Non-Imm O Retirement, Options for spouse?

[mja1906]

Hi, my parents plan to stay here long term on Non-Imm 'O' retirement visas. Father has UK passport, mother has Malaysian passport. They plan to come from UK without visas but on 30 day (permit to stay stamps), and change these to non-Imm 'O'.  My Dad has over 800k sitting in a Thai bank account for over a year now.  So I think he can convert and then extend for 1 year. What are the options for my mum though? Could she apply as a dependent of him? She doesn't have a bank account here, therefore no seasoned funds. Could she arrive, open an account here, and then my Dad transfer from this Thai account to hers? It would be Chiang Mai Immigration. Thanks in advance,
 

[Thailand]

She can apply as dependent and only the 800,000 is required you will need notarized copies of the marriage certificate I believe.

[retarius]

Not wanting to be rude, but couldn't she get a retirement visa as well (if she's over 50), they're not only for men you know.....at least I think not.

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, retarius said:

Not wanting to be rude, but couldn't she get a retirement visa as well (if she's over 50), they're not only for men you know.....at least I think not.

That would require her to also maintain the funds in the bank for extensions.

Better option is for her to piggyback on husbands retirement extensions as dependent.

She would need to obtain non O outside of Thailand. 

[mja1906]

Thanks -  DrJack54 do you know, if she were to piggy back on my dad's visa, does this mean she doens't need to show the 800k at yearly extensions? Are there any caveats/disadvantages to doing that?

[Lite Beer]

1 hour ago, mja1906 said:

Thanks -  DrJack54 do you know, if she were to piggy back on my dad's visa, does this mean she doens't need to show the 800k at yearly extensions? Are there any caveats/disadvantages to doing that?

She will not have to show any money in the bank.

the only disadvantage would be if her husband died.

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, mja1906 said:

Thanks -  DrJack54 do you know, if she were to piggy back on my dad's visa, does this mean she doens't need to show the 800k at yearly extensions? Are there any caveats/disadvantages to doing that?

I cannot provide definitive advice.

 

My understanding is that she could obtain a non O (retirement) then enter Thailand and subsequently apply for extension based on dependant. 

 

One option would be to consult agent or immigration office for advice.

One thing I'm pretty sure of is that she needs to obtain non O prior to enter Thailand.

[Elizabeth R]

I have just received the 90 day Non O visa as a dependant on my husband's retirement visa. We did it this way as I am not 50 yet and also we do not have to have the extra 800,000 baht in a Thai bank for my visa. We went to Penang in Malaysia as it seems the only consulate that is giving out this type of visa at the moment. We needed to show the usual visa documents (passports, photos, bank statements etc) as well as our English marriage certificate. To apply for the year extension we need to have our marriage certificate legalised in the UK by the FCO and then the marriage certificate must be translated into Thai and then the translation has to be certified at the MFA in Bangkok. After this we have to have the marriage recognized in Pai , Mae Hong Son where we live. If your parents are still in the UK it is worth them getting their marriage certificate certified and possibly notarised if they married in a church before they come to Thailand as it is time consuming and costly to send the certificate to England from Thailand. I hope this helps, it is quite hard to find out information on couples where neither is Thai. 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Elizabeth R

[mja1906]

Thanks Elizabeth R ! That's so useful to know. Gosh certified by MFA in Bangkok? May I ask if you applied for the extension in Bangkok or which office? And then to have the marriage recognised (again) in Pai ? Sounds like a lot... how did they recognise it in Pai? 

[expat_4_life]

34 minutes ago, mja1906 said:

Thanks Elizabeth R ! That's so useful to know. Gosh certified by MFA in Bangkok? May I ask if you applied for the extension in Bangkok or which office? And then to have the marriage recognised (again) in Pai ? Sounds like a lot... how did they recognise it in Pai? 

I can clarify/further explain part of this, a foreign marriage certificate is a legal document in your home country, but not recognized as a legal document in Thailand (and probably other countries too).  The process that makes your document legal here is as @Elizabeth Rdescribed, although the FCO step might differ from country to country.  I think when I did this step it required a trip to the US Embassy.

I definitely had to get a Thai translation and have the translation certified at the MFA in Bangkok.  At the end of this process you have a marriage certificate that is legally recognized here.  It is legally acceptable anytime you need it for whatever purpose, be it immigration or whatever. 

NOTE: this 3 step process can/may apply to other legal documents too, birth certificates, and divorce decree come to mind as I once did those as well.

 

PS. Thanks @Elizabeth Rfor a very good report of first hand information/experience

Edited October 3, 2023 by expat_4_life

[mja1906]

@Elizabeth RThank you. Do you know if, instead of having the document legalised by the Thai Embassy in London, if it could just be done by the MFA in Chiang Mai or Bangkok ? This would be much more convenient than submitting documents to London.  Their UK marriage certificate has already been legalised by the FCO UK. Thanks

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, mja1906 said:

@Elizabeth RThank you. Do you know if, instead of having the document legalised by the Thai Embassy in London, if it could just be done by the MFA in Chiang Mai or Bangkok ? This would be much more convenient than submitting documents to London.  Their UK marriage certificate has already been legalised by the FCO UK. Thanks

 

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not vouch for foreign marriage certificates, birth certificates etc. All they will do is confirm that the Thai embassy in London has verified that the document is genuine. For a document issued in the UK, I do not think there is any way of circumventing the Thai embassy step. I have heard of some people being lucky with a witnessed affidavit at your embassy in Bangkok, but the UK does not do those.