Rob Browder

In some cases, your local-office may not have agent service, but the district-office does, and they must "approve" marriage-based applications. They put the screws to every application which does not arrive with an agent-envelope. So, it may not be that your local-office is giving you a hard time for agent-money, but rather transferring the problems the district-office creates.

Yes, it is SPECIFICALLY for "Visiting Family" now - since they changed to the 60-day visa. And, there is no "2 limit" anywhere in immigration law since the 2x/year land-border rule was rescinded (was never a limit by-air). At non-corrupt entry points, these problems are never reported. The ONLY reason they hassle you at the airport immigration checkpoints, is they want everyone coming more often, or staying longer term, to pay them off per-entry via an agent like this: https://aseannow.com/topic/1336926-setv-metv-still-around-now-that-visa-exempts-are-now-60-days/?do=findComment&comment=19217493 Sad that they have become so greedy for envelope-money, they are even hassling people who are not staying more than a week or so per-entry.

There are a couple points near Chiang Mai which are now offering either agent-service (reported 4K Baht) for immediate-return OR you must stay out 1 night, and provide an exit-ticket plus "show the money" (10K baht) upon entry. In years past (pre-covid), some Malaysian entry points were also requiring it, including with a Tourist Visa. They now also are reported to have a "same day return" agent-service for visa-exempt border-bounces.

I saw the same thing I have observed for over a decade here, repeating. Some call this "pattern recognition." They just buy immigration's agent-services now to stay - including with any "side-hustle" income, so why would this make any difference? The bribe-system via agents is already here, so I don't see how this makes it worse.

If I were under 50, I would get the DTV over dealing with immigration for marriage-based Non-O extensions. I also used the Non-O-ME Visa from Laos in the past - much better than when Covid forced me to deal with immigration for "extensions." If you decide to go with the marriage-based extension, consider you need to be in Thailand during much of the process - and as you are now on a visa-exempt, that would include the 90-day Non-O "Visa" from Immigration process (home-visits, etc), then the 12-mo "Extension" with more of the same. You could inquire with immigration as to whether they are willing to accommodate your travel-schedule during this, for which you already have airfare, etc purchased.

Re: a 60-day "visit wife" extension from immigration: - You can only get a 60-day extension from immigration in-country if you have NOT received one of those after your last entry to Thailand. Re: Border-Bounce for 60-day Visa Exempt entry: - If you do a "border bounce" for a Visa-Exempt entry, you would then need to apply for a Non-O "Visa" at Thai Immigration, which will give you 90-days. In the last 30-45 days of that, you would apply for the 1-year "Extension" of that Non-O Visa. Re: Applying somewhere you do not live right now: - You would need to provide pictures of you and your wife at the home where you apply, in addition to the other documents. Pictures will need to include the house-number, with both of your out-front, and inside the house. Take 20+ pictures, and let the IO pick-and-choose their favorites. - You and your wife plus Thai witnesses with their house-registrations and Thai-IDs, testifying you live there together (varies by immigration-office), would need to be available at that home for a "Home Visit" from Immigration after your 90-day Visa application and/or again after the 1-year application. Re: Using Income to support immigration's "permission to live with your Thai wife" visa: - If using "Income" instead of the 400K "money in the bank" for your extension, Immigration will put the screws to you - demand a pile of company documents needed for a Non-B extension IN ADDITION to the Marriage-based documents they require. - You would need to do that TWICE - fresh company documents and your tax-documents each time - for the Non-O 90-Day "Visa," and subsequent 12-mo extension. - Use/borrow/whatever the 400K, if you possibly can, to avoid that - would need it in an account in your name on the day of application for the 90-Day Visa, and 2+ months continuous before you apply for the 12-mo extension, then leaving it there until 30-days after your 90-day Visa end-date - so, from the day you apply for the 90-day visa, then leave it there for 4+ months.

I would bet many have - or never switched to the LTR for this reason. Unless you can benefit from the tax-exclusion provision from the LTR, I see no reason anyone would use it over an easy Non-O based on retirement. If bringing a lot of "new-money" (earned after Jan, 1 2024) into Thailand every year, and it is not pension-funds protected by a dual-tax treaty, then the LTR could make sense.

The change to 60-day visa exempt also changed the stated-reasons for using it to including visiting Thai family. But, if doing a VE entry, I would return via a known safe entry-point like Nong-Khai, or use one of the Cambodia-border visa-run agents.

Retirement = easy. Based on Marriage to a Thai, only a few will handle it all - and tends to be expensive. In another thread, it was claimed these guys can do it: https://mythaivisa.com/

Keep in mind: If you use your own money, you can DIY on future extensions with your bank-account statement, even if it doesn't save much in agent-fees for the 1st year.

A "hard time," because your in-person application does not include the agent's envelope of money. There is a misnomer they "care" about "legit" - but this is not their motivation, and learning this is the first step to being prepared to live here. I suggest trying to do it in-person. Some degree of "dance monkey dance" may be carried out as punishment for not using the agent - but also maybe not. Only if they block you, would you need to consider alternatives - local agent or other (see my previous reply). If you apply early, you will have plenty of time to deal with any problems. The fewer days you have left on your permitted-stay, the more "leverage" they have to mess with you.

If you want to try to use your salary, you are going to need the entire gamut of documents required for a Non-B extension PLUS the marriage-based extension documents. That includes a pile of company documents, your tax-statements, etc. It's a huge PITA which should be avoided if at all possible.

Don't count on it. I haven't received a reminder for the last 2 online reports. Thankfully, I have my own reminder-system. There was a flurry of erroneous reminder-emails being reported here - then people saying they didn't get reminders at all. I think this was related to when the system was tied to TM-30s.

A blue-book comes with a condo-purchase, but one's name is not listed in it. One can get a yellow-book even for an apartment-lease, and that process differs in difficulty by Amphoe. Having a chanote does not remove the obstacles some amphoes create - "certified" long-form birth certificate showing parent's names, witnesses, and similar. The time to issue it after they accept your documents also varies per-amphoe. I would check with your amphoe as a first step, and see if they have a list of needed documents.

I would change "tolerate" to "encourage" - as the last changes to visas (Retirement, Ed, etc) ALL led to more agent-service. "Abuse" is just finding some outlier cases, then making media-hay out of it, to "justify" measures which create new-demand for increased agent-use. With the DTV - those going that route should assume they will need to pay some sort of agent-service for their re-entries, or face potential problems. And, it may cost more per-entry than what serial-visa-exempt users must pay agents per-entry at the airports (2K to 3K baht). Hopefully, the known-safe entry points will not play these games, but I would make no bets.

I would get a bank-stamped monthly-statement for the 8K account covering the time period in question. That erases all doubt that the total-balance of both accounts, combined, ever dropped below 800K.

It's not about how one is dressed. If one has a longer-stay history as a tourist, and did not pay an agent for "pre-clearence," then there is a risk of being interrogated and/or denied-entry.

If you stay a shorter period on your first VE-entry, your 2nd entry is less-likely to trigger an interrogation or denied-entry.

Someone else then suggested ... ... which was what the further comments were referencing.

I have not seen this before, but nothing surprises me with Immigration any more. I would go to immigration and try to apply in-person - no agent - since you have the required funds. The paperwork for retirement is not excessive (unlike other types). Do this when you still have 45+ days left on your permitted-stay. "Plan B" could include using an agent in Pattaya (discount if you have your own money) or "by the book" in Bangkok - though the latter would require staying in Bangkok ~3-months, to continue through the annual-extension.

If you mean a Non-O Multiple-Entry from Savannahket, would need to show 400K sitting in a Thai bank for 2 months to apply for it. And, good luck getting an appointment at the Savannakhet Thai-Consulate before they close for 2 weeks, and switch to eVisas.

Either enter Thailand through safe entry points like Nong-Khai, OR pay one of the agent-companies to "pre-clear" your entry via air, see: https://aseannow.com/topic/1344560-aqinth-passport-service/#findComment-19410998 OR risk being threatened with or denied-entry, if the IOs were given marching-orders that morning, to hassle good folks like you, to drive-up agent-service sales.

First, translate the document you photographed, and see what it says. That is sketchy as hell. Canceling the WP is entirely the boss's problem - you don't need to go there, etc. Getting your Non-B canceled is your problem - though all it requires is a termination-letter from your employer, with the date of termination specified. Be prepared to leave the country immediately, or pay 1900 Baht for a "7 days" extension on your next visit to immigration, regardless of what your "boss" says your termination-date will be. Obviously, don't expect anything from such people.

Apparently, you intend to get a "Tourist Visa" for your return to Thailand. Given recent changes, that means you will be applying via the eVisa system while out of Thailand, and staying there until it is approved. Alternatively, you could just return visa-exempt, which which case border-bounce to Vientiane and back. There are no reports of denials-of-entry for "come to much" / "stay to long" reasons. if you have a longer-stay history in Thailand - Tourist-Visa or not - you would be wise to use one of the safe entry points like Nong-Khai, or pay an agent to "pre-clear" your arrival at either Bangkok airport.

The goal is people with money come/stay in Thailand more/longer = how it was "thought out" by the MFA. For every one of those, multiple Thai jobs are funded with their spending. How immigration "react" is another story, since they obviously don't care about the well-being of Thais with employment funded by foreign money (see their past actions). I agree in-country renewals could involve who knows what "undocumented" paperwork. Border bounces seem smarter, though this often involves a payoff of some kind for "no hassle" re-entry at known-bad entry points. Those using the DTV should factor this into their expected costs, or plan to border bounce at good/safe entry points like Nong Khai - at worst, stay a night out before returning.