New requirements for Non Imm O visa for spouse of Thai?

[cliveshep]

Been asked about requirements for a Non Imm O visa to join or stay with a Thai wife. The new requirements ask for quite a large income, £16800 pa in fact, proving it by bank statements showing £1400 monthly Annually for 3 months.  This is way more than the 400,000 baht for the annual extension and in fact I don't recall being asked anything about finances in 2015 when I got my metv for October travel that year. I did have to show the 400,000 baht when it came to extend a few months later! The extract below is from the Royal Thai Embassy website. 

 

It seems that one could show one's income from employment UP TO THE POINT OF APPLICATION because if one went to live in Thailand one would no longer have that income as one would stop working. At current rates that amount equates to 722400 baht, way above the 400,000 current requirement.

 

Can someone knowledgeable shed any light on this? Have I interpreted this correctly. are they bumping up the 400,000 requirement for annual extensions for spouses of Thai nationals (in which case I could not manage that and having nowhere else to go would consider seriously an overdose solution.)

 

I reproduce below the bit from the Thai Embassy web site in London:

 

Non-Immigrant Type O 

 

• For dependent child (age below 20 years): A copy of birth certificate, a copy each of employment letter, passport and visa of the parent who is going to work in Thailand, and a copy of registration of the company or organisation where the parent will work 
• For accompanying spouse : A copy of marriage certificate, a copy each of employment letter, passport and visa of the  leading spouse, and a copy of registration of the company or organisation where the spouse will work
• For accompanying a Thai spouse : A copy of marriage certificate, a copy of Thai passport/a copy of Thai ID of spouse, and (3 months bank statement showing monthly income of more than £1,400 annually.)
• For accompanying a Thai child : A copy of Thai birth certificate, a copy of the Thai child's passport/Thai ID, a copy of marriage certificate to a Thai spouse or divorce paper/child custody paper (in case of divorce), and (3 months bank statement showing monthly income of more than £1,400 annually.)
• For working at an NGO/volunteer work : An official recommendation letter or employment letter from NGO or organisation which undertakes volunteer work in Thailand, registration document of NGO or volunteer organisation
• For pensioner : A copy of pension statement if the applicant is a pensioner or a copy of 1 month bank statement showing your income from pension. 

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, cliveshep said:

For accompanying a Thai spouse : A copy of marriage certificate, a copy of Thai passport/a copy of Thai ID of spouse, and (3 months bank statement showing monthly income of more than £1,400 annually.)

The is an error that has been on their website for a long time. They do not ask for any financial proof the embassy.

There have been no changes to the requirements to get a non-o visa or extension of stay.

[cliveshep]

Oh wow UbonJoe - you may have just saved a life! 

 

I see that you can still get a METV so are you saying that there are NO financial requirements for that? (Other than perhaps 20k baht in your pocket on arrival).

 

My friend wants to rejoin his wife here, he cocked up a year ago and got tossed out for a year because he misunderstood the visa expiration date as the date he could stay here.

 

I ask because the sticky post on the end of the METV was 2015, yet I got one in October of that year and they are still on the Thai Embassy visa pages of their website this year as offering METV's.It can take a lot longer than 90 days to get all the papers together for that first extension of stay (as I found out the hard way!).

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, cliveshep said:

I see that you can still get a METV so are you saying that there are NO financial requirements for that? (Other than perhaps 20k baht in your pocket on arrival).

No I did not say that. I was only writing about the non-o visa based upon marriage.

[cliveshep]

Given that the latest posts on this appear to be that closed thread 2015 can you please clarify Ubonjoe?

 

METV's are  STILL  available for non O based on marriage?

 

What than ARE the financial requirements to obtain one of the info is incorrect on the Thai Embassy website?

 

I'm sure others might like to see an update too but I currently have 3 friends who want to join their Thai wives who keep asking me the latest and I can only tell them what you helped me with 3 years ago.

 

Please???

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, cliveshep said:

METV's are  STILL  available for non O based on marriage?

 A METV is a tourist visa.

A non-o visa is a non immigrant visa and allows a 90 day entry. They do not ask for financial proof to get a multiple entry non-o visa.

[elviajero]

2 minutes ago, cliveshep said:

Given that the latest posts on this appear to be that closed thread 2015 can you please clarify Ubonjoe?

 

METV's are  STILL  available for non O based on marriage?

 

What than ARE the financial requirements to obtain one of the info is incorrect on the Thai Embassy website?

 

I'm sure others might like to see an update too but I currently have 3 friends who want to join their Thai wives who keep asking me the latest and I can only tell them what you helped me with 3 years ago.

 

Please???

METV = Multiple Entry Tourist Visa. That doesn’t apply to your enquiry.

 

You will be applying for a ME Non-Immigrant ‘O’ visa. The financial requirement listed on the website has been there for years, but is not, usually, enforced. 

 

Just supply a copy of your marriage certificate and your wife’s ID or Passport. No bank statements needed even though, if you ask, the embassy will tell you they want to see them. I’ve applied successfully for two of these visas over the last couple of years without providing bank statements, as have many others. Easy done by post.

[cliveshep]

Ubonjoe - that is terrific, thank you so much. The multiple entry non-imm o is what my friends will be wanting, especially the one who got chucked out a year ago because he is so hard to advise and is bound to leave his required docs behind.

 

elviajero - I already live here with my wife, I didn't want to give bad information to friends and I confess confusion over METV's and ME non-imm o visas.

 

But to both of you many thanks for clarifying a worrying point. 

 

Err - one point elviajero - you said by post and you sent copies of your marriage cert and your wife's id? So that is acceptable as I assume your wife is here and those original items are with her so you can only give copies in your postal application?

 

Edited August 8, 2018 by cliveshep

[elviajero]

45 minutes ago, cliveshep said:

Err - one point elviajero - you said by post and you sent copies of your marriage cert and your wife's id? So that is acceptable as I assume your wife is here and those original items are with her so you can only give copies in your postal application?

 

Yes, they only require copies (not originals). 

 

I presume they assume the wife is in, or returning to, Thailand as the visa is applied for on the basis of visiting the wife, so yes they couldn’t expect to see original her ID or Passport. And the embassy never, as far as I’m aware, ask to see an original marriage certificate even though the applicant could potentially have/get one.

[cliveshep]

Great, many thanks for clarifying that for me.