Am I screwed if Amnesty not extended?

[oMega69]

45 minutes ago, BritTim said:

For a first one year extension, only two months of transfers are necessary. The funds must come from abroad. At some immigration offices, additionally, you may need to show the ultimate source of the funds (pension, investment income etc.) and some kinds of income may be improperly disallowed unless, of course, you are using an agent.

And what about second yr?

[Mike Teavee]

1 hour ago, oMega69 said:

And what about second yr?

Either 12 monthly transfers OR 400K(for Marriage)/800K (Retirement) in the Bank 

[crazykopite]

16 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

How could it arrive into your Thai bank on the same day every month. Banks are closed on weekends and holidays.

I use transfer wise all the time if i send the money between Monday to Friday it’s in my SCB account within the hour However if I do it over the weekend it gets to my SCB on the Monday the good thing is they hold the rate at the time you made the transfer . I tend to do the transfer on a Wednesday as there are very few bank holidays on that day so I know the transfer is immediate.

[moe666]

17 hours ago, heist said:

I'm going to ask here, as I'm in a similar situation and considering 2 x 40k transfers and applying for a 1-year extension.

Does it have to be on the exact same day every month? Or just once in July, once in August? 

How long is the seasoning period for a 400k deposit if I decide to do that next year?

Thanks in advance. 

They like it around the same date, just makes it easier for you if it is around same date

[bkkexplorer]

17 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

If the amnesty is not extended there will likely be a 30 day extension you can apply for.

If you transferred at least 40k baht this month and next month that would be enough for you to apply for the one year extension.

Hi Joe, I'm the guy who recently tried to apply for a spouse 'O' visa but couldn't do so because currently under amnesty visa. I shared the thread "unsuccessful trip to CW for non O". I'd like to know with this possible 30 day extension you mention, would I  1) be able to apply for another extension when I've already applied used one before? and 2) be able to apply for the conversion visa afterwards if I can first apply for the possible extension?

[ubonjoe]

25 minutes ago, bkkexplorer said:

Hi Joe, I'm the guy who recently tried to apply for a spouse 'O' visa but couldn't do so because currently under amnesty visa. I shared the thread "unsuccessful trip to CW for non O". I'd like to know with this possible 30 day extension you mention, would I  1) be able to apply for another extension when I've already applied used one before? and 2) be able to apply for the conversion visa afterwards if I can first apply for the possible extension?

I am not sure it would be accepted to apply for a one year extension or a application for a non immigrant visa. It should certainly be accepted for visa application.

[Peter Denis]

14 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

I won't derail the thread by explaining it all here & a quick search should explain it better than I can but when using Transferwise be sure to select "Funds for long term stay in Thailand" (it's the last option on the Iphone App) as the reason for the Transfer to ensure that it shows up as an international transfer & not an internal Thailand one. 

It will only show up as an 'international transfer' on your bank-book if your thai bank-account is with Bangkok Bank or with the Headquarter branch of Kasikorn Bank.

With all other thai banks, the TransferWise transfer will be marked as 'domestic' even if you selected the 'Funds for long term stay in Thailand' as reason for the transfer.

But in that case you can enquire at your Bank, via which routing the transfer came on your account, and then contact that 'intermediate' bank and request a Credit Recipe which will show that the transfer followed that routing and came from abroad.

An even simpler way - and accepted by most IOs - is to print the Transfer receipt from your TransferWise account which will show that the amount transfered to your thai personal bank account originated from your foreign bank-account.

 

[Peter Denis]

@phungo

Op wrote Have Non O ME Visa Marriage that expires Aug 15, 2020

but also that his permission to stay expired during the Amnesty, and that he already used up his 60-day extension for reason of visiting his family.

That means he won't have time enough to do the 2 required monthly-income transfers of +40K (with foreign origins proven) when the Amnesty is not prolonged after 31 July.

 

If the Amnesty is not prolonged I would suggest he contacts his IO to enquire whether they would accept the ATM withdrawals of +40K during the preceding months to meet the two months of monthly-income transfer requirement to apply for the 1-year extension of his Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage.  And if the answer is NO he has only 2 options left:

a) Leaving the country by July 31 (not a nice prospect with possible quarantaine measures, covid-19 insurance, health-certificate, etc that may be required on re-entry if at all possible);

b) Engaging a Fixer Agent > Normally I always advice against that option, but when there really is no other option to meet the requirements than engaging an Agent with the necessary connections to circumvent them, biting the Agent bullet is an option of the last resort (and in that case the Agent should apply for the easier Non Imm O Visa/extension for reason of retirement).

 

If the Amnesty is prolonged till end of August (and its likely that will happen), he will have the escape route to do a monthly income transfer of +40K or of +65K in the month of July and the month of August.  And that would qualify to apply for the 1-year extension of stay based on his Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage (40K) or for reason of retirement (65K).

Note: When opting for the Marriage application, he should however be aware that the requirements for an in-country application for a Marriage Visa/extension require evidence that he is still married to a thai national at the moment of application (so more documentation required than the simple show of Marriage Certificate when applying for the 1-year ME Non Imm O marriage Visa in the thai consulates of Savannakhet or HoChiMin City).

 

[AgMech Cowboy]

@ubonjoeThank you for spending the time on this subject. There are many who have not gone the yearly extension route before (myself included) and are concerned about the insurance requirements, bank deposits, etc. Fortunately I've followed these threads and feel relatively well informed, but I am not looking forward to dealing with Pathum Thani immigration and my wife even more so. She hates that place and does not want to go there. Time will tell, eventually, what must be done. 

 

Thank YOU!!

[DJ54]

OP Question #4 - My first hand knowledge it was not allowed.

I provided 

- statements of income into US account 

- statements from same bank showing ATM withdrawals Thai bank. I withdrew money from same bank branch location for two years. 

 

 

- I was hoping to explain logically...US income, ATM withdrawals from

Thai bank .. which technically the money was in a Thai bank withdrawn 

via ATM. 

- The answer No acceptable 

 

going forward ive set up a separate account for myself and will do the monthly deposits. The reason I didn’t do prior wife (not legal marriage)

has sticky fingers...

 

Best of luck you’ve got good information for your options...

 

Note Cambodia you’ll need to deposit $3,000 USD as a Visa requirement 

used incase of Covid Quarantine and Test. Cambodia is estimating normal

international visitors mid 2021 not etched in stone...

[phungo]

Thank you so much to several people in this thread giving detailed nuance responses. I would be so lost without you all!

 

To put a bow on it, I think I have one last question. Let's say the amnesty is extended a bit which gives me time to do the 40k baht deposit this month and August correctly via Transferwise. What documents exactly do I print out to bring to immigration?

 

I have a blue "Savings Account Passbook" from Bangkok Bank - do I just go do the "passbook update" at one of the machines next to the bank showing the 40k deposits?

 

Do I also need a letter from the bank?

 

[ubonjoe]

22 minutes ago, phungo said:

Do I also need a letter from the bank?

You will need a bank letter confirming your  account and the balance on the day it is written.

Also a bank statement showing the transfers into your account.

[barry553]

I'm wondering if anyone can help with my predicament. I was on a multiple entry marriage visa. It was valid until July 1st 2020. I last used a 2 month extension which expired on 26th April 2020. 
I have an income of over 40,000 deposited in a Thai bank through transferwise for the past few months but it is through online work.
Is the source of the income questioned? If I showed the money transferred from Transferwise to a Krunsri account would this be acceptable proof to obtain a years extension? 

[BritTim]

3 hours ago, barry553 said:

I'm wondering if anyone can help with my predicament. I was on a multiple entry marriage visa. It was valid until July 1st 2020. I last used a 2 month extension which expired on 26th April 2020. 
I have an income of over 40,000 deposited in a Thai bank through transferwise for the past few months but it is through online work.
Is the source of the income questioned? If I showed the money transferred from Transferwise to a Krunsri account would this be acceptable proof to obtain a years extension? 

What is your nationality? If you are not from the US, UK or Australia, you should go for an income letter from your embassy. Otherwise, at a minimum, you need to show that the money came from abroad (which may take some effort for a Krungsri Bank account).

 

The income letter or proof that the money came from abroad is sufficient at some immigration offices. Unfortunately, some offices, especially those who want you to use an agent, will want you to prove the original source of the income and arbitrarily reject some kinds of income.

[Mike Teavee]

6 hours ago, barry553 said:

I'm wondering if anyone can help with my predicament. I was on a multiple entry marriage visa. It was valid until July 1st 2020. I last used a 2 month extension which expired on 26th April 2020. 
I have an income of over 40,000 deposited in a Thai bank through transferwise for the past few months but it is through online work.
Is the source of the income questioned? If I showed the money transferred from Transferwise to a Krunsri account would this be acceptable proof to obtain a years extension? 

Do the transfers into your Krungsi account show as International Transfers or something like "Bhat Net"?

 

If "International" you should be OK, if not you need to print off all of the Transferwise receipts & it would be advisable to print off statements from the source account showing the money going out and hope that the immigration officer didn't get out of the wrong side of bed that morning & will accept them. 

 

You shouldn't need any other proof of where the funds originated from but it wouldn't hurt to have payslips or invoices etc... in your back pocket just in case. 

 

[Peter Denis]

9 hours ago, barry553 said:

I'm wondering if anyone can help with my predicament. I was on a multiple entry marriage visa. It was valid until July 1st 2020. I last used a 2 month extension which expired on 26th April 2020. 
I have an income of over 40,000 deposited in a Thai bank through transferwise for the past few months but it is through online work.
Is the source of the income questioned? If I showed the money transferred from Transferwise to a Krunsri account would this be acceptable proof to obtain a years extension? 

You actually have 2 issues.

The first and most important one, is that the 90-day permission to stay on which you entered the country already expired and that you already used up the 60-day extension of stay for reason of visiting your wife.

So you will depend now on the goodwill of the IO that you are reporting to, whether they will accept your application for the 1-year of extension of stay.

Some IOs have stated that they will not do so, their reasoning being that you did 'choose' for the Amnesty (and thus accepted that you would have to leave the country at the end of it) instead of applying for an extension of stay.

Other IOs might accept your application for the 1-year extension of stay, but might 'back-date' it to the moment your permission to stay expired.  And that might create the issue that you would not be able to show two months of seasoning of your funds prior to the expiry of your permission to stay.

If you are able to get the Embassy issued Affidavit or an Embassy certified foreign income statement, that could solve that problem (provided you do not have to deal with an IO that insists that the SOURCE of that foreign incomes comes from pension).

>> CONCLUSION: You need to enquire at your local IO whether they would be willing to handle your application for the 1-year extension of stay with your permission to stay already expired.

And if so from which date they would apply it (date of application or back-dating till permission of stay expiry date).   That date is important as it will determine whether you are able to meet the 2-months seasoning requirement (400K or two monthly income transfers of +40K in the 2 months preceding your application), in case you are not eligible for an Embassy statement (the Embassy of citizens from USA, UK or Australia do not issue them).

If all else fails and you are not able to meet the requirements, a Fixer Agent could be the option of last resort.

[khunkarl]

On 7/9/2020 at 3:18 PM, ubonjoe said:

If the amnesty is not extended there will likely be a 30 day extension you can apply for.

If you transferred at least 40k baht this month and next month that would be enough for you to apply for the one year extension.

Really? I'm also on a Non-O Marriage ME and been doing overseas transfers to Thai bank account well over 40k per month for years. Should I just ask my bank for a statement to show at Immigration?

[ubonjoe]

38 minutes ago, khunkarl said:

Should I just ask my bank for a statement to show at Immigration?

Yes

But the transfers must show they came from abroad. If not then you will need to get credit advises to prove they came from abroad.

You will also need a letter from the bank confirming your account.

[barry553]

3 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

You actually have 2 issues.

The first and most important one, is that the 90-day permission to stay on which you entered the country already expired and that you already used up the 60-day extension of stay for reason of visiting your wife.

So you will depend now on the goodwill of the IO that you are reporting to, whether they will accept your application for the 1-year of extension of stay.

Some IOs have stated that they will not do so, their reasoning being that you did 'choose' for the Amnesty (and thus accepted that you would have to leave the country at the end of it) instead of applying for an extension of stay.

Other IOs might accept your application for the 1-year extension of stay, but might 'back-date' it to the moment your permission to stay expired.  And that might create the issue that you would not be able to show two months of seasoning of your funds prior to the expiry of your permission to stay.

If you are able to get the Embassy issued Affidavit or an Embassy certified foreign income statement, that could solve that problem (provided you do not have to deal with an IO that insists that the SOURCE of that foreign incomes comes from pension).

>> CONCLUSION: You need to enquire at your local IO whether they would be willing to handle your application for the 1-year extension of stay with your permission to stay already expired.

And if so from which date they would apply it (date of application or back-dating till permission of stay expiry date).   That date is important as it will determine whether you are able to meet the 2-months seasoning requirement (400K or two monthly income transfers of +40K in the 2 months preceding your application), in case you are not eligible for an Embassy statement (the Embassy of citizens from USA, UK or Australia do not issue them).

If all else fails and you are not able to meet the requirements, a Fixer Agent could be the option of last resort.

Thanks for that. I am from the UK so can't get an embassy letter but have had funds of over 40,000 for a while so that should not be a problem. I live in the Hua hin are and so I am not confident of there being good will from the Immigration officer, but I will give it a shot. I still would like to know if they question the origin of your funds or just accept that it is over 40,000.

[greggraham]

23 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Yes

But the transfers must show they came from abroad. If not then you will need to get credit advises to prove they came from abroad.

You will also need a letter from the bank confirming your account.

Is it the same for the 400k @ubonjoe

 

If so, how do you get credit advises to prove it? Can someone in my local SCB do that? Thanks as always.

[Peter Denis]

2 minutes ago, barry553 said:

Thanks for that. I am from the UK so can't get an embassy letter but have had funds of over 40,000 for a while so that should not be a problem. I live in the Hua hin are and so I am not confident of there being good will from the Immigration officer, but I will give it a shot. I still would like to know if they question the origin of your funds or just accept that it is over 40,000.

If you did at least two monthly-income transfers of +40K (with foreign origin proven) in the 2 months preceding your application for the 1-year extension of stay based on your Non Imm O marriage Visa, you meet the financial requirements (so that's one thing already not to worry about).

The point remains of course, whether IO HuaHin will accept your application for the 1-year extension of stay, since your permission to stay already expired.

Only way to find out is to visit the IO and discuss your Visa situation.

 

Re the origin of those +40K transfers > you definitely need to prove that they originated from abroad.  But that should not be a problem, as you can ask at your bank a statement that they originated from abroad.  And if the funds were transferred through an intermediate thai bank, you can then ask that intermediate bank to provide you with a Credit advice, that proves the funds originally came from abroad.

In case you used TransferWise to transfer the funds, it's even simpler as you can then print out the Transfer Receipt of each transfer, and that will irrefutably prove the funds originated from abroad.  These Transfer Receipts are accepted as evidence by most IOs.

 

Note: It is at the discretion of the Immigration officer handling your application to also ask for evidence of the SOURCE of your foreign income (e.g. from pension, interests, dividends, etc.) and some IOs only accept a pension statement as proof of foreign monthly income.

But HuaHin IO has a reputation as a reasonable and friendly office, so that should not be a problem in your case.

 

Please share your experience after having enquired at HuaHin IO, as that would be useful for other TVF member in a similar situation.

[BritTim]

27 minutes ago, greggraham said:

Is it the same for the 400k @ubonjoe

 

If so, how do you get credit advises to prove it? Can someone in my local SCB do that? Thanks as always.

For the 400k in the bank option, there is no need to prove the source of the funds. It is only necessary that the money the money be in an account in your sole name, and seasoned for the appropriate length of time.

[greggraham]

1 minute ago, BritTim said:

For the 400k in the bank option, there is no need to prove the source of the funds. It is only necessary that the money the money be in an account in your sole name, and seasoned for the appropriate length of time.

Thanks very much @BritTim, appreciate it 

[phungo]

Kor Ror 22 question:

 

When I did my 60 day extension, I only needed to show the original USA based marriage certificate at Bangkok Imm Office at Chaeng Watthana. 

 

Is it true that for the 1 year extension, I also need a Kor Ror 22?

 

The steps for the Kor Ror 22 seems quite involved.

 

1. Get US embassy to certify that the marriage certificate is authentic. What form/service exactly is this? The output is a letter/document from embassy that says marriage cert is authentic?

2. Get marriage cert translated by a translation service. There are many near Chaeng Watthana. Do we need to translate the embassy letter as well?

3. Translation service can then also do certification at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What is the output of this step? 

4. Wife then need to go to Amphoe to register her marriage to get Kor Ror 22. Is it possible to go to a different Amphoe than the one that did her housebook?

 

So many things to figure out...

 

Thanks again for everyone's help!

[dallen52]

Basically yes.

Amnesty ends July 31st. 

You will go to immigration and pay 1900 baht. 

Get a 30 days extension denied. 

Given a 7 days stamp with a comment to leave Thailand. 

 

Fiendishly clever ruse.

But the alternative is going back to not knowing what the expats are doing in Thailand. 

[khunkarl]

https://immigrationbangkok.com/thai-marriage-visa/

 

• You must give proof that you have at least 400,000 baht in a Thai bank account in your name, and that it has been there for at least 2 months).
• Or, you must prove that you have a monthly income or pension of at least 40,000 baht per month (this can be done though an affidavit from your foreign embassy or.
• Or, have a combination of the money cleared in a Thai bank and an annual pension totaling at least 400,000 baht.

[KimB]

Hello Members,

 

I really need help, I have been laid of in May 2020 and my visa and workpermit expired and cancelled by the employer. I don't want to go back to India until the Covid issue subside and the situation get backs to normal with Airline. I got a new job recently, but understood that within one week only it could be renewed. As it is not done the only way is to return to India and get a non-B which is almost impossible as all embassies are closed there. Back-door way some agents asked me 100K baht for each person to renew it. Due to this implications my prospective employer gave up the hope and decided to put my candidature down. Now I am jobless and amnesty is going to end on 31 July. And under-deep-mental-stress. Can I get a volunteer or some other visa to stay in Thailand. I really do't want to travel with repatriation flight and expose my family to Covid affected areas. In India also, the commute is not started to reach to my home town. Much appreciated for your help in this regard.

 

With Regards

[barry553]

51 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

If you did at least two monthly-income transfers of +40K (with foreign origin proven) in the 2 months preceding your application for the 1-year extension of stay based on your Non Imm O marriage Visa, you meet the financial requirements (so that's one thing already not to worry about).

The point remains of course, whether IO HuaHin will accept your application for the 1-year extension of stay, since your permission to stay already expired.

Only way to find out is to visit the IO and discuss your Visa situation.

 

Re the origin of those +40K transfers > you definitely need to prove that they originated from abroad.  But that should not be a problem, as you can ask at your bank a statement that they originated from abroad.  And if the funds were transferred through an intermediate thai bank, you can then ask that intermediate bank to provide you with a Credit advice, that proves the funds originally came from abroad.

In case you used TransferWise to transfer the funds, it's even simpler as you can then print out the Transfer Receipt of each transfer, and that will irrefutably prove the funds originated from abroad.  These Transfer Receipts are accepted as evidence by most IOs.

 

Note: It is at the discretion of the Immigration officer handling your application to also ask for evidence of the SOURCE of your foreign income (e.g. from pension, interests, dividends, etc.) and some IOs only accept a pension statement as proof of foreign monthly income.

But HuaHin IO has a reputation as a reasonable and friendly office, so that should not be a problem in your case.

 

Please share your experience after having enquired at HuaHin IO, as that would be useful for other TVF member in a similar situation.

Thanks again for your help. I will go next week and see what they say.

[PGThompson1]

Ubonjoe or any one else that has experience,

 

I have a ME O visa based on marriage, I should have done a border run on the 3rd June, the visa expires in December. 

 

So could I ask for a 60 day extension at the end of the amnesty, based on marriage and then transfer 40k this month and then another 40k next month and then apply for an extension based on marriage? 

 

I was on a spouse visa the previous year but reverted to a ME O visa as they wouldn't accept the embassy letter.

 

Then every month I can transfer 40k and be granted an extension next year?

 

I transfer from my UK bank to Bangkok bank using transferwise.

 

Many thanks for any advice you give.

 

Kind regards,

 

Paul.

[Peter Denis]

37 minutes ago, PGThompson1 said:

...

I have a ME O visa based on marriage, I should have done a border run on the 3rd June, the visa expires in December. 

1 - So could I ask for a 60 day extension at the end of the amnesty, based on marriage and then transfer 40k this month and then another 40k next month and then apply for an extension based on marriage? 

I was on a spouse visa the previous year but reverted to a ME O visa as they wouldn't accept the embassy letter.

2 - Then every month I can transfer 40k and be granted an extension next year?

I transfer from my UK bank to Bangkok bank using transferwise.

Answer is YES on both questions you posed.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Peter Denis