Pib

While above ChatGPT response is correct, don't totally rely on ChatGPT for answers. When ChatGPT was announced on AseanNow this week I gave it a try. I asked three questions.....it got one right (can't remember what it was now).......couldn't answer one (dealt with the location of a small U.S. town....and I even gave it the U.S. state it was in on the second try)........and got one wrong (how many U.S. military services). I then asked the same 3 questions on Google and got three correct responses on the first try.

Yea....in 2019 just before and right after the change went into affect quite a few folks on AseanNow thought people issued an OA visa "before 1 Oct 2019" would be grandfathered. Grandfathering was one of the questions I asked during my meeting at CW and was told no grandfathering would be authorized although Phuket (and maybe a precious few small immigration offices) is the only immigration office that ended up allowing grandfathering. Yeap....some folks thought immigration would "surely allow grandfathering of the medical insurance for pre-1 Oct 2019 folks" as it was the descent thing to do although the policy did not address grandfathering. However, but, TIT where immigration policies can sometimes vary from immigration office to office....national standardization really does not exist....or should I say policy flexibility exists and varies especially if using a visa agent.

Yes, many married folks with an underlying OA visa switched from retirement extensions to marriage extensions beginning in 2019 when the OA visa insurance came into effect 1 Oct 2019. I was one of those folks. And many others killed off their OA visa and got an O visa instead to avoid the insurance since an O visa extension does not require medical insurance. I still remember well the day in mid 2019 I went to CW (Bangkok) immigration to ask about the upcoming OA medical insurance requirement change as the pending change had been leaked several months before the official change was published. I had a set-down, face-to-face 10 minute meeting with an immigration officer at CW to ask various questions about the upcoming change. One question was can I change from doing an annual retirement extension on my old, underlying OA visa to doing a marriage extension to avoid the insurance? The answer was Yes. So, that is what I started doing since I didn't want to go thru the process of killing off the OA visa and then getting an O visa. No problem in doing a marriage extension of stay with an underlying OA visa. Well, no problem if you have a good Thai spouse which I thankfully have. ???? AseanNow weblink to OA Retirement extension of stay medical insurance requirement effective 1 Oct 2019 https://aseannow.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=874628&key=3ac22c8aa0266ccc9402b52fd4b76675

Para 2.22 Retirement extension of stay of the immigration regulation specifically says medical insurance is required "if having an underlying OA visa," but para 2.18 Marriage extension of stay does not mention a medical insurance requirement and also does not mention of type of any underlying visa type. So, you will not find a reference that says medical insurance is not required for a marriage extension of stay....since there is no reference that means insurance is not required.

Just to add my ditto. I originally retired to Thailand under an OA visa and did around a dozen extension of stays based on retirement....no insurance required. However, around 2019 when Immigration started requiring medical insurance for anyone using an underlying OA visa for their annual retirement extension of stay, I switched to a marriage extension of stay which did "not" require insurance with the underpinning OA visa. Did three marriage extensions of stay with the underlying OA visa....no medical insurance required.

The Boi LTR and SMART visa websites are back online as of 31 March at 10am Thai time. Or at least for me they work. Edit: and from looking at both for a few minutes I don't see any changes/upgrades "info-wise." So the down time over the last few days was not due to upgrading info to be displayed a user....I sure was hoping the BoI was going to upgrade the LTR website to display a LOT more practical info, Q&A, etc., like the SMART visa website displays. Oh well.

This is the main BoI website I was referring to....it's up. But the LTR and SMART visa websites are down. https://www.boi.go.th/

Even the BoI's SMART visa website (below) is down as of 30Mar/7:52pm Thai time. But the BoI primary/generic website is up. In the past whenever the BoI LTR website was down (which was often) I would check the SMART visa website and it was "always" up. So, maybe the BoI is doing maintenance/combining/revamping "both" website? I sure wish the BoI would upgrade the LTR website to at least equal the amount of info on the SMART visa website as the SMART website has a LOT more info on obtaining and "maintaining" a SMART visa to include things like how to do the annual address reporting. https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/index.html

As to whether to enforce laws or not maybe the RTP codes laws as: - Yes...always enforce - No...never enforce - Sometimes...with no rhyme or reason

More info/details regarding Dept of State Federal Benefit Unit (FBU) responsibilities/operations/management/funding/manpower/etc., can be found at: 7 FAM 590 MANAGING A FEDERAL BENEFITS UNIT (FBU) 7 FAM 510 INTRODUCTION 7 FAM 530 SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

Doubtful it helped. The Manila SSA FBU just happens to be a federal agency located in the Embassy, but is not part of the Dept of State which embassies fall under. The FBU is part of the Social Security Agency. Now of course the FBU would have to follow certain rules set by the Embassy, but manpower, funding, and policy is set by the SSA; not the Embassy.

Checking below Dept of State webpage will give some passport status....at least tell you if the Passport Center has completed/mailed back the new passport to the embassy. But unless something has changed if the Passport Center has already completed/mailed back the passport to the embassy, the last status a person will see on the site is that completion/mailing date to the embassy; it will not show any status after that such as the embassy receiving the passport and remailing it to the individual. https://passportstatus.state.gov/

I don't remember where I got them....I just have them saved as phone contacts now...saved when the wife and I applied for SS years back. They probably use to be listed (and maybe still are) listed somewhere on the main U.S. Embassy - Manila website. If are calling "from" a U.S. number it can make your call free since you are calling from one U.S. number to another versus having to pay like calling from your Thailand number. Sometimes when calling the numbers one or both might just ring and ring...but most of the time the interactive system answers after a several rings. Good luck....sounds like you are close to be officially recognized by the U.S. govt as an "Ol' Geezer"...and pay comes with that bestowed title. ????

Yes...keypad works. I just called 28 Mar at 9:35am Thailand time. When I pressed 3 per the interactive recording it connected me to the SSA FBU. I don't know what numbers you are calling but here are two U.S. numbers that rings at the U.S. Embassy Manila. 202-370-6497 202-370-6642

"Traisulee added that the top government agency which received the most complaints and feedback was the Royal Thai Police,..." RTP is so busy arresting themselves or covering tracks they don't have enough time to work public complaints.

Not if not registered in the Thailand marriage database.

OP, Did you ever officially register your foriegn marriage with your amphur office? This would have been done after you got the marriage certificate translated and legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "and then" you registering those docs with the amphur office which loads it into the Thailand marriage database.. Then you could have gotten a new KR22 at any time.

I renewed my passport in May 2022....it took 18 days/2.5 weeks including coming and going mailing time....I live in Bangkok. Now when I renewed my passport 10 years earlier from Bangkok it only took around 10 days. Since kimothai mentioned "next generation" passport I googled it. The State Dept weblink below describes the next generation passport and says the next generation passport started issuing in "2021" but my passport issued May 2022 was "not" the new generation passport. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/passport-help/next-generation-passport.html And below State Dept weblink talks passport processing times....and it talks how they know the issuing of passports is taking longer for some people. Reading between the lines I think it probably boils down to a manpower & money issue. https://www.state.gov/important-updates-on-passport-processing/

Don't get your hopes up....I fully expect the US Embassy BKK to tell you what their website says.....see weblink/snapshot below. Other than certifying/notarizing docs required to apply for SS, the US Embassy BKK and the Chiang Mai Consulate got totally out of the SS assistance business several years ago. All you can really do is continue to try contacting the Manila SS FBU via the online Contact form, their email address, and/or by calling them. I know it's frustrating....for years the ability to actually talk to a human at the Manila SS FBU has been challenging to seemingly sometimes almost impossible "unless they called/emailed you." And it does seem over the last few years it's go even tougher to get info from the Manila FBU. https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/federal-benefits/social-security/

I expect since you uploaded a "new passport" your application had been endorsed/approved and since a passport is the core/central doc of the application that this has resulted in your application be set-back several steps in the process so BoI (and possibly relevant agencies) can take another look, update their system/internal paperwork to fully link you new passport to your application. To use an analogy, it might be like needing to change the hub of a spoked wagon wheel where the hub is the passport with the the spokes & rim being all the other docs submitted.....to replace that hub the spokes & rim must be removed and then connected back to the new hub......not a snap fingers process. As Misty recommended I would definitely contact BoI to talk your status if your status doesn't start moving "forward" in the steps process say by around the middle of next week. Plus the LTR application IT system has went thru a lot of growing pains (and probably still has issues/glitches). Good luck....all of this is surely just an administrative, reshuffle the paperwork thing that unfortunately will take some time.

When you log onto your acct under the "Information" tab the flow diagram shows Qualification Approved as Step 4. You are probably just fine. I know during the final days of my LTR approval the status changed very frequently/rapidly as I responded to Notifications/Emails where BoI asked for certain things to dot all the i' s and cross all the t's. Just be sure to monitor your online acct "Notifications" area (i.e., the little bell in the upper left hand corner) and your Email inbox because the BoI may ask for additional info via Notifications/Email although there is no apparently change in online status. Yea....I think you are close to the finish line.

You say you qualify under the monthly income rule. This would mean your home country embassy still issues an income certification letter (keep in mind the U.S., U.K., and Auz embassies no longer issue such letters) "OR" you have had monthly income transfers of at least Bt65K going to your Thai bank account for 2 or 3 months (whether 2 or 3 seems to vary from immigration office to office although the rule is supposed to be 2 months) since your planned late May 2023 entry. This would mean monthly transfers would need to have been arriving since around Apr/May 2023 (or earlier) since you'll probably apply for the extension in around late Jul 2023.....basically 2 or 3 monthly transfers under your belt before the day you apply for an extension if your home country embassy no longer issues an income letter. Normally, immigration requires 12 months of transfers for annual extension "except for the first extension of your Non O visa after entry to Thailand" which will be your case.....so, you'll just need 2 or 3 months. So, if you meet above monthly income requirement you should be good-to-go to do a 1 year extension of stay. Otherwise, you'll need to go the Bt800K deposit method or try using an agent. Or, maybe try getting a 60 day extension of your 90 day Non O visa....maybe those 2 extra months will help bridge the gap to getting a LTR....but it sounds like going a 1 year extension is probably the best thing to do considering you can't be sure as to how long it will take to process your LTR application....for most folks it takes 1 to 2 months even when all their ducks are lined up.

If you are talking a reentry permit a LTR visa includes a multi-reentry permit. It a separate stamp next to the visa stamp.

Congrats!! Where you said "completed" 14 March do you mean that's when you got the endorsement approval notice/email from BoI "or" later on when you paid the fee/got the visa actually issued since a person has up to 60 days after endorsement notice to actually pay the fee/get the visa issued. Any other details you might want to share like method used to satisfy medical coverage, any request for additional docs, etc., would be appreciated as such details can add insight to the LTR approval process. Again...congrats!!

If the insurance is your main reason you can "self insure" with 100K USD equivalent balnce for at least the past 12 months in a "foriegn" or Thai bank. Repeat, a foriegn acct is fine. Just need to show statements as proof....like the statements you can download with your online banking.