Rob Browder

We know what immigration is "interested in," which is why they offer the "agent option" - and the same IO "legal authority" signs for both DIY and agent-facilitated stamps. Take it up with them.

I used to defend the home-visits for marriage-extensions as the only legit aspect of the inane process, aside from an updated KR-2. All the rest could be faked - witnesses paid-off, money borrowed, etc - after all. But, I now realize that any "scrutiny" is only applied to honest "DIY" applicants, so it's worthless. You are not going to get "more security" from a corrupt org, this way - only encourage self-flagellation. When we set up "foreigners only" neighborhoods with our own courts and cultural-enforcements, and force them to learn "our culture" in their schools, while denigrating their own ... then, the comparison might be apt.

I have only seen such reports for those attempting to get an in-country extension. That said, if I got a DTV, I would budget for "safe entry" or agent-van runs at some point in the future - and if not needed, great!

If you switch offices, and the new office is jealous, thinking some other office got "their" agent-money, they sometimes make issues - demanding to see the last extension's bank-proofs. CW applicants have reported this when moving from Jomtien and Samut Prakan, in recent threads I recall. They literally call their fellow IOs in other offices criminals, while running the same scams in their own office. But, I don't recall what you describe being reported as a problem when using the same office, with one exception: A Non-O-90-day + 1-year-extension stamped in your passport without ~60-days in between them. Both stamped within a week or two is obviously agent-work.

Last 7 days, when I last did a marriage-based extension. Ours was 10 days old, and the wife had to go get a "fresh" one. And, then, they did the home visit + 2 witnesses (we paid to attend / "waste their time," of course).

Yes, they need to de-employ as many Thais as possible. That'll show 'em for feeling "entitled," and wanting higher wages than Burmese will accept. /s This is the typical "elite" attitude.

If it were about really "not having the money," you would be correct about land-vs-air. But, the "best option" is purely a matter of which border / agent policy is easiest. Pay the agent 4K, and you can in/out by air next-day. Try DIYing it, wait 2 weeks and return, and one might still be denied-entry and forced to fly back. If DIY, this is why land is best - if denied-entry, just walk back to the other country and cancel your exit stamp. By air, you might spend a day or two in airport-jail. That said, one was 8-months out-of-Thailand before the 1st stay, a denied entry is unlikely if you stayed-out 2 weeks before returning for the 2nd stay.

Too many folks DIY-ing their extensions - no pocket-money for Immigration. This will show those cheapskakes who get it done for a mere 1900 baht (like me). Immigration don't make money from us unless we use their "agent" partners- and, the elites only want "rich" foreigners to get longer-stay visas/extensions. Neither give a rat's-behind about the working-class Thais who would lose their jobs, if we weren't here funding their paychecks with our spending. They would prefer those Thais were forced back into rural areas, to subsistence-exist.

Ok - so you want to show "income" to qualify for the financials, vs "money in the bank." In that case, showing a history of income from your SS and Brokerage should be more than enough. (Edit - Sorry, I didn't switch to $$ - is enough just the SS money)

Just use another land-border from Laos, is the solution. Wait a couple nights in Laos, first. If in a hurry, then must use immigration's "safe entry" to come back by air.

If you only come to Thailand 1 or 2 x per-year, for 60-days or less per-trip, then 2 weeks might be enough to avoid paying for immigration's "safe entry" agent-service. Anyone who was doing regular border-bounces to Cambodia would need "safe entry" agent-service, or get locked-up, then booted-back, if coming in via-air.

... would never have gone to NK / Savannakhet for this, unless they were staying in Issan. Trips to Laos were for Visas - not border-bounces. Cambodia or Myanmar were closer, therefore "cheaper," and no problem to use those - though both (except Raynong) are unavailable, now. A better term would be the "Not crammed in a van at 4AM with a barf-bag people," anyway.

Does CW do the bit where you bring in the TM-30 "printout" showing you are registered, but that only gets you through the "TM-30 desk, where they transfer the info to a "form," which they staple in your passport? If so, the solution is to go to that desk first, and then with their little form-piece in-hand, do any other business.

If foreigners are allowed to do things like buy land, it can be a huge problem. I have seen this 1st hand, in other locales. But, Thailand has a large market-sector devoted to this, and have safeguards in place to minimize the downside. Yes, prices are inflated in tourist-areas, but go a few KM away, and a meal (for example) is a fraction of the cost. In Thailand, more higher-wage country visitors = more jobs and wealth flowing into the country.

No, they just want a payoff into their own pocket if you come "too long / often" on tourist-entries. They know you would not have the money for air-tickets / travel or living here at all, if you didn't have the means to support yourself, as there is no welfare here for foreigners. It's the same reason they let agents "help" people skip the financial-requirements for retirement extensions for an agent-payoff. There is literally no downside for Thailand when people from higher-income / wage countries stay more-often / longer here.

If doing an out-of-area extension in Jomtien, they would likely be using agents - then no "home check" occurs. A DIY-er not using an agent could just do it a CW - is all "by the book" there.

Which SSO office did you use? I have heard Rayong doesn't (bleep) farangs, like some other offices do.

Do NOT count on the "reminder" to arrive. It might - or not. I got them regularly - then I didn't get them for months - then they started, again. I was filing online continuously, and did not leave the country. I am glad I didn't rely on immigration to remind me, or I'd be out 2000 baht.

Yes - that form-change seems to be a new enforcement - happening after I was over-50 and no longer working, so had switched to retirement-extensions. I needed 2 witnesses for the home-visit in one province, and one appearing at immigration for the application in another province. In the latter case, that witness didn't even know us personally, though what they signed was true (de-jure marriage).

Yes - two more people you have to pay off to "help the falang get his immigration extension" - even if they testify to immigration 100% truthfully - and a favor for which your wife then owes them. The idea a "bad guy" could not pay witness(es) to lie, in this environment of corruption, is laughable.

Note: One can avoid all the "Work Related Docs" if they show 400K seasoned in the bank for 2 months. One only needs those if using "salary over 40K Baht / mo" to meet the financials. In the past, one only had to show Thailand tax-docs to use the salary option, but that was changed a few years back.

Many such cases reported here, as well as on FB. The timeline was: 1) They started asking to see the money (cash or traveler's checks only) or denied-entry for repeat-tourists. 2) Word got out, so we started carrying the cash. 3) Angry that we could easily comply with the cash requirement, they started the routine of not asking to see the money - waiving it away if it was shown - saying they were denying entry for "here too much / long" - then stamping "didn't have the money" in the passport, as the "official" reason for denying entry. 4) Various workaround options then appeared - "VIP entry," "send cash to so and so via Line," etc - eventually streamlined into the current "safe entry" system. Bottom line, they do not have the right to deny entry for "here too much / long," under Thai immigration law - but there is no honest oversight of the law in Thailand to stop Immigration's corruption-schemes.

No, it won't affect agent-extensions. This is just another "encouragement" to use their agent-partners, instead of being a "cheap charlie" (like me) who DIYs it, so doesn't pay their tribute.

This is what "extra requirements" are always really about. Even some "real" requirements are skipped for agent-envelopes.

A lease and landlord's ID should be all that is required. You are applying for an extension of your permitted-stay from immigration - not working as an agent of the revenue dept, or whatever. They can (and sometimes do) come to see you "really live there." And, if they think they landlord is doing something wrong, they can take it up with them - has nothing to do with the applicant living where they say they are.