New twist at Savannakhet?

[sjbrownderby]

Yesterday I received my fourth visa in Savannakhet, a Non-O multi entry based on marriage. The visa application was submitted the day before with all of the required documents and copies. The person who received my application asked me where my wife was and I told him she was working, she is a school teacher. No other questions were asked and I returned on the following day to pick up my passport and new visa. I had travelled up to Savannakhet with two friends, one of was with his wife. On comparing our visas my friend's (the one who brought his wife) had a hand written annotation above his visa sticker alluding to the fact that his wife was with him when he submitted his application. Her name was also written. My passport had a small hand written note to the effect that my wife was not present. On checking my previous visas there was no such note written on the visa page and the question was never asked previously. Since I have a multi entry visa, requiring me to leave the country every 90 days, the note on the visa page can only be to inform any IO checking my visa on re-entry. Nothing was said when I crossed back into Thailand at Mukdahan. What difference this is going to make on the next occasion I leave and re-enter I don't know but usually when I do my wife is with me anyway. The two friends who were with me in Savannakhet both had notes written into their passports and as I have said one had his wife with him, the other friend had the same note as mine did. For both of them it was their first Multi entry Non-O based on marriage so there were no historical visas for them to make any comparison.  Anyone else come across this or have any knowledge?

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, sjbrownderby said:

What difference this is going to make on the next occasion I leave and re-enter I don't know but usually when I do my wife is with me anyway.

No difference at all since immigration does not pay attention to those notes stamped or written on or near a visa sticker.

The only thing they look at it for is to be sure it is still valid.

[sjbrownderby]

3 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

No difference at all since immigration does not pay attention to those notes stamped or written on or near a visa sticker.

The only thing they look at it for is to be sure it is still valid.

So, why do it at all? ......................And why was it not done before?

Clearly it was done to inform someone  who may scrutinise at some future time. 

[ubonjoe]

17 minutes ago, sjbrownderby said:

So, why do it at all? ......................And why was it not done before?

Clearly it was done to inform someone  who may scrutinise at some future time. 

I would say it is for internal use at the consulate put there by the person doing the stickers to inform the boss that does the final approval.

[thai006]

this year i got something write  to my non o visa too  

they write in thai  : for take care his child 

[sd44]

I have one written on my passport from March. Mine just said "spouse with Thai wife" and i presume it's just for consulate guidance  use as it is partially under the actual visa. 

[elviajero]

5 hours ago, sjbrownderby said:

Anyone else come across this or have any knowledge?

No one will be able to give you a definitive answer as this is new.
 

It’s a strange one as there is no reason why your wife should be with you as — under the system — it’s expected that these visas are applied for in the applicants home country and the wife is not expected to present in the country.

 

I can’t see it having an affect on anything going forward as long as you only apply for extensions as a spouse using this visa.

[elviajero]

4 hours ago, sd44 said:

I have one written on my passport from March. Mine just said "spouse with Thai wife" and i presume it's just for consulate guidance  use as it is partially under the actual visa. 

No. It’s to inform immigration the reason why the visa was issued.

[sjbrownderby]

5 hours ago, elviajero said:

I can’t see it having an affect on anything going forward as long as you only apply for extensions as a spouse using this visa.

With this visa you do not apply for extensions. The visa is a multi-entry Non-O based on marriage and a new visa is issued on application each time in Savannakhet. Do you have experience of this or are you just giving an opinion? 

5 hours ago, elviajero said:

No. It’s to inform immigration the reason why the visa was issued.

In that case why was my friend's wife actually named in the annotation as accompanying him? The visa is the same whether accompanied by your wife or not. Wife's name does not need to be in husband's passport.  My wife has accompanied me on two previous occasions and nothing was ever written on the visa page before this time. Last year she did not accompany me and nothing was asked about her or written in my passport. 

[Isaanbiker]

6 hours ago, elviajero said:

No one will be able to give you a definitive answer as this is new.
 

It’s a strange one as there is no reason why your wife should be with you as — under the system — it’s expected that these visas are applied for in the applicants home country and the wife is not expected to present in the country.

 

I can’t see it having an affect on anything going forward as long as you only apply for extensions as a spouse using this visa.

With all respect, it could be a hidden message to check if the mentioned visa holder is really with his wife. 

 

      It is new and I do not see any other reason why somebody would write that on the sticker for any other reason, should the person apply there again, or leave the country after 90 days, they might want to see the wife in person. 

 

It's just a guess, but everything is possible and nothing is impossible right now. 

[nightfox]

Nothing to worry about OP, I and bunch of others all have the same written note above our Non O visa as I did mine last month. I didn't even bother to even get it translated by someone as the visa is the most important thing.

[tonray]

They are likely just collecting statistics for some report that some higher up has demanded. The need to produce more paper is strong

[spinner2020]

I too got some handwriting on my visa in July - turns out to be my wife's name. Certainly made no difference last time I arrived back at Swampy (4 weeks ago).

[natway09]

Maybe just tightening up on the fact that you are REALLY married & living together.

There have been so many scam marriages in the last 3 years just checking.

You might get a visit. Nothing to worry about if you are together

[Peter Denis]

16 hours ago, sjbrownderby said:

With this visa you do not apply for extensions. The visa is a multi-entry Non-O based on marriage and a new visa is issued on application each time in Savannakhet.

...

Just a small comment: A Multi Entry Non Imm O - marriage Visa is issued for a full year.  It allows the holder to stay for periods of max 90 days in Thailand, after which he needs to exit Thailand.  On re-entry he will be then stamped in for the next 90 days permission to stay that this ME Non Imm O - marriage Visa entitles him to.

So you can get almost 15 months out of such a Visa, when last re-entry is timed just before Visa expiry.

The MAIN comment I want to make  however, is that these border-hops do not need necessarily take place where the Visa was issued (Savannakhet), but can be done at any thai border.

[Russell17au]

2 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Just a small comment: A Multi Entry Non Imm O - marriage Visa is issued for a full year.  It allows the holder to stay for periods of max 90 days in Thailand, after which he needs to exit Thailand.  On re-entry he will be then stamped in for the next 90 days permission to stay that this ME Non Imm O - marriage Visa entitles him to.

So you can get almost 15 months out of such a Visa, when last re-entry is timed just before Visa expiry.

The MAIN comment I want to make  however, is that these border-hops do not need necessarily take place where the Visa was issued (Savannakhet), but can be done at any thai border.

I think that you misunderstood what sjbrownderby had written. He was responding to a previous post by another person who stated about an extension for this visa which you do not get plus he only mentioned that a new visa is required and it can be applied for at Savannakhet. There was nothing mentioned about only using Savannakhet for the border hops.

[tabarin]

All my non-o visas since this year state that handwritten note  "I take care of a child or have a Thai child" in Thai. Perhaps it makes it easier on random checks to see what the specific reason of the non-o is, nothing bad I guess and it does seem the IO read them, only seems to process me faster.

[emptypockets]

Mine in August has a similar note along the lines of to visit Thai wife

[Bangkok Barry]

I hadn't noticed, but I've got minuscule writing above my visa obtained in November. It simply says 'Thai wife'. Quite helpful to the IO when you re-enter the country, I suppose.

[Okis]

I did mine in April and in my case they wrote that i have a wife in the province where our marriage cert was issued

[sjbrownderby]

5 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

So you can get almost 15 months out of such a Visa, when last re-entry is timed just before Visa expiry.

The MAIN comment I want to make  however, is that these border-hops do not need necessarily take place where the Visa was issued (Savannakhet), but can be done at any thai border.

You can actually get 17 months out of such a visa if you extend the last permission to stay by 60 days at your local immigration office. I have done it twice.

 

[sjbrownderby]

What I am getting is that the hand written notes, although they are something new, seem to be innocuous. 

[patrick1968]

I just came back 4 days ago from (savannakhet ) I have the same thing written in my passport on top of visa Spouse with Thai Wife  

[Denim]

12 hours ago, spinner2020 said:

I too got some handwriting on my visa in July - turns out to be my wife's name. Certainly made no difference last time I arrived back at Swampy (4 weeks ago).

 

I was there mid September. No questions asked and no notes in passport.

[DJ54]

Maybe it’s how they determine house visits...? I was asked where my wife was once in 90 day

check in at IO. Said outside and he asked me to

tell her come in. I don’t remember if they said 

Anything but hello...

[emptypockets]

1 hour ago, DJ54 said:

Maybe it’s how they determine house visits...? I was asked where my wife was once in 90 day

check in at IO. Said outside and he asked me to

tell her come in. I don’t remember if they said 

Anything but hello...

Not likely to be doing a 90 day report on a non O Multi entry visa. At least not for me.

[superal]

On 12/26/2019 at 10:54 AM, ubonjoe said:

No difference at all since immigration does not pay attention to those notes stamped or written on or near a visa sticker.

The only thing they look at it for is to be sure it is still valid.

Joe , please comment on the following as there is confusion for me and friends with the visa rules .

1/ A non o m/e issued in Savannakhet based on marriage without proof of income requires you to leave the country every 90 days ? 

2/ A non o single entry based on marriage with proof of income , report to local immigration every 90 days ?

3/ Can a non o m/e based on retirement and issued in the UK based on state pension ( without proof of income ) be changed to a non o based on marriage ( pending )  within Thailand or Savannakhet ?

 

4/ Item 2/ Friend has this and says it is for 1 year only and cannot be extended by 90 days by leaving the country before the expiry date , true ? 

5/ Therefore , non o based on marriage can be with or without proof of income ?  without proof of income  possible to extend by 90 days and possibly a further 60 days .

6/ A s/e non o based on marriage , can leave the country using a re-entry permit to validate the current visa ?

 

I can understand guys using agents as the whole visa thingy can be confusing to many silver heads .

[cyril sneer]

On 12/26/2019 at 4:37 PM, elviajero said:

No one will be able to give you a definitive answer as this is new.

same applies to old in Thailand

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, superal said:

Joe , please comment on the following as there is confusion for me and friends with the visa rules .

1/ A non o m/e issued in Savannakhet based on marriage without proof of income requires you to leave the country every 90 days ? 

2/ A non o single entry based on marriage with proof of income , report to local immigration every 90 days ?

3/ Can a non o m/e based on retirement and issued in the UK based on state pension ( without proof of income ) be changed to a non o based on marriage ( pending )  within Thailand or Savannakhet ?

 

4/ Item 2/ Friend has this and says it is for 1 year only and cannot be extended by 90 days by leaving the country before the expiry date , true ? 

5/ Therefore , non o based on marriage can be with or without proof of income ?  without proof of income  possible to extend by 90 days and possibly a further 60 days .

6/ A s/e non o based on marriage , can leave the country using a re-entry permit to validate the current visa ?

 

I can understand guys using agents as the whole visa thingy can be confusing to many silver heads .

1. Correct

But a one year extension could be applied for during the last 30 days of any of the 90 day entries from it.

2. That would be correct if the 90 day entry from the single entry visa was extended for one year based upon marriage at immigration.

3. There would be no change. A one year extension based upon marriage could be applied for during the last 30 days of any of the 90 daye entries from.

4/5. See my number 2.

It is a new 90 day entry from the multiple entry visa not an extension. Extensions can only be applied for at immigration.

6. The re-entry permit would be for the one year extension of stay to keep it valid when entering the country not the visa.

[Nong Khai Man]

14 hours ago, sjbrownderby said:

You can actually get 17 months out of such a visa if you extend the last permission to stay by 60 days at your local immigration office. I have done it twice.

 

Yeah, But Don't You need to Show Sufficient Funds in the Bank ie;400k ??