Tod Daniels

Just now, Wongkitlo said:

Hi Tod. I have often wondered if you need to prove that the 400,000 came from your home country. I know for retirement you need to show it has come from a foreign transfer but for non o married to a,Thai is it the same?

At this time there is no immigration office in the country that I'm aware of which requires you show proof of funds origin for the 400k baht to get the initial 90 day Non-O visa based on marriage to a thai.

And I believe it's only Bangkok that requires proof of funds origin for the 800K baht to get the initial 90 day Non-O visa based on being over 50 (retirement)

no other office asks about where the funds came from.   

1 minute ago, Mike Lister said:

Trust me when I say that I have never had a skewed perception of my importance to the Thai economy, nor that of expats in general. In fact, I've argued the same point that you are trying to argue here, more times than I care to remember.

 

But you have to be very careful about how you present the argument. On a one to one comparison basis, expats on average outspend tourists but overall, the sum total of all tourists outspend the sum total of all expats.

 

 

That was said quite succinctly, and I will give you three thumbz up for that  👍👍👍

I thought this was a thread about the proposed (and approved but not yet enacted) changes to the entry/visa/extension process.

Seems to be turning into people saying "look how much I spend here, I'm important, I contribute, why isn't my visa category changing?"

If long stay foreigners factored in to the equation in the least believe me they'd have fooled with the visa/extension rules to reflect it. 

Sadly we do not..
 

4 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

The average spend per tourist per trip in 2023 was just under 51k baht (3k baht per day) whilst the average duration of stay was 17 days, after which they are gone until next year.

Thailand is expected to welcome 36 million foreign tourists in 2024. 

You do the math @Mike Lister. What us long-stay expats spend doesn't even factor into the grand scheme of things. We are too small a number to make a difference. It is what it is just have to accept it 

Believe me you're far from the first foreigner who has a skewed perception of their contribution or their importance to this country.. 

How about we agree to disagree and call it a day?

1 minute ago, Jack1988 said:

So i'll tell my friend to only use the first border run to get 30 free days and then use a second and final border run to apply for a tourist visa at the thai embassy in vientiane

How about you tell you friend to make sure he gets the 30 day extensions on his free entry stamps at the immigration office for 1900baht.
AND
He wouldn't be using the second and final border run to go to Lao to get a visa, because he's not stamping back IN to thailand until he has the visa 😕 

To use that entry he'd have to ENTER thailand without a visa, he's just leaving that doesn't count for anything 

You can exit thailand by land as many times as you want, you can only ENTER free stamp 2 times in a year

8 minutes ago, Middle Aged Grouch said:

Totally absurd steps as one of the biggest spenders are the retirees who own property in Thailand.

 

The non imm O visa for retirement should be given for at least 4 months, with no further hassles or red tape on the e-visa website,  to all western european nationals who own property.

 

 

I think you are more than a little confused 😕 Long Stay expats (even ones married to thaiz who support the obligatory in-lawz & out-lawz) are NOT significant contributors to the country as a whole.

It is TOURISTS that "grease this wheel" here. They outspend long stay foreigners day in day out AND most importantly after they're done touring, they leave and go back to where they came from 😛 

I believe you have your wires crossed a bit @248900_1469958220 about how to go from one extension to another extension based on employment

It does NOT include getting that "application for extension not approved" 7 day stamp that gives you a week to get out of dodge. <- That stamp can't be switched to anything inside the country, you just leave on or before that date
 

What you'd do is get documentation from your current employer, saying you stop work on xxx date, you'd cancel the work permit and go to the immigration office about a week before the date on the termination paperwork. The office will cancel your current extension and stamp you in until the termination date. (Most offices allow you do go up to 2 weeks before your last day to cancel your extension)

That gives you time to get the NEW documents from the new employer and apply for a brand new extension of stay based on employment at the immigration office.
 

Now on the rare chance your office won't let you early cancel, you really have a gun to your head because you have to cancel your extension AND apply for the new extension with the new employer at the same time (hopefully they're at the same immigration office)  
 

It definitely can be done and is actually done quite a lot,

One person recently cancelled their employment extension in Chiang Mai and then went to Hat Yai and applied for a new extension based on employment there 😮

So even between different offices/provinces it can be done if BOTH the old and new employer will "play ball" and supply the correct documentation for you.

29 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

Just one more question: can my friend show his 3 months bank statement on his wise account or it must be from a Thai bank account?

IF I was a betting man, I'd bet dollars to durian NO you can't use a WISE account because it's not a bank. I mean they can try it but I'd sure take either their foreign OR thai bank account statement for the last 3 months in case they nix that lemme use WISE idea 🙂

32 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

And it's possible to apply for tourist visa at the Thai embassy in Vientiane on the second and final border run?

They don't care if you burned your two free 30 day entries to thailand or not when you're up there applying for a tourist visa, just remember though IF you burn the two 30 day free entry stamps you get by land in a year, AND you get denied the visa at the thai consulate in Vientiane you aren't coming back to thailand by land 😕 You'll have to fly back

I always tell people to hold at least one of the free entries by land in reserve in case you come off the rails getting a visa OR get denied entry by air, that way you can still enter by land free stamp 

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

So what gives you concern that you may not be seen as the child's legal father?

The fact they have their name on the birth certificate when a thai child is born to a foreign father without him being married to the mother is not enough to give him "legal parental rights" <- where he can use that child for a visa/extension to stay long term IN thailand. 
 

29 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Why was I lucky that I had not burned the 60 day visa?

Because you can only get ONE 60 day extension (per entry or per extension) depending on the office and if you'd taken one on this extension you were on, (no matter how many years back) as long as the extensions you were daisy chained together year after year, you couldn't have gotten one  😕 And then you'd have had to exit/re-enter and start from square one

29 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Thank you for your advice but I suggest that you go and teach your grandmother to suck eggs, I have been doing both retirement and marriage extensions since 2009 quite successfully on my own without the need for an agent.

Wasn't suggesting you use an agent, so dunno how you mis-remembered what I said 😕 

You were definitely lucky insofar as you had that 60 day extension available to you AND that the officer was willing to issue it to you (which they were under no obligation to do seeing as you were already on overstay with an expired stamp 🙂 )  

You seem to have an fair idea of what you're doing (other than the self inflicted problem that arose with the passport expiring 😉 ). Shouldn't have much problem getting the year extension when you go apply. 

Sincerely good luck with it 👍 

And I will agree with you That KKP office is fine to deal with, I think you're correct, it's the fact they are swamped by hundreds/thousands of foreigners every week that makes them take a much more "well, let's see what we can do for you" approach rather than the "CANNOT!!!" that you you see at so many offices  

2 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

So what is actually going to happen on this date? Will you be issued with a new 1-year extension of stay for marriage, as people on here seem to be assuming?

 

 

They had a year extension inked into their new passport which had expired by one day.

They went to the immigration office applied for the 60 day visit thai family extension for 1900baht and then once they have the proof of funds, all the documentation required they'll go BACK to the immigration office when this stamp is running down and apply for a new yearly extension based on marriage for another 1900baht.

They didn't lose their old extension (even though it was expired when they went in to get the 60 day visit thai family extension. They were just fined a day overstay and sold that 60 day extension <- which was REALLY a good thing that the immigration office didn't have to do in the least.

The office/officer could have said, you ran your stamp out, leave/come back, start the whole process all over again, from square one with a 90 day Non-O, then a year extension. 

Seems like they lucked out and just will have to get the year extension when this time burns down   

13 minutes ago, Denim said:

 

 There must be quite a few hotels there that will be feeling the pinch now that their customer base has evaporated.

The "pinch" those hotels are feeling are not from the foreigners who aren't slogging there to get year-long, multi-entry Non-O visas based on marriage

It's from the consulate going to limited online only appointments to get in the gate and cutting down the 300+ people a day standing out in front of the consulate to get visas 😮 

The year-multi-Non-O's they issued to foreigners married to thaiz was just a tiny drop of the overall number of visas they cranked out (mostly to burmese and chinese)

7 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

I know rules vary, but I have to have 400k in the bank for 60 days before making my application, then I get my 30 days consideration.

 

I believe you are confusing two completely different things
applying for a year extension based on marriage INSIDE the country at the immigration office where you live (which cost 1900baht) and which you get a 30 day under consideration stamp when you apply and then go back to get the year inked in when that runs down
AND
Applying for a year-long, multi-entry Non-O VISA based on marriage to a thai at a thai consulate in Savannakhet Lao where you pay 5000baht and get the visa sticker stuck in your passport

3 hours ago, connda said:

Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning - your post just drips of disdain for those of us married to Thai women and who post about this obvious difference.  Thanks for wading into this thread and beating the rest of us with a verbal club.  Have a little heart as well as respect.  Posers?  Come on, get real.  What you spewed here was really unnecessary and purposefully hostile.

 

My apologies there @connda  I wasn't singling out foreign males married to thai women OR foreign women married to thai men, and I wake up on the same side of the bed every day thanx for asking though.. 

I was using an overly broad brush (possibly a roller 😛 ) in reference to any person posting on the tiny part of the inter-web that is related to thailand and pointing out it is unlikely any of those people would have a clue about why the rule is the rule 🙂

I got no disdain for foreigners who wing their way here and marry thaiz, sheesh I know hundreds of foreign/thai couplez here. If that works for you good on you.

Sorry, didn't mean to jerk your chain or wind you up. Believe me IF/WHEN I post 'hostile' you'll most definitely know. This was just an observational comment mixed with my normal cynicism, sarcasm and a touch of snark 😉       

 

This isn't a Kamphaeng Phet office policy it's EVERYWHERE and it's been many years now that when you get a yearly extension with a passport NOT valid for the year you only get an extension valid until the passport expires. 

Sadly getting a new passport and transferring the stamps to it does NOT give you the rest of the year that you shorted yourself by applying with a passport not valid the year the extension would be 😕

You were lucky you hadn't burned that ONE visit thai family extension you're allowed for 60 days. That will buy you the time to fall back, re-group and apply for the year extension again. 

So just get your ducks in a row, get the documents and go apply for the new yearly extension of stay like normal when you have 30 days or less left on this current stamp and your funds are seasoned the 2 month required if you're using banked money method 

6 hours ago, Korat Kiwi said:

I wonder how or what they are going to apply to same sex married couples now they've passed that into law. 

 

That could become a can of worms

Good question and you are certainly correct it will open up a GIANT "can 'o wormz"

I am sure the powerz-that-b here haven't even contemplated how the changes in the marriage laws between sexes will work immigration visa/extension wise

right now it's;
foreign male/thai female, foreigner banks 400K 
foreign female/thai male, foreigner banks nothing

How the other permutations will parse out I guess that remains to be seen 🙂    

Well the good news is Indian passport holders are not on the list of countries that require special processing time.
 

The thai consulate in K/L is a mandatory appt booked online consulate to get in the gate. You do that at this link
Online Appt Booking Kuala Lumpur

Also while they're not hard core, they are certainly no nonsense as far as meeting the requirements for the visa you're applying for.  So definitely go to the website and read the tourist visa requirements carefully and meet those criteria
Tourist Visa Kuala Lumpur
 

𝗠𝘆 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜 𝗿𝗲-𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝟲𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮, 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗕 (𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲) 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗢 (𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀).
That is gonna 100% be up to your employer and they should already know if you can or can't get that Non-B and then the Non-O's for the family issued in country before you even contemplate going

Keep in mind, right now indian passport holders get stamped in free entry for 30 days AND they can get a 30 day extension on that as well.

Now to be completely honest, I don't know whether you can convert those entry stamps in country to a Non-B/Non-O or not (some nationalities who are on promotions for extended entry stamps cannot do in country conversion to a Non-Immigrant visa on those entry stamps). ..

Check with your new employer to see if you can just bounce out/back and do the switch from the free entry stamp.

As a rule there's not problem going from a visa exempt 30 day or 60 day tourist visa entry to an in country Non-Immigrant type visa at the immigration office.

Unless I'm mistaken if you're in Bangkok you, being a BOI company employee, would get your Non-B at Cham Churi Square One Stop Service Center but your wife and child would go to Chaengwattana to get the Non-O visa based on trailing spouse of a foreigner legally working here and child of a foreigner working here after you got your Non-B issued.

5 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

It might depend on the office(r). As usual. I've been told I have to complete the form by hand in blue ink.

if you're filling the form out by hand you DO use blue ink 🙂 BUT you can also just fill in the blanks on the PDF, then print it out to use, and as long as you sign that form in blue ink you'll be ok 

Okay there are two ways to get "legal parental rights" granted as the father of a thai child born out of wedlock

The first is if the child is old enough to go with both parents to the local Amphur <-City Hall and identify you as the father. usually that's when a child is 6 or 7 years old) so this option isn't viable for you

The second option is to go thru family court, so get your thai child's mother to start googling around and find the nearest family court office to where ever you are in thailand.

Then take everything you have documentation wise over there and see IF you can do an uncontested case (as you said you live with the mother and she's okay with you having parental rights)

Some family court offices will let the parents do the petition themselves but some make you retain an attorney to do it, so that's gonna come down to the family court office you're dealing with 

The process is not fast, but most of the time is taken up by waiting, you file, wait for the initial hearing, then wait for interviews, get interviewed, wait for the next hearing and finally wait for the decision. Pre-covid it was not uncommon to see this whole thing take 6 months to wind it's way thru the family court system (although again, depending on the court it could be sooner) 

Unfortunately until you actually get granted legal parental rights of your child as the foreign father you cannot get a Non-O visa or long term extension issued for that reason inside the country at the immigration office. You can get the 90 day Non-O visa issued a most nearby thai consulates with just your name on the birth certificate along with the mother's and child's thai i/d, house book etc,
AND
You can get one 60 day visit thai family extension granted per entry at the immigration office based on being the father of a thai child without legal parental rights

9 hours ago, itsallmedia said:

 

I know how to apply, I've done 2 before with the evisa site for multiple entry.

 

However, now the multi entry option is gone from the evisa site. It's only giving me the option to do singles.

They stopped it back toward the end of last year, all the multi-entry choices for Non-O based on retirement, Non-O based on marriage and Non-O based on raising thai children are just available as single entry now.
 

AFAIK there is no consulate that will issue a year-long, multi-entry Non-O visa based on raising thai child whether you have the 400K baht banked and the legal parental rights decree or not.

All the consulates will do is sell single entry