My marriage Extension story part 1 and 2

[geistfunke]

It is time to change to another country for me.

[joebrown]

44 minutes ago, scotsman said:

Just to update everyone we did not need any witness and we had to sign all documents.

 

Now today after we went to kasikorn bank we received 2 copy's of the transaction we also updated the Bangkok bank letter and updated passbook on the way.

We arrived at immigration at 11pm it was empty just one couple in front of us, When we sat down with the boss lady she went over all the doc again and I showed her the Kasikorn receipts and also again the transverwise pdf this time she wanted a copy of the transferwise one so I went and got it. 

 

Then she asked me in very bad English about why I am changing from Retirement extension to Marrage one and she pointed to one of my transfers that was for 65k I told her that was a one off transfer to pay a bill in Thailand. I had to explain to her that i got my retirement one because I had a UK pension letter. 

Now I can't get that letter and the pound is now down to 37 so I have to change to marrage she was not happy with my answer.  She tried to talk Thai with my wife about this but all my wife knows is what I tell her and she told her in Thai I have to change visa because of no UK pension letter and I don't have 65k a month pension now as the baht is 37. 

 

Well now she sorts out all the documents again and tells me in English a lot of something but I just could not understand her so I was a little abrupt and said in Thai I don't understand what you are saying. 

So now she collects all the paper work and tells us to follow her into the big boss room where 2 Thai officers were there one is the boss of retirement desk seen him before the other one behind the desk I have not seen before. 

 

She spoke to him and she pointed to a page with a yellow line through it and then she went away outside back to her desk.

The boss man tells me and my wife that I nearly got it right but this time we have to say no as you can see in your Bangkok Statements on the first 6 months ones that I got from my bank.  He points out the one they highlighted in yellow the date was the 10.01.2018 and I had transferred 37k he said it should be 40k I never counted that transfer as being part of my extension as it is to old.

 

Now I and my wife pointed out to him that my last visa was with a pension letter from the UK and on Jan 2019 there was a police order to put 65k or 40k into a Thai bank every month but that there should be a grace period,  He ask my wife in Thai were she had seen this and my wife said on the internet but he dismissed her and told me in English that the starting date was from 1st jan 2018 and I did not have 40k on that date I told him I have 12 times 40k from sep 2018 up to this date so you want more?  He said you just had to get the first one right on his date 1st of jan 2018 Don't ask me why. 

 

There is nothing we can say or do that will make him wrong and us right so we said we would go outside Thailand and get a new category o visa and start again.

He said if you can get 400k when you come back with the new visa I will give you the one year so we left it at that.

 

Now after 20 years living here with my wife I have never been refused a extension this will be my first time on the back of a lie from the boss with his interpretation only 

Well I am not going to go for a new visa outside Thailand I am going to a agent to get this one renewed I will update later but for now they don't want to do the paperwork for this type of extension.

 

Regards

Scotsman            

In the circumstances you faced I would have asked to see the January 2019 Police Order. I have a translation and there is no mention in the order of it being applied retrospectively. I have just obtained a marriage extension at Phetchabun IO, where 8 months of 40k bht were accepted.

[scotsman]

 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-embassy-bangkok-to-stop-certification-of-income-letters    because the letters were stopped in Jan 2019 we had to put 65k or 45 k in every month starting from what date? Jan 2019 or the date of your last visa extension. I have to correct a mistake in my post that may have more bearing in this matter as I am very tired due to lack of sleep.  The date he pointed out in my Bangkok bank first 6 months statement in yellow was not 10.01.2018 it was 1.10.2018 October so I only put 37 k for that month but all the rest were 40k including Sep 2018 and one had 65k but in total I had 11 transfers of 40k not 12. 

Now if you count it from the police order on Jan 2019 I would have had 7 so with the grace period 11 or 7 I still should have got my extension passed over to Bangkok. 

sorry for the wrong date easy to miss when i have not slept in 3 days insomnia. 

Regards 

Scotsman  

[jesimps]

7 minutes ago, scotsman said:

 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-embassy-bangkok-to-stop-certification-of-income-letters    because the letters were stopped in Jan 2019 we had to put 65k or 45 k in every month starting from what date? Jan 2019 or the date of your last visa extension. I have to correct a mistake in my post that may have more bearing in this matter as I am very tired due to lack of sleep.  The date he pointed out in my Bangkok bank first 6 months statement in yellow was not 10.01.2018 it was 1.10.2018 October so I only put 37 k for that month but all the rest were 40k including Sep 2018 and one had 65k but in total I had 11 transfers of 40k not 12. 

Now if you count it from the police order on Jan 2019 I would have had 7 so with the grace period 11 or 7 I still should have got my extension passed over to Bangkok. 

sorry for the wrong date easy to miss when i have not slept in 3 days insomnia. 

Regards 

Scotsman  

Understandable that you're exhausted dealing with that lot. So it looks like they aren't showing any leniency with the monthly transfer method, on marriage extensions at least. What with the TM30 nonsense and now this, it's become a lottery whether or not you're going to get your extension no matter how much you try to attempt by the rules. Obvious to me that it's all about either forcing us to use the money in the bank method, or to use agents. Probably both.

[HampiK]

Seems to me, that they want make a point as you change to marriage extensions which they not liked too.

But all in all a very bad experience for you. Hope with the agent it will work out fine.

Yes I also first thought what this have to do with January 2018... but thanks for your correction...

[taninthai]

I’m not on marriage or retirement visa,,but read your whole thread,,it’s sad what’s happening at the moment,the fun is definately disappearing from thailand....

[Jackie66]

Sounds like an awful waste of time only because people working there don't know the rules.

Isn't there some place to complain? I mean obviously the reason you were denied is not valid since there is a grace period.

 

 

I do have another related question to this kind of extension. If someone gets a Non-O for the first time and comes to Thailand. And now after 3 months wants to extend this for 1 year based on marriage he can not use the transfer to Thai bank method? Since in theory this person has only been in Thailand for 3 months on his non-o entry and couldn't have possibly had transfer for last 12 months since he did not live in Thailand before this and did not have a Thai bank account before.

[pookiki]

1 hour ago, scotsman said:

 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/british-embassy-bangkok-to-stop-certification-of-income-letters    because the letters were stopped in Jan 2019 we had to put 65k or 45 k in every month starting from what date? Jan 2019 or the date of your last visa extension. I have to correct a mistake in my post that may have more bearing in this matter as I am very tired due to lack of sleep.  The date he pointed out in my Bangkok bank first 6 months statement in yellow was not 10.01.2018 it was 1.10.2018 October so I only put 37 k for that month but all the rest were 40k including Sep 2018 and one had 65k but in total I had 11 transfers of 40k not 12. 

Now if you count it from the police order on Jan 2019 I would have had 7 so with the grace period 11 or 7 I still should have got my extension passed over to Bangkok. 

sorry for the wrong date easy to miss when i have not slept in 3 days insomnia. 

Regards 

Scotsman  

The embassies announced the cancellations of the letters in late October, 2018 and Thai authorities didn't address what had to be done in the absence of the letters until late December, 2018. Therefore, if 'leniency' is applied (as it should be) showing your deposits beginning in January, 2019.452721024_ImmigrationMemoForIncomeProof(ENG).pdf

1112337993_Policeorder35-2562changeof327-2557clasue2.22(Eng).pdf

[jesimps]

16 minutes ago, pookiki said:

The embassies announced the cancellations of the letters in late October, 2018 and Thai authorities didn't address what had to be done in the absence of the letters until late December, 2018. Therefore, if 'leniency' is applied (as it should be) showing your deposits beginning in January, 2019.452721024_ImmigrationMemoForIncomeProof(ENG).pdf

1112337993_Policeorder35-2562changeof327-2557clasue2.22(Eng).pdf 217.77 kB · 0 downloads

That's true and it also took me a month to open a BBL account after loads of faffing about, so mine began in February. Academic now that I've decided on the 400k in the bank method. Hopefully, they'll be happy with that, but you never know these days.

[Isaanbiker]

On 8/28/2019 at 2:13 PM, scotsman said:

Thanks for posting, perhaps you should take out your personal information. 

[Isaanbiker]

51 minutes ago, Jackie66 said:

Sounds like an awful waste of time only because people working there don't know the rules.

Isn't there some place to complain? I mean obviously the reason you were denied is not valid since there is a grace period.

 

 

I do have another related question to this kind of extension. If someone gets a Non-O for the first time and comes to Thailand. And now after 3 months wants to extend this for 1 year based on marriage he can not use the transfer to Thai bank method? Since in theory this person has only been in Thailand for 3 months on his non-o entry and couldn't have possibly had transfer for last 12 months since he did not live in Thailand before this and did not have a Thai bank account before.

You can still apply for a Non-O based on marriage without financial proof in Vientiane, or Savannakhet.

 

The downfall is that you'll have a Non-O Multiple Entry and will have to leave every 90 days. But you can extend it to 15, or even 17 months. 

Edited August 29, 2019 by Isaanbiker

[Denim]

11 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

You can still apply for a Non-O based on marriage without financial proof in Vientiane, or Savannakhet.

 

The downfall is that you'll have a Non-O Multiple Entry and will have to leave every 90 days. But you can extend it to 15, or even 17 months. 

 

Only at Savannakhet and Ho Chi Minh City without financial proof.

[billd766]

On 8/28/2019 at 3:05 PM, Tanoshi said:

@scotsman

 

Updated passbook and letter confirming account should have been enough.

The form of listed International Transfers they requested you obtain from your bank is pure laziness to go through your passbook and highlight the monthly transfers.

 

The FET form you had to obtain from Kasikorn is well documented in other topics, especially those who use Transferwise or such and the transfer occasionally goes through another bank to your bank account.

Your fortunate to have a local International Kasikorn office, others report the nearest KK International branch are up to 400kms away.

 

At my IO they accept the Transferwise pdf receipts as proof of foreign transfers.

 

Useful report for those using Jomtien.

At my IO in Khampaeng Phet on Monday 19th August  they weren't interested in the TW pdf receipts and tossed them out. They wanted a letter from BKK bank saying that I had over 40k thb coming in every month.

 

Having updated my bankbook that morning the IO wanted 2 copies of each page from the bankbook which my wife went off to do and then she didn't like the bank letter so I had to go to the other branch in town to get another bank letter leaving my wife at the Imm office.

 

I rejected the first draft at the bank then rang my wife and handed my mobile to the lady at the bank to talk to my wife. She then gave her mobile to the IO to talk to the bank staff, and between them they managed to sort it out.

 

I was the first customer at 08:30 and finally left at 11:30.

 

You are fortunate to have a local International Kasikorn office, others report the nearest KK International branch are up to 400 km away. Mine is in BKK 375 km away. The local branch where I bank gave me one years statements Which the IO tossed away as well.

 

Also I changed from a retirement to a marriage extension this year and I have about 200 pages of A4 paper which was rejected. 

 

TBH this year I found it hard work and very stressful.

 

I apologised to my wife several times for snapping and snarling at her.

[Jackie66]

14 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

You can still apply for a Non-O based on marriage without financial proof in Vientiane, or Savannakhet.

 

The downfall is that you'll have a Non-O Multiple Entry and will have to leave every 90 days. But you can extend it to 15, or even 17 months. 

I am aware of this. I was just asking hypothetically that this way of extending is possible only for people who have lived in Thailand more then a year already before going for the extension based on income since they have to show 12 monthly transfers from a foreign bank to a Thai bank. 

[elliss]

On 8/28/2019 at 2:22 PM, scotsman said:

I was sure that the bank letter has the information of the last update on your bank book and if you use your account again in the 2 day laps period then I would need to update my book again and get a new letter but may be some one will let me know if this is true? 

Regards

Scotsman 

 

        I always make a token withdrawal ,  from my account  and on the same day , i have a  signed letter from kasi,

        conferming i have the reqd amount in my updated account.  I then go straigh to immi,  and say a prayer ....

 

Edited August 29, 2019 by elliss

[billd766]

10 hours ago, jesimps said:

Thanks for your very informative post. Few questions if you don't mind:

 

Did you have to take a witness?

 

How recent does the kor ror 2 have to be?

 

Did you sign all copies beforehand? (I saw a post a while back advising not to sign copies because they stamp them and you have to sign on the stamp AND in blue ink). It'll save time if I'm able to sign at home.

 

It's my turn in the mincer in a couple of weeks and I want to be as organised as possible, even though I know I'll be picked up on something.

 

Before anyone suggests asking someone in immigration, the last time I politely asked a perfectly pertinent question of an IO I got bawled at (because he didn't know, but didn't want to admit it). Instead of putting my fist in his face, I had no choice but to eat humble pie and leave. 

 

 

I signed every page at home and when I got back from BKK bank with their letter the IO had stamped all the pages and I had to sign them all over again, some 30 odd pages twice. What a PITA.

[seajae]

4 hours ago, scotsman said:

Just to update everyone we did not need any witness and we had to sign all documents.

 

Now today after we went to kasikorn bank we received 2 copy's of the transaction we also updated the Bangkok bank letter and updated passbook on the way.

We arrived at immigration at 11pm it was empty just one couple in front of us, When we sat down with the boss lady she went over all the doc again and I showed her the Kasikorn receipts and also again the transverwise pdf this time she wanted a copy of the transferwise one so I went and got it. 

 

Then she asked me in very bad English about why I am changing from Retirement extension to Marrage one and she pointed to one of my transfers that was for 65k I told her that was a one off transfer to pay a bill in Thailand. I had to explain to her that i got my retirement one because I had a UK pension letter. 

Now I can't get that letter and the pound is now down to 37 so I have to change to marrage she was not happy with my answer.  She tried to talk Thai with my wife about this but all my wife knows is what I tell her and she told her in Thai I have to change visa because of no UK pension letter and I don't have 65k a month pension now as the baht is 37. 

 

Well now she sorts out all the documents again and tells me in English a lot of something but I just could not understand her so I was a little abrupt and said in Thai I don't understand what you are saying. 

So now she collects all the paper work and tells us to follow her into the big boss room where 2 Thai officers were there one is the boss of retirement desk seen him before the other one behind the desk I have not seen before. 

 

She spoke to him and she pointed to a page with a yellow line through it and then she went away outside back to her desk.

The boss man tells me and my wife that I nearly got it right but this time we have to say no as you can see in your Bangkok Statements on the first 6 months ones that I got from my bank.  He points out the one they highlighted in yellow the date was the 10.01.2018 and I had transferred 37k he said it should be 40k I never counted that transfer as being part of my extension as it is to old.

 

Now I and my wife pointed out to him that my last visa was with a pension letter from the UK and on Jan 2019 there was a police order to put 65k or 40k into a Thai bank every month but that there should be a grace period,  He ask my wife in Thai were she had seen this and my wife said on the internet but he dismissed her and told me in English that the starting date was from 1st jan 2018 and I did not have 40k on that date I told him I have 12 times 40k from sep 2018 up to this date so you want more?  He said you just had to get the first one right on his date 1st of jan 2018 Don't ask me why. 

 

There is nothing we can say or do that will make him wrong and us right so we said we would go outside Thailand and get a new category o visa and start again.

He said if you can get 400k when you come back with the new visa I will give you the one year so we left it at that.

 

Now after 20 years living here with my wife I have never been refused a extension this will be my first time on the back of a lie from the boss with his interpretation only 

Well I am not going to go for a new visa outside Thailand I am going to a agent to get this one renewed I will update later but for now they don't want to do the paperwork for this type of extension.

 

Regards

Scotsman            

Marriage extension visa is supposed to be a total or 400,000 a year, does not have to be  40,000 a month, it even states this in the update they did on the new requirements. As long as it adds up to 400,000 over the 12 month period it is supposed to be ok, they really need to get the IO's to study the regulations and not make up their own

[moe666]

I think it would be easier to move from pattaya then put up with this nonsense, even CM isn't that bad

[billd766]

1 hour ago, pookiki said:

The embassies announced the cancellations of the letters in late October, 2018 and Thai authorities didn't address what had to be done in the absence of the letters until late December, 2018. Therefore, if 'leniency' is applied (as it should be) showing your deposits beginning in January, 2019.452721024_ImmigrationMemoForIncomeProof(ENG).pdf

1112337993_Policeorder35-2562changeof327-2557clasue2.22(Eng).pdf 217.77 kB · 0 downloads

The IO in Khampaeng Phet simply ignored that.

 

So, what to do next?

 

Ignore it and dance the dance or complain to the boss and get subtly black marked?

[pookiki]

6 minutes ago, billd766 said:

The IO in Khampaeng Phet simply ignored that.

 

So, what to do next?

 

Ignore it and dance the dance or complain to the boss and get subtly black marked?

It would seem that many of IOs are trying to do a 'de facto' cancellation of the monthly income method and push everyone over to the lump sum extension.  Or, push everyone to use an agent for obvious reasons.  I would try a 'polite' complaint to the boss or try to find 'someone' who knows 'someone' in your immigration office.  We are really at their mercy unless someone can intervene with some rational thought and understanding of the chain of events that transpired last year for so many of us.  It's all very sad.

[billd766]

19 minutes ago, pookiki said:

It would seem that many of IOs are trying to do a 'de facto' cancellation of the monthly income method and push everyone over to the lump sum extension.  Or, push everyone to use an agent for obvious reasons.  I would try a 'polite' complaint to the boss or try to find 'someone' who knows 'someone' in your immigration office.  We are really at their mercy unless someone can intervene with some rational thought and understanding of the chain of events that transpired last year for so many of us.  It's all very sad.

I asked if there were any agents using the KPP office and was told mai mee.

[pookiki]

8 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I asked if there were any agents using the KPP office and was told mai mee.

You might want to start a separate thread and ask for referrals from people in other provinces.

[riclag]

On 8/28/2019 at 1:59 PM, scotsman said:

Sorry will do just a bit tired today I forgot. 

 

I'm sorry for what you been through!

[jesimps]

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

I signed every page at home and when I got back from BKK bank with their letter the IO had stamped all the pages and I had to sign them all over again, some 30 odd pages twice. What a PITA.

Thanks for that, I'll leave them unsigned in that case.

[ChouDoufu]

24 minutes ago, jesimps said:

Thanks for that, I'll leave them unsigned in that case.

sometimes that works.

 

but then you get the io lady that's vexed because you didn't sign all the papers beforehand, throws you out of the cubicle to sign elsewhere, and invites the next applicant in.

Edited August 29, 2019 by ChouDoufu

[scotsman]

2 hours ago, seajae said:

Marriage extension visa is supposed to be a total or 400,000 a year, does not have to be  40,000 a month, it even states this in the update they did on the new requirements. As long as it adds up to 400,000 over the 12 month period it is supposed to be ok, they really need to get the IO's to study the regulations and not make up their own

My total for the year was 440,000 but he did not care. 

regards

Scotsman 

[scotsman]

3 hours ago, Isaanbiker said:

Thanks for posting, perhaps you should take out your personal information. 

This photo was not my personal information it was a example from the boss lady in immigration so my wife took a photo of to show the bank what we needed,

Regards 

Scotsman 

[jesimps]

56 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

sometimes that works.

 

but then you get the io lady that's vexed because you didn't sign all the papers beforehand, throws you out of the cubicle to sign elsewhere, and invites the next applicant in.

I must admit that on my 12 retirement extensions I've always signed beforehand and never had a problem. It's just that I seem to remember someone posting fairly recently that he went to Jomten with his copies already signed only to be told to sign them all again over the stamp that the IO put on. Another poster said that the signatures had to be in blue ink. One thing's certain, unless I catch the IO on the day she's had a new perm and pedicure, whatever I choose to do will be wrong by her.

 

Edited August 29, 2019 by jesimps

[scotsman]

After 20 years doing my visa extensions by the book I now have to resort to a new method of using a Agent because of a system that is corrupt, The main man in immigration gives out instructions to all the immigration offices that they have to give us a grace period from Jan 2019 but some offices like pattaya do not. 

Now i am sure I will get my extension in a few days at a cost but the question is when it comes to next year and I have the full 12 months of Transfers with all the paperwork you can think of will they find something else to say no to?  

Regards to all 

Scotsman  

[Tanoshi]

5 hours ago, Jackie66 said:

I do have another related question to this kind of extension. If someone gets a Non-O for the first time and comes to Thailand. And now after 3 months wants to extend this for 1 year based on marriage he can not use the transfer to Thai bank method? Since in theory this person has only been in Thailand for 3 months on his non-o entry and couldn't have possibly had transfer for last 12 months since he did not live in Thailand before this and did not have a Thai bank account before.

For the very first application the requirement is for funds deposit in a Thai bank for 2 months prior to the date of application, or 2 x monthly overseas transfers.