How To Best Stay In Thailand For A Year Or Two?

[jostein]

Hi!

I am from Norway, 39 years old. Loving Thailand more and more. Especially the ladies of course... Was not so lucky in my first attempt at love in Thailand though, so I am about to be divorced from my first wife. She lived with me in Norway for three years, but then went back to live in Thailand. I am currently in Thailand (with our three year old son) on a 3 month non-imm. visa, based on being married to a Thai national. I have thought about trying to extend that one to a 12-month, but am afraid that could stir up serious problems, as I am getting a divorce soon, and would not be married to her for the whole period that I want to stay in the country. I understand that my son should have no real problems, as we can probably get him a Thai passport quite easily. But I will need to find out the best way to be able to stay here myself.

I have a new girlfriend, and I want to marry her. But don't know exactly when. And - as I have already had a marriage to a Thai national, Norwegian authorities are quite cautious. They will probably not let her come to Norway without personal interviews, etc. Could take a year, or more. In the meantime, I want to stay in Thailand, of course. My question would be then, what is the easiest and best way to be able to stay in Thailand for a year or two?

1) Get married ASAP to my new girlfriend (will be officially divorced form my first wife in a few weeks) and apply for a 12-month stay supporting my wife.

2) Go for a tourist visa 60 + 30 days, then 3 * 30 days without a visa. Do the same thing again for next 6 months

3) Try to start/move a business to or get a job in Thailand and get a business/work visa

Important details:

a) my non-imm. three month visa expires end of April. I will not have time to get divorced AND re-married by that time. Also, I need to go back to Norway on a business trip for a few weeks anyway, so I expect that the best thing is to get a new visa from Oslo. But then, if I get a tourist Visa, will I be able to apply for 12-month stay from here, after we get married? Or is it a requirement to have a non-imm. visa first, and so I may need to leave Thailand again after I get married and apply for a non-imm. visa (in Oslo or maybe in Burma)?

I do not have a salaried job currently. Neither does my girlfriend have any income. However, I do work as an IT consultant over the Internet, and I do make more than 40k baht from that per month. I understand that making the money abroad is OK, but how to verify this income? My customers have all signed open-ended service agreements with me, with a three month clause on ending the agreements, not very different from an employment contract really. But it could be a little (lot) of hazzle to get English, or even Thai records showing this. Another way would be to show bank statements of some kind? Also, I would be able to show maybe 2 mill. baht in cash, but that seems to not be important anymore? Surely, I would be able to care for my family very easily for months with that kind of money in a Thai bank...

c) my business is registered in Norway. I could, maybe, move this business to Thailand. But I assume it would be lots of difficult paperwork? Maybe not worth it. Also, my girlfiend and her sister are comtemplating starting a business. I could invest in their business. However, I can not see them being able to pay me a salary of 40k baht per month very soon.

d) last resort? Have been told that anyone who knows English can get a job in this country. Maybe not all correct. But I do know that there are lots of people teaching English in this country with much less proficiency than myself. So is that a good option? Have checked with A.U.A., but they seem to pay teachers only by the hour. So that would probably not be good enough for the 40k limit (steady job).

Thanks for any advice! Know I have lots of questions, but then immigration in this country isn't easy

Regards,

Jostein

[lopburi3]

1. Probably the best choice. You can then travel to Penang every 3 months and obtain a new 90 day non immigrant visa without a problem. Do not believe extension of stay is in the cards.

2. A mess now with the new 90 day rule and various counts/checks.

3. For one year? You would still have to travel for new visa every 3 months as in one.

a. You can convert a tourist visa at extra cost but you must meet requirements for extension of stay and that may not happen - not worth it for one year.

b. Only 40k per month with Thai tax payment for previous year proof, or letter from Embassy for overseas income, will be accepted for extension of stay.

c. Not worth it for one year and yes a lot of paperwork would be involved.

d. Not likely to pay 40k. But the requirement is 40k family income so if wife had proof also it might work but for a year why bother?

Your best bet would probably be a multi entry non immigrant O visa which many western Consulates will provide if you have a Thai wife - but even doing new 90 day visa runs would not be that hard for one year.

[jostein]

Thanks for your answer! Though everything is still not clear for me...

I understand that business or Thai employment may not be the best way. I already thought as much. But I do not quite understand the nature of the non-immigrant visa, especially the duration.

1) I have been told by several friends that if you are married to a Thai girl, then it should be pretty easy to stay here one year at a time. Several of them have lived here for a long time, just needing to get a new extension once every year. But you still talk about going to Penang every three months. When I visited the immigration office in Udon Thani, although I did not understand much of what the officers said, I got the clear impression that 12 months extension was the normal thing to apply for by men married to Thai ladies. Also found this on ThaiVisa.com:

Applying for an extension for aliens who support or are being supported by a spouse with Thai nationality or who has residence in Thailand ...

An alien must apply for a non-immigrant visa "code O" at a Thai Embassy or Consulate abroad before entering the Kingdom. Duration of first permit: As warranted by this visa, permission is given for a period of 90 days. Duration of extension: The Immigration Office will grant him a maximum extension of one year at a time.

2) The multipe entry non-immigrant visa then (if the 12 month extension is not possible): The Web-site says this is best obtained in Europe, or Australia. In my homeland, Norway, the embassy says that a non-immigrant Visa is for 90 days. No mention of multiple entry-visas whatsoever. So if a Thai embassy in Europe does not give this, would a consulate in Australia do it, for a European citizen?

Also, if you have to go out of the country every 90 days anyway, what is the real purpose of a multi-entry? Isn't it just as easy to get a new single-entry non-immigrant visa every 3 months?

3) You say it is not worth converting a tourist visa to a non-immigrant. But if I am not married to a Thai (after I am divorced, but before I get married the second time) I would not get the non-immigrant, right? I would have to go for a tourist visa and then either convert this to non-immigrant inside Thailand or leave the country after I get married to get a new (non-immigrant) visa?

Thanks again!

Jostein

[Awk]

2) The multipe entry non-immigrant visa then (if the 12 month extension is not possible): The Web-site says this is best obtained in Europe, or Australia. In my homeland, Norway, the embassy says that a non-immigrant Visa is for 90 days. No mention of multiple entry-visas whatsoever. So if a Thai embassy in Europe does not give this, would a consulate in Australia do it, for a European citizen?

[/qote]

[Ah, en annen nordmann.]

Unfortunatly, that's just you and me being in a bit of bad luck concerning the lady stationed at the thai embassy in

oslo. At least previously, there have been reports of many other embassies in europe, including sweden I believe,

being much friendlier.

[lopburi3]

1. For extension of stay you must prove income of 40k per month with letter from Embassy if you are the source. Your first post did not support such a claim. It also requires close examination of your relationship and at least a month under review. For those living here full time well worth the effort but for a short term may not be worth it.

2. Yes - other Consulates might well issue to you. Even Singapore might issue if you show them a substantial bank account. The advantage of multi entry is you only have to cross the border and return same day. To obtain new visa would require at least 26 hours as you submit one morning and pick up next afternoon most places.

3. You can not convert from tourist visa to non immigrant unless you are going to extend your stay on a yearly basis. If you have 400k in a Thai bank account and plan to extend on the para one 40k income basis that you could do this as an extra 2,000 baht fee.

[llewynx]

Forget about Sweden. Not friendly at all. No multiple entries for any type of visa. Have heard Finland is a good one though.

[Maestro]

c) my business is registered in Norway.

After removing the font formatting codes from your original post, to make it easier to read for my old eyes, I ploughed through it and picked out the above part which just might perhaps help you to get an annual extension of stay after your new marriage.

One of the criteria for this type of extension is evidence of average monthly family income of not less than 40k Baht. As Lopburi said, if this income is earned outside Thailand, Immigration wants to see a letter from your embassy and usually also the supporting documents for it.

There is no standard for this letter from the embassy. Every country’s embassy handles it its own way. As you are in Thailand at the moment, best call them to find out.

As your business is registered in Norway, ie a juristic person, let’s call it a company, this company can write a letter to you confirming your salary. In other words, you write a letter on the company’s letterhead to yourself, referring to yourself in the third person, eg “We herby confirm that Mr. Jostein is employed by our company with a monthly salary of NOK ....”. Based on this letter, fill out whatever form the Norwegian embassy in Bangkok will give you, sign it, and the embassy will authenticate your signature. Then use this embassy letter as part of your application for extension at Immigration, and if Immigration asks for supporting documents give them also a copy of your company’s letter to you.

It can work if your embassy and Immigration accept your company’s letter as sufficient proof.

--

Maestro