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Why is the marriage extension so difficult ?


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1 minute ago, EricTh said:

The Thai government make it so difficult for any long-term visa, not just marriage. 

 

There are tons of unnecessary paperwork and photocopying just to feed those 'officers' salaries.

 

 

Did my annual extension based on retirement at CW last October. Absolute breeze. Especially with the appointment system now available. Did my bank letter etc at banks lower level. Few photocopies of passport pages etc. Primary school stuff.

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9 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

You sort of have a point but not really. With the 800k in your Thai bank there is no need to show immigration those funds are in bank after issue of your annual extension. (apart from rogue imm offices such as Jomtien).

If you decide to leave permanently then just run the funds out. 

Also there are ways to transfer funds out of Thailand.

 

 

I would rather those funds remain in Europe.  For obvious reasons.

 

As I said earlier, I am content to accept whatever decision Thai immigration make based on my circumstances.  But for me enough of their BS paperwork and every shifting policies (if they even merit the description policy).

 

 

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19 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

I would rather those funds remain in Europe.  For obvious reasons

Not obvious to me. Funds held in banks FD a/c in my country Oz obtain 0.25% currently. Not a lot loss of opportunity cost in that.

Anyway enjoy your application for extension based on marriage. 

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6 hours ago, NancyL said:

The marriage visa application has to go to Bangkok for approval while the retirement visa extension are approved locally. 

No it does not.

It goes to head of division which will depend on where you are applying.

The fact that the local office accepted the application means that it will be approved.

 

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1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

Not obvious to me. Funds held in banks in my country Oz obtain 0.25% currently. Not a lot loss of opportunity cost in that.

Anyway enjoy your application for extension based on marriage. 

 

I specifically said I would not do an application for extension based on marriage above.

 

And security of the banks, transferability and exchange rates are significant issues to me.  More so than interest rates.

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1 minute ago, In the jungle said:

 

I specifically said I would not do an application for extension based on marriage above.

 

And security of the banks, transferability and exchange rates are significant issues to me.  More so than interest rates.

Simple solution....you will not do extension based on marriage. Also will not use money in bank retirement. That leaves you with extension retirement based on monthly income. If that's also a no no then I guess pack the bags for Europe.

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4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

That said: it seems the Op was expected to provide a bit extra: i.e. 2 witnesses.

I'm told that is standard in Phetchabun and it must the same 2 for the home visit, and some get a home visit every year, I'm on "retirement" even though I am married so cannot personally verify this.

 

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

AND: The '90 day Report' automatically re-sets on the date of the extension of stay.

 

not in Phetchabun it doesn't, they won't even do a 90 day for you at the same time as an extension, I've personally had "come back next week to do your 90 days report" even though I had a completed TM47 and all the required copies in hand.

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7 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Simple solution....you will not do extension based on marriage. Also will not use money in bank retirement. That leaves you with extension retirement based on monthly income. If that's also a no no then I guess pack the bags for Europe.

 

Yes.  Income is not an issue.  My wife and I have enough of that but then you are into a whole new world of Thai BS paperwork.

 

I explained way back in this thread what I am going to do and the reasoning so no point in you offering your 'solutions'.

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pretty obvious why, I would have thought. Until the flu thing hit, there were (for about 50 years or so) just too many farang popping up with something they “encountered” in a bar a few days previously, wanting marriage papers and a long-term visa on the back of it. If you were Thai you might want some examination of that too.

And no, I am NOT saying all farang marriages are like that. Mine isn't. Nor have I ever had much of a problem with IOs either.

Try getting your Thai wife into your own country – is it really much easier? I think not.

However, in one sense the OP has a point: (again, pre flu-panic) it was much simpler to get a 'marriage visa' at certain consulates OUTSIDE Thailand – eg in Laos – and that always seemed cockeyed to me.

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16 hours ago, WineOh said:

They hardly make things easy for us here, do they?

As compared to what? How easy is it for a Thai to go live in your home country? 

 

The OP even seems to get his draws in a snit because he has to run 2 copies... 

 

I have been doing visa stuff for 20 years and the only couple of times I had problems, Immigration was very helpful sorting things out for me... Sure, sometimes it takes patience to sift through all the paperwork... but that's life. 

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Years ago I read on a site that as a teacher, it would be advantageous for me to get married and go Non-O, as this would make me more attractive to schools.

 

In addition to looking better as a stable family man rather than a single partier, a school could more easily get me a work permit without having to go through the Non-B process. Well, then I heard there’d be this process instead. Hah. I realized there’d home visits and photos involved, but now it’s gotten ridiculous.

 

We ended up getting married not for any paperwork advantages, but because we want a future together, which in light of this nonsense we‘ve realized won’t be here. If you’ve got a good pension and came here to retire, fine. Yet I came here a bit younger and have none, so I’ve seen Thailand as a place to come spend some time, score a good lady, and eventually bring her back home where we can advance both our careers, mine in teaching, hers in hospitality.

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17 hours ago, NancyL said:

The marriage visa application has to go to Bangkok for approval while the retirement visa extension are approved locally. 

You are not applying for a VISA EXTENSION you are applying for a EXTENSION OF STAY, a VISA is never extended, can never be extended. 

 

 They do NOT all go to Bangkok. They go to the regional HQ. In my area they go to Khon Kaen. 

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16 hours ago, Moonlover said:

It won't be as daunted from now on. Madam Moon and I no longer require any witnesses or a home visit and our details are already on file so it's just a matter off print off and sign

That depends on the office you go to. Ours requires some but not all the documents listed in the OPs post each year, a witness, but no visit. 
 

Different office, different requirements.

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4 minutes ago, flyingsaucersarereal said:

Get a lawyer to help you with it all.

 

Sure it can be done on your own but I wouldn't even waste the time with it.

 

How much would that be to not have any issues? 

 

To me time is more valuable than money and lets be honest you should have some extra money if you are living here that you can afford approx 10000 baht.

If you went to a lawyer (which you wouldn't) they would use an agent.

Agents can't do a lot to assist with marriage extensions.

To avoid any hassles you would switch to extension based on retirement. If you can afford to keep 800k in a bank then using an agent would be more trouble than doing it yourself.

If someone can't or doesn't want to keep funds in the Thai bank then they could use an agent. More like ~ 15k.

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My first marriage extension last year was a bit of a pain,but this year just did what Ubonjoe had listed on here,was in and out in 20 mins this time, Jomtien does not require you to take neighbours to the office,a week later immigration officers arrived ,spoke to my next door neighbour she signed a form ,they then took pictures of us standing by the front door and by the gate ,didnt even come inside,gone in 10 mins, 

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19 hours ago, CharlieH said:

 

Well it was for mine also, saying "its not required" may be the official view but means absolutely nothing to the office you are attending and requirements can and do vary by office and even by officer.

 

My application was in excess of 88 pages over 176 signatures so yes I know exactly where the OP is coming from and agree its not only excessive but frankly ridiculous ! it is deliberately obstructive IMHO


The vast majority of married expats dont have a yellow house book.. Some amphurs seem to treat them like gold lottery tickets also... 

So no, they are not a required item.. However if you show it to an IO, he will almost certainly want to include it in any file. 

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12 hours ago, In the jungle said:

 

Yes.  Income is not an issue.  My wife and I have enough of that but then you are into a whole new world of Thai BS paperwork.

 

I explained way back in this thread what I am going to do and the reasoning so no point in you offering your 'solutions'.

 

Agree with all the unnecessary paperwork.

 

I still don't get it why we have to photocopy TM30, TM6, all these previous passport visa stamps when all these should be in their immigration computer systems in the first place.

 

Whenever they do an approval, shouldn't they have already recorded that in their computer system? So why should we need to photocopy previous approvals which is inane.

 

I can understand bank book photocopies because the banks and immigration are both different entities but the rest is just unnecessary.

 

If we miss out one page of passport , we have to run all the way to the photocopiers at immigration again which charge above market rate.

 

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1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:
18 hours ago, Moonlover said:

It won't be as daunted from now on. Madam Moon and I no longer require any witnesses or a home visit and our details are already on file so it's just a matter off print off and sign

 

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

That depends on the office you go to. Ours requires some but not all the documents listed in the OPs post each year, a witness, but no visit. 
 

Different office, different requirements.

There are only 2 desk officers in our small office in Sakon Nakhon and they both know us well following 3 extensions. I think that a level of trust develops and so the scrutiny is less intense.

 

My extensions are now a 'walk in the park' now that I've mastered the new monthly income requirements.

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20 hours ago, NancyL said:

The marriage visa application has to go to Bangkok for approval

 

Absolutely wrong. It depends where you are in Thailand and I believe there are six different places that deal with these. I live in Kalasin and my application goes to Khon Kaen.

Also, I had to supply only one of each item required, when I asked them before making the application because I'd read differing experiences (surprise surprise). Also, my wife wasn't interrogated interviewed, maybe because we've been married 30 years this month. Three officers showed up at the house the next day, completely ignored me, and interrogated interviewed two neighbours from across the road who had to produce ID cards, house certificates and sign statements.

 

When I tell friends and colleagues overseas what I need to do to be allowed to visit - that's the official terminology, not live with - my wife they have trouble believing me. In contrast, my sister in law was given a five-year visa to live with her Dutch husband in Hungary. No photos at the house, no red tape, no 90 day reports, nothing. 'You want to live in our country and put money into the economy, welcome'.

 

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20 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

I can understand the scrutiny regarding marriage. Easy way to live in Thailand and also possiblity of work. Especially appealing if under 50.

 

 

Usually, people from poor countries use fake marriages to live in rich countries. I doubt very much that people from rich countries want to fake marriages to live in poor ones. As for working in the country, that can be career suicide if you want to return to the west and that is the only experience you have. As with education qualifications, it counts for nothing where highly professional standards are demanded.

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19 hours ago, allane said:

They are trying to prevent "Marriages of Convenience", wherein a citizen (usually a female) makes a business out of serial marriages to foreigners in return for a large cash payment. I am Canadian, and can remember when it was an issue there decades ago.It was often the case that bride and groom had sometimes barely even met each other. The marriage was just a sham, to give the non-citizen a toehold in the country, and enough time to establish some other legal basis to stay there. 

In Canada, then, and still,  I think, tourist visas required a substantial cash deposit; enough to make them impossible for people from low income countries. 

 

Usually, people from poor countries use fake marriages to live in rich countries. I doubt very much that people from rich countries want to fake marriages to live in poor ones. 

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47 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Usually, people from poor countries use fake marriages to live in rich countries. I doubt very much that people from rich countries want to fake marriages to live in poor ones. 

It used to be very common in Thailand, dont forget if you are under 50 its often the only choice for a long term stay, and you can work. 

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47 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

Usually, people from poor countries use fake marriages to live in rich countries. I doubt very much that people from rich countries want to fake marriages to live in poor ones. 

That depends on the conditions of stay in that country. Certainly for Thailand there is a significant incentive for some people from rich countries to use fake reasons, or fake documents to live here.

 

Just because you are from a “rich” country means nothing about your wealth or poverty.

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I do marriage extension every year, on my 4th one after doing 3 previous retire extensions.

Its not the drama people make it out to be, nowadays with OA insurance and extra money in the bank for retire, its about the same time and effort.

Besides the Kor ror 2, Its the same trip to the bank, the same trip to the copy shop etc. The home visits are pretty easy and usually take up all of 15 minutes, a 5 minute visit a month later to get the stamp.

 

The OP shows a big scary list of requirements, 90% of which is also required for a retire extension.

 

 

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