Red Phoenix

No need for exiting Thailand and starting the Non Imm O process from scratch again. When the time is due to apply for the 1-year extension based on your Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage, you simply apply for a different reason, i.e. for reason of supporting Thai dependant children. The financial requirements are even less than for a marriage extension application, but there are some different documentary requirements that need to be met (and instead of your wife, your child/children need to accompany you when applying for the 1-year extension). The only snag could be that not all Imm Offices accept Non Imm O extension applications for reason of Thai dependant children. So best to visit your local Imm Office where you plan to apply for the 1-year extension, and ask them what requirements are applicable for such application (every Imm Office has its own interpretation on what is required at THEIR office).

Thanks, it is indeed possible to keep the SIM alive by topping it up. However, these top-ups are regular dTac subscription packages (with limited download) and are considerably more expensive on an annual basis. However if it would be possible to keep my SIM with same conditions (i.e. unlimited download at 30 Mbps speed) I would gladly do that. It would also avoid me having to inform all my contacts that my number has changed (which is a real pain and imo the main disadvantage of those 1 year SIMs). Anyone having done that?

Thanks, that's most probably what I will do. But as scubascuba3 wrote, I will wait till it actually expires and see if they do offer me a continuation. Note: When my previous 30 Mbps SIM-card expired, I got a message allowing me to buy limited download packages on-line with short expiration date. So I bought a 3-day package if I recall well, to bridge the time till my new SIM arrived.

Hi, I currently have a 30 Mbps dTac SIM with unlimited download (bought last year from Lazada or Shopee). It is the perfect SIM-card for me (I use my mobile as hotspot for my laptop, and can download at approx 20 Mbps and have no problems streaming HD-movies). Unfortunately that SIM card will expire in 1 week (18 april), so I am looking for a new 1-year dTac unlimited download SIM. Since last year the prices of these unlimited download SIMs seem to have approx doubled, but the price is not the issue for me. When looking on Lazada and Shopee (those unlimited SIMs are only available when bought on-line) I see that the 15 Mbps SIMs are still available, but it looks like the 30 Mbps ones, are sold out or not available anymore. Note that on Lazada there are 4 semi-identical ads/offers for such a dTac 30 Mbps SIM. But at approx 1050,- THB those offers are probably 'too good to be true' and it's of course a Big Red Flag that a Thailand dTac SIM would come from abroad... [ https://www.lazada.co.th/products/dtac-30-mbps-unlimited-sim-net-30mbps-1-12-30mbps-mobile2you-i5088939251.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.2.68315775KoSHyO ] Also: as the search-engine on both Lazada and Shopee is not very good, maybe they don't show up in my search. Would be grateful for any response/suggestions re the issue. Thanks in advance.

Yes, obtaining a Certificate of Residence at your local Imm Office should be free of cost. Of course there are Imm Offices that - contrary to the official policy - do charge for such a CoR. Anyway, at my SiSaKet Imm Office I got the CoR free of charge, but I needed a Request Form from the local DTP asking the Imm Office to provide it to me in order to apply for the Thai Driver's Permit. Luckily the DTP was only 3 km from the local Imm Office, and they provided that Request Form on the spot and also at no charge. Note that the CoR stated that it was to be used to apply for a Thai driver's permit at the local DTP, so it could not be used for any other purpose.

Most if not all of the provincial DTP's that issue Thai Driver's Permits, require a Certificate of Residence from non-Thais as proof of their official address in the province where the DTP is located. Such CoR can be obtained - usually at no cost - at the local Imm Office that issued your Non Imm O Visa/extension.

The "combination method" is one of the official options you have to meet the financial requirements for the 1-year extension based on your Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement. But as mentioned in my earlier post above this one - It will depend on the Imm Office where you apply, whether they allow that you make use of the "combination-method" to meet the financial requirements for your application. Several Imm offices do not allow the use of that method, and if they do there are sometimes some minor additional requirements to be met when making use of that method.

It is always recommended when researching a Thai Immigration related issue, to start from the latest version of the official requirements (like the one Liquorice posted above re the application requirements for a 1-year extension based on your Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement). But similarly important you need to take into account that in this crazy country which we all love that: #1 - Every one of the more than 80 Imm Offices in the 77 Thai provinces, have the authority to change and amend the official requirements, with additional requirements as they see fit. So what's required and accepted at the Imm Office in province X, can be rejected for not meeting 'their' requirements/interpretation at an Imm Office in another province. Hence the need when posting a request for information on an Immigration practice, to mention the specific Imm Office where you would apply. #2 - To complicate things even more, the requirements to be met do not only depend on the Imm Office where you apply, but also the specific Imm Officer handling your application, can apply his interpretation of the requirements to be met. #3 - Also be aware that several of the official requirements are 'updated' not by re-issuing an updated official version, but by issuing additional Police-orders on specific parts of the requirements. And obviously - this is Thailand - some Imm Offices or rather the Imm Officers that are supposed to execute these additional requirements 'never got the Memo'.

No, my SiSaKet Imm Office did not require to check my bank pass-book, when some 90 days after I returned to Thailand I did my 90-day report, and provided both my original damaged passport as well as my new one for transferral of the relevant information from my damaged old passport to my new. The 'stamp transfer' process took approx half an hour and the friendly and efficient Imm Officer was all the time checking and inputting data in their system and writing the relevant info manually in my new passport. No fee or payment was asked for conducting that lengthy process.

Fully agree with Richard Smith's post. I had a somewhat similar experience with a damaged passport > almost half of the back-cover of my Belgian passport was eaten by our dog. But luckily the ID-page and all the stamps were still pristine. I researched the matter and majority of sources indicated that travelling with a damaged passport to your home-country is allowed, but it's a definite no-no for travel to other countries. The only hick-up I faced was that I flew to Belgium with Emirates, and Thai border-immigration made an issue about that 'transit in another country' (where they didn't even check my passport by the way), but the Emirates staff helped me out on that one. On arrival in my home-country I applied for a new passport, and flew back to Thailand with both the damaged and new passport. I needed the damaged passport as it contained my Re-Entry Permit to protect the Permission to stay date based on my Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement. So on arrival in BKK the border Imm Officer stamped my new passport with the Permission to stay based on that Re-Entry Permit. And 3 months later when I had to do my 90-day report (new passport so not possible to do it on-line) I did both my 90-day report and my local Imm Office transfered all the relevant information from my old passport to my new one.

Hi AAArdvark, Thanks for sharing your experience as it gives a glimmer of hope for my friend that he might not have to exit Thailand and start the whole process for a Non Imm O Visa from scratch again. A couple of questions though: #1 - At which Imm Office did you apply for the 1-year extension of stay based on your Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement? #2 - Did you - like my friend - NOT meet the required 'Funds-in-Bank' requirement during the 12 months preceding your application for the 1-year extension? #3 - What additional requirements and documents did your Imm Office impose/require when you switched from the 'Funds-in-Bank' method to the 'Monthly-Income-Transfer' method? Obviously you would have to provide evidence of having transferred +65.000,- THB from abroad during each and every month in the 12 months preceding your application for the 1-year extension. But did the Imm Office also require a 'pension statement' or any other documents regarding the source of these monthly transfers? Thanks in advance for response.

MY SOUL HAS A HAT I counted my years & realized that I have Less time to live by, Than I have lived so far. I feel like a child who won a pack of candies: at first he ate them with pleasure, But when he realized that there was little left, he began to taste them intensely. I have no time for endless meetings where the statutes, rules, procedures & internal regulations are discussed, knowing that nothing will be done. I no longer have the patience To stand absurd people who, Despite their chronological age, Have not grown up. My time is too short: I want the essence, My spirit is in a hurry. I do not have much candy In the package anymore. I want to live next to humans, Very realistic people who know How to laugh at their mistakes, Who are not inflated by their own triumphs, & who take responsibility for their actions. In this way, human dignity is defended And we live in truth and honesty. It is the essentials that make life useful. I want to surround myself with people Who know how to touch the hearts of those whom hard strokes of life Have learned to grow, with sweet touches of the soul. Yes, I’m in a hurry. I’m in a hurry to live with the intensity that only maturity can give. I do not intend to waste any of the remaining desserts. I am sure they will be exquisite, Much more than those eaten so far. My goal is to reach the end satisfied And at peace with my loved ones and my conscience. We have two lives & the second begins when you realize you only have one. Mario de Andrade (Saõ Paolo 1893-1945)

Thanks! From your response it is implied that in order to switch from the 'Funds-in-Bank' method to 'Monthly-income-transfer' method, that you need to show full compliance for BOTH methods in the 12 months preceding your application for the 1-year extension. If that is correct, then obviously he would not be able to make the switch, as due to that urgent withdrawal he made, he does not meet the 800K criterium of the Funds-in-Bank method during first 3 months after application anymore.

1 - Yep, a friend who PM-ed me about the situation I described. My Imm Office is in SiSaKet province, but his address is in Bangkok, hence the request for any additional requirements that CW might impose when wanting to do such a switch. 2 - He has been transferring every month +65K from abroad and this from before he got his current 1-year extension of stay, hence the question whether he would be able to switch from the 'Funds-in-Bank' method to the 'Monthly-Income-transfer' method, when applying for his 1-year extension of stay due 31 Oct 2024. 3 - If he - due to additional requirements from CW - is not eligible for making using of the 'Monthly-Income-transfer' method, then he has no choice but to leave Thailand and on return start the process to apply for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa from scratch.

Applying for the 1-year 'retirement' extension only requires 1 visit to CW. That's obviously far more attractive to him than having to leave Thailand, and on return apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement, with the 'under consideration' period. And then at the end of the 90 days apply for the 1-year extension based on that new 90-day Non Imm O Visa.

Due to urgent necessity a friend of mine had to use part of the funds that he kept on his personal Thai bank-account and dipped 150.000,- THB under the required tresshold minimum of 800K to meet the financial requirements for his next 1-year extension. He did this during the first 3 months after he applied for his current 1-year extension based on his Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement. He did not have sufficient funds on his other Thai bank-accounts, reason that he had to use part of the required 800K during that initial 3-month period. However, he has been transferring more than 65.000,- THB every month from abroad. His Imm Office is CW, and his current Permission to stay is due to expire 31 October 2024. QUESTION > Are there any AN-members that have switched when applying for their 1-year extension from the 'Funds-in-Bank' method to 'Monthly-income-transfer' method? And if so are there any additional requirements to be met at CW for such a switch besides proof of having transferred +65K funds from abroad each and every month for the 12 months preceding the application for his 1-year extension in October 2024? Thanks for any responses. Note: He is well aware that if he would not meet any additional requirements that CW might impose for such a switch at his next 1-year extension application, that he would have no option but to leave Thailand, and on return start the application process from scratch again for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa.

When the Re-entry Permit in your old - now invalidated - passport was not stamped 'Used' (and thus still valid), I would presume that the border Immigration Officer on entry would honor it by stamping you in - in your new passport - till the Permission to stay date, which the Re-Entry Permit protected. Because that's the 'normal process'. The fact that you already had the relevant Visa-information transferred from your old to your new passport at CW (except for that Re-Entry permit) should not deter them from honoring that still valid Re-Entry Permit in your old passport. When you would not have already done the stamp-transfer process at your Imm Office, and would enter Thailand with a 'blanc' new passport, the border Imm Officer without any doubt would simply stamp the protected Permission to stay in your new Passport. But of course this is Thailand, so if you are dealing with a dim border-immigration officer you might have to ask for the officer in charge in case the border-immigration officer would just want to provide you with a 30-day Permission to stay stamp.

A new trial out of Thailand recently published in the medical peer-reviewed literature with 995 participants showed that treatment with fluvoxamine and at least one other drug was 100% successful in preventing hospitalization from COVID. For those receiving standard of care, 37.5% required hospitalization. Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589537024000968 Summary Background Repurposed drugs with host-directed antiviral and immunomodulatory properties have shown promise in the treatment of COVID-19, but few trials have studied combinations of these agents. The aim of this trial was to assess the effectiveness of affordable, widely available, repurposed drugs used in combination for treatment of COVID-19, which may be particularly relevant to low-resource countries... Findings Among 1900 recruited, a total of 995 participants completed the trial. No participants had clinical deterioration by day 9, 14, or 28 days among those treated with fluvoxamine plus bromhexine (0%), fluvoxamine plus cyproheptadine (0%), or niclosamide plus bromhexine (0%). Nine participants (5.6%) in the fluvoxamine arm had clinical deterioration by day 28, requiring low-flow oxygen. In contrast, most standard care arm participants had clinical deterioration by 9, 14, and 28 days. By day 9, 32.7% (110) of patients in the standard care arm had been hospitalized without requiring supplemental oxygen but needing ongoing medical care. By day 28, this percentage increased to 37.5% (21).... Interpretation Early treatment with these combinations among outpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 was associated with lower likelihood of clinical deterioration, and with significant and rapid reduction in the viral load and serum cytokines, and with lower burden of PASC symptoms. When started very soon after symptom onset, these repurposed drugs have high potential to prevent clinical deterioration and death in vaccinated and unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. (more)

But, but, but what about the covid-jabs that were supposed to also significantly reduce the risk of getting this 'long covid'...

> "If a vaccine gives you 50% better protection against a common disease, you take it." Ever heard of the Risk-Reward assessment that you (or your doctor) should do before taking the shot? The jabs are anything but 'all Reward, no Risks' like the MSM want you to believe...

To experience 'the erosion of trust between patients and healthcare professionals' one only needs to be so unfortunate as to be admitted to a hospital where imposed Protocol is strictly adhered to and patients treated as numbers or underage children.

When you are still married most offices will make you remain on extension based on marriage even when you have children. > It's worth enquiring at your Korat Imm Office, whether they would allow you to switch from your current extension based on Marriage, to a 1-year extension for reason of dependant Thai children. Obviously you should not 'wake sleeping dogs' and inform them that your wife would be taking up a job in Phuket. But it would be a perfectly legitimate question to ask as it has the advantage for you that when you use the Funds-in-Bank method that a 1-year extension based on 'thai dependant children', only requires the +400K funds to be on your personal Thai bank at the moment of application. Also note that a house-visit by Immigration (to check whether you are indeed living together) is as good as always announced a couple of hours before Immigration actually shows up. This to avoid a wasted trip for them in case you would not be home. When receiving such a call during the 'under consideration' period, you can always say that your wife is not home as she is on a trip visiting relatives in Phuket. And you could then agree on another date for the home-visit allowing your wife to return to your home just for that visit.

He wrote that his 90-day report due date was 21 March, but that he applied for his 1-year extension on 6 March. That's one day too early as in his case the earliest date to do the 90-day report was 7 March.

The TM6-arrival/departure card has been suspended when entering Thailand by air. However, when using a land-border to enter Thailand, it is still in use.

That explains the Imm Officers denial of your initial application, as you would have no evidence of funds being 'long time' seasoned on a personal Thai bank-account.