Thai Visa Options?

[MBISON]

Hello, I am from the USA. I have been with my Thai girlfriend for 10 years, and I am in my early 30's.

I have consulted some visa agencies in Thailand, and none have given me a very good option for a long term visa in Thailand. The best suggestion was to pay 90,000 baht for a student visa and that I would have to go to Chang Mai or some nonsense. I am willing to get a marriage visa, but as I understand it, that process takes some time, and is unlikely to get done quickly.

I was hoping to get some suggestions from the forum as to what visas would allow me to stay longer term. One visa agency told me to get a Non-O on my next entry to Thailand from Cambodia, but I didn't press for further instructions. When I looked up Non-O visas, it looks like you have to be 50 as an age requirement?

Any advice and wisdom would be appreciated.

 

Please and thank you, sirs.

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, MBISON said:

. I am willing to get a marriage visa, but as I understand it, that process takes some time, and is unlikely to get done quickly

Actually it's the opposite..

Getting married to a Thai and obtaining a non O plus subsequent 12 month extension is relatively simple quick process.

You mentioned gf of 10 years so yes it's an option and at 30 one of the easiest.

You refer to non O and yes for retirement requires you to be 50 yr+.

Non ED gives you a year.

You don't mention if you wish to live ongoing in Thailand or just visit Thailand and continue working/living in own country..

The easiest option is marriage 

[mokwit]

17 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

The easiest option is marriage

Hmmmmm. Many might disagree.

[FritsSikkink]

10 minutes ago, mokwit said:

Hmmmmm. Many might disagree.

I don't, what long term visa did you have in mind for somebody in his 30's then?

[problemfarang]

well you have 2 options seems to me + i believe you are married and if you are not married forget about getting a proper visa type. 

 

1) get a non-o multi from your country. If you want to get non-o visa from thailand border countries they most likely ask you to show money in the bank. After getting your multi non-o you have 3 options to do:

- extend it with the money in your bank

- use an agency and pay around 35K per year and extend it

- go out of the country and come back in the same day every 90 days. Get another multi non-o and repeat it (tho this is abusing the system and at some point some IO might remind you this as it happened to me)

 

2) get a single entry non-o from any country you want. Again you have 3 options:

- extend it with the money in your bank

- use an agency and pay around 35K per year and extend it

- try to get another single entry every 1 month. This is not a sure way to do tho. Obvious reasons

 

suggestions:

1) get a non-o and extend it if you have the money. Getting it is so easy but when you want to extend it you have to wait 1 month if im not mistaken and meanwhile you will still have visa to keep you in the country. so nothing to loose.

2) get a non-o use agency if you dont have the money (you need to bare in mind that you will be attach to the agency badly. They will decide your immigration area (mostly pattaya / nakhon sawan / loei / roiet).. you will never ever know your current address registered to TM30 with the immigration.. You will never ever able to go to immigration.. you cannot do your 90 days by yourself and have to pay extra 300-500 baht to agency to do for you -obvious reasons-.. It will seriously effect your future visa changes (if you have to cancel it for some reason soon or later you need to provide some paper work from your old non-o and it will be a problem because you dont have them -happened to me-.. and few other things you need to be aware

3) forget about other visa types such as education, cooking, blah blah. They are useless at some point and will cost you more

 

 

all done / good luck

[DrJack54]

17 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

go out of the country and come back in the same day every 90 days. Get another multi non-o and repeat it (tho this is abusing the system and at some point some IO might remind you this as it happened to me)

What an amazing post pretty much about nothing. 

The OP is currently not married.

Even if he does marry the Thai long term g/f you have gone off on so many unnecessary tangents.

The one sentence I quoted is misinformation and basically nonsense. 

You base that on a bad personal experience. 

"Abusing the system" that's out there...

MANY married guys have been obtaining ME non O marriage for years and years. No issue. 

 

If he does marry a non O marriage (single entry) + subsequent annual extensions a good option and financial requirements low threshold 

[Liquorice]

For long terms stay in Thailand, under 50 years of age, unmarried, then the Elite visa is probably your only option, but expensive.

https://thailand-elite.com/

 

Thailand only really caters for retirees or those married to a Thai for long term stays.
There is a minimum age restriction of 50 for the purpose of retirement.

 

If you were to marry your long time girlfriend, then it opens another door and different options to stay long term.
Is marriage perhaps something you may consider?

Edited July 1 by Liquorice

[DrJack54]

13 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

Is marriage perhaps something you may consider?

The OP Stated...."I am willing to get a marriage visa, but as I understand it, that process takes some time, and is unlikely to get done quickly" 

 

Thinking he has been given incorrect information. Easy process

[thecyclist]

2 hours ago, mokwit said:

Hmmmmm. Many might disagree.

Are your doubts visa related or marriage per se related?Or both ?

[MBISON]

I am willing to get married. I really just want the visa that gives me the easiest access to long term stay. I'm not quite financially there to pull the trigger on an elite visa.

I've looked into some agencies that help with marriage.

My tentative plan at the moment is to reset my visa exempt this month. That, along with a 1 month extension would give me enough time to get married, I assume. I'm a little fuzzy on the next steps, but then, I would just apply for a non-o immigration visa(?)

Would I then leave the country again, and have to apply for the non-o? Or can I just turn my visa exempt into a non-o after obtaining marriage license?

[DrJack54]

11 minutes ago, MBISON said:

Would I then leave the country again, and have to apply for the non-o? Or can I just turn my visa exempt into a non-o after obtaining marriage license?

You would not need to leave Thailand.

You can obtain the non O marriage from the visa exempt entry. 

However all depends on immediate plans.

Once married you can obtain 60 day extension to visit wife ...

You haven't made clear immediate plans for next say 1 year. 

Seems little bit rushed. Lack of planning? 

[Liquorice]

3 hours ago, MBISON said:

I am willing to get married. I really just want the visa that gives me the easiest access to long term stay. I'm not quite financially there to pull the trigger on an elite visa.

Once married, you have two options for staying long term in Thailand.

You can also apply for an additional 60-day extension to visit a Thai spouse.

If I may ask;
1. How often, and for what lengths of stay, are you contemplating for your visits to Thailand?

Where would you stay in Thailand, that would determine which Immigration office you may use?

 

3 hours ago, MBISON said:

I've looked into some agencies that help with marriage.

You don't need any agencies other than a translation service.

 

4 hours ago, MBISON said:

My tentative plan at the moment is to reset my visa exempt this month. That, along with a 1 month extension would give me enough time to get married, I assume. I'm a little fuzzy on the next steps, but then, I would just apply for a non-o immigration visa(?)

Take one step at a time.

My advice is to get married first, then plan your next step for long term stays, which really depends on your frequency of visits and periods of time spent in Thailand on each visit.

[Liquorice]

5 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

The OP Stated...."I am willing to get a marriage visa, but as I understand it, that process takes some time, and is unlikely to get done quickly" 

 

Thinking he has been given incorrect information. Easy process

That depends on a number of factors Jack.

Non O application can be processed within 15 days.

 

He'd have to then be present again in Thailand within the 90 days that Non O grants him to apply for the 1-year extension.

That could take anything from 30 to 60 days to process depending on how soon he applies.

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

That could take anything from 30 to 60 days to process depending on how soon he applies.

Chap in thread this year in similar boat (visa exempt entry) got married then obtained the 60 to visit wife.

Had success.

Not his own thread so no point to chase it. 

I asked the OP earlier if he had a Thai bank account. 

[Liquorice]

41 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Chap in thread this year in similar boat (visa exempt entry) got married then obtained the 60 to visit wife.

Had success.

Not his own thread so no point to chase it. 

I asked the OP earlier if he had a Thai bank account. 

Once the OP is married, the 60 day VE entry + 60 day extension option may suffice.

Depends on how many times he visits and his intended duration of stays per year, which I also asked.

Bank account, another 'to do' on his list.

[Rob Browder]

13 hours ago, MBISON said:

One visa agency told me to get a Non-O on my next entry to Thailand from Cambodia, but I didn't press for further instructions. When I looked up Non-O visas, it looks like you have to be 50 as an age requirement?

You can get a Non-O based on marriage to a Thai, w/o the age-restriction.  I assume this is what they meant.

First, you have to get married.  The difficulty of this varies by location, where some amphurs are a PITA about it.  After visiting multiple amphurs w/o luck, I ended up paying an agent, who took me to "their" amphur person, and it was done.  Check with the translation-people, who can also handle translating documents you will need to get from your embassy into Thai, and getting them stamped "official" by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Next, you need the first Non-O "Visa" - IMO, it is easiest to go to a Thai consulate in Savanakhet or Vientiane to get this (not Cambodia - are slower), vs the longer process of doing it at an Immigration office in Thailand.  A single-entry visa requires no money-in-the-bank proof - just your marriage documents, plus copies of your wife's Thai-ID and housebook.

After that, you can get a 1-year "extension of stay" from Immigration, but that requires proof of 400K in the bank (Thai account in your name only) for 2 months before you apply - documents provided by your bank.  There will be a 30 day "consideration" period after you apply, which will involve a home-visit by immigration.

Edited July 1 by Rob Browder

[MBISON]

Definitely a lack of planning on my part, I was under the assumption there would be a service I could basically throw money at to fix the problem. I don't have a bank account, but a visa service said they could help me open one for ~10,000 baht (I don't remember the figure).

My plans for my stay is to make it as permanent as possible. Will a Non-O marriage visa allow me to stay year round? Can I then just apply for Non-O every year and stay permanently?

From what I can glean, it looks like my timeline is this:

1. Re-enter the country on visa-exempt this month.
2. In this visa's time, get married. I realize this has a lot of steps, I'm most likely going to use a service that will help me. My partner if from Nakhon Sawan, if that information is relevant.
3. It was said that I can turn a visa-exempt into a Non-o. I think this requires a bank account, which I do not have. I suspect this is why Rob Browder says I would need to leave the country to get a Non-o first. That would allow me to open a bank account, and then get the 1 year extension. I contacted a visa/immigration business that has a service to open a bank account even under visa exempt, which I may end up doing.

I don't mind if I have to re-enter the country another time to make all the steps work, but I prefer not to leave the country.

Should I be opening the bank account as soon as possible? The visa service said that Thailand no longer allows foreigners to open a bank account under a visa-exempt, but I can't get a non-o until I'm married, correct? If I have to have a bank account open with 400,000 baht inside of it for 2 months, is that my first concern?

Thank you for all the advice, guys. If I'm missing something here, please let me know.

Edited July 1 by MBISON

[MangoKorat]

1 hour ago, Rob Browder said:

First, you have to get married.  The difficulty of this varies by location, where some amphurs are a PITA about it.  After visiting multiple amphurs w/o luck, I ended up paying an agent, who took me to "their" amphur person, and it was done.  Check with the translation-people, who can also handle translating documents you will need to get from your embassy into Thai, and getting them stamped "official" by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Bangrak in Bangkok - not a problem but foreigners need to make an appointment these days. The problems that happened a few years ago are just about over but they have left a legacy - hence the appointments at Bangrak.

 

OP, should you decide to get married firstly set aside a week for the legal process with the actual registration at the end.

 

Find an Amphur that will conduct the civil registration of a marriage between a foreigner and a Thai citizen and get an idea of their waiting time. Only the Amphur manager is allowed to register Thai/Foreign marriages - hence the appointment.

 

You need to get an Affirmation of Freedom to Marry and a certified copy of your passport from your Embassy in Thailand, there will be a fee for that. Some (most?) embassies have an appointment system so check the waiting time for that before booking a registration appointment with the Amphur.

 

The affirmation and passport translation then need to be translated into Thai and the translations need to be certified as true by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Laksi, Bangkok. You can take them to Laksi yourself but you will have to wait 2 - 3 days for the certifications.  Most translation agencies will take them to Laksi and pick them up when they are ready for a reasonable fee.  I have done it myself - don't, the agency option is far better.

 

Armed with the affirmation, passport and translations thereof, you are good to go.

 

If you plan it correctly and can get the necessary appointments, you can do it all in a week. However, all the documents have time limits on them (can't remember how long) so don't think you can get your affirmation done and then register the marriage 3 months later - you can't.

 

With the right planning it can go like this:

 

Monday, visit your embassy to obtain an Affirmation of Freedom to Marry and a certified copy of your passport.  Take those to a translation agency. They will be able to tell you the current waiting time for them to be certified by the MFA possibly 2-3 days.

 

Thursday, collect your translations and certifications from the agency.

 

Friday, visit the Amphur at the appointed time and register your marriage.

 

Don't expect any sort of a ceremony - its not like that.  For Thai's, the important thing is the wedding itself which will probably be held close or actually in your girlfriend's home. The amphur bit is simply the legal registration of that marriage and will appear a bit clinical if you were expecting anything else.

 

You don't need any agents to deal with the marriage for you - its very easy.  Most Amphurs have a list of other offices that will marry foreigners so if their waiting time is too long, you can find another.

 

As the embassies/MFA are in Bangkok - its usually much easier to also do the registration there but there is nothing stopping you from using any other Amphur once you have all the documents.

 

I believe (but not sure) that there is also an MFA office in Chiang Mai.

[MangoKorat]

13 minutes ago, MBISON said:

I'm most likely going to use a service that will help me.

Apart from the translation agency who will also deal with the MFA process - it is totally unecessary to use any other service.

 

Just follow what I told you in the previous post and you won't have a problem. There is actually very little that an agent can do.

 

There were some problems with fake documents a few years ago and some Amphurs then refused to conduct any further Thai/Foreign marriages.  I've heard of one or two still being that way but not many now.

 

If you or your girlfriend are in Bangkok, just go to Bangrak Amphur and ask them about their waiting list. They will also give you a list of other Bangkok Amphurs and their phone numbers that will marry foreigners.

[Liquorice]

9 hours ago, MBISON said:

Thank you for all the advice, guys. If I'm missing something here, please let me know.

I sent you a PM reference the steps for marriage as a US citizen.

[Liquorice]

15 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

The affirmation and passport translation then need to be translated into Thai and the translations need to be certified as true by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Laksi, Bangkok. You can take them to Laksi yourself but you will have to wait 2 - 3 days for the certifications.  Most translation agencies will take them to Laksi and pick them up when they are ready for a reasonable fee.  I have done it myself - don't, the agency option is far better.

The MFA have now opened several Consular offices for notarisation/legalisation of the above translated documents.

Lak Si, as you stated, also Pathum Wan, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, Songla and Phuket.

Appointments are required at all locations.

https://consular.mfa.go.th/th/publicservice/สถานที่ให้บริการรับรองนิติกรณ์เอกสาร

Edited July 2 by Liquorice

[MangoKorat]

20 hours ago, MBISON said:

Should I be opening the bank account as soon as possible? The visa service said that Thailand no longer allows foreigners to open a bank account under a visa-exempt, but I can't get a non-o until I'm married, correct? If I have to have a bank account open with 400,000 baht inside of it for 2 months, is that my first concern?

Yes you are going to need a bank account and yes, it can be difficult.  As far as I know, the banking regulations state that non-resident foreigners are not allowed to open a normal bank account.  Those married to a Thai citizen with a Non O visa and an extension should be able to open a bank account but many banks will tell you that you need either a work permit or a retirement visa.

 

Yet, many of us have been able to open a bank account without an extension and I've seen people on here claim that they have opened bank accounts with just a tourist visa. It can depend on ther bank, the person you see or even the day of the week.  I obtained a bank account with a multi entry non o visa (marriage based) and a confirmation of address from my local immigration office.  However, a couple of years ago when I wanted to open a second account with the same bank they told me I needed a work permit or retirement visa - I was shown their rules on a tablet.  At that time I no longer held a non o so I didn't argue - it wasn't that important. I believe that bank's (Kasikorn) rules have since changed again - although I don't think they have got any easier.

 

I'm normally against using an agent to do anything but I think opening a bank account in your case, may well be the best way to go.  We get people on here asking how to open a bank account on an almost weekly basis and some members have pointed them in the direction of an agent - hopefully one of them will be able to give you some contact details.  You may or may not need the confirmation of address - I guess that depends on the agent and how god their relationship with the bank is. If you do, you may need some form of lease - they are easily downloadable from the internet.  I presume you would use your girlfriend's address?

 

When you get your first bank account it will almost certainly be a 'savings account'.  Don't worry about that, as long as you are given a Visa/Mastercard debit card with it, you can use it in much the same way as a current account.  These details may vary from bank to bank but they are certainly correct the for Kasikorn bank. You are likely to have to pay an initial fee for the card and then possibly an annual one or periodic as and when the card expires. Note that with most Thai banks, ATM transactions are free within that bank's area but there may be a small charge outside their area.  Check on that because you may end up opening an account in Bangkok but be living miles away.

Edited July 2 by MangoKorat

[Rob Browder]

On 7/2/2024 at 12:39 AM, MBISON said:

It was said that I can turn a visa-exempt into a Non-o. I think this requires a bank account, which I do not have. I suspect this is why Rob Browder says I would need to leave the country to get a Non-o first

I find the trip out for the visa to be less hassle than getting Immigration to do the Non-O Visa step.  Why? You have 90-days time when you enter with the visa, less paperwork is required to get the Visa at a Thai Consulate than is required by Immigration, and you don't need a bank-account set up to get it.  

This way, you get the "marriage" part done in you visa-exempt time, then come back with your 90-day visa, and get the bank-money set-up in the first 30-days of that, and you are ready for the 1-year extension. 

 

If you can get the bank money set-up during your exemption-time, that can work also - provided you are applying for the 90-Day Visa in Bangkok, or another office where the process is straightforward.  You only need the 400K Baht in the account on the day you apply for the 90-Day Visa in-country per the rules (but this varies at some immigration-offices). 

 

Getting the bank-account is another matter.  Having your Thai wife, a Non-O entry, and marriage-docs with you may get it done, if she has an account at the bank where you apply.  If that fails, call several agents and get quotes.  10K Baht is too high, unless a recent-change.  It should be under 5K, based on previous reports I have read. 

 

On 7/2/2024 at 12:39 AM, MBISON said:

Will a Non-O marriage visa allow me to stay year round?

The 1-year EXTENSION from Immigration will allow you to stay 1 year at a time uninterrupted.  But, step-one is a 90-Day Non-O Visa based on marriage - either from Immigration, or a Thai consulate.

 

Once married, if your extension at immigration fails for some reason, you can always go get another 90-days in Vientiane or Savannakhet, which provides some peace of mind.  As long as you don't enter at the Poipet/Aranyaprathet border-crossing, Thai immigration does not have a record of denying entry with a Non-O marriage-based visa.