ScottOzThai

Thanks for that Dr Jack, you helped me with some information last year too. You do a fine job. If you look at the reply I got from BrandonJT you will understand my confusion regarding whether it is 45 days from the expiry date of the visa or 45 days from the end of my entry stamp date. I have seen people saying both but the Phuket Immigration Volunteers page states: "The extension application can be submitted within the last 45 days (Phuket specific) of the current visa/extension. Both applicant and wife must be present at immigration during the application process." So, am I correct on that one? Also, do you think six weeks is enough time to get the extension? I am over 50. I use the marriage visa rather than a retirement visa because I fly in and out regularly and I have met someone on a retirement visa who was doing the same and he was questioned and had his visa cancelled after a few entries. Thanks for any clarification you can provide. And, thanks for letting me know about applying for the multi entry permit. Much appreciated.

Hi all, I had been intending to return to Savannakhet to apply for a new spouse visa, as I fly in and out from Thailand to Oz for work on a fortnightly basis and this was the most convenient option, given my circumstances. It appears that this is not as user-friendly this year. Therefore, I am looking at missing a work swing, giving me six weeks to extend my current spouse visa from my home in Phuket. Am I correct in understanding that I can apply for the extension within 45 days of the visa expiring? My example is that I will land in Phuket on January the 20th, 2025, getting a 90 day entry stamp. My visa expires on the 14th of February 2025, so I believe I can apply the day I land. Then, if the application is accepted, I will be given a month under consideration and told to return on a date at the end of that month to receive my multiple entry one-year extension, from the date of the visa expiry. I've looked at the Phuket Immigration Volunteers web page (https://piv-phuket.com) and it looks like my plan is doable within my six-week window. If anyone who has extended their spouse visa in Phuket recently or someone else in the know who can help clarify anything I may be missing could reply on here I would appreciate it greatly. All the best everyone.

Hi all, I successfully obtained a one year multi-entry Non O spouse visa in Savannakhet on the 16th of February 2024. I had got four or five of these visas in Savannakhet before 2020, and all the covid disruptions. The only new requirement was having to show 400K Thai Baht in your Thai bank account, via a bank letter from your local branch. I got the bank letter two days before I arrived in Savannakhet to put my application in, it cost 200 Baht at Krungsri Bank. Last November I had turned up with a bank statement from Oz. I believe that not long before I arrived that had been acceptable but alas, no more. I ended up getting a three month single-entry Non O spouse visa for 2000 Baht and then applied for a multi-entry stamp when I returned to Thailand. That cost another 3800 Baht if I remember correctly. I fly in and out of Thailand frequently so that was a good temporary fix for me. It gave me time and allowed me to open a Thai Bank account and stick some cash in it before I went back in February to try again. There was no requirement for the money to be in the account for any period of time when I applied in February. The Siam Bank, that I went to first to try and open an account, refused me on the basis that my visa was only valid for three months. Thankfully, the Krungsri Bank, in contrast, couldn't have been more helpful. A very efficient and pleasant bank lady went through all the paperwork with me and then set up my bank app too. I was out of there, with my account, in about 30 minutes. Make sure you open your bank account close to home as there are certain things you can only do at your local branch, so I was told by the bank, such as getting a bank letter. Together with my bank letter, the consulate took the following: Application Form. Available at the consulate or you can download it from this link. https://savannakhet.thaiembassy.org/th/publicservice/non-immigrant-visa-o-visiting-family-member-of-a-thai-nationality-a-sp?page=5d84a44c15e39c26b400453e&menu=5d84a44c15e39c26b4004540 Two Passport Photos Passport Signed Copy of Passport Signed Copy of Wife's Passport Signed Copy of Wife's ID Card Signed Copy of Wife's Tabien Baan Original Marriage Certificate and Signed Copy (Original Viewed and Returned) Kor Ror 2 Signed Copy of Laos Visa Across the road from the consulate, there is a coffee shop that provides a copy service. They know all the documents and copies that are needed for all applications and are happy to help. I had to go over to get my Laos visa copied, only took a minute. On the application form, there was no multiple-entry option so I wrote it next to the Non O check box and added the 5000 Baht fee. I then handed all the paperwork over through the window at the consulate, paid the 5000 Baht fee and was handed a numbered ticket to use the next afternoon to collect my passport. A handy hint would be to take a photo of the ticket as I seem to remember, on a previous trip, people having to wait till last to collect their passports after losing their tickets. The many times that I have travelled from Mukdahan to Savannakhet I've done it pretty much the same way. I've stayed at the Submukdaphum Place Hotel which is about 20 metres from the bus station ticket office. It's a grand old hotel inside, basic but clean and convenient, and their nice big rooms with ensuite cost 400 Baht per night. You can sit and have complimentary coffee and biscuits for breakfast, in a room next to the reception, overlooking the bus station before you jump on the bus to Savannakhet. The bus leaves at a quarter to the hour, every hour during the daytime, and it costs 45 Baht to Savannakhet. The bus drops everyone off at the Thai immigration on the Friendship Bridge and you jump back on after you've passed through. It then takes you over the Mekong to the Laos immigration. Every time I've applied and got my Laos visa (1800 Baht and a passport photo needed), the bus has already left for Savannakhet. You could wait for the next bus but it's better to jump in a taxi or tuk-tuk as you're only a 10 minute drive from the Thai Consulate, 200 Baht gets two of us there, arriving a bit over an hour after leaving Mukdahan. On the return to Mukdahan, you will have your visa so you will get from bus station to bus station with all the other passengers. While in Savannakhet I usually stay at the Avalon Hotel, for 550 Baht per night. It's 15 minute walk or 100 Baht in a tuk-tuk from immigration, 10 minutes walk to the Mekong and 5 minutes walk to the bus station. There is also a very good Laos style restaurant/venue close by, called Home Beer, open all day. You turn right out of the hotel and take the first left and you'll find it about 50 metres up that road. Also, beside the Mekong, you will find an open-air spot where you can buy some food and Beer Lao and spend a nice afternoon while you wait for your visa to be processed. All in all, I enjoy my visa trips to Savannakhet. I hope this report is useful for anyone intending to head there for a visa. All the best.

Thanks for your reply. I am heading to Savannakhet next week to get a multiple entry Non O visa. I was curious about applying for an extension for next year and thought I'd ask you. My Thai bank statement showing 400k deposited last week and therefore not seasoned is my only concern, as there are a lot of conflicting reports regarding this. I did see amongst the comments in this thread, that you had pointed to a post stating that the money didn't have to be in a Thai account for a period of time before being accepted. Hopefully, that is still the case. Kind regards

Can you leave the country during the consideration period? And, how long does the application process take in Phuket? I work two weeks on, two weeks off in Oz. I am in Thailand for two weeks each month, therefore time constrained. Thanks in advance.

I got knocked back in November last year as I only had a bank statement from Oz. I ended up getting a three-month visa for 2000 Baht. Heading back next week with my Thai bank statement on me. Not seasoned. I'll let you all know how I get on.

That's what I paid in Phuket late last year. Took five minutes at the Amphur desk to get it.