Rob Browder

The only "visa" for which one can apply in Thailand are 90-day types, marked "used" upon issuance, to allow a subsequent 1-year extension application. The "extension of stay" for the DTV for an additional 180 days would be available in Thailand.

True - but many could also use a Thai bank-statement, which I assume they will accept The consulate might limit non-Laos-resident applications to only those having certified Thai statements, for that reason - similar to the current-case in Savannakhet for 1-year-ME Non-O Marriage-based applications - only Thai accounts accepted.

I do not see "Must be a citizen or legal-resident of Laos to apply" - as with the METV? That would be helpful to many. Packing oneself in an aluminum-tube, to be shipped half way across the world, in order to "submit paperwork" which could be sent by Fed-Ex or digital transfer, is the dumbest thing ever - even more so with the eVisa system in-place.

As to "rules" and "proper" - obviously, you don't see what the actual "game" is. If they cared about those things, there would be no agents.

There is currently no insurance requirement for marriage-based extensions, even if you came in on an O-A Visa, originally.

I agree that opening borders to lower-wage nations is a very different thing, due to incentives to work illegally - where an "under the table" job pays more than a legal job where they come from. However, Thailand already has this problem - facilitated by unlimited land-border entries - with its neighbors. Regular Thai working folks would be much better off, with higher wages and much greater opportunities, if illegal-hiring were stopped. But, given who benefits from it, and that the EMPLOYERS who benefit are the ones who need to be targeted by law-enforcement to stop it, I find that unlikely. This problem is not unique to Thailand.

Only if you enter on a Non-O visa based on retirement, which you could obtain at a consulate abroad. Then, yes, a 1-year retirement extension is processed in 1-to-3 days, depending on the office. Also, you would need to be in the last 30-45 days of that retirement visa entry (90-days given - re-entry permit possible), to apply for it. Unfortunately - cannot do a retirement-extension on a "based on marriage" visa entry. Edit: Some reports a retirement-visa (90-days) is available at Savannakhet.

That would be a problem, as my job ended awhile back - I was well outside the time-window to apply-fresh for the medical, when old enough to get my pension funds refunded. Maybe that is the trick? So, have to cancel to get the payout - then re-apply within the allowed time-window after your job ends.

What they do, is SAY one reason they are denying entry, then WRITE a DIFFERENT reason in the person's passport. Why? Because they know the reason they SAID is not one of the legally-specified finite set of reasons they can deny-entry. "Coming too often" doesn't show you "don't have enough money" - rather, the exact opposite - you can afford not only to live in Thailand (no welfare here), but also frequent travel. There is no legally-permitted "comes too often" reason they can write down, so they write down a fiction. This duplicity shows the nature of the system. Once one knows there is an "agent workaround" for "trouble free entries" at "problem entry points" (also extensions), it all makes sense. It is much less stressful when one understands the real nature of what one is dealing with. This is initially "alien" to those of us from countries where this sort of system exists at a different level of operations.

I know this is legally correct - that these are separate - but they told me the exact opposite - both at my local office AND then via the hotline. I even had a Thai friend call the hotline, a week later (speaking Thai, in case that made a difference), and they were told the exact same thing, "You must cancel your participation in the health program, to get your pension refund." Thank you for your response, however - I will try again, now. The issue with the "name in Thai Script ONLY bank-account," I did not pursue with the hotline people. I currently pay into the health-scheme at 7/11. I figured I could get that made-up hurdle fixed, by going to a friendlier office, to set up the automatic deductions (many suggest Rayong is the best).

It will be interesting to read the reports from the known-troublesome airports ~90-days after the 60-day visa-exempt begins. I would read some of those, before trying the 2nd round by air. They might sound like this, from someone who already gets 60-days VE (linked post is an airport report within the thread):

The deal is, if over 180 days, you need to file a tax-return. Maybe you owe nothing - for example, all your income is covered by a dual-tax treaty, or is a pension / social-security. But, I assume (better to assume the worst) that filing/submitting the forms will still be required. If you choose to not report all the money you have transferred - how "hard it is" for them to "catch you" - connect you to ATM withdrawn money - is a separate question. Also, is "withdrawing credit" the same as "withdrawing earned funds"? I have no idea what they will say/do whenever. But, I would just assume the worst-case ("yes"), until/when/if these questions are ever clarified, as they should have been the day this new policy was announced. A clever tax-cheat would just withdraw the money in a nearby country, and bring it in as worn-gold or something - no? Funny if we start getting pics of old guys coming across from Cambodia looking like "bling wearing" rappers. This "plan" of theirs has many holes in it - not sure what they are thinking - maybe just trying to "play along" with the OECD?

Get the whatsap contact, and use that for all future entries - or use a land-border agent service. The agent-money is what they are after. The hassle with "only to home country" flight (is not even a rule) and such is just to get you to arrange with an agent next time. The same happens at both Bangkok airports - and for an even higher price at the Aranyaprathet/Poipet border. They want him to pay for a 1-year retirement extension (he is over 50) through an agent. Why else would they care / bother with him? This is just how it is here. They are told "hands off" on occasional and new tourist entry people, but anyone coming more frequently is bullied into an agent-service category, unless they have a longer-term visa/extension already. How "tough" they are on a particular day is determined in their morning-meeting, based on how "agent business" has been recently, whether boss's mia-noi needs some gold, etc - and the same in many immigration offices.

Where the account was opened doesn't matter - you have an acceptable bank for agent service. You should go see them ASAP, if your permitted-stay is "about to expire." Be aware, you can leave and return up to the "enter-before" date on the visa, and you get another 90-days on-entry. As this is your first extension from a "Visa" from a consulate abroad, and that "Visa" is for Thai-Marriage, I am not sure if extending it for "retirement" will be an issue. It could be a problem if NOT using an agent, but the agent can tell you if their service makes that problem go away (may cost extra, or not).

I thought you had to fill out a TM-30 at Jomtien, even just to use the toilet there. I had to get my TM-30 printout (from online) exchanged for a paper they give you, when doing a 90-day report there - was a 2+ hour wait for that piece of paper.

They don't follow the rules. They did for a little while, when first making the last set of changes - then stopped, and demanded "money in the bank" for the 90-day Non-O. But, I thought if one came in with a Non-O Visa from a consulate abroad, and had a full-year of monthly-transfers to show, they could do the extension. Maybe not, per: ... they do seem to hate Marriage-based extensions using xfers.

I agree it could affect lower-end rents - but I do not think 5K/mo+ condos and apts are going to just ignore occupancy rules, or something. Note that one can go to Cambodia or Laos and live there forever on easily-obtainable 1-year visas - $250-$350/year - no "bank proofs" required - and the dire-results predicted have not occurred there. Just more money spent into the economy.

I was thinking the "crackdowns" before that, which did a LOT of damage - when unlimited border-bounces were stopped, then had to start getting a new passport for every 3-to-4 Thai tourist-visas in order to get another one - all under the previous govt. But yes, it was later that the Bangkok-airports and Aranya were taken over by an agent-envelope group - even denying entry to many with a visa from the MFA, if they didn't arrange "pre-clearance" via some agent - "No more entries on your METV will be allowed," etc - ongoing under the current govt.

The agent-using people just run into Immigration for 10-seconds for a picture. I've watched them do it. Those with foreign incomes - from providing tech-services, dividends, crypto, or whatever - may also use ATM machines vs bank-xfers. I don't blame you bringing the extra proof, however. I show up with a backpack full of everything - last years app/data copies, old passports, etc. I had a 2nd bag, back when I was doing married-based extensions, just to hold it all. If they decided to be difficult, I didn't need to make a 2nd trip. Some offices are not friendly to those not using agents - ask me how I know!

That would mean being very poor, for such people - vs the cost of living here. I have known pensioners ... much better life here than they would have "at home." If I got into a financial situation which impacted my permitted-stay in Thailand, I'd go to Cambodia or Laos, where they don't care about bank-book balances - just pay your fee every year and done.

I have had to sign both copies - face-page and latest permitted-stay page. Once, I was asked to help them find the page with my current permitted-stay for them to copy, which I helpfully did.

I would call the main office in Bangkok as I heard this is possible. Others have reported the health is deducted from the pension amount monthly. I was under 180 months, and was told I could not get the contributions back (lump-sum) unless I did NOT continue the SSO health cover. But, others reported doing this successfully in the past. They seem to change the rules over-time - starting with the yellow-book/pink-id requirement, then getting progressively more-difficult. How long ago was this, that they accepted an English-name account? I was trying to get monthly-deductions for health vs a refund, so maybe not apples/apples - but still curious when and where they were OK with this.

That's not how agents do it. They put the money in the applicant's account, get a real bank-letter showing the balance, then take it back out. Only the seasoning requirement is "waived". Working Illegally doing what? Competing with the Burmese lady for an under-the-table maid-job - which she gets unlimited land-border entries from Thai Immigration to facilitate? If we get jobs here, they are for decent pay, and include work-permits. I would have said I get my spending-money at the ATM Translation: A local IO was, perhaps, trying a side-deal with an agent not approved / feeding the system. In the case of marriage-based extensions, this requires a district-office signature, and agent-service costs 10K+ baht extra (vs retirement-based) due to this. If the district guy got an application w/o an envelope, and thinks they are trying to cut him out of his piece of an agent-assisted extension ... bingo - not a happy camper.

That is for a combination of money "in the bank" and income - aka "Combo Method". Unless he is using income + savings to qualify, that doesn't come into it.

I would let the translator company handle 2 and 3, because they know the ropes, and if there is an error in their translation they will handle the fix. That govt-office is the "Ministry of Foreign Affairs," which will certify your embassy's signature is genuine, AND verify the translation. I hope your #4 to #5 can be done in a timely manner - not several months. Some are reported to do it all the same-day. Please let us know the results.