Marriage Extension Witness Required

[sandrabbit]

My wife has just told me that Rayong immigration (Map ta Phut) now require a Thai witness for our marriage extension renewal as we don't have children, it's our 2nd marriage renewal as I'd previously been on a retirement extension. Is this a new requirement or are Rayong making it up just for the sake of it, I don't understand why they just change things just for the sake of it?. It makes me wonder if they'll make up another requirement on the day when we attend the immigration centre and as Rayong send the application to Bangkok I end up with my passport being filled with temporary stamps while it's processed as well. As you'll probably get the impression I hate renewing my extension, why do they have to make it so hard and ask for the same information and attachments year after year?.

[ubonjoe]

Who informed your wife about the witness being needed.

Other offices ask for witnesses so not something all that new. Perhaps new for Rayong.

You will only get one under consideration stamp with a report back date on it. They do not do another stamp if the approval is not done by the report back date since the under consideration stamp allows to you stay until your application is approved,

[sandrabbit]

My wife contacted the immigration office through Line as she has their contact details through our resort business. The only time I'd needed a witness before ( 3 of them) was for my yellow book application at the amphor. 

[Rhys]

Let's see, doing this too.. but we are required to have a poo yai ban or a gumnan... 2k a pop

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, sandrabbit said:

My wife contacted the immigration office through Line as she has their contact details through our resort business. The only time I'd needed a witness before ( 3 of them) was for my yellow book application at the amphor. 

Did they do a home visit for your first extension?

It could that the witness is only for the 2nd extension and onward.

It should not be a problem to have somebody go with you when you apply.

[sandrabbit]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

Did they do how visit for your first extension?

It could that the witness is only the 2nd extension and onward.

It should not be a problem to have somebody go with you when you apply.

I agree it's not a problem but an inconvenience for a Thai friend to hang around immigration for hours. For our marriage application we had a house visit and the officer was quite friendly and helpful to the point of telling us that his visit was a success, 1st renewal was actually quite painless as Rayong immigration had had a clear out of the deadwood with no house visit required so maybe I'm thinking too much as I'd had a few stressed out retirement extensions under the old regime.

[rockingrobin]

3 minutes ago, sandrabbit said:

I agree it's not a problem but an inconvenience for a Thai friend to hang around immigration for hours. For our marriage application we had a house visit and the officer was quite friendly and helpful to the point of telling us that his visit was a success, 1st renewal was actually quite painless as Rayong immigration had had a clear out of the deadwood with no house visit required so maybe I'm thinking too much as I'd had a few stressed out retirement extensions under the old regime.

Check with immigration if they want the witness to be present or a document signed by the witness.

My local immigration required a signed document, the person was not required to attend

[Rhys]

2 minutes ago, rockingrobin said:

Check with immigration if they want the witness to be present or a document signed by the witness.

My local immigration required a signed document, the person was not required to attend

...some much variation in the procedure....no wonder all the issues.

[wallju]

I went to Rayong Immigration today to apply my first extension for my Non-O based on marriage visa but all went wrong today,IO wanted witness before she even looked my papers through.My wife friend lives quite near at Rayong Immigration so we went to pick her up and came again to Immigration with witness.

Then IO noticed that my Non-O visa is stamped at Chonburi province and now Im living at Rayong province so she can't take my application at all,she made couple phone calls to her supervisors and then told that I have to bring my previous condo owner to testify that Im not living in his condo at Pattaya anymore.That condo owner lives at Bangkok and he have to take day off from work and drive from Bangkok to Rayong to testify that I moved out from his condo,not going to happen.Its not even his business anymore because i moved out last year and I notified Rayong Immigration for my new address at Rayong so they know my current address.

I couldn't leave my application because its impossible to bring my previous condo owner to here to testify,hole idea is ridiculous.They didn't even interviewed witness so she came for nothing to there.

IO told that second choice is that i will apply Non-O visa at Savannakhet and it looks like that is my only option for now,at least less paper work but very long drive to there ahead.

 

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, wallju said:

Then IO noticed that my Non-O visa is stamped at Chonburi province and now Im living at Rayong province so she can't take my application at all

I assume you applied for a non immigrant visa (category O) at immigration at Jomtien immigration and now want to extend the 90 day entry from it. What address did you use when you applied for it?

Normally you have to apply for the extension at the immigration office where you applied for the visa.

It think that the part about needing the condo owner to confirm you no longer live there was a run around to discourage you from trying to do it.

You can also get single entry non-o in Vientiane. Savannakhet is not your only choice.

[wallju]

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I assume you applied for a non immigrant visa (category O) at immigration at Jomtien immigration and now want to extend the 90 day entry from it. What address did you use when you applied for it?

Normally you have to apply for the extension at the immigration office where you applied for the visa.

It think that the part about needing the condo owner to confirm you no longer live there was a run around to discourage you from trying to do it.

You can also get single entry non-o in Vientiane. Savannakhet is not your only choice.

Yes I applied Non-O at Jomtien and I asked from there that where I have to apply my one year extension and they said at Jomtien that have to apply at that province where I live.I knew then that Im going to move Rayong at end of the year and thats why I asked that where I have to apply my extension.

I used my current address at Rayong,same address that I notified to Immigration when I moved.

I was now applying one year extension based on marriage,I got 90 days Non-O visa at last December.

[steve187]

the problem with Rayong is that they refuse to do a conversion, telling you to go to the UK or Savannakhet,  the way around this for me was to go to Jomtein, and obtain this conversion and then a year 'retirement' extension, see what happens next Feb when i go to Rayong and try for a years 'marriage' extension.

[sandrabbit]

13 hours ago, steve187 said:

the problem with Rayong is that they refuse to do a conversion, telling you to go to the UK or Savannakhet,  the way around this for me was to go to Jomtein, and obtain this conversion and then a year 'retirement' extension, see what happens next Feb when i go to Rayong and try for a years 'marriage' extension.

When I did my 1st marriage extension the head of the office of Rayong immigration  wanted me to continue with a retirement extension as I had the funds in the bank but I wanted to convert to marriage before there could be any new rule changes and maybe having to jump through more hoops. Map ta Phut is a horrible place to get to , and the other side of the city from where I live, so I want to get everything correct before going as you only want to make the journey once for the application. I don't understand why the office isn't in the city near the other administrative offices like the amphor.

[OJAS]

8 hours ago, sandrabbit said:

When I did my 1st marriage extension the head of the office of Rayong immigration  wanted me to continue with a retirement extension as I had the funds in the bank but I wanted to convert to marriage before there could be any new rule changes and maybe having to jump through more hoops. Map ta Phut is a horrible place to get to , and the other side of the city from where I live, so I want to get everything correct before going as you only want to make the journey once for the application. I don't understand why the office isn't in the city near the other administrative offices like the amphor.

"I want to get everything correct before going as you only want to make the journey once for the application."

 

But you've now swapped 1trip for 2 in any case! So I find it puzzling as to why you have opted for marriage over retirement as the reason for your extension if the travelling time to the office is such a major issue for you.

 

"I don't understand why the office isn't in the city near the other administrative offices like the amphor."

 

The office is also on the other side of the city for me. Even so, a big plus for me is that on-street parking is convenient at their present location, whereas it would almost certainly be next to impossible at any alternative location in the city centre. Seeing as I mail in my 90-day reports 1 trip each year for a new retirement extension is really no big deal for me (and never have these extensions proved unduly problematical for me to obtain).

 

You should also bear in mind that the office's present location is convenient for the Ban Chang expat community who, I suspect, form the lion's share of their farang clientele. I'm sure that few of them would welcome a longer drive to the office than at present, followed by spending ages and ages finding somewhere to park which could be a long walk away in any event!!

 

Edited February 15, 2018 by OJAS

[Eff1n2ret]

I suspect the location of the Rayong office at Maptaphut stems less from the expat community in Banchang than the huge number of foreign (non-Western) workers in the industries around there, which far outweighs any other factors.

I can't explain why the OP should be subjected to a continued requirement to substantiate his marriage with a witness, if it's his second renewal. I have a pal who transferred from retirement to marriage a couple of years ago because of the financial requirement, and it was certainly a bit of a workup, with mountains of paperwork and a home visit, where they came round and talked to the neighbours. When he went for his renewal last year they said the exchange rate now qualified him for a retirement extension, which is what they gave him. It was apparent that they much prefer to dish out retirement stamps because it's a lot less work, and he was quite happy, but I guess he will have a problem when we get a Khorbynh government and the pound dives to 30-something baht, and he'll have to do the marriage thing all over again.

[OJAS]

On 2/16/2018 at 10:33 AM, Eff1n2ret said:

I suspect the location of the Rayong office at Maptaphut stems less from the expat community in Banchang than the huge number of foreign (non-Western) workers in the industries around there, which far outweighs any other factors.

Probably true. My only reason for singling out the Ban Chang expat community was that its members are far more likely to follow Thai Visa than the non-Western foreign workers on the nearby industrial estate!

[roobaa01]

as it looks like rayong is following jomtien with the witness requirements for childless marriages.

 

wbr

roobaa01

[OJAS]

18 hours ago, roobaa01 said:

as it looks like rayong is following jomtien with the witness requirements for childless marriages.

 

wbr

roobaa01

But thankfully not as regards the TM30 requirement, though. Maptaput only want a fresh one if you change your address, whereas Jomtien seem to require a fresh one each and every time you venture more than 5 paces from your front door!

[patekatek]

Phetchaburi Immigration is now asking for a witness as well.  They called my wife two days after we left our application paperwork at their office asking for a witness.  Supposedly Bangkok was the office making the request for a witness.   In addition to that they someone drive out to our house  to take photos of the officer with us and our house.  30 km each way.   This is the first time in 6 years that we have had to go through all this overkill by the government. 

 

[Mitch82]

6 hours ago, patekatek said:

Phetchaburi Immigration is now asking for a witness as well.  They called my wife two days after we left our application paperwork at their office asking for a witness.  Supposedly Bangkok was the office making the request for a witness.   In addition to that they someone drive out to our house  to take photos of the officer with us and our house.  30 km each way.   This is the first time in 6 years that we have had to go through all this overkill by the government. 

 

I've found that it depends on which officer deals with you in Phetchaburi. No consistency, but they always have been nice to me. It was easier for me this year to tie in an Issan visit and do a new Multiple Non Imm O visa in Savannakhet. I am glad i did now hearing this. The translation of our Australian marriage certificate is the major pain. Has to be stamped at the embassy in Bangkok for a ridiculous fee and then taken to the Consulate for verification. Every year the same. But its the price we pay to live in the land of love...

[roobaa01]

@mitch82  why dont u have ya foreign marriage not registered at ya local amphur ?? 

 

wbr

roobaa01

[OJAS]

22 hours ago, patekatek said:

Supposedly Bangkok was the office making the request for a witness.

Therein may lie the common denomimator in this thread, I suspect - in that Maptaput, Jomtien and Phetchaburi all have to refer marriage extension applications to Bangkok for final approval, presumably.

 

It goes without saying, I take it, that Chaengwattana also have a similar witness requirement??

[Mitch82]

15 hours ago, roobaa01 said:

@mitch82  why dont u have ya foreign marriage not registered at ya local amphur ?? 

 

wbr

roobaa01

Yeah I have the Kor ror 22 and yellow book/ alien card . They will not accept this alone. They demand a certified translation stamped by the embassy and Thai consulate to accompany the foreign marriage certificate. Unfortunately this has been the case the last few years. I do know of others who get away with just the Kor Ror 22. I am a FIFO worker so the multiple entry does the job with a 60 day extension on

the last entry.

[ubonjoe]

36 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Therein may lie the common denomimator in this thread, I suspect - in that Maptaput, Jomtien and Phetchaburi all have to refer marriage extension applications to Bangkok for final approval, presumably.

 

It goes without saying, I take it, that Chaengwattana also have a similar witness requirement??

Bangkok would mean Immigration Division 3 that is responsible for the central region. I have not seen reports for all the offices in the central region wanting a witness.

Chaeng Wattana does not ask for witnesses.

 

[roiethome]

I had a similar issues last week in Chang Wattana immigration office, it seems they can add whatever they want to the list of documents etc on their website.

They just want to make it harder and harder each year for the Farangs !

 

[sandrabbit]

Been to Map ta Phut immigration this morning for my marriage extension, there is more paperwork than last year and the immigration officer said it was because of a new chief of immigration police since my last renewal and there is going to be another chief of immigration police in a month so she said requirements could change again. 

 

For my previous marriage extensions (and before that retirement ) I only had to make copies of my original visa (from UK and later moved to a new passport) and last year's extension but now they want copies of all extensions in the passport. The witness who had to be interviewed at immigration has to be photographed with us at our house, including inside, which we hadn't done but Rayong Immigration is allowing us to take pictures this afternoon then send them by Line and for anyone interested their Line handle is RAYONGIMMEX. Expecting the extension around March 21st.

[sandrabbit]

On 18/02/2018 at 8:24 AM, OJAS said:

But thankfully not as regards the TM30 requirement, though. Maptaput only want a fresh one if you change your address, whereas Jomtien seem to require a fresh one each and every time you venture more than 5 paces from your front door!

I was in UK for 1 week in September so my wife and I had an argument about this and Rayong Immigration said that I didn't need to report, I was wrong.

[sandrabbit]

11 hours ago, OJAS said:

Therein may lie the common denomimator in this thread, I suspect - in that Maptaput, Jomtien and Phetchaburi all have to refer marriage extension applications to Bangkok for final approval, presumably.

 

It goes without saying, I take it, that Chaengwattana also have a similar witness requirement??

My application has to be approved by Bangkok, takes a month. Surely Rayong should be allowed to approve etc, the 3rd richest province in Thailand?

[OJAS]

13 hours ago, sandrabbit said:

My application has to be approved by Bangkok, takes a month. Surely Rayong should be allowed to approve etc, the 3rd richest province in Thailand?

Unfortunately, for marriage extension applicants across the whole of Thailand (and not just Rayong Province), it is the case that local offices have been given zero discretion in approving applications which need to be referred to the relevant divisional HQ for this purpose. As ubonjoe has pointed out, Division 3, based in Bangkok, happens to be the relevant HQ to which Maptaput - and, for that matter, Jomtien - report.

 

It could equally be argued, I suppose, that Jomtien might likewise have a strong case for autonomy in approving marriage extension applications on the grounds that they are a major office in their own right serving a large expat community.

Edited February 20, 2018 by OJAS

[Eff1n2ret]

I don't know, but I suspect that the requirement to submit all marriage extensions to Bangkok is their perceived need for a central database to combat bogus marriages. Maybe one day the provinces will be allowed access and input to a central database to avoid the need for the applications to be sent there.