DoDoey

"Just an FYI... This really helped me out because I'm out of visa pages on my passport and needed more time before I would have to convert my visa to a 1 year. You can actually go to Penang and pay a little extra for a 1 year non-immigrant O marriage visa right off the bat, with no need to convert it inside Thailand. I do have to leave the country and come back for a stamp every 90 days.The fee was 550 ringet, or 5500 baht. I just brought all the necessary documents that are listed above and proof that I make over 40,000 baht per month. The process was really painless."

I have done it this way for a few years now.

Please can someone explain for me "I do have to leave the country and come back for a stamp every 90 days." which I have to do as well!

Rgs//Peter

He has to leave every 90 days because a non-o visa based upon marriage only gives a 90 day entry.

A one year extension of stay based upon marriage only requires you to do a a report to immigration every 90 days.

Really, I don't know what the best visa or extension would be for me. Whatever allows me to stay the longest, with the least amount of headaches and expense. I would like the to be able to come and go from Thailand as I please. I am married to a Thai citizen, we have an apartment (rent) here, so whatever that entitles me. Thanks for the responses so far. Could someone please advise what is the best for my situation as described above? By the way, I have the marriage certificate thing pretty much buttoned up, I have my appointment at the US Embassy next week.

The extension of stay is best for you. If you want to travel you would get a re-entry permit. A single re-entry permit costs 1000 baht a multiple is 3800 baht. You can leave and travel when you want to.

A multiple entry visa requires you leave every 90 days whether you want to or not.

So I can compare apples to apples, is the process/cost for the extension different from the Non O?

"Just an FYI... This really helped me out because I'm out of visa pages on my passport and needed more time before I would have to convert my visa to a 1 year. You can actually go to Penang and pay a little extra for a 1 year non-immigrant O marriage visa right off the bat, with no need to convert it inside Thailand. I do have to leave the country and come back for a stamp every 90 days.The fee was 550 ringet, or 5500 baht. I just brought all the necessary documents that are listed above and proof that I make over 40,000 baht per month. The process was really painless."

I have done it this way for a few years now.

Please can someone explain for me "I do have to leave the country and come back for a stamp every 90 days." which I have to do as well!

Rgs//Peter

He has to leave every 90 days because a non-o visa based upon marriage only gives a 90 day entry.

A one year extension of stay based upon marriage only requires you to do a a report to immigration every 90 days.

Really, I don't know what the best visa or extension would be for me. Whatever allows me to stay the longest, with the least amount of headaches and expense. I would like the to be able to come and go from Thailand as I please. I am married to a Thai citizen, we have an apartment (rent) here, so whatever that entitles me. Thanks for the responses so far. Could someone please advise what is the best for my situation as described above? By the way, I have the marriage certificate thing pretty much buttoned up, I have my appointment at the US Embassy next week.

You should be using CW immigration since your are living in Bangkok.

The first thing you will need to do is register your marriage at any Amphoe/Khet..

You need to do an affidavit swearing that your marriage certificate is valid, true and correct at the embassy. You will need make an appointment at the embassy. Then you will need it an your marriage certificate translated to Thai and then certified by the MFA. A translations service can do it all for you.

Then you would go to the Amphoe and register your marriage. They will then issue a Kor Ror 22 to prove the registry (you will need this at immigration).

The first step is to apply for a change of visa status from a tourist visa entry to a 90 day non-immigrant visa entry at immigration. You will complete a TM86 form and attach a photo. Your wife must go with you to do the application.

You will need a letter from your bank confirming the 400k baht in the bank and a letter confirming the funds came for abroad. Plus copies of your updated bank book. The money just has to be in the bank not 60 days for this step.

Copies and Original of your marriage certificate and the Kor Ror 22.

Signed copies of you wife's house book and ID card.

Copies of your passport photo page, visa, entry/permit to stay stamp, extension stamp and TM6 departure card.

Photos of you and your wife in and around your apartment and one of the 2 of you next to or under the apartment number.

The fee of 2000 baht.

The next step is to apply for the extension of stay during the last 45 days or your 90 day entry or when you have had the money in the bank for 60 days. You will complete a TM7 form. Again your wife will to be with you.

You will need every document and photo you needed for the first step except for the letter from the bank stating the money came from abroad.

Wow, very precise, thank you! The only hiccup I see is that the 400K came from my wife's account at another bank in Thailand, which is where we have our wire transfers from the US pre-authorized. Being in Thailand, our bank in the US won't allow us to set up a new transfer to the new account. Will this derail the whole process?

I'm trying to find a guide to getting a Non O visa based on marriage to Thai. I'm sure there's a simple A to Z guide in the forum, but I can't find it. All of the posts I've found seem to start with OP already in the process, nothing from start to ending.

Our situation:

We're in Thailand already, and I'm on a 60 day tourist extension, expires October 13. We obtained this in Pathum Thani, which is where my wife's house book address is. We've rented an apartment in BKK, and Pathum is quite a haul, should we be going to PT or Chaeng Wattana? We were married in the US (South Carolina) in 2007, and my wife holds dual citizenship. I established a Thai bank account in my name with 400K on August 13.

Questions:

1. What is the next step for me, I believe I have to transition from tourist stamp to non immigrant visa? When and where should I do this? This is the A to Z guide I'm looking for.
2. Regarding our marriage certificate. Does it need to be translated into Thai? I found several post on TV that said yes, and that it could be done at Chaeng Wattana and stamped at MFA the same day. Well, we went there today, and all the translators said we needed to take our South Carolina marriage certificate to the US Embassy to get some sort of guarantee that it is authentic before it would be accepted at MFA. I haven't seen that anywhere on TV. Do we need to have it translated? Do we need an MFA stamp to make it official? Do we need to then register our marriage in Pathum Thani?
3. Will I need to leave the Kingdom at some point, and return on Visa?

Thank you to all who offer help and friendly advice.

Is the OP sure about the Thai SS coverage? That term does not simply mean entitlement to public healthcare (which might be via the universal coverage scheme run by the National Health Security Office - NHSO), and would imply that the wife had worked in an occupation where she was enrolled in the SS scheme run by the Social Security Organisation (SSO) and also had maintained her contributions since leaving. As Steven1 says, coverage under the SSS isn't bad and you can in fact still pay to upgrade the room if desired. It doesn't cover the spouse (OP) however.

I am not sure about SS coverage. The public health system is what I'm referring to. Can you please tell me a little about the NHSO coverage?

For myself, I'll probably be going with CignaGlobal, any comments on that?

Hello Mates,

Me and the Thai wife are about to move to Thailand for an indefinite period, probably a year or two. I'm 48, and don't plan on working, and my Thai wife is 42 and will be going to school. I'm planning on taking a year long Thai language course, and getting an education visa good for a one year stay. Here are my questions, but first let me apologize if these answers are apparent and easily found on the forum.

1. My wife is a Thai citizen, and I know she is covered under SS, but are there plans available for Thais that give them better coverage?
2. I've researched BUPA through TV, but find their prices a little high. Can someone recommend a broker or insurance provider that will get back to me in a timely manner? I've tried AA, but they have not replied to query after 5 days.
3. My wife and I are both US citizens, my wife has dual citizenship, and may travel back to the US for a month or two and will need coverage. What do Expats do in this case? Most policies I've seen online don't offer coverage while traveling in the US.

FYI, we arrive on July 17th, 2014, so time if of the essence.

Thank you,

DoDoey.