Just completed my 1year visa extension based on Thai wife using the 400K route. Apart from the money having to being seasoned for 2 months BEFORE the application, they now require the 400K not to be touched for 5 months AFTER the extension is issued!

There is no change to applications based on marriage.

 

The IO is confusing it with the new requirements for retirement extensions.

But it might as well be changed if the IO is insisting that those are the rules. Is there really any difference?

Edited February 4, 20197 yr by mngmn

You got to love the inconsistency of the Thai bureaucratic system, instead of hard fast rules that everyone follows, we get the potluck approach depending on the day of the week from the "independently" administered Immigration offices.

12 minutes ago, ocddave said:

You got to love the inconsistency of the Thai bureaucratic system, instead of hard fast rules that everyone follows, we get the potluck approach depending on the day of the week from the "independently" administered Immigration offices.

When they give a birthday cake to a guy and its not even his birthday...what else could you expect

28 minutes ago, mngmn said:

But it might as well be changed if the IO is insisting that those are the rules. Is there really any difference?

So you'd just suck it up because he must be right, even if it meant you had to leave Thailand.

1 hour ago, YangYaiEric said:

Just completed my 1year visa extension based on Thai wife using the 400K route. Apart from the money having to being seasoned for 2 months BEFORE the application, they now require the 400K not to be touched for 5 months AFTER the extension is issued!

 

At which office?

54 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

There is no change to applications based on marriage.

The IO is confusing it with the new requirements for retirement extensions.

There is no change either to applications based on retirement 800k...

 

Changes will arrive in March only.

This was at Nakorn Ratchasima IO.


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At which office?

Nakorn Ratchasima IO.


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How can one know what the rules ARE now ?


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There is no change either to applications based on retirement 800k...
 
Changes will arrive in March only.

Please tell us how you know this.


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1 hour ago, YangYaiEric said:

How can one know what the rules ARE now ?

It is quite clear the new rules are only for extensions based upon retirement. The only changes are to clause 2.22 of the police order which is the requirements for retirement (marriage is 2.18). Have a look at this topic https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1081671-foreigners-now-need-to-keep-800k-in-thai-bank-for-three-months-after-retirement-extension-is-granted/

There is also a link in the topic to the announcement in Thai on the immigration website.

1 hour ago, YangYaiEric said:

How can one know what the rules ARE now ?

That's the one billion baht question!

2 hours ago, YangYaiEric said:

8 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

There is no change either to applications based on retirement 800k...
 
Changes will arrive in March only.

Please tell us how you know this.

 

Are you joking or what?? 

 

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

It is quite clear the new rules are only for extensions based upon retirement. The only changes are to clause 2.22 of the police order which is the requirements for retirement (marriage is 2.18). Have a look at this topic https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1081671-foreigners-now-need-to-keep-800k-in-thai-bank-for-three-months-after-retirement-extension-is-granted/

There is also a link in the topic to the announcement in Thai on the immigration website.

 

Do you have an up to date copy of the police order relating to extending stays in the Kingdom ?

Preferably in Thai and English.

The only one I found online was quoting 500k in the bank for retirement ????

2 hours ago, YangYaiEric said:

Please tell us how you know this.

The new rules state they begin March 1st.  This is how we know they gave retirees only 28 days advance warning. 

I am not surprised that offices are going to try to apply this on marriage-based extensions, even though this is not what the order says (UJ is correct, in the post above), because they want to discourage extensions based on marriage. 

Some offices (including Chang Wattana, Bangkok) are already reporting saying you cannot touch the money during the "under consideration" period, which can range for 1 to 2 months after you apply.  This "back door" seasoning-time increase is yet another way to prevent those married to a Thai from staying in the country and supporting their families.  For some reason, some within immigration strongly dislike us doing that - even when it is clear our marriages are legit.

Does anyone know who to complain to about this farce of a requirement to have the 400k in the bank AFTER applying far an extension based on Thai wife? They told me that they have someone that will go check my account during the "under consideration " period. Is that legal?


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8 minutes ago, YangYaiEric said:

Does anyone know who to complain to about this farce of a requirement to have the 400k in the bank AFTER applying far an extension based on Thai wife? They told me that they have someone that will go check my account during the "under consideration " period. Is that legal?

You could complain to the senior officer at the office you're applying at, but as it will be their rule your complaining against it's probably pointless. You could complain at regional or national level, but again I would say it's pointless.

 

Offices have - for many years - on occasion asked to see the 400K is in the account during the 30 day under consideration period. It's not new and it is legal.

 

It is best to leave the money alone until the extension has been granted.

On 2/5/2019 at 8:32 AM, cornishcarlos said:

Do you have an up to date copy of the police order relating to extending stays in the Kingdom ?

The are all in this pinned topic.

 

5 hours ago, YangYaiEric said:

Does anyone know who to complain to about this farce of a requirement to have the 400k in the bank AFTER applying far an extension based on Thai wife? They told me that they have someone that will go check my account during the "under consideration " period. Is that legal?


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According to recent news sources, Police Lieutenant General Surachate Hakpal (Big Joke) has asked people who have been wronged to contact him as follows:

on his mobile phone +66 81 644 0430

on the hotline 1155

on his facebook page https://m.facebook.com/SurachateHakparn

 

The current order;

Immigration Bureau order 327-2557 (2014) - extension criteria & conditions en.pdf 

 

Section 2.18 - (6) In the case of marriage to a Thai woman, the alien husband must earn an average annual
income of no less than Baht 40,000 per month or must have no less than Baht 400,000 in a
bank account in Thailand for the past two months to cover expenses for one year.

Edited February 9, 20197 yr by Tanoshi

On 2/4/2019 at 11:32 PM, baansgr said:

When they give a birthday cake to a guy and its not even his birthday...what else could you expect

Get everything through first time without problems maybe it feels like your birthday

????

11 hours ago, YangYaiEric said:

They told me that they have someone that will go check my account during the "under consideration " period. Is that legal?

That would be surprising, unless one of the IOs has a friend in the bank. Usually they want to see the book when the extension is ready. 

It would be nice to feel wanted here. I will have to try harder to convince my wife to permanently leave. She wonders why I dislike the place so much.

Removed a troll post.

It would be nice to feel wanted here. I will have to try harder to convince my wife to permanently leave. She wonders why I dislike the place so much.

We left over 20 years ago and went back to the UK ,then came back after 8 years,where we lived was expensive ,had bad schools and was full of bloody foreigners.

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18 hours ago, elviajero said:

Offices have - for many years - on occasion asked to see the 400K is in the account during the 30 day under consideration period. It's not new and it is legal.

"Legal" meaning, "We can add whatever we want" (to encourage you to use an agent).

 

If BJ wanted to end corruption, the first order of business would have been to make it a punishable offense to add a single "extra requirement" to any extension application. 

All requirements should be published, for any semblance of order and legitimacy to be established.