JimGant

They suggested that 200,000 baht in a bank account as well as 65,000 baht income, would be very acceptable.

Good info.

It's previously been reported that Immigration, regardless of stated rule, wanted evidence of a bank account, even when monthly income met requirement. But, an amount had never been stated....

So, now we know what at least CM Immigration (or a particular officer at CM Immigration) considers an acceptable amount.

Now, would they accept a joint account with my Thai spouse -- and if so, would they then want to see 400k?

Gettin' kinda dizzy trying to follow this bouncing ball..............

From the National Police Order:

7.23 In case of entering for

visiting a Thai wife /

husband or child.

The permission shall be

granted only one time with

the granted period not

exceeding 60 days.

(1) Have evidence affirming the

relationship and,

(2) In case of the marriage couple,

the spouse shall have the both

practical and legal relationship.

1. Application form

2. Copy of applicant’s passport

3. Copy of census registration

4. Copy of the Thai national’s ID Card

5. Copy of marriage certificate or birth

certificate

Any take on this? Is the Non Imm O visa to visit relatives being replaced with a single entry Tourist Visa?

My original question was, "does she need a Thai-visa for extended-stay, or , does she automatically get added to mine, with all of the same funds used for both of us?"

As SBK and Axel point out, getting a Thai PP for use on entry/exit from Thailand is the most efficient way to go, since both US and Thailand honor dual citizenship.

But your wife can, if she chooses, enter Thailand on her US passport without a visa, getting a 30-day stamp upon entry. As a Thai national, she then has the privlege of going to Immigration, paying 1900 baht, and getting a one-year extension based on her nationality. No Non Imm visa step involved, no funds in the bank required. Just proof that she is a Thai national (birth certificate, ID card, or expired passport, etc.) Same day service. Multiple re-entry stamp available for 3800 baht.

But, much cheaper and hassle free to get a Thai passport -- unless you like visiting Immigration, as now they're even enforcing the 90-day reporting for Thai nationals on extension stamps.

whether Thailand would give credit also to income taxes paid to a state government in the US;

Presumably, you're still living the majority of the time in the US(?) ..... otherwise, why would you still be maintaining a state/local residency?

(Plus, after credit for US Federal taxes paid, I doubt there's anything left subject to Thai income tax, so credit for state/local taxes shouldn't come into play.)

I stand corrected. Obviously, Thai Embassy DC and Houston was too small a sample.

If you don't mind the added expense of getting two tourist visas, this will extend the visa expiration date to 6-months (which will get you to March). This will preclude you from having to stumble around in some foreign country looking for a Thai Embassy/Consulate -- and possibly screwing up your time schedule.

But...not all Thai Embassies/Consulates will issue multiple tourist visas. You'll need to check this out.

(And, it's also been posted that some Embassies/Consulates are still using 3-month expiration criteria, even for multiple tourist visas. So, one more thing to check out....)

All the visa application forms appear to be identical, except the individual Embassy/Consulate particulars are found in a box at the upper right. With Adobe Acrobat, you can change this to reflect Singapore's data (which you can find on the Web)

Anyway, filling out the form ahead of time -- with Singapore particulars -- can't hurt and just might save you time.

Here's the download from Thai Embassy DC (with active fields):

Visa Application

I read on the board that you don't need to show a return ticket when you apply for a 60 day tourist visa

The official MFA instruction (as Lopburi posted awhile back) is that a roundtrip ticket *is* required for a tourist visa. But this, apparently, is rarely enforced. (However, I do recall a poster saying the New York Consulate enforced it, at least for him.)

As long as you're mailing your application, why not use an honorary consulate? Phone numbers can be found on the Web, and a chat ahead of time might even land you a Non Imm... In any event, they're easier to talk to, since they're all locals (Texan, 'tho', is sometimes a little difficult to decipher).

robbie22 said he was armed with a print out of another members post "Express Lane to Retirement Visa in Pattya" I have been searching for that post and presumed it was on the forum.

That would be wpcoe's website, which he linked in a post here on TV:

WPCOE's Website

Specifically, he converted a 30-day stamp into a Non Imm O visa, into a retirement extension, using a TM.87 form (one poster had scuttlebutt this was only temporary, however). A procedure that is not likely to go away, however, is converting a tourist visa into a Non Imm O, into a retirement (or support) extension, using a TM.86 form.

Recommend wpcoe's website be pinned once the scuttlebutt is proven baloney.

but find this choice of a former Army Officer as PM to be a little worrying.

Being Thailand's former top military man should not be a disqualifier, particularly since everything you read about him is positive.

Kinda like appointing Colin Powell interim President, were we only lucky enough to have a democracy-saving coup......

Where's Monica Lewinsky when we need her..................

if you can do self check in with an eticket, it is less likely any human agent will peruse your passport or ask any questions.

Don't think this would work. Etickets domestically are fine. But at some point your ticket has to indicate 'documents checked' if you're flying internationally. So, an agent has to intervene at some point to issue the ticket getting you over the large pond.

If you're going to be denied boarding because of no return ticket out of Thailand, I would think this would be better found out at your homeplate, not on the opposite Coast.

I get 60 days on arrival, then 30 day extension, then one border run should give me 60 more days IF I go/return within the 90 days, RIGHT?? Thanks for any feedback.

Make sure you understand what Vinny is pointing out. Your 90 day clock starts the day the Embassy issues your visa (not the day you're stamped into Thailand). You can still get 150 days in Thailand, but you'll have to do your border run before your visa expires (which means no 30 day extension against your first entry -- do the math). So, you apply for a 30 day extension at the end of your *second* 60-day entry (yes, visa is expired by then, but extensions are based on valid entry stamps, not visa expiration date).

I'm assuming you'll enter Thailand 30 days, or less, from date of visa issue. If not, your 150-day dream vacation is reduced day-for-day.

Oh, and some poster mentioned that 30-day extensions are no longer a done deal, at least at some Immigration Offices.

Thanx, Dragonman.

All the back-and-forth translations of translations should be interesting -- but, I guess, better to find out a mistranslation before "all rise" is called.

i have a UK passport and did not need to go to Embassy,

Presumably, you had at least 800,000 bt in your bank, so didn't need your embassy's verification of any income.........

Dragonman,

The wife's 'last will and testament' was prepared in the States and includes all her property, both here and in the States. A summary of the aspects related to Thailand were written in longhand by her and serve as a coversheet for this will (it's signed). I'm assuming this handwritten coversheet can serve as her 'holographic' will for Thai legal purposes(?). If a Thai court had any questions, they could refer to the attached 'official' (witnessed/notarized) will, albeit in English.

In your opinion, are we good-to-go?

(Also, I thought a holographic will in Thailand would stand up with only her signature? (Although obtaining 2 witnesses is no problem, so will probably do so as added assurance.))

wp,

Understand. I'm assuming that if Pattaya is equipped to convert 30-day stamps to Non Imm visas, they certainly should be equipped to convert Tourist visas to Non Imms, a process that's been in effect for several years. The only difference I see is using a TM.87 vice TM.86.

Since this seems logical, it probably can't be done.

but the link doesn't seem to be right (won't open). Do you have it again. jap.gif

Whoops. But you've probably seen it already, as it's been on the same page as this for awhile. But in case you haven't...........)

Link

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...=84738&st=0

If you used a hotel address on the form and move to another location, you would need to notify the address change immediately. If you had put a hotel address on the form, and left the country directly, my guess is that you should high-tail it down to the Immigrations office immediately upon your next arrival if you are staying someplace else. Not sure, just speculating.

Your 90-day reporting clock starts on visa extension approval date (according to Immigration website). So, if you move the next day, it might seem you should have to report your new address -- but I don't see anything definitive on this. In fact, the TM47 seems to be the form that updates any new address, so if many moves occur within that 90 days, only the last location seemingly needs to be reported.

And as far as leaving the country..... Upon return, on the TM6 is where you report your 'current' address. If different than what it was when you last filed a TM47 (or last TM6), no big deal, as far as I can tell. 90 days later, you file a TM47, which either matches what was on your TM6 -- or provides Immigration your new address.

(supposedly, everytime you move, your new landlady/hotel is to provide Immigration your details. have a feeling this is ignored often.)

did you find it easy to both get a bank account and rent a permanent place to live with just a 30 day stamp? Both obviously necessary to go through the procedure you describe.

WP,

Did you have to show you tor tor 3 -- or a certificate of residence -- during this process? As far as I know, you could be living in a hotel to get your retirement extension (i.e., proof of condo ownership or a rental agreement is NOT needed to get a retirement extension).

it is my feeling that most routine immigration matters can be done without the services of a lawyer or adviser of any type.

Would certainly agree. And not just immigration. We saved a bundle by *NOT* using a lawyer when we recorded our lease at the Land Office when compared to what a friend paid for similar property (who, besides paying a lawyer fee, paid way too much to the Land Office based on a suggested fair rent from the lawyer. We just asked the Land Office agent what a fair rent would be, and his lowball figure knocked our socks off). Don't forget: Lawyers in Thailand need only an undergraduate degree to be called a lawyer.

That said, I'm sure a complex situation requires a good lawyer in Thailand. But a simple situation does not -- which also precludes hiring a bad lawyer and turning the simple situation into an expensive mess.

Pattaya Immigration certainly is equipped to turn a tourist visa into a Non Imm visa, if you qualify (if you haven't already, see this thread, which shows Pattaya's ability to convert (and no need for a lawyer):

Converting to Non Imm

But to qualify, it appears you'll need to meet all the requirements for either a retirement extension; support extension; or WP. There are no magic Non Imms if you're just another tourist.

Certainly would chat with Pattaya Immigration before hiring a lawyer, however.

Good luck.

the lawyer said I would have to apply for my own retirement visa also and have a separate account set up with 800,000 the same as my husband for a total of 1.6 for the both of us...plus pay him for two applications..

Does anyone know the Thai word for "shyster?"

CM Immigration is usually easy to deal with. I'd make them your next stopping spot for an information dump, to include converting your 30-day stamps into NonImm visas, then to retirement extensions. New procedure, but works in Pattaya -- and I, for one, am curious to see if CM is up to speed with this, particularly the dependent aspect of it. So, please keep us up to date on what you find out. Thanx.

Just in the course of conversation, the officer told me I didn't need a visa of any sort

Could I have your license number for my next lottery ticket........

They're down for some sort of upgrade, and I believe they'll be down for most of the weekend.

They had a notice yesterday alerting to this fact. Can't remember the exact downtimes, however, but it did look to be lengthy.

The possibility to change from a visa-exempt 30-day entry stamp directly to non-O status is part of the new changes introduced over the past few days.

Great news -- and obviously true, as wpcoe found out (at least in Pattaya). I thought I kept pretty current on these things, but I sure missed this. Are there any links to officialdom mentioning this?

wp, out of curiosity, how'd you get alerted to this? (And I think your website is super -- I'm sure it will be bookmarked by many.)

I wonder how long the TM87's been around(?). Its title ("Application for Visa") denotes something that recently wasn't possible inside Thailand. In fact, the TM86 (Application for Change of Visa), used to change a tourist visa to a Non Immigrant visa, is a fairly recent procedure.

Couple other nice things about this:

If you're out-of-country at extension renewal time, you just come back in on a 30-day stamp and start the extension process over again, with everything about the same as required for renewal, except for the 2000 bt conversion fee. However, this is probably a bargain when you consider the time and money needed to visit an embassy/consulate to get another visa. (And now, maybe your new, later in the year renewal date fits better into your travel schedule.)

Forgot (or didn't have the time) to get a reentry stamp? Pay an extra 2000 bt (net, 1000 bt) for the oversight. Of course if you left right after your last extension renewal, you've pretty much wasted the 1900 bt extension fee you paid for it. But, again, time and money *not* wasted on visiting an embassy/consulate could be worth it.

Also, with the 30-day stamp procedure, it would appear you can start the ball rolling for your extension immediately. If you enter with a Non Imm, the published procedure was you had to wait for 60 days before applying for the extension (although exceptions were noted). Now, get the job done soonest.

Neat.

Once someone has obtained a marriage cert. Do you need to leave Thailand to be able to apply for a non ' o' visa. I have read that you can apply at the thai consulate / embassy and change your 30-day tourist visa to a non 'o' visa.

"30-day tourist visa?" Sounds like you're tripping over definitions and are confusing the 'no visa required' entry, which results in a 30-day stamp, with a tourist visa, which results in a 60-day stamp.

As far as I can tell, Sunbelt's service is referring to converting a tourist visa -- but a 30-day 'no visa required' entry can NOT be converted to a Non Imm visa.