xebozone Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 Hello. I'm making plans to stay long term in Thailand with my Thai Wife. We currently live abroad. The eVisa website says the validity is for 90 days for a non-o family visa however I cannot find a clear answer online whether this 90 day stay period starts from the date of issuance of the visa or the date of entry. I asked my consulate via email and they just told me they recommend I apply 1 month before I intend to arrive and sent me a link to the eVisa site. Not helpful. Given that to convert to a 1 year marriage visa one needs to show a bank balance in Thailand for at least 2 months, and then needing to apply for the conversion at least 3 to 4 weeks before the 90 day visa expires this makes arriving in Thailand and opening a bank account of utmost urgency. If I apply for the visa and then arrive a month later, then I've shot myself in the foot as this would be impossible if the 90 days starts from the date of issuance rather than the date of entry. Can someone give me a certain answer, as organising logistics of the move is very difficult without knowing what date I should apply for the visa and arrive. Appreciate your time. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJack54 Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 The 90 days starts from when you enter Thailand. With 400k in the bank for 2 months you apply for 12 month extension. BTW: the 12 months is an annual extension of your permission of stay. It's not a visa. Assume you have a that bank account in your name only. After you receive final stamp for your extension you can use funds as you wish. Does not need to remain in bank. Sweet deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xebozone Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 Thanks! Appreciate your reply! So, both the validity and period of stay would be 90 days. Hopefully eVisa can be more clear about this in the future. That makes more sense especially in terms of logistics. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJack54 Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 16 hours ago, xebozone said: ......this makes arriving in Thailand and opening a bank account of utmost urgency I notice you do not have a Thai bank account. Where do you plan to obtain your 12 month extension. That would be where you plan to live. Also you don't need to apply weeks early for extension Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsGoJoe Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 I've had to do this recently, this option was explained to me by an Immigration officer in CM. You can stay a total of 6-months without the bank-drop. This involves thinking with your feet; leaving Thailand (Laos for example) pay 2,000 b, turn-around and come back to Thailand, then after 1-month go to Immigration and get the 2-month 'visiting Thai-family' visa (1900b)....and repeat the cycle again one more time. After 15yrs of non-'O' 1yr visas I was forced to compromise my visa bank-funds due to the effects of pandemic. This can in the least buy you some time while you wait for things to align for your 1yr.visa. I'm heading back to The Great Woke North for 6-mons and will try and get my 1yr. non 'O' marriage visa there as opposed to sending 400,000B to my BKK account and being charged tax (?) on that. * A minor detail; the 400,000b has to arrive in your Thai bank from outside Thailand 2 months before applying for your visa. Cheers & Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquorice Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 10 hours ago, xebozone said: So, both the validity and period of stay would be 90 days. Hopefully eVisa can be more clear about this in the future. The validity of the visa is the period during which you can enter Thailand. The period of stay is granted by an Immigration official on entry and subject to the type of visa. Entering on a Non Imm O visa, you will be granted a period of stay of 90 days. To apply to extend that 90-day period of stay for a further 1 year based on Thai spouse, you must provide evidence of 400K THB in a Thai bank account in your sole name for 2 months prior to the date of submitting the 1-year extension application. Ideally, you need to open a bank account and transfer said funds within the first couple of weeks of arriving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquorice Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 41 minutes ago, LetsGoJoe said: I've had to do this recently, this option was explained to me by an Immigration officer in CM. You can stay a total of 6-months without the bank-drop. This involves thinking with your feet; leaving Thailand (Laos for example) pay 2,000 b, turn-around and come back to Thailand, then after 1-month go to Immigration and get the 2-month 'visiting Thai-family' visa (1900b)....and repeat the cycle again one more time. After 15yrs of non-'O' 1yr visas I was forced to compromise my visa bank-funds due to the effects of pandemic. This can in the least buy you some time while you wait for things to align for your 1yr.visa. I'm heading back to The Great Woke North for 6-mons and will try and get my 1yr. non 'O' marriage visa there as opposed to sending 400,000B to my BKK account and being charged tax (?) on that. * A minor detail; the 400,000b has to arrive in your Thai bank from outside Thailand 2 months before applying for your visa. Cheers & Good Luck Absolutely incoherent and a mumbo jumbo of nonsense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquorice Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 11 hours ago, xebozone said: So, both the validity and period of stay would be 90 days. Hopefully eVisa can be more clear about this in the future. Clarity posted on the MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)website: https://www.mfa.go.th/en/page/general-information?menu=5e1ff6d057b01e00a6391dc5 7. Please note that the period of visa validity is different from the period of stay. Visa validity is the period during which a visa can be used to enter Thailand. In general, the validity of a visa is 3 months, but in some cases, visas may be issued to be valid for 6 months, 1 year or 3 years. The validity of a visa is granted with discretion by the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General and is displayed on the visa sticker. 8. On the other hand, the period of stay is granted by an immigration officer upon arrival at the port of entry and in accordance with the type of visa. For example, the period of stay for a transit visa is not exceeding 30 days, for a tourist visa is not exceeding 60 days and for a non-immigrant visa is not exceeding 90 days from the arrival date. The period of stay granted by the immigration officer is displayed on the arrival stamp. Travellers who wish to stay longer than such period may apply for extension of stay at offices of the Immigration Bureau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquorice Posted April 8 Share Posted April 8 On 4/7/2024 at 2:34 PM, xebozone said: I'm making plans to stay long term in Thailand with my Thai Wife. We currently live abroad. Important question, but did you marry in Thailand or overseas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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