In hindsight, it was a big mistake applying for an extension based on marriage this year. After enduring a month of stress, we decided to withdraw our application and get a non-O instead.

 

Our last 12 marriage extensions went smoothly, so I have taken my eye off the ball with immigration rules. My current visa expires on the 6th of September so I am considering two options:

 

1. Do a quick border run in Chiang Rai (I'm British and live in Chiang Mai) and come back in on a 30 day tourist visa (on entry) to buy myself some time

 

2. Go to Ho Chi Min and apply for a non-O multiple entry and have done with it.

 

I don't have 400K in a the bank and I believe my options are Ho Chi Min or Savanakhet.

 

My questions are - if I do the border run - would I be granted a tourist visa on entry even though I have lived in Thailand for the past 12 years?

 

If for some reason I did not get a non-O from Ho Chi Min, would I be granted a visa on entry if I flew in from Vietnam?

As a Brit there are no VOA options and tourist visa's are not issued on entry. Any entry into thailand without a visa would be the standard visa exempt entry.

Your future options would maybe be dependant on whether you can get the 40k income or 400k deposit in order, then start again. Entry, seasoning, extension etc.

A Visa Exempt entry will give you  30 days with the potential of a 30 day extension, or a 60 day extension based on visiting your Thai wife. Remember you can only have 2 Visa Exempt land border crossings in any 1 calendar year. 

 

Tourist Visas must be obtained outside of Thailand.

what happened with the Application?

one read displays 'rejection' in the title

another read highlights 'withdrawal' in the body

 

after 12* marriage... doing otherwise would bring more questions from them?

 

if you try come back as tourist, have you considered their online system will bleat that you have already too much time inside the country, in the previous 365 days?

I have been putting well over 40K into a Thai bank account I opened in February after finding out the usual income verification letter from the British embassy was no longer an option. My problem is that I am self employed and immigration simply cannot get their head around it. I am unable to verify where the money comes from. They keep insisting on a letter from a company verifying my income,  then for it to be verified by the British Embassy and then translated into Thai. Even if I had 400K to put in the bank - I would still have the same problem - no way of verifying where the income came from.

Just now, DumbFalang said:

I have been putting well over 40K into a Thai bank account I opened in February after finding out the usual income verification letter from the British embassy was no longer an option. My problem is that I am self employed and immigration simply cannot get their head around it. I am unable to verify where the money comes from. They keep insisting on a letter from a company verifying my income,  then for it to be verified by the British Embassy and then translated into Thai. Even if I had 400K to put in the bank - I would still have the same problem - no way of verifying where the income came from.

Cant you just "create" a income-verification on your own letterhead, bring that to you embassy, get it translated bla bla bla???? Is that really impossibel??? Or do you mean that selfemployed means you working the crops out on your farm, so letterhead is not an option??

 

glegolo

2 minutes ago, glegolo said:

Cant you just "create" a income-verification on your own letterhead, bring that to you embassy, get it translated bla bla bla???? Is that really impossibel??? Or do you mean that selfemployed means you working the crops out on your farm, so letterhead is not an option??

 

It's not impossible - just absolute nonsense..... but it's looking more like I will have to go through with it.

 

Haha - I am actually a self employed software developer and my income comes from mainly the US and Australia. The farm belongs to my wife...... and it's a black hole where all my hard earned income goes ???? 

10 minutes ago, DumbFalang said:

I am unable to verify where the money comes from.

 

I believe Immigration's new rules are meant to require verification that the money comes from outside of Thailand, in some sort or periodic fashion, repeatedly/monthly.

 

Otherwise it might look like you are working here, or simply shuffling the same 40,000 back and forth between two accounts.

 

Maybe start to establish a pattern of qualifying foreign transfers ASAP, or fund the 400,000, leave Thailand, re-enter on a TVE, convert to a 90 day, then extend that?

 

  

Rejected or withdrawn?

 

Well, Bangkok initially rejected the application - requesting a letter from my employer verifying my income. My wife is stressed to the max about the whole thing and when our local immi officer called to tell her, she basically told him to stick the application.

17 minutes ago, DumbFalang said:

I have been putting well over 40K into a Thai bank account I opened in February after finding out the usual income verification letter from the British embassy was no longer an option. My problem is that I am self employed and immigration simply cannot get their head around it. I am unable to verify where the money comes from. They keep insisting on a letter from a company verifying my income,  then for it to be verified by the British Embassy and then translated into Thai. Even if I had 400K to put in the bank - I would still have the same problem - no way of verifying where the income came from.

The 400k does not need to come from outside thailand. 

Just now, Peterw42 said:

The 400k does not need to come from outside thailand. 

Really? - I did not know that. Very interesting...

Been a long time since I did a tourist visa, but..if you enter at a border crossing. like Suvanket..isn't it a 15 day visa?

 

25 minutes ago, DumbFalang said:

I have been putting well over 40K into a Thai bank account I opened in February after finding out the usual income verification letter from the British embassy was no longer an option. My problem is that I am self employed and immigration simply cannot get their head around it. I am unable to verify where the money comes from. They keep insisting on a letter from a company verifying my income,  then for it to be verified by the British Embassy and then translated into Thai. Even if I had 400K to put in the bank - I would still have the same problem - no way of verifying where the income came from.

It doesn't matter where the 400K came from - it doesn't need to come from overseas. You are self-employed in Thailand? How does that work?

 

11 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

I believe Immigration's new rules are meant to require verification that the money comes from outside of Thailand, in some sort or periodic fashion, repeatedly/monthly.

With a marriage extension you can work legally (with a work permit) so your income can be earned within Thailand.  

 

Extension - Marriage - income requirements, highlighted 1.pdf

5 minutes ago, DumbFalang said:

Really? - I did not know that. Very interesting...

This is correct. If you have the cash, put it in the bank and forget about it. If you are working in Thailand you would need a work permit, and that may raise more questions. I think the 400K is the safest option if you can muster than amount. 

11 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

The 400k does not need to come from outside thailand. 

 

But it does have to be "seasoned" for two or three months. And perhaps remain in the account for some period after (3 months?), and of course be at 400,000 some months prior to next year's extension.

 

The OP would be advised to review the relevant police orders which are linked within this sub-forum.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 20196 yr by mtls2005

5 minutes ago, JohnOFphon said:

Been a long time since I did a tourist visa, but..if you enter at a border crossing. like Suvanket..isn't it a 15 day visa?

 

A 30 day visa exempt entry has been allowed at land border crossings for a few years now but they are limited to 2 per calendar year.

2 minutes ago, DavisH said:

If you are working in Thailand you would need a work permit

And you would be liable to pay Thai income tax on your declared income.

 

Edited August 30, 20196 yr by sumrit

Thanks Guys - I really appreciate your help.

 

So, let's say I can scrape 400K together and put it in my Thai bank. The problem is it will not have been in there for 2 months prior to the application (isn't that the requirement?)

 

I guess we could phone and ask.

If you were to deposit the 400K prior to the expiration if your current extension, you might be granted a provisional extension.

 

I do know someone who did this here in Bangkok recently. I think it was 90 days, after which a one-year extension was granted.

 

 

Just now, DumbFalang said:

Thanks Guys - I really appreciate your help.

 

So, let's say I can scrape 400K together and put it in my Thai bank. The problem is it will not have been in there for 2 months prior to the application (isn't that the requirement?)

 

I guess we could phone and ask.

Yes, but you could get a 60 day extension for visiting your wife. Not sure exactly how you would start again with a marriage extension from that point though but I'm sure Ubonjoe could answer that for you.

3 minutes ago, DumbFalang said:

Thanks Guys - I really appreciate your help.

 

So, let's say I can scrape 400K together and put it in my Thai bank. The problem is it will not have been in there for 2 months prior to the application (isn't that the requirement?)

 

I guess we could phone and ask.

yes, 60 days prior.

3 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

 

But it does have to be "seasoned" for two or three months.

Aha.... so that's not an option.

 

Starting to think about the wording for my income verification letter. Perhaps something along the lines of...

 

"I DumbFalang, trading as DumbFalang UK verify that we pay DumbFalang a regular monthly income of Bt40,000"

2 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

If you were to deposit the 400K prior to the expiration if your current extension, you might be granted a provisional extension.

 

I do know someone who did this here in Bangkok recently. I think it was 90 days, after which a one-year extension was granted.

 

 

Now that is really good news. I think it's time for the wife to make that phone call to our local immi officer, ask him to remove our application from wherever he 'stuck it' and let's all make up. The missus is going to love that.

You don't seem to know much considering you have been here for a 12 stretch?

1 minute ago, Essex Reject said:

You don't seem to know much considering you have been here for a 12 stretch?

Correct. The income verification letter from the British embassy each year made my extensions pretty simple.

Just now, DumbFalang said:

Correct. The income verification letter from the British embassy each year made my extensions pretty simple.

Fair enough. Btw, if your papers are in order you WILL get a non O from Savannakhet or HCM..

14 minutes ago, DumbFalang said:

Aha.... so that's not an option.

 

Starting to think about the wording for my income verification letter. Perhaps something along the lines of...

 

"I DumbFalang, trading as DumbFalang UK verify that we pay DumbFalang a regular monthly income of Bt40,000"

Something like that would probably work, but make it from Dumbfalang incorporated not Dumbfalang the person. Company letterhead, business license numbers etc. Tag the incoming funds as salary so they match the letter. Write the letter in both Thai and english.

Edited August 30, 20196 yr by Peterw42

Just now, Essex Reject said:

Fair enough. Btw, if your papers are in order you WILL get a non O from Savannakhet or HCM..

You know what..... my missus is sooooo stressed with the marriage extension that I think this would be the best option for her mental health. We will discuss it and make a decision together.

Just now, DumbFalang said:

You know what..... my missus is sooooo stressed with the marriage extension that I think this would be the best option for her mental health. We will discuss it and make a decision together.

Really? Discuss it? You say she's Thai? My one couldn't care less ????