Procedure to obtain Dependent Visa for my wife.

[Farangfoodie]

I now have an extension of stay for reason of retirement good until March of 2024.  I managed to re-establish this status after losing it due to not being able to return to Thailand during Covid.  Prior to that I had extensions renewed annually since 2013.

 

Normally I spend 3-4 months each winter in Chiangmai.  My wife has always simply obtained either a tourist visa or a Non-O visa depending on how long she will stay.  Getting a tourist visa is now a bit of a pain, and is only 60 days.  Getting a Non-O in the US requires health insurance she neither needs nor can get due to age.  So I've begun to think that a dependent visa based on my Retirement extension might be a good move.

 

I use Chiangmai immigration.  I use the money in the bank method.  This winter

 

Can anyone give us some information about the process?  Details about timing would be especially welcome, as would any personal experience with this at Chiangmai.

 

Thanks in advance to you good folks.

 

 

[federicoP]

Me and my wife started again the process (after the 2020 covid mess), in the 2021.

 

Both entered in Thailand with a non O 90 days visa.

Went to the immigration (Phuket) asking for the usual one year extension.

In my TM7 the reason for extension was "retirement", in her TM7 the reason was "dependent".

The usual stuff of documents and copies plus:
- Certificate of marriage translated in thai
- A nice picture of both in front of our house

 

From a formal point of view they should give first my extension, and only later her extension based on mine, usualy they do in the same time.

Please note that I go with the income letter from my consulate, and my declared income is more than 800,000x2=1,600,000 baht.

Unfortunately I do not know what is the minimum requisite using the bank method.

 

No additional waiting time for approval, or else, is required

 

[DrJack54]

43 minutes ago, federicoP said:

Both entered in Thailand with a non O 90 days visa.

Good post.

 

OP, Note in above post that wife needs to enter Thailand with non O.

 

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, federicoP said:

Me and my wife started again the process (after the 2020 covid mess), in the 2021.

 

Both entered in Thailand with a non O 90 days visa.

Went to the immigration (Phuket) asking for the usual one year extension.

In my TM7 the reason for extension was "retirement", in her TM7 the reason was "dependent".

The usual stuff of documents and copies plus:
- Certificate of marriage translated in thai
- A nice picture of both in front of our house

 

From a formal point of view they should give first my extension, and only later her extension based on mine, usualy they do in the same time.

Please note that I go with the income letter from my consulate, and my declared income is more than 800,000x2=1,600,000 baht.

Unfortunately I do not know what is the minimum requisite using the bank method.

 

No additional waiting time for approval, or else, is required

 

The OP is talking about getting a visa to enter based on dependency rather than an extension.

You both entered Non O and he seems to think that is a problem.

 

"Getting a Non-O in the US requires health insurance she neither needs nor can get due to age.  So I've begun to think that a dependent visa based on my Retirement extension might be a good move."

 

Not sure he has that right, I am fairly sure the health insurance requirement was dropped on all visas 1st July 2022 other than the long term OA/OX. There was a popup on the Evisa website which has now scrolled off the bottom but the text on the website may not have altered.

[Red Phoenix]

2 hours ago, Farangfoodie said:

Normally I spend 3-4 months each winter in Chiangmai.  My wife has always simply obtained either a tourist visa or a Non-O visa depending on how long she will stay.  Getting a tourist visa is now a bit of a pain, and is only 60 days.

When you are only staying 3-4 months in Thailand, there is little reason for you or your wife to apply for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa in US.

You could consider next time to BOTH enter Thailand VisaExempt (without a Visa) which will provide you with a 30-day Permit to stay stamped in your passport by border-immigration. 

You can then both visit any Immigration Office and apply for a 30-day extension of stay which will be provided on the spot, and those 30 days will be added to the expiry date of the Permit to stay you received on entry.  So that makes 60 days already. 

At the end of those 60 days, it would be simply a matter of doing a border-hop to a neighbouring country.  You can either return same day or make use of the occasion to spend a couple of days in that country.  On return you would once again be stamped in Visa Exempt with a 30-day Permit to stay, which can once again be extended with an additonal 30-day extension at any Immigration Office.  

Doing the above, you will have 120 days (when you left Thailand on the last day of your first 30-day extension of stay, and returned same day).  When staying longer in your 'border-hop' country, those days will provide you a stay of longer than 120 days, to ensure you have the full 4 months before departing again to US. 

 

[Farangfoodie]

OP here.  First, thanks for the replies.

 

I should have mentioned that my wife and I seldom travel to or from Thailand together.  I usually arrrive in October or November and she generally arrives early December (some years she stays longer than 60 days).. 

 

When she was preparing to go to Thailand in 2022 we looked at getting a Non-O on the website.  It didn't require Covid cover, but did require health insurance (which we have, but not able to get an acceptable statement as it is paid monthly and not pre-paid).  I just looked at the visa website in US and it is down now, so can't check for changes.

 

As she never stays beyond 90 days a Non-O would be fine if she could obtain it easily from the website.  We wouldn't care about the dependent option.

 

As to border runs, I don't see the point.  I already have the extension.

 

 

[DrJack54]

21 minutes ago, Farangfoodie said:

As she never stays beyond 90 days a Non-O would be fine

That's fine and would be best if that was in your OP.

 

Another option would be tourist visa (60 day stamp) along with one visit to immigration for 30 day extension. 1900baht.

[BritTim]

To make clear one point: getting the extension of stay as a dependant is no big problem. However, you cannot apply for a Non O visa as a dependant at Immigration. That option is not offered. You would need to go somewhere like Vientiane or Savannakhet for a Non O visa before applying for the one-year extensions. Since the Non O through the e-visa system has a hitch, might flying from home country to Vientiane, getting a Non O visa (as a dependant) there, and flying from Vientiane to Chiang Mai be worth considering?

[Jaggg88]

I got a non O e-visa based on marriage to Thai citizen last month and there is no requirement for insurance. I was wondering on what basis your wife was applying for a non O? The only visas I know that require insurance are OA and OX.

A tourist (TR) visa is no more complicated than a non O and neither require insurance. If she wants more than the 90 days (60 + 30) that a TR visa allows you can always send her on a border bounce with a travel agency that specialize in that service - they organize everything.