Red Phoenix

The Ego is more complex than how you paint it here. A useful way to address this phenomenon, is to make the distinction between Essence and Personality. Personality is your 'clothing' and just like with your clothes you have preferences and these are not constant and can change in a whim but there is a pattern to it, E.g. you hear a song you like and it gets you in a good mood, untll you spill some coffee and immediately your mood changes. Then you get a phone-call of a lady you like and you are once again in a different suit. Of course you have a favorite clothe-line for your personality, e.g. being mostly serious or joyful or depressed, but those clothes are not your essence. Your essence is your real me, and if you do not make that distinction you can make the mistake to think that people in responsible positions necessarily have an essence to match the outward clothes they are wearing. A dominant authoritarian personality with a a gigantic Ego but with an undeveloped essence can be well respected and feared in social life, due to that Ego-suit but he is in fact an empty shell. And then you have people without education or social status that have a well developed essence, and at moments when it matters that will shine through as they are 'grounded'. Obviously much more can be said on this subject, but it might give you a taste that the Ego is not your real me, and that without developing your essence that your life - even though it might appear highly successful to society - is that of an automaton.

There is NO need to apply for 'intermediary' extensions > see my earlier post above yours. You can apply straight for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa (marriage), when having entered Visa Exempt (or on a Tourist Visa) when you have at least 15 days left on your Permit to stay (some Imm Offices require 21 or even 23 days, so enquire at your local Imm Office) and when you meet the financial requirements (400K on your personal Thai bank-account at moment of application). In case you do not have sufficient days left on your current permit to stay for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa (marriage) application, you could apply for a 30-day extension (1900,- THB). There is definitely no need to 'waste' your right for a 60-day extension of stay for reason of visiting your wife, as you can always use that option later when needed even if already on a Non Imm O Visa (marriage) or extension of such Visa.

When the Covid-saga started, reputed scientists (even Nobel-prize winners) who were featured on Wikipedia with their career and accomplishments and who dared to raise critical questions about covid or the jabs, saw their Wikipedia Bio changed over-night, Their accomplishment and references to the work they did were removed from Wikipedia and paragraphs questioning their 'scientific integrity' were added. Of course if you have used Wikipedia to look up subjects somewhat outside of the official accepted narrative (e.g. homeopathy, autism, climate change, etc.) you would be well aware that Wikipedia is strongly biased. So the Bio-rewrite was no surprise except for the fact that it was done so openly. Note that I still use Wikipedia, but only for 'neutral' subjects and even so I take the info with a grain of salt...

Often stated, but without a shred of evidence...

even wikipedia is not necessarily factual ?????????? That must be the understatement of the year!

As another poster already suggested, google the NAKHONCHAIAIR VIP-bus operator schedule from Bangkok to Mukdahan. If you plan to take the night-bus, they are a little bit more expensive than regular bus services but it's well worth opting for that company as the seats and service on-board are comparable or better than Business Class flights. Note: I don't think they depart from Mochit, but they have several other departure points from Bangkok...

You would be applying at the ChiangMai Imm Office for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage > so if you still have 21 days left on your VisaExempt Permit to stay (as rquired by ChiangMai Immigration), and you meet the requirements it would be your best option to apply asap. It looks like you do meet the requirements, as you wrote that you can show 400K on your personal Thai bank-account at moment of application. So no need to apply for 'intermediary' extensions in your case, when you can do the application with at least 21 days left on your Permit to stay. In case you don't have sufficient days left on your VisaExempt Permit to stay, you could then apply for the 30-days extension (1.900 THB) based on that VisaExempt entry, and once you got that 30-day extension - which will be added to your current Permit to stay expiry date - you could then apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa (marriage). Note: It is always better if you can avoid it, to not use the 60-days extension of stay for reason of visiting your family, and keep that one as a Joker up your sleeve as you can always use that 60-days extension when needed even if you are already on the 90-day Non Imm O Visa (marriage) or the 1-year extension of that Visa.

Added to my friends list. It's now alphabetically flanked between 2 other 'friends' - Cambodia Pol Pot and - Dolf H., Germany

Is this discussion not once again an example of polarity? On the one hand you have the majority of people whose core-belief is that 'everything happens to you' and that you as an individual have no power to change anything in the outside world. And strangely enough these are also the people that will argue that they have 'free will', but it seems that in their reality that free will amounts to little more than re-arranging the deck-chairs on the Titanic. And their victim-mentality makes them blame everything 'bad' that happens to them to those outside influences over which they have no power, while at the same time boasting about what they achieved because then the credit is only to them. On the other hand and at the complete end of the spectrum you have those that literally believe that 'you shape your reality' and since that reality is all there is they are omni-potent. "I am a God in the depths of my mind". Transcending the polarity then means realizing that neither of these extremes is 'true'. But that paradoxically the Truth lies in the middle. My personal belief is that nothing happens by chance. And thus everything you encounter has meaning and is put on your path to teach you that which you know already but have forgotten. So in a sense you do create your reality, while dealing with these outside influences. The words 'influence/shape' better convey the idea that we are neither the 'ping-pong ball in the tornado' nor the Creator of the universe. It's more like a cosmic dance where you come to realize that what happens to you is the universe responding to your consciousness and inviting you to join and giving up your Ego.

Shave the frogs!

@BritTim - You are as good as always spot-on, but in this case I am not sure if what you wrote is fully correct. > When the OP's e Visa application for the 1-year ME Non Imm O Visa for dependant Thai child would not be approved, most probably the Embassy would provide him with a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for resason of dependant Thai child. And once he is in Thailand and would then apply for the 1-year extension of that Non Imm O Visa (dependant Thai child) at his local Imm Office, he would normally only have to provide evidence of 400.000 THB on his personal Thai bank-account at the moment of application. This because normally there are no seasoning requirements required when applying for reason of dependant child. Note that I deliberately use the word 'normally' as the LOCAL Imm Office might have different requirements than what the the 'general' Immigration rules outline, and hence it would be recommended that he visits his local Imm Office to hear about his options.

At which Imm Office would you be applying for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa? Some offices require 21 days, 23 days or 15 working days left on your permit to stay to be eligible to apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa.

OP - in your case you have 3 options: #1 - Applying for the e Non Imm O Visa for reason of dependant child. The UK Thai Embassy can provide you with either the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for dependant child or the 1-year MultipleEntry Non Imm O Visa for dependant child. The requirements are different so you can opt for the Visa that best meets your needs. Note that the 1-year ME Non Imm O Visa requires you to exit Thaland after 90 days or alternatively apply for a 60-day extension at your local Imm Office for visting your dependant child (but after those 150 days you need to exit Thalland by doing a border-hop and obviously you can immediately return and repeat the above). #2 - Entering Thailand Visa Exempt (without Visa) or on a 60-day Tourist Visa, and at the end of the Permit to stay for either entry, head to the Savannakhet Consultate (across the Mekhong near Mukdahan) and apply there for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for dependant child. It's a quick process with minimal bureaucracy and you will get the Visa day after application. #3 - Entering Thailand Visa Exempt (without Visa) or on a 60-day Tourist Visa, and at the end of the Permit to stay for either entry when still having at least 15 days left on your Permit to stay, apply at your local Imm Office for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for dependant child. Re the financial requirements > that application only requires you ,to provide evidence of 400K on a personal Thai bank-account at the moment of application, after which you are free to use the funds as you please (no seasoning requirements for a dependant Thai child application). And then at the end of those 90 days apply for a 1-year extension based on that Non Imm O dependant child Visa. Funds-wise once again evidence of 400K on your personal thai bank-account at moment of application and once again free to use those funds afterwards as you please without any seasoning requirements. >> Note that you should enquire at your local Imm Office for their requirements for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for dependant Thai child and subsequent 1-year extension of such Visa, as the LOCAL requirements might be different than the general ones which I have outlined higher. Cheers and succes!

When having moved from BKK to HuaHin, you are expected to notify the local Imm Office within 24 hours of your change of address by providing them with a TM-30 (and the underlying documents). Most offices are not strict about the 'within 24 hours' but try to do it within the first week of your move. When you do this in person, that would also be the ideal moment to ask for a document with the requirements for a 1-year extension based on your Non Imm O Visa (marriage) as applicable at the HuaHin Imm office.

Thanks. That sounds indeed like a very plausible reason why your wife has to accompany you when you are applying for the 1-year extension of stay for a different reason than marriage. But if they really wanted to have proof that you did not breach the terms under which the marriage extension was provided, why don't they ask then for a recent Khor Ror 2 confirmation letter of the marriage, that any Amphur can deliver on the spot?

@24Catty > I did PM you a comprehensive Guideline document on how stay long-term in Thailand when +50 years of age, outlining both the process (and Health-Insurance related caveats) to apply for the 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country, as well as the process to apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa (retirement). The document also addresses how to switch from the Non Imm O-A to the Non Imm O.

That's correct and to be taken into account when departing for Thailand VisaExempt. So if you have or plan to buy a return fight after the 30 days for which you will be stamped in on arrival, the airline at depature might and probably will ask for an outbound-flight ticket on a date prior to your 30 day Permit to stay. There are several options to meet that requirement: - Buy a cheap throw-away one-way flight from Bangkok to a neighboring country (e.g. one-way tickets BKK to HoChiMinh city only cost approx 2.000 THB) - Buy an on-line onward-flight reservation ticket (e.g. onwardticket.com). These are genuine and fully legit reservation tickets and cost approx 12-15 US $, the companies providing that service automatically cancel them 2-3 days after ordering the ticket, and the ticket is delivered on the spot (so you need to do this close to your departure date, e.g. night before departure). - Book a flexible return-ticket and after arrival in Thailand change the return date from prior to the 30-days to the actual date you want to return.

I never used an Agent and am not living in the Bangkok area, so I cannot speak from experience, but hopefully AN-members reading this thread might provide the contact-details of bona-fide Visa Agents serving customers dealing with the Samut Prakan Imm office.

I agree that your attitude often turns out to be a 'self-fulfilling prophecy' for what you encounter. But in this case John had already a history of unpleasant exchanges with that Imm Office lady and I can fully understand his anger and frustration with the 'service' they provide.

I did a quick Google search, and this Samut Prakan based Visa Agent turned up. https://thaivisacentre.com/ and also on Facebook > https://web.facebook.com/thaivisacentre/?_rdc=1&_rdr = = =

It's BS though, right? The reason Imm Offices often require that your wife is accompagning you when changing your Visa for reason of marriage to reason of retirement, is to ensure that your wife is aware of the change (as it might be the early forbode of you wanting to divorce her). Obviously one could always exit Thailand without a Re-Entry Permit, which would void the current Permit to stay, and then apply again for the reason of your choice.

The fine for not having done the 90-day report within due date (including the 6-day grace period when doing it in person), is 2.000,- THB. And that is irrespective of how long you are over the due date (which can range from 1 day to almost a year). There are also no further consequences when having paid the fine. So no need to make a trip to the Imm Office when you are already over due, just be prepared to pay the fine when you have to visit your Imm Office for a service you need (in your case - when picking up the Visa stamp for your 1-year marriage extension). Note: It's well possible that your Imm Office did your 90-day report automatically when you applied for the 1-year extension, but in that case they would normally have stapled the Notification form with next due date in your passport.

It looks like the experiences of long-term stayers with incompetent, lazy and corrupt Imm Officers are on the rise. In the last 2-3 weeks I came across 8 of such stories (3 from close friends so not even posted on the Forum), and several even more outrageous than John's experience. Lucky for John he now has his 1-year extension for reason of retirement. TIP: Next year that evil witch at the Samut Prakarn office will most probably try to deny your 1-year extension again, as it looks like it has become a personal feud against you. Two options for you: @1 - Don't wait till final days to apply for the extension, but do it 1-2 weeks before Permit to stay expiry. And in case it goes sideways, you could then exit Thailand which will 'kill' your current Permit to stay (make sure that you did NOT buy a Re-Entry Permit as that will complicate things). And apply at the Thai Consulate in Savannakhet, Laos (just across the Mekong river from Mukdahan) for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement. When you have an official pension statement (proof of pension for the equivalent of +65.000 THB per month), you can even apply for the 1-year MultipleEntry Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement. That Visa will allow you to NEVER have to visit that Office from Hell again, while still staying at your address in that province and no 90-day reports to be made. The drawback being that you would have to exit Thailand every 3 months, to apply for a new 90-day Non Imm O Visa in Savannakhet, or by doing a simple border-run at any crossing when you have a 1-year MultipleEntry Non Imm O Visa. Inconvenient as those 90-day exits are, that still looks a lot better than the stress of dealing with that Office from hell. #2 - An even easier alternative is making use of a Visa Agent. And since you meet the financial requirements, it would be a fully legal 'hand-holding' service the Agent would provide. Just provide all the requirement documents to the Agent (he will check whether they are correct and compete), and he will then do the application on your behalf. Possibly you won't even have to be there when he does the application.

Worst advice ever. Not only would he have to officially move his address to do that, but the 'dragon ladies' at the Jomtien and SriRacha Imm offices are probably even worse than this SamutPrakarn Immigration witch.

Brown,. white, red and purple