originally posted was mostly fine. Both there and in this post you should arguably have left out what you bought with your savings from paying in US$. Most people considering using Mae Sai probably do not need that information.

I am always surprised when there is a correct fixed price for a product or service, and someone accuses you of being a "cheap Charlie" or similar for wanting to pay it. I will often tip for good service, but object when someone adds the tip to my restaurant bill unasked. It is the same here.

It is important to distinguish between what is legal and what may attract serious disapproval. Those volunteer visas were legal. Nothing was occurring for which anyone could be prosecuted. However, officials at very serious levels seriously disapproved of games being played over visas intended for humanitarian purposes. The guilty officials involved would have been moved to posts with limited opportunities for corruption, and recipients of those visas often retaliated against in other ways. Could retirement extensions, at some point, suffer a similar fate? That cannot be ruled out, but (for the moment) I do not see those at the top being scandalised by them in the same way.

The price of a Myanmar border pass is US$10. Yes, some officials might try to insist that you pay 500 baht instead but, depending on the boss, this might be high risk. They do not want you complaining, and the boss deciding to reassign you somewhere where you cannot siphon off over 150 baht from every ignorant arrival. It is better just to smile and back down gracefully when confronted by knowledgeable travellers.

It is doable yourselves. Your wife will need to be outside Thailand for the application for the Non O; otherwise its legality will be questionable. I would imagine the 12-month extension (piggy backing off yours) would be done at the OSSC.

You can run a business while on a visa/extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai. Start with applying for a singe or multiple entry Non O based on Thai wife. You do this online through the e-visa system. Is your marriage already registered in Thailand? If not, you will almost certainly want to do so, and it might be easier if you prepare the process before leaving Belgium. I believe you can get an endorsement from the Thai embassy in Brussels that your marriage certificate is valid, and (with a further endorsement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok) use this to register your marriage at an amphoe in Thailand. Further steps can await your arrival in Thailand.

Years ago, that was pretty much true (certainly at embassies like Vientiane). Embassies and consulates in the region have since become stricter over handing out tourist visas. He would almost certainly be denied in Savannakhet (even with no previous tourist visas from there). In Vientiane, he has a better chance, but I will be interested in learning whether he is successful.

Since you are not alone in believing that outlining the rules at individual immigration offices risks retaliation from officials at strict offices, we only have scattered information (mostly from larger offices) on the practices around the country. If you indicate where you are thinking of moving, a member who is not comfortable about revealing the local rules in that province might let you know by private message. Personally, I think it is pure paranoia to think that posting "office X requires a one-year lease" is going to subject you to retaliation, but there we are. We do know (as you yourself found out) that Hua Hin is one of the offices most friendly to expat retirees.

So, the stamp in the old passport that indicates that it has been superseded by the new passport automatically appears?

Do you have any documentation you can show that proves you had financial assets earlier, just not cash in bank? By default, I would expect the embassy to apply the requirements strictly in your case. However, maybe you will be lucky, and the official will try to help you. Be very well groomed, and be friendly and cheerful with the official, especially when they start to be negative.

I am really confused as to how the embassy can update your old passport when everything is done online. How exactly does this work?

You can try. If you have never previously had a tourist visa from Vientiane (visible in your current passport) and meet all the requirements, you might get lucky. Your chances are not good, and you should decide what you are going to do if the application for a tourist visa is denied. Since you have already burned your land based visa exempt entries, your options will be limited. Perhaps, spend a month in Laos and then fly from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai. Trying to enter visa exempt through either Bangkok airport is very likely to result in a denied entry.

According to the latest guidance (unfortunately not followed by all immigration offices) you only need to submit a fresh TM30 report if (i) your permanent residence changes; or (ii) you leave Thailand and re-enter with a fresh permission to stay. As far as I know, there has been no official word on whether re-entering with an LTR visa should be treated as a fresh entry under the guidance. (It has been explicitly stated that coming back with a re-entry permit is not a fresh entry.)

It is unclear to me exactly what is happening. The extension application for marriage must be taken under consideration, and being told this will all be approved within a few days is unusual (as you know). Immigration pointed at a sign that explained, and asked his wife to photograph it. I expect seeing that photograph will clarify matters a bit at least.

Immigration cannot transfer a visa issued by a consulate to a new passport. What they will do is transfer information about your immigration status from the old to the new passport. You then use both passports to travel. All new stamps go in the new passport, but the visa is in the old passport and needs to be shown each time you enter Thailand. It appears that there is an office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that can transfer visas from old to new passports. I have never done this so do not know the exact procedure. Few people ever bother arranging this. It is easier just to travel with both passports.

My guess is that a fiction was created where you were made a director in a company. There are activities a director can perform that do not require a work permit. The argument was then used that the one-year extension facilitated being in Thailand for company meetings and so on. This is all pretty murky, and not a dodge I see very often (which explains the high fee). You essentially received what you paid for: an extension of stay based on "your business activities" in Thailand. You will need a re-entry permit if you intend travelling.