40,000 A Month Between Us ?

[DWALDO]

Hi all,

When I move to Thailand in 2 or 3 years I will rent a restaurant for my Thai wife to run, in fact I will rent it a year before I go if this restaurant or any other business she runs makes 40,000 a month will this act as a joint income in other words would this satisfy my married visa requirements. I will have some money in a Thai bank account but most of my money will be tied up, it seems a simple way to get round the requirements.

Thanks Dave

[bangkapiboy]

I think the money needs to show it is coming from outside Thailand. But I'm no expert on that.

[Mahout Angrit]

if this restaurant or any other business she runs makes 40,000 a month will this act as a joint income in other words would this satisfy my married visa requirements.

Yes, the income can be a joint income (or only from the restaurant) but will have to be declared and tax paid on it.

I will have some money in a Thai bank account but most of my money will be tied up

Money in bank is no longer an option for a visa extension based on staying with a Thai wife

it seems a simple way to get round the requirements.

I would think there were simpler ways than making the wife run a restaurant and expecting it to make 40,000pm

[DWALDO]

I can't think of any easy way to ensure an income of 40,000 a month but if I had money in the bank and we came up short, I could as a last resort put some of my money over the counter.I accept that I would lose a bit of it in tax but with a wife and a child to support I'm sure there woudn't be too much tax on 40,000 a month. I don't intend having my wife slaving away in a restaurant while I go fishing but she would love to do this and if it went wrong it would only be a million baht or so I do realize it will be very hard to make that sort of money unless we were very good or very lucky. The thing is I don't want to spend 3 million now and find out she has no idea about business, if she ran this well then maybe we could buy another or bigger place.

Dave

[Mahout Angrit]

I could as a last resort put some of my money over the counter.I accept that I would lose a bit of it in tax but with a wife and a child to support I'm sure there woudn't be too much tax on 40,000 a month.

Indeed you could, there is no requirement that you spend 40,000 a month so if you could live on less you could keep on buying your wifes food over the counter with the same money Good luck with it.

[DWALDO]

I know it all sounds a bit strange but when it comes to Thai immigration law nothing is strange. Of all the countries in the world that anyone would want to move to Thailand must be the hardest. I understand that never having been colonised they are very protective of their culture and rightly so but they make it almost impossibe for people even those with the best intentions. I want to move to Thailand because it is like it is, not so I could in any way change it. I live in a tax haven with a queue a mile long of wealthy people that would like to come here but within a month my wife will be allowed to move and work here in a few years she can vote and a few years after that she could become an MP. in fifty years Thailand will still look on me as being an interloper with no rights at all.

[massein]

I know it all sounds a bit strange but when it comes to Thai immigration law nothing is strange. Of all the countries in the world that anyone would want to move to Thailand must be the hardest. I understand that never having been colonised they are very protective of their culture and rightly so but they make it almost impossibe for people even those with the best intentions. I want to move to Thailand because it is like it is, not so I could in any way change it. I live in a tax haven with a queue a mile long of wealthy people that would like to come here but within a month my wife will be allowed to move and work here in a few years she can vote and a few years after that she could become an MP. in fifty years Thailand will still look on me as being an interloper with no rights at all.

Let me state i have now resided in Thailand for 6 years and to my knowledge the rules have change every year of that 6, i expect the same this year. If you have the money, why not open a joint acct in a thai bank now making regular deposits, showing a deposit track record, the thai government is mainly interested in money you will bring in , not money your camilly can earn here. when I went to emmigration I had 60.000 in the bank,and this would have been unexcetable if i did not have a retirement from the USA. however if I did not have a retirement i would have need 400,000 for a married visa or 800,000 for a retirement visa. for the first 2 years i used a marriage visa, but because of the delay every year waiting for a visa stamp to come back from bkk i change to a retirement visa. considering all this when I first arrive i only need 200,000, and when they change the rules there was no grandfather clause.All this stated just put the money 9in the bank collect the interest and forget you have it. I susjest just get a CD, this is perfectly acceptable

[yoshiwara]

Unless you have a business visa, the income from a restaurant will not count .... plus given the arcane ownership rules, the only reason for having the restaurant is to keep the wife busy and happy....as has been mentioned above retirement income is counted as money which originated from abroad....as for settling in, nothing short of taking Thai nationality or having enough money to put you into the 'Elite' class will avoid a certain amount of on-going hassle....................................

[kriswillems]

If you're applying for a 1 year extention of your non-immigrant-O visa based on marriage (and not on retirement), the income from the restaurant will count, even if it's completely on your wifes name.

[egg]

Hi all,

When I move to Thailand in 2 or 3 years I will rent a restaurant for my Thai wife to run, in fact I will rent it a year before I go if this restaurant or any other business she runs makes 40,000 a month will this act as a joint income in other words would this satisfy my married visa requirements. I will have some money in a Thai bank account but most of my money will be tied up, it seems a simple way to get round the requirements.

Thanks Dave

This is what l got from Nong Khai immigration on the 16/2/2007 ,,,,,

foreign husband stay with Thai nationalty wife

1 having an income not less than 40,000 baht a month

2 having a income together not less than 40,000 baht a month

3 having a tax for the following of the previous year of the alien or the wife

4 work permit

5 the wifes identity card

6 the wifes house registration

7 marriage certificate

8 2 photo

9 Fee 1,900 baht l hope this helps

[lopburi3]

Work permit would not be required if (the foreigner) is not working in Thailand.

[egg]

Work permit would not be required if (the foreigner) is not working in Thailand.

l think you are right ,,,, l was quoting from a print out they gave me of there requirements ,,,, they accepted my application and l do not have a work permit ,,,,,,, we have tried 3 times and every time they ask for something different ,,, it has been a pain in the butt

[BKK03]

Unless you have a business visa, the income from a restaurant will not count .... plus given the arcane ownership rules, the only reason for having the restaurant is to keep the wife busy and happy....as has been mentioned above retirement income is counted as money which originated from abroad....as for settling in, nothing short of taking Thai nationality or having enough money to put you into the 'Elite' class will avoid a certain amount of on-going hassle....................................

I am curious about all of this visa hassle. My wife is Thai and we are due to have a child in August. We plan to purchase a home in or near Chiang Mai by the end of this year. In the past I have requested business visas and received them without issue. When I last requested information and application from the Thai Consulate in Houston, Texas, they lied to me. The person I spoke to said that the application would be mailed to me immediately. I never received it and I called the Consulate twice. Each time the person was friendly and said that the mail must have lost it. So far I haven't received an application. My wife thinks that I should contact the Thia Consulate in Los Angeles. When I read these posts on this forum, I begin to think that the business visa is a thing of the past for me, and that I need to apply for an "O" visa.

I am retired but don't want a retirement visa. A retired person I met last year in Chiang Mai told me that he was not sure that his retirement visa would be extended after one year. He was not married to a Thai woman. If that makes a difference. So I am open to any feedback or information that can put me on the best track for staying in Thailand with my family. We plan to continue to spend 8 months of the year in Thailand, and adjust to the school schedule when our child is old enough to attend school. My retirement income and investments are good enough so that we can pay our way and likely never ask the Thai government for anything other than a visa for me.

How much money does a family have to have per month to be considered a member of the "Elite" class in order to avoid on-going hassle?

[kriswillems]

BKK03,

The easiest and cheapest solution for you in to apply for a multiple entry non-immigrant-O visa based on marriage in the USA and make 2 reentries while you stay in Chiang mai (you get 90 days per entry). A reentry is just a 1 day trip to Laos. Your visa is valid for 12 months (that's long enough). After 8 months, when you return to the USA you can apply again for a new visa. There are no financial requirements.

Edited February 19, 2007 by kriswillems

[ytrewq]

BKK03,

The easiest and cheapest solution for you in to apply for a multiple entry non-immigrant-O visa based on marriage in the USA and make 2 reentries while you stay in Chiang mai (you get 90 days per entry). A reentry is just a 1 day trip to Laos. Your visa is valid for 12 months (that's long enough). After 8 months, when you return to the USA you can apply again for a new visa. There are no financial requirements.

no financial requirements?....no 400,000 in bank ; no 40,000/mth ?....so confused

[hgvneil]

No financial requirements if you apply for non immigrant visa in your home country,its only when you want to extend this visa IN Thailand it gets complicated.

[kriswillems]

No financial requirements if you apply for non immigrant visa in your home country,its only when you want to extend this visa IN Thailand it gets complicated.

Correct!

For extending this visa in Thailand (with 1 year, taking away the obligation to go to the border every 3 months) you'll need 40K/month.

For getting a new visa of this kind in signapore you need 400K on your account.

But in BKK03's case: no problem because he can get a new visa in the USA every 8 months. He should apply for a "multiple-entry-non-immigrant-O-visa-based-on-marriage/visit wife".

[ytrewq]

No financial requirements if you apply for non immigrant visa in your home country,its only when you want to extend this visa IN Thailand it gets complicated.

Correct!

For extending this visa in Thailand (with 1 year, taking away the obligation to go to the border every 3 months) you'll need 40K/month.

For getting a new visa of this kind in signapore you need 400K on your account.

But in BKK03's case: no problem because he can get a new visa in the USA every 8 months. He should apply for a "multiple-entry-non-immigrant-O-visa-based-on-marriage/visit wife".

so, you can indefinitely go home once every year then return and not have to deal with 400,000 or 40,000/mth....for now that is.

what if you want to extend in thailand but willing to cross border every 3mths....still need 40,000/mth ? .... and/or 400,000 ?

[Sunbelt Asia]

what if you want to extend in thailand but willing to cross border every 3mths....still need 40,000/mth ? .... and/or 400,000 ?

If you are crossing the border every 90 days with a multi entry visa, you are not doing an extension. You then do not have the requirement of an income 40 K per month.

You also do not need any income or money in the bank, if you are over 50 years old and have a Thai child. You then will not need to cross the border every 90 days. You then are doing an extension of the single 90 day visa.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[BKK03]

BKK03,

The easiest and cheapest solution for you in to apply for a multiple entry non-immigrant-O visa based on marriage in the USA and make 2 reentries while you stay in Chiang mai (you get 90 days per entry). A reentry is just a 1 day trip to Laos. Your visa is valid for 12 months (that's long enough). After 8 months, when you return to the USA you can apply again for a new visa. There are no financial requirements.

Kriswillems, thank you for the clear explanation. This makes a lot of sense and does help avoid much of the on-going visa hassle. I like the thought of not having to be concerned with the annual financial requirements.

[Cyberstar]

Just want to add that the most convenient border hop point from Chiang Mai is Mae Sai (you visit Myanmar, not Laos).

[roamer]

what if you want to extend in thailand but willing to cross border every 3mths....still need 40,000/mth ? .... and/or 400,000 ?

If you are crossing the border every 90 days with a multi entry visa, you are not doing an extension. You then do not have the requirement of an income 40 K per month.

You also do not need any income or money in the bank, if you are over 50 years old and have a Thai child. You then will not need to cross the border every 90 days. You then are doing an extension of the single 90 day visa.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

Sunbelt, I wonder if you know if a similar situation applies if your married to a Thai, over 50 but the Thai child in question is your stepchild ? Guess it couldn't be that easy..........could it ?

[lopburi3]

Unless you have a business visa, the income from a restaurant will not count .... plus given the arcane ownership rules, the only reason for having the restaurant is to keep the wife busy and happy....as has been mentioned above retirement income is counted as money which originated from abroad....as for settling in, nothing short of taking Thai nationality or having enough money to put you into the 'Elite' class will avoid a certain amount of on-going hassle....................................

I am curious about all of this visa hassle. My wife is Thai and we are due to have a child in August. We plan to purchase a home in or near Chiang Mai by the end of this year. In the past I have requested business visas and received them without issue. When I last requested information and application from the Thai Consulate in Houston, Texas, they lied to me. The person I spoke to said that the application would be mailed to me immediately. I never received it and I called the Consulate twice. Each time the person was friendly and said that the mail must have lost it. So far I haven't received an application. My wife thinks that I should contact the Thia Consulate in Los Angeles. When I read these posts on this forum, I begin to think that the business visa is a thing of the past for me, and that I need to apply for an "O" visa.

I am retired but don't want a retirement visa. A retired person I met last year in Chiang Mai told me that he was not sure that his retirement visa would be extended after one year. He was not married to a Thai woman. If that makes a difference. So I am open to any feedback or information that can put me on the best track for staying in Thailand with my family. We plan to continue to spend 8 months of the year in Thailand, and adjust to the school schedule when our child is old enough to attend school. My retirement income and investments are good enough so that we can pay our way and likely never ask the Thai government for anything other than a visa for me.

How much money does a family have to have per month to be considered a member of the "Elite" class in order to avoid on-going hassle?

If you are retired and not working you do not qualify for a business visa. You should apply for a multi entry non immigrant O visa to visit your wife (marriage) if you want to remain on visa entry. That will allow unlimited 90 day stays with only a border run required to obtain another. Am sure Houston will issue that visa. As for retirement "extension of stay" there is no reason to put any stock into what you heard in some bar. If you meet the 800k/65k/combined requirements it is the fastest and easiest type of extension of stay available and this has been the case for decades. There is no such thing as "the elite class".