Visa Extension Options - One Year for Busines, or 60 Days, or One Year for Marriage

[Thai Botanist]

Hi All,

 

I'm currently here on a one-year multiple entry Non-O Thai Spouse visa. I also have a workpermit and I am the director of a small limited company. My current 90 day stamp will expire on the 25th of April. I've previously traveled enough nearly always be out of the country before my 90 days is up. I'd like to change to one-year extensions now, so that I can eventually accumulate the three years I need to apply for PR.

 

And so I was initially considering applying for a one-year extension for reasons of business, as per here...

 

https://www.immigration.go.th/content/service_1

 

I have nearly all of the documents required prepared by my accounting office. But I'm unsure of what this means...

 

"Documents required for permission of temporary stay no. 8- 11 must be certified true copy by authorized officer of government unit concerned"

 

Does this mean I need to take ...

 

8. Copy of 3 latest monthly withholding tax return (Por.Pro.1) showing the name of employees and the alien applicant, together with receipt.
9. Copy of latest personal income tax return of the applicant (Por.Pro.91), together with receipt (or an explanatory letter)
10. Copy of 3 latest monthly social security contributions return filed with the Social Security Office (Form Sor.Por.Sor. 1-10)
11. Copy of 3 latest monthly value add tax return (Por.Pro.30 or Por.Por.36) together with receipt.

 

.. to the revenue office, and social security offices, and have the copies (and receipts) I have here certified first?

 

I've read that I may also apply for a 60 day extension?

 

I've read that I may also apply for a one year extension based on my marriage to a Thai - if so - can I use my company salary as evidence of income?

 

Any advise or suggestion in these complicated times greatly appreciated - ideally with the minimum number of offices or people to have to contact.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ubonjoe]

35 minutes ago, Thai Botanist said:

to the revenue office, and social security offices, and have the copies (and receipts) I have here certified first?

Yes

 

36 minutes ago, Thai Botanist said:

I've read that I may also apply for a 60 day extension?

You can apply for a 60 day extension to visit your wife.

 

36 minutes ago, Thai Botanist said:

I've read that I may also apply for a one year extension based on my marriage to a Thai - if so - can I use my company salary as evidence of income?

You can use your income from working to meet the 40k baht income requirement for a one year extension of stay.

You will need have your work permit and a copy of it. Copies of tax payments receipts and last years tax return to prove your income.

Some offices will also want a copy of the company registration and possibly other documents.

[Thai Botanist]

Thanks @ubonjoe

[Pyloszeus]

I am in a similar postion. Have non B M E visa, 90 days expires on 4th of May. Visa expires in July. Can I extend 90 days or just 30 days at a time with letter from Embassy..or options 

Thanks in advance.

[ubonjoe]

13 minutes ago, Pyloszeus said:

Can I extend 90 days or just 30 days at a time with letter from Embassy..or options 

Only 30 days.

If working here with a work permit for a company that can qualify for it you could apply for a one year extension.

[Pyloszeus]

Thanks for that. 

My own outfit Director, Limited Company. Used to be Limited Partnership.

23 years here. It suited me to go out three or four times a year. The paperwork is a nightmare for the year extension.

But getting a bit long in the tooth now might just try for a retirement.

Thanks again.

 

 

[Thai Botanist]

Does anyone know if a one year extension based on marriage to a Thai, with income and regular tax payments via employment here (Thai workpermit), counts towards the three consecutive years required before applying for PR?

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, Thai Botanist said:

Does anyone know if a one year extension based on marriage to a Thai, with income and regular tax payments via employment here (Thai workpermit), counts towards the three consecutive years required before applying for PR?

Yes it will.

As far as I know the minimum income for a PR application based upon marriage to a Thai is 50k baht.

But it might be best to apply for Thai nationality. The fee is much lower.

[Thai Botanist]

@ubonjoe okay thanks again.

[JackThompson]

On 4/4/2020 at 2:17 PM, ubonjoe said:

You can use your income from working to meet the 40k baht income requirement for a one year extension of stay.

You will need have your work permit and a copy of it. Copies of tax payments receipts and last years tax return to prove your income.

Some offices will also want a copy of the company registration and possibly other documents.

At CW Immigration, to get a Non-O based on Thai family using a Thai income, they want basically the same thick stack of docs as for a Non-B. 

[Thai Botanist]

Still not 100% sure what this means...

 

"Documents required for permission of temporary stay no. 8- 11 must be certified true copy by authorized officer of government unit concerned"

 

8. Copy of 3 latest monthly withholding tax return (Por.Pro.1) showing the name of employees and the alien applicant, together with receipt.
9. Copy of latest personal income tax return of the applicant (Por.Pro.91), together with receipt (or an explanatory letter)
10. Copy of 3 latest monthly social security contributions return filed with the Social Security Office (Form Sor.Por.Sor. 1-10)
11. Copy of 3 latest monthly value add tax return (Por.Pro.30 or Por.Por.36) together with receipt.

 

I have all the original receipts, and copies for all of the above. Do I now have to take them to each of the separate offices above to have them certified? I'm not exactly thrilled to have to visit at least three separate offices before going to CW.

[chakeeoyen]

26 minutes ago, Thai Botanist said:

Still not 100% sure what this means...

 

"Documents required for permission of temporary stay no. 8- 11 must be certified true copy by authorized officer of government unit concerned"

 

8. Copy of 3 latest monthly withholding tax return (Por.Pro.1) showing the name of employees and the alien applicant, together with receipt.
9. Copy of latest personal income tax return of the applicant (Por.Pro.91), together with receipt (or an explanatory letter)
10. Copy of 3 latest monthly social security contributions return filed with the Social Security Office (Form Sor.Por.Sor. 1-10)
11. Copy of 3 latest monthly value add tax return (Por.Pro.30 or Por.Por.36) together with receipt.

 

I have all the original receipts, and copies for all of the above. Do I now have to take them to each of the separate offices above to have them certified? I'm not exactly thrilled to have to visit at least three separate offices before going to CW.

I went there in January and was denied. My documents were only slightly off and they would not budge. The few things that were "off":

1. Letter of employment needs a company stamp in blue ink. (I wish I was kidding)
2. I can't remember which one but the Por Ngor Dor documents must be retrieved from a physical location. Despite the government offering an online service for accounts, the ones they send via mail are not the same.

[Thai Botanist]

10 minutes ago, chakeeoyen said:

• Letter of employment needs a company stamp in blue ink. (I wish I was kidding)
• I can't remember which one but the Por Ngor Dor documents must be retrieved from a physical location. Despite the government offering an online service for accounts, the ones they send via mail are not the same.

Thanks @chakeeoyen - we have a company stamp (with blue ink), and so my letter of employment should be okay - but yes, it's the Por Ngor Dor documents I'm concerned about - PND1, PND 91, PND 50 etc.

 

I'm going to try going tomorrow, to see what they'll accept. And then if necessary my wife and I will go again on Friday if we decided going the Non-O Thai Spouse route (with Thai income) is more likely to succeed (assuming a 24 hour curfew hasn't been imposed by then).

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, Thai Botanist said:

Thanks @chakeeoyen - we have a company stamp (with blue ink), and so my letter of employment should be okay - but yes, it's the Por Ngor Dor documents I'm concerned about - PND1, PND 91, PND 50 etc.

 

I'm going to try going tomorrow, to see what they'll accept. And then if necessary my wife and I will go again on Friday if we decided going the Non-O Thai Spouse route (with Thai income) is more likely to succeed (assuming a 24 hour curfew hasn't been imposed by then).

You might be able to save a trip by getting the Company Formation Document (original with "DBD" in blue as background image) AND the PND documents (originals or certified-copies by the tax-authorities) before spending hours there queuing. 

 

My fairly recent experience confirms these are needed to get an extension based on work-income.  And do not forget pictures in the office w/ company principles (listed in the Company Formation Doc) and outside the door/building with them again, showing the company-sign. 

Of course, they might add something else "just because they can," also, but no point trying if you don't have those, based on my experience.

[Thai Botanist]

Thanks @JackThompson - I have all of the other documents ready, including the company formation documents. It's just the PND documents - PND 1, PND 91, PND 50 - for which I have all of the original receipts and copies. But it seems as if they clearly need to be certified by the relevant offices before I go, so I'll try doing that first then.

[Thai Botanist]

Step one complete. I visited the district revenue office today (sambakorn), and they're preparing official copies of PND 1 (three months), PND 91 (2018), and PND 50 (2018). The yellow receipts and forms I had with me were not acceptable. You need to get the revenue office to prepare official copies. I went there with a fresh copy of our company registration document (nang sue rablong), and our company stamp as I needed to sign several documents for the request (I had to give them a signed and stamped copy of our company registration document). I also needed to supply copies of my passport and workpermit. They were very helpful, and made copies of my passport and workpermit on the spot for a small fee.

 

I then went to the social security offices, although it turns out this wasn't necessary as the receipts my accounting office had prepared were fine (although the other director of the company had to sign attached statements and place company stamps on these as well).

 

Photos, map and all other documents are ready. Just waiting for the revenue office to call and tell me all of the PND official copies are ready to collect, and then I'll be headed to CW. Will post another update after that.

 

 

[Thai Botanist]

So here's an update on how this worked out in the end.

 

Our first attempt to apply for a one year extension, based on Thai Marriage, with income from a Thai salary (as opposed to a seasoned lump sum in the bank) failed pretty spectacularly.

 

Here's why...

 

1. I forgot to bring with me the cash receipts from the revenue office (for all documents, PND 91, PND 1). The certified documents alone were not enough. They wanted to see the cashier's receipts as well for each set of documents. Lesson here - keep all your receipts, for everything, and staple them to the front of your official documents.

 

2. The period of PND 1 (income tax deductions), were not contiguous for the three months prior to the date we were present and applying for the extension (the day we were sitting there). Our company hadn't yet filed PND 1 for the previous month but this made no difference to the IO. Lesson here - you need to time your visit, and your application, with the period just after your last PND 1 filings (and when they show up in revenue's system - which is 2-3 days for an e-filing) and obviously before your current extension expires. It's not difficult, but just another thing you need to plan for.

 

3. Our photos weren't accepted. I needed two sets. Set a) The normal family photo set with exactly two pictures in front of our place of residence, and exactly two pictures inside. The two pictures outside must clearly show your registered address (lek tee baan) in at least one of them, and the name or street address in the other (if possible). We later took one in front of our condo door (which shows the official house number), and another in front of the sign for our condo on the street. The two photos inside are less strict, but must show you and your spouse (and children) inside your registered address. You absolutely must be sure that the house address is clearly visible in one of the outside photos. I printed two versions of this - one zoomed in to the house address for clarity. The IO was specifically looking for this and circled the address while reviewing the documents. For the work photos, and again - for our second attempt I included a picture of me at my desk with one of our staff sitting in the desk next to me, along with a photo in front of the door to the office also with the registered address clearly visible. And another of me in front of the building with the name of the building.

 

4. Our company registration document was an official copy from a bank - I forget which (our accounting office prepared it), but it was rejected. You need an official company registration and shareholder list from a DBD office. There is a DBD office downstairs at Chaengwattana, and so we went there before returning home and requested official copies (again, both company registration, and shareholders - and kept the receipt!).

 

5. My letter of employment didn't include my salary.

 

It wasn't a fun day. I was given a 60 day extension so that I wouldn't be forced to leave the country, or overstay.

 

Our 2nd attempt went fine. I went back to revenue to request official copies of PND 91 (2562 - since this was now in the system) , and PND 1 (three months previous) and stapled the cashier's receipts for both of these on the front of each set. I also went prepared with PND 50 (annual company accounts), and PP 30 (VAT for three months) but these are not required for an extension based on Thai spouse, and Thai salary (I had them ready 'just in case'). We fixed our photos, and letter of employment and it all went fine. You need all the other documents - marriage certificate with recent registration, copies of your passport, spouse's ID card, house registration (tabien baan), and in our case the birth certificate of our daughter. I also always take at least my last two expired passports with me - just in case.

 

One thing I found curious was that when we were done, they then gave me a one month extension to the 10th of July in order to return and collect my 'result'. I asked them what that meant, and what would happen if my application was rejected. The IO said it won't be rejected, but that I had to return to collect it on the 10th. My spouse is not required to go for collection.

 

Things move pretty fast once you're actually sitting in front of the IO - so take the time to staple, or paperclip, and arrange all of your documents so that you can easily hand everything over. They're professional, albeit frosty, and are simply following the rules.

 

Social distancing at CW isn't great so we feel lucky that our timing was in the two 'low' pandemic periods in Thailand. They're trying to arrange things so that you sit in large rows of chairs in the main hall outside, before going into the IM offices, but once opened, they just let everyone in which we found puzzling, as within a couple of hours of opening IM was as full and as busy as ever.

 

Hope this helps.

[JackThompson]

9 hours ago, Thai Botanist said:

So here's an update on how this worked out in the end.

...

Hope this helps.

Thank you for the excellent write-up.  I wish I had known all that before my attempt there using Thai-Job income.  When I reported the extras they require - above and beyond simply proving your income - I was met with disbelief. 

I will be printing this out and presenting it to my employer, should we be unable to continue our "Plan B," of my going out for another Non-O-ME.  At the time, paying for my trip was considered far less trouble/expense, than an agent or accounting to get all that work-permit stuff, again.  But if the borders don't open or auto-extension announced ... ??? who knows.

[drbeach]

On 6/20/2020 at 9:27 PM, JackThompson said:

Thank you for the excellent write-up.  I wish I had known all that before my attempt there using Thai-Job income.  When I reported the extras they require - above and beyond simply proving your income - I was met with disbelief. 

I will be printing this out and presenting it to my employer, should we be unable to continue our "Plan B," of my going out for another Non-O-ME.  At the time, paying for my trip was considered far less trouble/expense, than an agent or accounting to get all that work-permit stuff, again.  But if the borders don't open or auto-extension announced ... ??? who knows.

Best of luck to you...since you've already done your 60 day visit wife extension you're only left with two realistic choices: 1) 1-year extension (if they'll let you), though I think if you can meet all the requirements as the OP did, then there's a good chance they'll recognize the unique circumstances and ignore that your previous stamp has "expired" since it remains within the amnesty. In other words, the amnesty period makes you legal. Or 2) hope that the amnesty is extended (reasonably good chance of that I'd say) and at least one border opens before the expiration of this extended amnesty.

[AndyPa]

On 6/20/2020 at 11:34 AM, Thai Botanist said:

It wasn't a fun day. I was given a 60 day extension so that I wouldn't be forced to leave the country, or overstay.

When they gave you the 60 days extension, had your original entry already expired in April? So you were on the "amnesty", right? Or did you apply before the April stamp ran out.

[Thai Botanist]

On 6/25/2020 at 10:57 PM, AndyPa said:

When they gave you the 60 days extension, had your original entry already expired in April? So you were on the "amnesty", right? Or did you apply before the April stamp ran out.

Hi @AndyPa - I was on a 1-year multiple entry Non-O - but my 90 day limit was approaching - it was going to end about 10 days after my April visit. If they had not given me the 60 day extension, I'm not sure what would have happened. Leaving would have meant not being able to return to my wife and daughter. And I wasn't sure if the amnesty period applied in my case. The IO asked why I'd left it so close to the end of the 90 day period, and I said it was because normally (before COVID-19) I travel.