magpie3

Thanks for the above info guys. All very informative and eye opening. It looks like written Thai regulatory requirements can be either 'flexible' or potentially, ignored. Fortunately for me opening the account is not urgent. If it was I would probably be grateful for the opportunity to bend the written rules. As things stand, I can follow up in the UK where the illusion of control feels more tangible. ????

Married in England Ubon, and thanks for cutting through the fog, once again. I was feeling I should make an effort to sort it out here and now in LOS, but am secretly pleased to be given a reason [excuse] to shelve the project until spring in the UK. It is interesting however that the door is opened in the Embassy's text to check for potential local updates on what it defines the recognised procedure. I suspect there may be a 'man who knows a man who can' somewhere in the metropolis... But I'll settle for following recommended procedure and an excursion before the 90 day deadline ... I reckon that could be funded by the unexpected surplus in Mrs. Magpie's account... said Zeberdee ... hopefully.

A little background: This year, after the covid break, Mrs Magpie and myself, thought it might be a good idea to open an SCB bank account in my name. She has one at a local branch in Ladkrabang and I also now need one to deposit 400K baht as part of the 90 day visa extension system - my first attempt at doing this. I can't plead poverty because the UK embassy have seen my bank balance and despite the international nature of banking today, and easy transfer (at a cost) they want my money here, in Thailand. Hey ho, in for a penny in for £10,000. Previously, over many of the last 40 years, we have stayed 6 months of the year away from the uk (Oct -March), with me using an 'O' class Non imm. visa. We usually had a trip away before the 90 day report, returning by air, as it seemed a more enjoyable way to spend time than shuffling through Bangkok traffic and queuing to be grilled by stern faced, braided officers - no criticism of the 'customer service' intended, just personal experience colouring my judgement, and others will say things have changed... or not. The following is my (tenuous) understanding of what is required by the bank to open an account and I would appreciate knowledge based corrections. So, first we have to go to the British Embassy in person, by appointment, to have the MC certified - there and then..? Then we take the document to the translation service and leave it with them to perform their magic. The translator sends their translated documents (original and translation) to the 'Gongsun' [Consul?] for 'certification' and when it is certified they will return the document to us, by post. We then take it to the local Amphur where it is 'registered/ratified'? Right so far?? ..... If you have skipped 3 paragraphs to get here, I totally accept your attention deficit... I've has 3 coffee breaks so far .. . We then get various papers (including a K2 form/document? and/or K3) and supply one/all of them to the bank branch, who transfer them to head office. Head office respond to allow (or not) a bank account to be opened in my sole name to deposit the funds, which are in Mrs Magpie's account, at the same branch. Any knowledge based corrections appreciated. Q. Do the Thai embassy in London provide the translation authentication service and if so is it more expensive - MORE complicated - and can it all be done by registered post or is attendance in person required? PS - I am aware of online appointments and reporting in Thailand but have not yet attempted either as the bank account and therefore marriage certificate seems a primary requirement. Thanks, and best regards to the community. I await a flood of replies, LOL

I'm out of touch/date with visa run allowances and wondered if the land border re-entry would provide only 30 day (or is it now 45 day) extensions for a non immigrant 'O' 1 year marriage visa holder? [Shame Kanchanaburi is closed 'cos that used to be a pleasant run from Bangkok] 3 months would suit better but i suspect it's still only available for returning by air...? Getting paperwork to open an SCB bank account for the 400k deposit is growing in complexity and I want to have a backstop position ready to go. I'll post more on my SCB position but maybe better under a new heading.

Interesting. I never considered that she could use an expired passport ?! Would the outbound airline not require a valid passport for booking a return flight - for the duration of the trip ? Or would they be aware that expired Thai passports are a non-issue if inbound to Thailand and leave it up to her to ensure she had a valid passport to re-enter the uk? Maybe that's a question I should direct to the airline - unless you happen to know? Her Thai passport, which we usually use to book the return flight, is in her Thai maiden name. Truth be told, she usually shows her British passport with her married name when coming back through UK customs????. Never had a problem with that?!

My Thai wife needs to renew her passport if she is to enter Thailand as a Thai and avoid all visa requirements. Her passport runs out mid October and it's unlikely we will be traveling before then. The renewal procedure in the uk, involving a trip to London, would be much more complicated and expensive than doing it in Thailand, so I wanted to see if there are any options involving traveling on her British passport to enter Thailand and getting the renewal done there - within the 30 day visa on arrival/exemption period. I imagined we might need to use a side trip or two during our 6 month stay, to let immigration see the Brit passport had left Thailand within 30 days then re-entered before finally flying back to the uk. All speculation, and I really need to know if there is a effective and simplified way to organise this and not fall foul of the most recent regulations. Any sage advice would be much appreciated. ???? Thanks.