BKK-Bangkapi

... and the thai language version of thaiimmigration.com forum is still active

http://th.thaiimmigration.com/phpBB2/

Last posts on Mar 25.

Thats complete garbage, the Swiss don't dole out citizenships like a Burger King pumps out burgers. Check again.

DoubleTrouble: you are quite right in a way, it depends on the Canton and the Community where the application is made. In mine, all applicants who I know (6) were given Swiss nationality as spouse of Swiss citizen after 2 years max and none were rejected. The person is of course subject to an inquiry and needs to provide some references. If the applicant is not a trouble maker, knows one of the national language it is quite ok. But in some communities it is subject to a local poll and it's tougher, especially for middle-east and Ex-Yugoslavia peoples.

BTW I guess that calling someone's posting as "garbage" won't make you a lot of friends, think about it.

Cheers.

.... not easy to write a complete adress on this TM card. Just enough space to write something like "Novotel, BKK" . Have someone ever tried to write something like "Bangkok" on the TM card and got it stamped?

Hello Thaimee,

From my experience: Vietnam and Hong-Kong she can go without a visa. Another I am quite sure all ASEAN countries will be ok without a visa. From your list you should check about Korea.

Cheers.

...Swiss rules are generous too. Just for your curiosity, here is the process for a fiance of a Swiss citizen (male or female no difference) wanting to marry in Switzerland.

1) The Swiss fiance get a marriage form from the district and send it to the fiance in Thailand

2) The Thai fiance get a birth certificate, a single certificate, a residence certificate translated and bring them with the form to the Swiss embassy. There, sign the form. The embassy will send all the papers to Switzerland for checking. The fiance should then go to a special branch of police in Bangkok to get a police record (it takes 3 weeks to get) and send it to the fiance in Switzerland.

3) Once all papers arrived in Switzerland (1-2 weeks after), the Swiss fiance is called by the district to go there with single and residence ceritifcate and sign the marriage form there. The district will then issue a certificate to show that the Thai fiance will marry in Switzerland.

4) The swiss fiance just bring this certificate to immigration and sign that he/she will take care of his foreign fiance while in Switzerland. No financial requirements are made (I asked why and they said because it's a human right to stay with your wife or husband, no matter the finance). On the other hand, they want to get the police record of the Thai fiance as they can refuse a serious crime offender. Immigration will then instruct the Swiss embassy in Thailand to issue a marriage Visa to the Thai fiance (issued within 1 week).

5) The Thai fiance come to Switzerland and marry at the district. After this, the Thai fiance will get a RESIDENCE permit to stay in Switzerland valid for one year. This permit allows the holder to work at any place just like a Swiss citizen. No category of work are forbidden. Can change job anytime. No additional permit is required to work. Every year it needs to be renewed but it's just automatic (go to pick it up)

6) After 5 years in Switzerland, the Thai fiance can apply for Swiss citizenship. Quite automatic for someone married to a Swiss. Process taking 1-2 years. After 5 years can apply to get a permanent residence permit which allows to buy land in Switzerland. This is given automatically as well and takes about 2-3 months.

Quite different from Thailand isn't it? Maybe it's too generous....

Cheers.

... or you can prove it for the 1st year too by just getting your pension confirmed by the Dutch embassy in BKK....

Hi Dutch,

I guess income tax will come into consideration only if you got a working permit. If money is coming from abroad, no income tax is due as it's taxed abroad already. Well this may depend if your country has a double taxation treaty with Thailand....

Hi there,

May I add my 2 cents? (I am not expert but I suppose the following, in theory). In my opinion, the 400K needs to be renewed and come from abroad every year....

As he is below 50 it was said that he needs to work so he will get the 1st extension only for 9 months and then be questionned again about what is he doing there and where the money is coming from. Immigration police will have access to his bank account and check the activity whenever they want.

After 9 months if

-the balance didn't move (then where the money he used to survive 9 months is coming from?)

-the account was emptied and refilled with money from thailand (where did he get that money from? working in Thailand?)

If he doesn't have a working permit and no money is coming from abroad, immigration can deduct that his money is coming from an illegal source and his permit will not renewed.

Cheers

It was also said to someone else at Thai immigration that your degree will matter as well if you plan to stay in Thailand. To extend your visa for a job search you will need a university degree (legalized if possible). The point is that below 50 you need to work to support your thai wife and without a university degree it's not likely that you'll get a work permit there. If you plan to go back with her to your home country this is not necessary.

Hi everyone,

In my experience here is the process (switzerland)

1) I asked my University a "transcript" (that's how it's called) of my degree. It's a document in English showing your grade, the subjects that you studied and your degree.

2) I brought the transcript to the competent local chancellery (the one of the Canton where my University is located) for legalization.

3) I brought the legalized transcript to the Thai embassy in Switzerland for legalization.

In Thailand, as far as the document is in English and got the "Krood" stamp of a Thai embassy, it is ok. Would be a good idea to do this before to come to Thailand.

Good luck everyone.

But actually my wife changed her last name, so it means she cannot own land?

Would be bad.... Anyone got advise?

Devil's advocate here...isn't it getting more equitable rather than a screw job ? A guy married to a Thai with umpteen kids needed 200,000 baht by way of bank or an income, or a combination. A solo foreigner needed 800,000 as it stands. That seems both inequitable and unfair. Any reasonable person should, I think, see that.

I heard that two can live as cheaply as one......but only for half as long

Maybe they thought that the husband can put his wife to work.Part of the 800,000 are for problems in case of illness or accident, so in that particular case a married guy could be able to get some support from his thai wife's family, which may not be the case for a solo guy. Just thinking loud...., maybe another reason to have lower requirements for spouse of thai citizen.

Huski:

hmmm it looks like it's in BKK indeed as the topic is "Mrs Moog goes to Soi Suanplu...."

Would not be that easy to find another office if he leaves in BKK. I am not sure that he could say "please let me talk to another officer" next time he goes there. Maybe the problem came when he didn't come in person as I was considering to do before your advice

Good idea Huski, I will keep a low profile during the interview and figure out once I got the date stamped in my passport. I'll keep you posted again once I went trough this process. Cheers

Dear George and Huski,

Thanks a lot for your advises. It kept me out of troubles then . I will then come back to pick up the extension and negociate to have a fixed day after exactly 6 weeks to come to pick it up, as I will come just for 2-3 days. Hope that I can explain this to the officer.

See you in future posts.

3) If not possible can I send my passport by airmail to my wife so that she can pick up the extension on my behalf?

i would not recommend this at all, as you will be in singapore without a passport, illegal. what if your passport was lost in the mail. you would then have to go to your embassy in singapore and get a new passport, get a tourist visa or another non immigrant visa <and have paperwork sent to you> to return to thailand. then you would have to start your extension process all over again.

Wow huski, thanks a lot for your advice. Regarding the mail question, this won't happend while I am in Singapore but while I am back in my country. If my passport is lost on its way to Thailand I'll get a new one pretty quickly and my wife could brind copies of the lost one with the new one stating that it was lost. If it's lost on its way back then she could send me copies of the extension and next time that I come to Thailand I can inform immigration than my passport was lost and show copies of the extension. So assuming that I take this risk, have you ever heard of someone not picking up the extension in person? The only point would then be that I will have an exit stamp on my passport when they put the extension....

Another way would be to obtain a second passport and use it when going out an in Thailand between extension dates (one entry stamp will miss on that one but maybe I can go to the airport and get the missing stamp there instead of Soi Suan Plu.

ATM:

I suggest you the following:

1) Go to the chancellery in your place to legalize your wedding certificate

2) Call the nearest Thai consulate in your place, and ask them about leglizing a Thai translation of your wedding certificate. They will let you know about the person who should translate it (they don't accept translations from anyone for legalization purposes). Get your certificate translated and bring it to the consulate.

3) Ask the consulate to legalize the translation. Make sure that the translation is stapled on the top of the original certificate (not a copy) and that a stamp is put on the stapled corner as well (mine was first refused in Foreign office because it was not done like this)

4) At the consulate ask for a non-immigration type "O" multiple entry valid for one year.

5) When you go to Thailand you can stay 90 days and need to go out and come in again after 90 days untill you convert your "O" Visa with a one year extension. This can only be done in Thailand and your wife must be with you at the application time. They want her to confirm in person that she is still your wife at present time. When applying you need to show a Thai wedding certificate. Only your wife can get it. She will need to legalize the Thai translation of your wedding certificate at the foreign ministry office (they don't legalize it if it was not properly legalized by a thai consulate first). Once it's done she will need to go to her district office (ampur) with 2 witnesses and she will get her name changed, a new id card and a thai wedding certificate.

6) Open a joint account with your wife in Bangkok-Bank Silom branch (better there as you can get the confirmation letter on the same day). Wire 200,000 Baht (400,000 if after July) from Australia to your thai bank account with your e-banking. Update your passbook and get a confirmation letter and a credit advice showing that the funds came from abroad from the bank. It's important that you don't bring the cash with you as immigration want to see that the funds came from abroad.

7) Go to any clinic or hospital to get a health certificate for immigration.

6) Go with your wife in the immigration office and bring:

-her id card and a copy

-your thai wedding certificate and a copy

-your wife's house registration and a copy

-your passport and a copy

-the health certificate

-the passbook, the confirmation letter and the credit advice from the bank and copies

-Two 2" photos

-B 1900 for the application and some extra cash just in case.

They will extend your visa for one year so that you won't need to leave each 90 days.

Once you get the extension get a multiple reentry permit so that you won't loose your extension when you travel out of Thailand. Costs B 3800. Requires one additional photo.

The rest of the info you can find in this forum in earlier posts.

Good luck.

Just shortened my post as the initial one was far too detailed.

Dear all,

I've read this forum for a while and it was very helpfull so grateful thanks to you all .

Been married with a Thai lady, my aim is to settle in Thailand in 2-3 years from now. However I would like to start to apply for 1 year extensions now so that the waiting period to get residence permit is shortened.

I will soon come to Thailand but I can stay only for 3 weeks for this time. While there I will go with my wife and all the papers to Soi Suan Plu and apply for a one year extension. I will also need a multi-reentry permit because I need to go to Singapore during these 3 weeks.

1) Is it possible to apply for 1 year extension in the 1st 30 days of stay instead of the last 30? Some have reported to succeed, any advise?

2) Is it possible to get the extension on the same day or less than the 40 days stated in this forum?

3) If not possible can I send my passport by airmail to my wife so that she can pick up the extension on my behalf?

4) If 2) and 3) are not possible can I ask to come in October for pick up the extension?

5) In case of 3) or 4) applies, do I need a reentry permit for my trip to Singapore while I am on "under consideration" status or can I just make use of my multiple "O" visa? I'll get one anyway when the extension is granted.

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge or assumptions.