I married my Thai wife in Vietnam. Here’s my story and also some questions.

[keysersoze276]

THE STORY-  I went for a relaxing break from BKK to Da Nang for a planned 2-3 months in January 2020. My live-in girlfriend of several years came to stay for a few weeks and we got stuck due to COVID.  During that time I supported us both and also paid rental on two properties, one in BKK and one in Da Nang. It was a financial burden and stressful dealing with the COVID situation and the VN visa situation, everything was announced at last minute and there was a ton of misinformation and speculation.  

We were together 24 hr/day and it actually drew us closer.  She has been wanting to marry me for years and I have just never really been in a big rush, but always knew I was stuck with her werher I liked it or not. Too lucky, I guess.  
 

We got married at the consulate in HCMC. I can’t even begin to tell you how helpful and amazing the staff is there. I have never seen such an outgoing and helpful staff at any embassy, consulate, or immigration.  They guided us through the whole marriage process and later helped her get back home to Thailand.  I stayed behind for awhile. Then, when I was ready (financially, including the insurance 10x priced flights, ASQ, etc., keeping in mind the 400k extension)to return to Thailand, the staff went way out of their way to help me get home. They even gave me a boquet of flowers.  Not kidding. 
 

DID YOU KNOW- I got a one year non-O based on marriage?  I thought it was 90 days then extendable to add another year. The staff said since I am getting married at the consulate in Vietnam (just in a different country, I suppose), I get a one year visa and only do 90 day reports, no need to show 400k until I need to extend the visa. How cool is that?

HELP PLEASE- This is my first marriage and these questions may have been asked, but I can’t  find the answers.  According to the consulate our marriage is registered there and there is no need to register at a local Amphur. That’s my understanding anyway.  Is that correct?  I returned on April 10. My 90 day report is coming up, but I am paying my Thai landlord 500 baht to do it. She handles a lot of foreigners and Probably has to go there anyway.  Saves me a few hours, any surprises, and taxi fare is avout 400 anyway.  My question here is, does she need to have any local marriage registration for a 90 day report?  Anything I should know other than my wife’s ID, housebook, marriage certificate, and my passport?

DILEMMA QUESTION- My wife lost her job, I have been treading water on finances since my income has been reduced to 30%.  Had some medical bills and many other unexpected MASSIVE costs. When it rains, it pours. I am estimating that when it comes time to have 400k in the bank, I will be about 100k short. (Extend April 10 2022, 2 month seasoning). No one really knows when borders will open, so in the worst case scenario, how can I stay?  Please. Any advice is welcome and greatly appreciated. 

[clivebaxter]

Nothing needed for a 90 day report other than form and passport, you can download and fill the form in from this site

Edited June 23, 2021 by clivebaxter

[BritTim]

Check the permission to stay in your passport that you received on arrival in Thailand. Usually, when married to a Thai, you can get a multiple entry one-year Non O visa. However, each entry into Thailand only gives you a 90-day permission to stay (easily extended once by 60 days, and currently extendable additionally using Covid extensions).

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, keysersoze276 said:

DID YOU KNOW- I got a one year non-O based on marriage?  I thought it was 90 days then extendable to add another year. The staff said since I am getting married at the consulate in Vietnam (just in a different country, I suppose), I get a one year visa and only do 90 day reports, no need to show 400k until I need to extend the visa. How cool is that?

Would be cool, but what they told you is wrong. Check the stamp in your passport, most certainly you got 90 days and need to apply for an extension.

[Myran]

Make sure you understand the difference between a visa and a permit to stay. Chances are you've got a 1 year visa, which allows you to enter Thailand for one year on the basis of being married to a Thai and receive a 90 day permit to stay each time. That doesn't mean you can stay in Thailand for a whole year uninterrupted, you will have to either extend it before the 90 days are up or leave the country and come back (to receive another 90 days).

[nkg]

6 hours ago, keysersoze276 said:

We got married at the consulate in HCMC. I can’t even begin to tell you how helpful and amazing the staff is there. I have never seen such an outgoing and helpful staff at any embassy, consulate, or immigration.  They guided us through the whole marriage process and later helped her get back home to Thailand.  I stayed behind for awhile. Then, when I was ready (financially, including the insurance 10x priced flights, ASQ, etc., keeping in mind the 400k extension)to return to Thailand, the staff went way out of their way to help me get home. They even gave me a boquet of flowers.  Not kidding. 

 

 

Congratulations keysersoze276, may your marriage be long and fruitful ????

 

[Chelseafan]

According to the link below, you need to visit the Thai consulate in Vietnam to get the marriage certified then she needs to visit her local Amphur to update her details. I'm assuming she took your name so she might have to update her ID card.

 

https://www.thaiembassy.com/faq/married-abroad-do-i-need-a-thai-certificate

 

Congratulations, welcome to the club.

 

[ubonjoe]

4 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

According to the link below, you need to visit the Thai consulate in Vietnam to get the marriage certified then she needs to visit her local Amphur to update her details. I'm assuming she took your name so she might have to update her ID card.

He has already registered his marriage at the official Thai consulate in Vietnam.

All that is needed is for his wife to go to a Amphoe and have her records updated to show she is married.

Also note that the website you posted a link to is not a official website. From the bottom of hat page.

[ubonjoe]

11 hours ago, keysersoze276 said:

We got married at the consulate in HCMC. I can’t even begin to tell you how helpful and amazing the staff is there. I have never seen such an outgoing and helpful staff at any embassy, consulate, or immigration.  They guided us through the whole marriage process and later helped her get back home to Thailand.

She needs to go the Amphoe where her house book is for and complete the registration process to update her house book registry and ID card. 

That will need to done before you apply for a extension at immigration.

[Rinrada]

You mentioned "returned on April 10. My 90 day report is coming up" so its due around first week of July....yes Suggest you check your Visa.....asap...... just in case...

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, Rinrada said:

You mentioned "returned on April 10. My 90 day report is coming up" so its due around first week of July....yes Suggest you check your Visa.....asap...... just in case...

The permit to stay date he got on entry is what is important not the visas expiration date.

I am sure he only got a 90 day permit to stay since that is what a non-o visa allows.

[Chelseafan]

4 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

He has already registered his marriage at the official Thai consulate in Vietnam.

All that is needed is for his wife to go to a Amphoe and have her records updated to show she is married.

Also note that the website you posted a link to is not a official website. From the bottom of hat page.

 

Ah, didn't realise he married at the consulate, serves me right for skim-reading ????

Yes, I know it's not the offical website but it listed out the process which I believe to be correct.

[khunPer]

17 hours ago, keysersoze276 said:

No one really knows when borders will open, so in the worst case scenario, how can I stay?  Please. Any advice is welcome and greatly appreciated.

As others have mentioned, check the date on your entry stamp in your passport. Normally a one year non-immigrant O-visa (often shortened "non-O") is valid for ene year, but entries only with permission to stay for 90 days, then you need to leave the country and re-enter to obtain another 90 days of stay (I've had that kind of visa, when I was commuting a lot between my home country and Thailand, once I even needed to do a so-called visa-run, i.e. crossing a border and return a few hours later).

 

You can easily get a 60-days extension of your permitted stay as married to a Thai, but after that you need to exit and re-enter for another period of stay.

 

If your last re-entry is before the visa expires, you'll get a permission to stay for another 90-days, i.e. your possible stay on an one-year non-O can be almost one year and three month. It's not you first entry date, i.e. April 10th, which is relevant here, but the expiry date of your non-O visa. By entering for another 90-days before it expires you buy extra time to save the required 400k baht up for your deposit for "extension of stay based om marriage to a Thai".

 

You might even be able to extend your last 90-days period with additional 60 days based on marriage, giving you further time to save up the necessary funds, but please check that such an extension is possible on the last entry, before counting on it.

 

You should probably not be due for a 90-days report, as you are probably not eligible to stay more than 90 days in the Kingdom; however extending you permission to stay with 60 days based on marriage, you will inform your address to the immigration office, and to my knowledge that replace what would have been a 90-day address report, if you had been permitted a longer stay.

 

Wish you and your wife a happy future together...????

[keysersoze276]

On 6/23/2021 at 9:35 PM, BritTim said:

(easily extended once by 60 days, and currently extendable additionally using Covid extensions)

Thanks, Tim. Is this COVID extension expected to remain possible until land borders are open?  Any info or prediction on that?  At least for non-o based on marrige?

[keysersoze276]

On 6/24/2021 at 7:47 AM, ubonjoe said:

She needs to go the Amphoe where her house book is for and complete the registration process to update her house book registry and ID card. 

That will need to done before you apply for a extension at immigration.

Thanks so much, Joe!  She is now looking at flights to go back to her hometown of Phitsanulok.   I didn’t know this had to be done. According to the consulate wherebwe registered our marriage, I just had to go “check in” at immigration every 90 days and they specifically said I didn’t need an extension.  I sure am glad I posted this.  I could have gotten myself into a real pickle.   I am assuming she can do this herself without me going with her, as long as she takes ancopy of my passport, visa, and permission of stay stamp, right?  Anything else I should know?   BTW- I came through the airport in anwheelchair (broken foot) aided by airport staff and they basically handled everything for me, which was nice.  EXCEPT I dont have a departure card.  Is this a problem and if so, how can I take care of that?  My landlord said I can go to the police station.  Is that correct?  TIA

[BritTim]

10 minutes ago, keysersoze276 said:

Thanks, Tim. Is this COVID extension expected to remain possible until land borders are open?  Any info or prediction on that?  At least for non-o based on marrige?

 

I predict with some confidence that Covid extensions will remain available through September. Since the current serious Covid wave is likely to worsen further, and not be over come late September, I think Covid extensions may well be available longer. However, that is less certain. I do not think you should assume easy travel to countries neighbouring Thailand is the determining factor in when Covid extensions will cease.

[keysersoze276]

On 6/24/2021 at 2:36 PM, khunPer said:

You can easily get a 60-days extension of your permitted stay as married to a Thai, but after that you need to exit and re-enter for another period of stay.

 

I see.  But due to COVID travel restrictions, we can just keep extending for now, as Brit Tim said, right?  Is this a 1900THB extension each time?  And you are correct that my permission to stay is 90 days, but the consulate staff said I didn’t have to leave the country or do an extension, just “check in at immigration every 90 days. I took that as a 90 day report, but unfortunately it seems that wasn’t correct in the first place. 
And thank you for the well wishes!

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, keysersoze276 said:

I am assuming she can do this herself without me going with her, as long as she takes ancopy of my passport, visa, and permission of stay stamp, right?  

That should be all that she will need.

 

10 minutes ago, keysersoze276 said:

Is this a problem and if so, how can I take care of that?  My landlord said I can go to the police station.  

You can get a new TM6 card at immigration after doing a police report of it being lost.

[keysersoze276]

6 minutes ago, BritTim said:

 

I predict with some confidence that Covid extensions will remain available through September. Since the current serious Covid wave is likely to worsen further, and not be over come late September, I think Covid extensions may well be available longer. However, that is less certain. I do not think you should assume easy travel to countries neighbouring Thailand is the determining factor in when Covid extensions will cease.

I hear you on that. I would hate to fly all the way back to the states just to exit and reenter.  That would screw up my finances even more and I am just beginning recovery mode!  Speaking of finances, I need the 400k in the bank two months before my visa expires, or my extension if Insqueeze a extra 60 days out of it, correct?  No need to show finances at immigration for the 60 day extension and further COVID extensions as they are just permission to stay?

[keysersoze276]

 

7 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That should be all that she will need.

 

You can get a new TM6 card at immigration after doing a police report of it being lost.

Thanks so much, Joe.  Will my wife need the TM6 card at her amphoe when she changes her status from single to married?  Because I think she is probably going to fly out Monday. 

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, keysersoze276 said:

Will my wife need the TM6 card at her amphoe when she changes her status from single to married?

No

Only a signed copy of your passport photo page should be all that is needed.

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, keysersoze276 said:

Speaking of finances, I need the 400k in the bank two months before my visa expires, or my extension if Insqueeze a extra 60 days out of it, correct?  No need to show finances at immigration for the 60 day extension and further COVID extensions as they are just permission to stay?

The 400k baht has to be in the bank for 2 months on the day you apply for a one year extension of stay.

No financial proof is required for a 60 day extension.

[keysersoze276]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

The 400k baht has to be in the bank for 2 months on the day you apply for a one year extension of stay.

No financial proof is required for a 60 day extension.

Thanks again!  Is that one year extension a multiple entry also?  I am wondering why people don’t just cross a border and get a new one year non-o.  What is the benefit of showing 400k for a one year extension rather than getting a new one year visa?  Or is that not allowed?

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, keysersoze276 said:

Thanks again!  Is that one year extension a multiple entry also?

You have to have a re-entry permit to keep the remainder of the extension of stay valid when you enter the country. 

A single re-entry permit is 1000 baht and a multiple 3800 baht.

 

2 minutes ago, keysersoze276 said:

 I am wondering why people don’t just cross a border and get a new one year non-o.  What is the benefit of showing 400k for a one year extension rather than getting a new one year visa?  Or is that not allowed?

Many people were doing that but the borders being closed due to covid 19 ended that. Many people have gotten one year extensions now or have struggled to stay for the past year under the amnesty and now the 60 day covid 19 extensions.

The advantage of the one year extension is that you never have to leave the country unless you want to.

 

[keysersoze276]

On 6/24/2021 at 7:47 AM, ubonjoe said:

She needs to go the Amphoe where her house book is for and complete the registration process to update her house book registry and ID card. 

That will need to done before you apply for a extension at immigration.

Disaster strikes!  Hi Joe, we have a problem here. She has a flight booked for tomorrow to go to Phitsanulok to update her house book and ID card, but suddenly the new movement restrictions and mandatory quarantine will staop her from being able to do this.  She plans to have her grandmother send her housebook by mail and change it in Nonthaburi.  Is this even possible?  I am freaking out.  What can we do?  My entry expires July 8th. Please advise.  Thanks, Joe!

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, keysersoze276 said:

She plans to have her grandmother send her housebook by mail and change it in Nonthaburi.  Is this even possible?  I am freaking out.

She may be able to do it in Nonthaburi. Normal is to do it where the house book is registered but in the covid times it may be possible.

If you need more time you can apply for the 60 day covid 19 extension without proof of marriage.

[keysersoze276]

17 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

She may be able to do it in Nonthaburi. Normal is to do it where the house book is registered but in the covid times it may be possible.

If you need more time you can apply for the 60 day covid 19 extension without proof of marriage.

Thanks again!  I wouldn’t have even known I needed her to do this if you hadn’t mentioned it.  Nice to know I can apply for a COVID extension as a plan B.  Kudos!