Marriage Visa Extension

[billd766]

I did my marriage extension as usual in November 2023, at Kamphaeng Phet Immigration office.

 

However, the extension was only granted until 17 June 2024 which was the day my old passport expired. I got a new passport and got all the stamps transferred on 22nd April 2024 and they gave me a new 90 reporting date of 25 July 2024.

 

They called my mobile earlier this month, but my mobile reported the call as a possible scam call so I simply killed and blocked the call.

 

My wife got a call about 4 pm on 17th from a different person explaining that my visa had expired that day, For some reason I thought that when the stamps were transferred to the new passport, the old extension date was re-instated and my extension was valid to the old date.

 

Not so in KPP and perhaps elsewhere also.

 

We went to KPP immigration first thing yesterday morning and the captain asked what I wanted and he knew then who I was and what the problem was. He then said that he had the solution, which was a 60 day visit your wife visa. He needed a few bits of paper, a copy of my wife's ID, Originals (but he accepted copies), copy of the Khor Ror 2 from the amphur, and some photos for the TM7.

 

We went back to the city to get the photos, he did all the paperwork and he also understood that Bangkok Band need 3 working days to produce 12 months of statements.

 

Now I have a 60 day extension until 16 August 2024. He suggested going to BBK bank on 22 or 23 July to order 3 sets of bank letters and statement making sure the the bank officer stamps EVERY page and signs/initials every page and then report to Immigration on 1st August 2024.

 

The cost was 1,900 baht for the 60 day visa and a 500 baht fine for the 1 day overstay (technically 11 hours).

 

My headless chicken mode reverted to normality, and I have about 6 weeks to start all over again with a new date for my visa extension.

 

 

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Not so in KPP and perhaps elsewhere also.

Thanks for clear report.

And yes the stamps details (expiry) are not altered when transfered to new pp.

Thinking many years ago they may have been. 

[Tod Daniels]

This isn't a Kamphaeng Phet office policy it's EVERYWHERE and it's been many years now that when you get a yearly extension with a passport NOT valid for the year you only get an extension valid until the passport expires. 

Sadly getting a new passport and transferring the stamps to it does NOT give you the rest of the year that you shorted yourself by applying with a passport not valid the year the extension would be 😕

You were lucky you hadn't burned that ONE visit thai family extension you're allowed for 60 days. That will buy you the time to fall back, re-group and apply for the year extension again. 

So just get your ducks in a row, get the documents and go apply for the new yearly extension of stay like normal when you have 30 days or less left on this current stamp and your funds are seasoned the 2 month required if you're using banked money method 

Edited June 19 by Tod Daniels

[OJAS]

34 minutes ago, billd766 said:

report to Immigration on 1st August 2024.

 

So what is actually going to happen on this date? Will you be issued with a new 1-year extension of stay for marriage, as people on here seem to be assuming?

 

Or might you instead first be required to obtain a fresh 90-day non-O visa for marriage in accordance with the following link?

 

https://www.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/6.FOR-PROVIDING-SUPPORT-TO-OR-BEING-A-DEPENDANT-OF-A-THAI-CITIZEN-SPOUSE-VISA-NON-O.pdf

 

Either way, you are, I think, extremely fortunate to live within the catchment area of an immigration office which seems more than willing to bend over backwards in helping you out of your little pickle!

 

[Tod Daniels]

2 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

So what is actually going to happen on this date? Will you be issued with a new 1-year extension of stay for marriage, as people on here seem to be assuming?

 

 

They had a year extension inked into their new passport which had expired by one day.

They went to the immigration office applied for the 60 day visit thai family extension for 1900baht and then once they have the proof of funds, all the documentation required they'll go BACK to the immigration office when this stamp is running down and apply for a new yearly extension based on marriage for another 1900baht.

They didn't lose their old extension (even though it was expired when they went in to get the 60 day visit thai family extension. They were just fined a day overstay and sold that 60 day extension <- which was REALLY a good thing that the immigration office didn't have to do in the least.

The office/officer could have said, you ran your stamp out, leave/come back, start the whole process all over again, from square one with a 90 day Non-O, then a year extension. 

Seems like they lucked out and just will have to get the year extension when this time burns down   

[billd766]

1 hour ago, Tod Daniels said:

This isn't a Kamphaeng Phet office policy it's EVERYWHERE and it's been many years now that when you get a yearly extension with a passport NOT valid for the year you only get an extension valid until the passport expires. 

Sadly getting a new passport and transferring the stamps to it does NOT give you the rest of the year that you shorted yourself by applying with a passport not valid the year the extension would be 😕

You were lucky you hadn't burned that ONE visit thai family extension you're allowed for 60 days. That will buy you the time to fall back, re-group and apply for the year extension again. 

So just get your ducks in a row, get the documents and go apply for the new yearly extension of stay like normal when you have 30 days or less left on this current stamp and your funds are seasoned the 2 month required if you're using banked money method 

I keep all my old expired passports and showed the new one, the expired one and the 2 before that to the guy at Immigration out of interest.

 

I have no idea if it only applies to the KPP office as that is the one I use, or to all Immigration offices nationwide, Going back over the years before KPP was opened (and moved accommodation 4 times, I used Nakhon Sawan 130 km away, and before that in 2009 I used the nearest, which at the time was Mae Sot about 180 km away.

 

Before that when I lived and worked in BKK I used Suan Phlu.

 

Why was I lucky that I had not burned the 60 day visa? It is the first time I have ever used one since 1993 when I first came he on business.

 

Thank you for your advice but I suggest that you go and teach your grandmother to suck eggs, I have been doing both retirement and marriage extensions since 2009 quite successfully on my own without the need for an agent.

 

 

23 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

So what is actually going to happen on this date? Will you be issued with a new 1-year extension of stay for marriage, as people on here seem to be assuming?

 

Or might you instead first be required to obtain a fresh 90-day non-O visa for marriage in accordance with the following link?

 

https://www.immigration.go.th/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/6.FOR-PROVIDING-SUPPORT-TO-OR-BEING-A-DEPENDANT-OF-A-THAI-CITIZEN-SPOUSE-VISA-NON-O.pdf

 

Either way, you are, I think, extremely fortunate to live within the catchment area of an immigration office which seems more than willing to bend over backwards in helping you out of your little pickle!

 

AFAIK from talking to immigration it will be back to the normal 1 year extension. I normally go in about 3 weeks early anyway.

 

The main difference this year is that I no longer need to do any photos or stuff for my son as he is at Uni in Chiang Rai and only comes home during the holidays.

 

I have always found that KPP Immigration is a farang friendly office, perhaps because they are only a small office.

 

The biggest problem is that Bangkok bank needs 3 working days to produce 12 months statements and the branch is 65 km away from where I live which is a PITA.

Edited June 19 by billd766
added extra text

[Tod Daniels]

29 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Why was I lucky that I had not burned the 60 day visa?

Because you can only get ONE 60 day extension (per entry or per extension) depending on the office and if you'd taken one on this extension you were on, (no matter how many years back) as long as the extensions you were daisy chained together year after year, you couldn't have gotten one  😕 And then you'd have had to exit/re-enter and start from square one

 

29 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Thank you for your advice but I suggest that you go and teach your grandmother to suck eggs, I have been doing both retirement and marriage extensions since 2009 quite successfully on my own without the need for an agent.

Wasn't suggesting you use an agent, so dunno how you mis-remembered what I said 😕 

You were definitely lucky insofar as you had that 60 day extension available to you AND that the officer was willing to issue it to you (which they were under no obligation to do seeing as you were already on overstay with an expired stamp 🙂 )  

You seem to have an fair idea of what you're doing (other than the self inflicted problem that arose with the passport expiring 😉 ). Shouldn't have much problem getting the year extension when you go apply. 

Sincerely good luck with it 👍 

And I will agree with you That KKP office is fine to deal with, I think you're correct, it's the fact they are swamped by hundreds/thousands of foreigners every week that makes them take a much more "well, let's see what we can do for you" approach rather than the "CANNOT!!!" that you you see at so many offices  

Edited June 19 by Tod Daniels

[steve187]

39 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I keep all my old expired passports and showed the new one, the expired one and the 2 before that to the guy at Immigration out of interest.

 

I have no idea if it only applies to the KPP office as that is the one I use, or to all Immigration offices nationwide, Going back over the years before KPP was opened (and moved accommodation 4 times, I used Nakhon Sawan 130 km away, and before that in 2009 I used the nearest, which at the time was Mae Sot about 180 km away.

 

Before that when I lived and worked in BKK I used Suan Phlu.

 

Why was I lucky that I had not burned the 60 day visa? It is the first time I have ever used one since 1993 when I first came he on business.

 

Thank you for your advice but I suggest that you go and teach your grandmother to suck eggs, I have been doing both retirement and marriage extensions since 2009 quite successfully on my own without the need for an agent.

 

 

AFAIK from talking to immigration it will be back to the normal 1 year extension. I normally go in about 3 weeks early anyway.

 

The main difference this year is that I no longer need to do any photos or stuff for my son as he is at Uni in Chiang Rai and only comes home during the holidays.

 

I have always found that KPP Immigration is a farang friendly office, perhaps because they are only a small office.

 

The biggest problem is that Bangkok bank needs 3 working days to produce 12 months statements and the branch is 65 km away from where I live which is a PITA.

all those years of extensions and knowledge and you failed to look in both passports for your 'admitted to date' , you were lucky you had not used your one time per entry excluding re-entry permit entry, 60 day wife extension

[poppysdad]

I have to agree with Billd re Kamphaeng Phet immigration as being friendly and helpful and I find it’s almost a pleasure to visit the place. One minor problem being now a little way out of the city is that there are no copying facilities anywhere close by but on my past visit I had forgotten to copy one thing but the officer simply used his own copier with no fuss made at all. 

My wife is also one of these ultra aware of telephone scammers and there have been a couple of instances that rather than at least listen to who and what she has missed some important information that also led to a lot of extra work for her, thankfully not with immigration though. Good luck Billd.

[GreasyFingers]

This is interesting. Next year my extension is due in February but my passport expires in October. Does this mean I need the new passport before the February extension, or just be sure to apply for a further extension before October, assuming I get the new passport after February.

[DrJack54]

58 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

Next year my extension is due in February but my passport expires in October.

Obtain new pp prior to February to obtain 12 month extension or don't and receive extension date same as current pp expiry. 

[brianthainess]

19 hours ago, billd766 said:

My wife got a call about 4 pm on 17th from a different person explaining that my visa had expired that day, For some reason I thought that when the stamps were transferred to the new passport, the old extension date was re-instated and my extension was valid to the old date

The 'law' changed in 2013, all extensions now end when your passport does.

[steve187]

4 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

This is interesting. Next year my extension is due in February but my passport expires in October. Does this mean I need the new passport before the February extension, or just be sure to apply for a further extension before October, assuming I get the new passport after February.

either get a new passport before feb, or use old one and get extension to oct only. then with new passport obtain fresh year extension in oct

[billd766]

14 hours ago, poppysdad said:

I have to agree with Billd re Kamphaeng Phet immigration as being friendly and helpful and I find it’s almost a pleasure to visit the place. One minor problem being now a little way out of the city is that there are no copying facilities anywhere close by but on my past visit I had forgotten to copy one thing but the officer simply used his own copier with no fuss made at all. 

My wife is also one of these ultra aware of telephone scammers and there have been a couple of instances that rather than at least listen to who and what she has missed some important information that also led to a lot of extra work for her, thankfully not with immigration though. Good luck Billd.

Thank you.

 

I have already made a start on the paperwork for the new extension.

 

Part of my problem is that AFAIR, I am sure that somebody in KPP told me that whilst my extension would only be until my old passport expired, when I had my new passport it would revert back to the old date in November. In addition when the stamps were changed over they gave me a 90 report for 25 July so I assumed that the extension was renewed as well.

 

That would have been in 2022 or 2023. The older lady lieutenant who used to do the extensions has retired now, and the Senior Sgt Major, who did the extension last year seems to have moved on.

 

There seems to be a new crew in the front office now.

 

I know it was my own fault and not theirs, and they did try to contact me beforehand.

 

 

Edited June 20 by billd766

[billd766]

12 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Obtain new pp prior to February to obtain 12 month extension or don't and receive extension date same as current pp expiry. 

I found that out the hard way this week, which is why I made the post as a sort of heads up for anybody else.

[OJAS]

On 6/19/2024 at 3:15 PM, Tod Daniels said:

And I will agree with you That KKP office is fine to deal with, I think you're correct, it's the fact they are swamped by hundreds/thousands of foreigners every week that makes them take a much more "well, let's see what we can do for you" approach rather than the "CANNOT!!!" that you you see at so many offices  

 

Indeed. Most other offices would have simply told the OP that the only course of action open to him would be to do a border run, re-entering Thailand with a 60/30-day visa exemption which he would then need to convert into a 90-day non-O visa before resuming his annual marriage extensions. In any event, doing a border run might, in practice, prove easier said than done in the OP's case since I recall from other postings from him on here that he has not insignificant mobility challenges.