Nong Khai immigration office refusing to issue residency certificate on non-immigrant O marriage visa (multiple-entry)

[Nong Khai Man]

16 hours ago, JackThompson said:

So, the border-crossing to Vientiane, on the edge of Nong Khai, is one of the friendliest in the country, yet that immigration-office sounds like one of the worst.  I suppose the office and the border-crossing are independent fiefdoms, run by different bosses, with different agendas.

 

Bizarre.  Most Issan officials tend to be more supportive of those of us up here supporting Thai families, as compared to the attitudes one might find in Bangkok suburb offices, for example.  Maybe the boss of that office had a "bad farang" in the family, or something.

So, the border-crossing to Vientiane, on the edge of Nong Khai, is one of the friendliest in the country, yet that immigration-office sounds like one of the worst........100% Correct Jack....

[sometimewoodworker]

15 hours ago, moana said:

You can keep the equivalent of 400K baht in any currency you like, as long as it's in a Thai bank (FCD account).

Not in Udon Thani you can't they have specifically said no to that.

Edited January 6, 2019 by sometimewoodworker

[Nong Khai Man]

1 hour ago, ramr said:

Never claimed to be an expert on banking, but feel free to pile on regardless.  There are always one or two in every Thaivisa thread.

 

It somehow seems apt that I thanked people for their constructive posts before this one.  ????

 

 

Sounds like Nong Khai Man didn't need one at the NK amphur office when he did it, though most amphur offices seem to require one.  Obviously a total crapshoot if I try to do the same; in Thailand, every government office and department is their own little fiefdom. 

 

 

Would have been great for me to know this several months ago, but all I had to go on at the time were rumors from friends and some vague and somewhat conflicting pronouncements on old Thaivisa threads that Nong Khai was a little strict.

Everything's fine, that's life, move on and lessons learned.  I do, however, hope that this becomes a cautionary tale for anyone else as regards the limits of the multiple-entry Savannakhet visa AND the NK immigration office.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds like Nong Khai Man didn't need one at the NK amphur office when he did it,.....What's a COR ?? Please Enlighten Me.....Thanks..

[Just Weird]

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 1:30 PM, ramr said:

 

Mainly exchange rate concerns over the next few years, which might be especially turbulent for the country.  Or not.  Admittedly, it's not exactly a crippling fear for me, but experience has taught me--in terms of consumer rights, information security, and stability--not to trust any Thai business (even banks) to the extent I would trust a business back home.  Especially when they are dealing with a farang. 

This may seem superstitious and paranoid to many, but there it is...

I'll qualify my answer though by asking and answering another question:  would I feel more confident after a couple more years of seeing what direction this country seems to be taking, post-election?  Probably.  Timing, as they say, is everything.  

"...but experience has taught me--in terms of consumer rights, information security, and stability--not to trust any Thai business (even banks) to the extent I would trust a business back home.  Especially when they are dealing with a farang".

So nothing at all in your experience, specific or tangible, then and certainly no "obvious reasons"?

Edited January 6, 2019 by Just Weird

[moana]

41 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Not in Udon Thani you can't they have specifically said no to that.

Could have been a miscommunication. They are common. I have seen first hand reports that FCD accounts work fine in Udon immigration. Basically, as long as you can show a letter from a Thai bank, stating that you have the equivalent of more than 400K baht, it passes. @ubonjoe any updated info?

Edited January 6, 2019 by moana

[ramr]

41 minutes ago, Nong Khai Man said:

 

Sounds like Nong Khai Man didn't need one at the NK amphur office when he did it,.....What's a COR ?? Please Enlighten Me.....Thanks..

Certificate of Residence... Same thing we've been talking about all along.

[moontang]

The go to girl at BBL, across the street from the IO indicated people were getting leveraged to use agents, however, if it is all legit, then it seems like an excellent office to work with....so much that they are on the lookout for those who are jurisdiction shopping and don't really live there...some Jomtien rejects have been known to surface at UTH IO.  According to Udonmap..NK IO insisted on deposits, and refused letters (at least for some).  Otherwise, NK is a pretty cool small Thai town.

[ramr]

15 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

 

So nothing at all in your experience, specific or tangible, then and certainly no "obvious reasons"?

 

Since we're talking about an issue tangential to my original post topic, I have better things to do than write a dissertation for you about my personal past specific experiences with businesses in Thailand.  But--as evidenced by you posting only to snipe at periphery of the topic and not offer anything actually useful--I'll just go ahead and give you what you want: mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

 

I'm keeping up with this thread because I'm trying to solve an issue that is directly affecting me, and secondarily trying to make my experience at least informative and useful for others who might read the post and about my experiences.

 

Why are you still posting?  Self-aggrandizement?  A need to feel superior?

 

Said it before, and I'll say it again: there's always one or two in every thread on TV.

[sometimewoodworker]

46 minutes ago, moana said:

Could have been a miscommunication. They are common. I have seen first hand reports that FCD accounts work fine in Udon immigration. Basically, as long as you can show a letter from a Thai bank, stating that you have the equivalent of more than 400K baht, it passes. @ubonjoe any updated info?

about a month ago a resident of Udon asked in the office and was given an unequivocal You can't use the FCD even though it was instant access account . YMMV as TIT

Edited January 6, 2019 by sometimewoodworker

[zhangxifu]

On 1/2/2019 at 9:06 PM, ramr said:

Thanks for the info, but you also have to go through the immigration office to get the yellow book and the requirements for the residence certificate are but a subset of the requirements for a yellow tabien baan.  If they won't give me a residence certificate, they're definitely not going to give me a yellow book.

Yellow tabien baan is issued by the amphoe office and RC or nothing from immigration is not needed. You must translate your passport and get it legalized true copy by the consular affairs Thai interior ministry. 

[Just Weird]

37 minutes ago, ramr said:

 

Since we're talking about an issue tangential to my original post topic, I have better things to do than write a dissertation for you about my personal past specific experiences with businesses in Thailand.  But--as evidenced by you posting only to snipe at periphery of the topic and not offer anything actually useful--I'll just go ahead and give you what you want: mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

 

I'm keeping up with this thread because I'm trying to solve an issue that is directly affecting me, and secondarily trying to make my experience at least informative and useful for others who might read the post and about my experiences.

 

Why are you still posting?  Self-aggrandizement?  A need to feel superior?

 

Said it before, and I'll say it again: there's always one or two in every thread on TV.

"I have better things to do than write a dissertation for you about my personal past specific experiences with businesses in Thailand". 

So nothing to back up your "obvious reasons" comment, thought so.  I wasn't expecting a dissertation but some brief justification of your unjustified (so far) assertion would have been logical.

 

"But--as evidenced by you posting only to snipe at periphery of the topic and not offer anything actually useful".

I was asking you a perfectly reasonable question based on your wholly unreasonable suggestion that Thai banks may not be a safe place for deposits. I was not "trying to offer anything useful" apart from making an enquiry but your giving an answer could have been useful...if you had an answer!

 

"Why are you still posting?  Self-aggrandizement?  A need to feel superior?"

I could ask you exactly the same thing but I won't.  I post here because this is a forum of which I'm a member.

 

 

Edited January 6, 2019 by Just Weird

[ramr]

2 hours ago, moontang said:

The go to girl at BBL, across the street from the IO indicated people were getting leveraged to use agents, however, if it is all legit, then it seems like an excellent office to work with....so much that they are on the lookout for those who are jurisdiction shopping and don't really live there...some Jomtien rejects have been known to surface at UTH IO.  According to Udonmap..NK IO insisted on deposits, and refused letters (at least for some).  Otherwise, NK is a pretty cool small Thai town.

Interesting to know, thanks.  There's a brand-new thread at  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1076642-thai-immigration-reveals-new-requirements-for-retirement-marriage-extensions-visas/  about new O visa financial requirements, wherein some are speculating that the new rules are there to also leverage more and more people towards agents.

[NanLaew]

At various times over the past 15 years or so, both Nong Khai and Udon IO's have been guilty of being twunts but seldom at the same time. Usually a rotational change of gaffer and things change from good to bad and vice versa. But right now, it does seem that NK are going for a 'second term' of twuntishness and the new but as yet unpublished regulations aint helping either. On the other hand, Udon has been an ocean of civility and serenity for quite a while now. Having said that, there's always the risk that 2 different officers will tell 2 different punters 2 different stories about what's acceptable on any given day. The savvy punter takes time to make advance inquiries in person and note exactly who he is speaking with and make a point of repeating back what they think they've just been told for clarity and confirmation.

 

Since the OP is all about belatedly getting all the licenses and certificates he's entitled to, unless there's evidence that the NK Amphur is similarly challenged, I would chase down getting the yellow book BEFORE the Thai DL. Getting the translation ratified by the MFA in Bangkok (or is it the consular section at the interior ministry?... I forget) will require some EVA but it's not like it's a million miles away. Use the right timed flights to the right airport and don't stop downtown will speed up that aspect. Or, stay downtown and pay and agent to do the legwork? With belt & braces being the only reasonable counter to YMMV and TiT, get a residence certificate (or 2) from your embassy while you're down there? They can be good for up to 6-months depending on where, who, what for, etc..

 

With regard to that old chestnut about the lump sum and fear of exchange rates, unless you are drawing down on it for actual living expenses and need to top it up, the 400k once in the Thai account, stays at 400k regardless of what other countries coin is doing on the forex.

 

Good luck.

Edited January 6, 2019 by NanLaew

[moontang]

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

At various times over the past 15 years or so, both Nong Khai and Udon IO's have been guilty of being twunts but seldom at the same time. Usually a rotational change of gaffer and things change from good to bad and vice versa. But right now, it does seem that NK are going for a 'second term' of twuntishness and the new but as yet unpublished regulations aint helping either. On the other hand, Udon has been an ocean of civility and serenity for quite a while now. Having said that, there's always the risk that 2 different officers will tell 2 different punters 2 different stories about what's acceptable on any given day. The savvy punter takes time to make advance inquiries in person and note exactly who he is speaking with and make a point of repeating back what they think they've just been told for clarity and confirmation.

 

Since the OP is all about belatedly getting all the licenses and certificates he's entitled to, unless there's evidence that the NK Amphur is similarly challenged, I would chase down getting the yellow book BEFORE the Thai DL. Getting the translation ratified by the MFA in Bangkok (or is it the consular section at the interior ministry?... I forget) will require some EVA but it's not like it's a million miles away. Use the right timed flights to the right airport and don't stop downtown will speed up that aspect. Or, stay downtown and pay and agent to do the legwork? With belt & braces being the only reasonable counter to YMMV and TiT, get a residence certificate (or 2) from your embassy while you're down there? They can be good for up to 6-months depending on where, who, what for, etc..

 

With regard to that old chestnut about the lump sum and fear of exchange rates, unless you are drawing down on it for actual living expenses and need to top it up, the 400k once in the Thai account, stays at 400k regardless of what other countries coin is doing on the forex.

 

Good luck.

Yes, and even if the THB has a horrible year and loses 40% of it's value, you still will be unaffected for immigration purposes, and last time they raised the requirement; existing retirees were grandfathered in..however, I don't know if those grandfathered had to already be on the lump sum plan..might be worth consideration.

[zhangxifu]

The passport translation and legalization process takes at least three days though.

At first you must get a certified copy of your passport stamped by your consulate. My consulate only allows applications before noon mon - thu. So if you are there early, you can still rush to Chaengwattana, consular affairs MFA at afternoon and get the copy translated in an hour by the guys standing around the translator booth on 2nd floor, if the three booth shops are busy. I have used them all and service from all is similar, I find their prices and service better than the translation shops around e.g. Ploenchit, whom seemed slow and expensive. Translation is about 500 thb but if you are really late they all might be busy and will tell you to come back tomorrow. Usually the guys next to the booths can do it in an hour. It's better to get the translations done there in case errors, so it will be easy to fix in the same building. Then you take the translation to get legalized at 3rd floor. Think they accept papers untill 4pm. There is no express service available so they will tell you to come pick up after two days at afternoon. Better go at noon, cos if there was some translation error they will give everything back and you must get the translator service to redo everything, wait, get papers back upstairs and wait some more. Anyway you should be ready to leave at about 4 pm.

 

In addition, after figuring out how do you want your name spelled in thai, you will also need to have some document and thai spelling for your parent's names when registering your address to thai local registry. It might be a good idea to translate your birth certificate or a citizen registry print out with parent's names etc. The amphoe will ask other papers from your wife about your place of residence, witnesses, photos etc.

[ramr]

16 hours ago, NanLaew said:

 

 

With regard to that old chestnut about the lump sum and fear of exchange rates, unless you are drawing down on it for actual living expenses and need to top it up, the 400k once in the Thai account, stays at 400k regardless of what other countries coin is doing on the forex.

 

Good luck.

 

I've always been aware of this fact, but if I'm to be honest with myself, the past year or so I have been keeping one eye on Thailand and one eye on returning to my home country or moving to a different country anyway.  Not immediately, but within the next couple of years if it does happen.  And any immigration/bureacratic annoyances here would only be a smaller part of the whole picture: there are many other different factors in play here for me and my wife that would affect that decision, but they're too personal and too boring to go into.  In the back of my mind, I guess my concern would be converting all my (theoretical) money to THB, seeing it fall appreciably, and then having to change it back to my home currency if returning home.  

 

And, as stated in the original post, I don't have the money anyway.  

 

Btw, big thanks for all the detailed info you posted.

Edited January 7, 2019 by ramr
Clarity