Question about marriage and multiple o visa

[PattayaKevin]

Hi, 

I think I know this but I'm just looking for clarification. I'm getting married to a Thai. I am then planning on getting a multiple o visa based on marriage from either ho chi Minh City or Savanheat, Laos. I believe that would give me 90 days at a time in Thailand then I need to do a border run. By doing this I wouldn't have to worry about 90 day reporting or having large financial amounts in a Thai bank as long as I don't apply for extensions in Thailand. Then every year I just need to go to one of those two embassies again. Is that a feasible plan?

[problemfarang]

hi and congrats on your marriage ????

 

yes thats what 70% of farangs doing... and yes every year you need to get a new NON-O

every 90 days just go another country (not Poi-Phet) and come back the same day get another 90 days. You can do this till your visa expires...

Its a great plan but after 2 or 3 years you will notice that actually your spending more money doing this way... and from your nickname i think your in pattaya... so the nearest place for you is cambodia which thai border making lot of problems for 90 days.. So you will need to go somewhere far than pattaya... But your answer is yes, this way is the best if you dont have money in the bank also if you dont want to get involve thai immigration

 

good luck ????

Edited February 4, 2019 by problemfarang

[elviajero]

1 hour ago, PattayaKevin said:

Is that a feasible plan?

As things stand it’s feasible. How long it remains feasible is another matter.

 

Under the visa system you are not supposed to live full time in the country using a ME ‘O’ visa. It is meant for people living outside of Thailand that want to visit frequently.

 

However, expats have been using this visa successfully for years and immigration mostly tolerate it.

 

It’s possible in the future that the consulates will start asking for proof of funds, or immigration — if the numbers of expats using the ME visa this way increases too much — start clamping down on the practice.

 

1 hour ago, PattayaKevin said:

I believe that would give me 90 days at a time in Thailand then I need to do a border run.

As your married you can extend any 90 day entry by 60 days at immigration for 1,900 baht. No financials are required.

 

Do not use the Aranya/Poipet crossing as they do not allow the practice of extending a stay by doing a border run.

[problemfarang]

keep in mind this:

if you extend your NON-O visa for another 60 days.. that means you need to leave the country at the end of 60 days.

So if you want to do that... just wait for your last 90 days.. and go to imm like 30 days before your visa ends.. I think they will not accept if you have only 1 week or similar left.

[ubonjoe]

18 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

keep in mind this:

if you extend your NON-O visa for another 60 days.. that means you need to leave the country at the end of 60 days.

So if you want to do that... just wait for your last 90 days.. and go to imm like 30 days before your visa ends.. I think they will not accept if you have only 1 week or similar left.

A visa cannot be extended. You can only apply for a new one at a embassy or consulate.

Any of the 90 day entries from the non-o visa can be extended for 60 days. It can be done on the last day of the entry if a person wanted to. Many offices would not do it 30 day early. A couple of weeks early is OK at most offices.

If the visa is near to expiring a person with one can get a new 90 day entry on or before the date it expires.

 

[RickBlaine]

On 2/4/2019 at 5:15 PM, elviajero said:

As things stand it’s feasible. How long it remains feasible is another matter.

Under the visa system you are not supposed to live full time in the country using a ME ‘O’ visa. It is meant for people living outside of Thailand that want to visit frequently [...]

Ah, I could never understand the logic behind the whole border run thing - step out of the country, turn around, and walk back in. It's because the ME visa assumes the holder will not be spending all year in-country anyway?

I've lived on visa extensions until now, but due to cock-up and timing I'm about to do my first visit to Savannakhet, ME Marriage O visa, same as the OP. I'm a bit worried but I'm told it's a straightforward process.

The way my lucks running I wouldn't be surprised if they tighten the rules just as I get there, for the reasons of over-use you've mentioned.   

[sumrit]

Although an ME non O based on marriage should be available at Savannakhet (and their website says they are) when my mate went there at the end of December they would only give him a 3 month single entry visa and told him ME visas were no longer available. 

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, sumrit said:

Although an ME non O based on marriage should be available at Savannakhet (and their website says they are) when my mate went there at the end of December they would only give him a 3 month single entry visa and told him ME visas were no longer available. 

An error or he was missing some paperwork and they issued a single entry instead of a multiple entry.

[elviajero]

38 minutes ago, RickBlaine said:

Ah, I could never understand the logic behind the whole border run thing - step out of the country, turn around, and walk back in. It's because the ME visa assumes the holder will not be spending all year in-country anyway?

Yes, that pretty much sums it up.

 

38 minutes ago, RickBlaine said:

I've lived on visa extensions until now, but due to cock-up and timing I'm about to do my first visit to Savannakhet, ME Marriage O visa, same as the OP. I'm a bit worried but I'm told it's a straightforward process.

The way my lucks running I wouldn't be surprised if they tighten the rules just as I get there, for the reasons of over-use you've mentioned.   

It is very straightforward and you shouldn’t have any problem getting and using the visa.

 

I don’t see them stopping the use of the visa, but it’s very likely at sometime in the future that the will make getting the visa harder. 

[PattayaKevin]

Is savanheat, Laos or ho chi Minh City easier or the same for the Visa. After looking at airfare seems ho chi Minh City is easier as I can fly direct while to savanheat I'd have to fly from Bangkok to Vientiane to Savanheat. Or is there an easier way to Savanheat that I don't know about.

[BigT73]

Have you started the marriage process of going to your embassy etc etc?

[ubonjoe]

46 minutes ago, PattayaKevin said:

Is savanheat, Laos or ho chi Minh City easier or the same for the Visa. After looking at airfare seems ho chi Minh City is easier as I can fly direct while to savanheat I'd have to fly from Bangkok to Vientiane to Savanheat. Or is there an easier way to Savanheat that I don't know about.

The two locations are about the same for getting the visa. The only difference paperwork wise is that you wife needs to write a short letter requesting your visa.

The easy way to Savannakhet is to check Nok Air and Air Asia for flights to Mukdahan using their fly/ride service. Nok Air has the best options since the offer the service via 3 regional airports.