House visit for Non-O (marriage), Chaeng Wattana

[USNret]

Working on my non-O 90-day at CW.  We got the package submitted last week along with the 2000THB fee.  I had tried previously in this forum to figure out if a house visit would be done; it seems to vary depending on which office you visit. Nobody could confirm nor deny about CW.  So when the application was accepted, the nice lady said "You will be contacted soon for a house visit", my wife asked "Oh, is that always done" and her response was "Of course."  So perhaps it is always done at CW, except when it is not.

Our situation is a bit odd as we don't have a "home" yet. We're in an Airbnb which runs out in 2 weeks, then we're going to Hua Hin for a month or so, then returning to BKK to a different airbnb. So we have no lease, and no landlord who would share a housebook or ID card with us.  So our plan instead is to claim the in-laws home as our residence with the explanation that, while we live there, we also travel extensively around Thailand.  We were not sure how this explanation would be received. This is "more or less" true as we have lived here before, we have a lot of stuff stored there, and my wife's childhood room is still available.  However, the house is pretty cluttered & dirty from years of neglect and not in a condition we would want the inspectors to see it.  We've been away from Thailand for 10 years (except for short visits) and it was always our ambition to help clean up the house to make a decent retirement venue for her parents. 

Sooo... my application was submitted on Wednesday; the guy called on Thursday and wants to come over right away.  My wife is able to put him off a bit, our child is sick with German measles (true story) and could we defer till next week. He says ok, but apparently not happy.  By Friday, we have a team of cleaners that we hire for a 6-hour Deep Cleaning of the home. During this, we are hauling loads of stuff to the curb to be hauled away (busted furniture, fans that don't work, boxes of book & cassette tapes that no one wants, you know 2 decades of junk).  It filled up 3 pick-up trucks of stuff.  We also replaced one A/C unit and repaired another, so A/C upstairs is nice & cold (2 rooms that no one has been staying in). We expected they would want to see the rooms we stay in and want them to be presentable, along with the rest of the house. 

Saturday, we have painters over to touch up several rooms. They also touched up the front of the house along with the sliding gates at the street, and we put up new house numbers.  Sunday, the cleaners are back cuz they were able only to finish the upstairs previously.  They work downstairs all day, and the place has never looked so good. I think in its previous state they would have been dubious that a farang really lives in.  In fact, nobody lives in the home all week; Saturday the family descends from around BKK and has a family weekend together.  This is why it's generally so messy. 

Monday morning, the inspector calls and wants to come at noon. They show up promptly on time, 2 police officers.  Their uniforms say Division 1. I don't know if this is immigration police or BKK police.  They are very courteous.  We offer them drinks (soda, diet soda, water, coffee).  They want sugary soda, not the diet stuff. They plop down at the dining table, and start going through the package of materials that we submitted last week. Ask a few clarifying questions.  We have neighbors lined up as witnesses but the wife's sister is home so they prepare a statement for her to sign, and they never visit the neighbors.  We explain about the airbnb, staying there temporarily while we renovate the house, and they are cool with that and they don't even write it down.  They already knew from last week that we have no lease.  

 

We expected they would tour the home, visit the kitchen, bedroom, etc. but nope... they never make it past the dining table.  They have me sit on the sofa holding my PP and bank book and take a picture of me.  Then wife & me on the sofa holding our marriage certificate.  Then wife, me, cop & wife's sister in one smiley group photo, maybe just because he likes the wife's sister?? Then finally, me & the wife in front of our home where they can see the shiny new house numbers we put up. They drive away without talking to any neighbors. 

Immigration has already told us to return on March 5th and the policemen confirmed that, then hopefully all is done. 




 

Edited February 24, 2020 by USNret
Grammar

[Tanoshi]

Hopefully that will be your first and last visit from my experience.

My 'visitors' sat on the balcony and never entered the house, took two photos, had two witnesses sign statements and 10 minutes later were on their way.

 

Non O March 5th, then 1 year extension June.

Glad everything worked as planned.

[USNret]

I am grateful for your stewardship through this process, along with UbonJoe & others.  Once done, it does not seem so complicated, but going it to it was vastly complicated.  

Hopefully the last time, as you said.  

[jackdd]

Is there any rule that you can't live in a hotel when getting the extension?

[Surelynot]

Got out of my visit. Took two neighbours to immigration to vouch I lived there. 

[Puchaiyank]

Immigration loves you!

[sandrabbit]

5 extensions, 3 visits in Rayong.

[USNret]

9 minutes ago, sandrabbit said:

5 extensions, 3 visits in Rayong.

Wow!  Each IO has it's own different practice/customs/rules, but that seems crazy extreme.  Still, what are ya gonna do?  Gotta go with the flow. 

[USNret]

40 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Is there any rule that you can't live in a hotel when getting the extension?

My understanding is they want to see the housebook of where you live, and a copy of the owners Thai ID.  Airbnb owners generally will not produce that, and a hotel certainly would not.  By claiming the in-laws house as my residence, this solved the problem.  

In your case, I would make a trip to immigration specifically to ask this question.  We can all speculate on how to handle this, but our guesses are void without knowing what's in the mind of your individual immigration officer. 

[USNret]

I will add 2 more things to my circumstances... The rules say I need to produce a departure card, and a TM-30.  I had neither, and nobody asked.  I fully expected to pay a fine for the missing TM-30, but it just didn't come up.  Maybe on March 5th they'll hit me up for this?  Who knows...

[asiaexpat]

Glad it all went smoothly. In over ten years of extension at CW we have never had a home visit, maybe next time.

[metempsychotic]

Talk about overkill. Why would you go through that for a simple home visit?

 

You renovated someone elses house for a simple meet and greet. 

Edited February 24, 2020 by metempsychotic

[USNret]

9 minutes ago, metempsychotic said:

Talk about overkill. Why would you go through that for a simple home visit?

I was wondering when the nega-bunnies would show up. 

My wife & I did it for 2 reasons, but mostly because we're in a position now to help out my in-laws. This work was badly overdue and no one else in the family has stepped up.  They are grateful. 

Secondly because the rooms in which we would live were clearly not inhabited. The kitchen was barely functional. The inspectors would rightfully be dubious about our claim to live there.  We could scarcely focus only on our own rooms, and ignore the rest of the house.  That's not my style.  

The whole thing cost maybe $350.  Happy to do it. 

We will continue fixing the place up until it's something my in-laws can be proud of.  

Edited February 24, 2020 by USNret