Marriage Extensions.

[NoshowJones]

Since I came to Thailand after the first 3 years, I have mainly been on work permits or using agents. I am now seriously thinking about getting the marriage extensions. I have always been put off in the past hearing and reading about nasty attitudes from IO's and asking for fuel money for home visits etc.

I am asking posters about their own personal experience on this to see if it is worthwhile. Thanks.

[DrJack54]

Just one person's opinion (I'm not doing extensions based on marriage) 

Thinking that most issues for folk complaining about extensions based on marriage is down to things such as errors in docs supplied etc.

Many people do extensions based on marriage without any issues.

 

On top of that those extensions have very easy financial requirements compared to retirement. 

 

[Will B Good]

 

I'm on a marriage extension.

 

The core problems tends to be shifting requirements and missing or misleading requirements.

 

Get a list of requirements from your IO, not one from the tinterweb (if they'll give you one) and go through it with a fine tooth comb.

 

We still come unstuck every year (been married for 18 years).

 

Wrong photographs, new form, must use blue ink, bank book must show money in AND out on the day of application......always something!!!

 

 

[KannikaP]

56 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Since I came to Thailand after the first 3 years, I have mainly been on work permits or using agents. I am now seriously thinking about getting the marriage extensions. I have always been put off in the past hearing and reading about nasty attitudes from IO's and asking for fuel money for home visits etc.

I am asking posters about their own personal experience on this to see if it is worthwhile. Thanks.

Here at MY Immigration in Phitsanulok, they allow the Combination for Retirement, that is money in the bank plus monthly remittances must add up to over 800k. For me I have 420k in the bank and transfer 35k per month via WISE, plenty to live on. For Marriage, you still need 400k in the bank plus money to live on. The Retirement process seems a lot simpler than the Marriage one.

[recom273]

I never have issues - I have done mine at two different offices, I think I’m at 8-9 of them now, I lost track. Sometimes you can get ahead of yourself (one year I got my financial letter the day before which you would think would be fine as I had an appointment - during Covid - for a 9:00 am, that caused issues) but generally nothing changes, I have a checklist on my computer, all the documents scanned and on in a folder - the procedure is go to immigration get the forms, take photos (always the same, 2 off  - in front of the gate Inc house number, next to front door, kitchen and on sofa) complete the forms and print documents, go to the photo shop, drop off the file, continue to ampur to get KR2, pickup the photos on the way back. Next day, bank at 8:00 then on to immigration, usually home before 11:00. The best thing about KKC immigration is, they don’t ask any silly questions - it’s just a formality in which I sit in silence and sign the forms as directed. At Hat Yai they asked questions about meeting wife, financial position, etc .. and they made notes and tried to catch you out the following year. 

[Will B Good]

15 minutes ago, recom273 said:

I never have issues - I have done mine at two different offices, I think I’m at 8-9 of them now, I lost track. Sometimes you can get ahead of yourself (one year I got my financial letter the day before which you would think would be fine as I had an appointment - during Covid - for a 9:00 am, that caused issues) but generally nothing changes, I have a checklist on my computer, all the documents scanned and on in a folder - the procedure is go to immigration get the forms, take photos (always the same, 2 off  - in front of the gate Inc house number, next to front door, kitchen and on sofa) complete the forms and print documents, go to the photo shop, drop off the file, continue to ampur to get KR2, pickup the photos on the way back. Next day, bank at 8:00 then on to immigration, usually home before 11:00. The best thing about KKC immigration is, they don’t ask any silly questions - it’s just a formality in which I sit in silence and sign the forms as directed. At Hat Yai they asked questions about meeting wife, financial position, etc .. and they made notes and tried to catch you out the following year. 

 

First year I had to bus in three lots of neighbours from the village to testify I lived there with my wife.

 

Each year they still ask ma...... what is your brother's name, what was your mother's maiden name, what was your father's first name.......???

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

Here at MY Immigration in Phitsanulok, they allow the Combination for Retirement, that is money in the bank plus monthly remittances must add up to over 800k. For me I have 420k in the bank and transfer 35k per month via WISE, plenty to live on. For Marriage, you still need 400k in the bank plus money to live on. The Retirement process seems a lot simpler than the Marriage one.

I don't trust Thai banks enough to put 800,000Bt in a Thai bank and I am not going to transfer money from my UK bank to put 800,000 in a Thai bank. I know personally people who have had a bad time and I don't trust myself not to retaliate if some IO starts any nonsense.

[KannikaP]

10 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

I don't trust Thai banks enough to put 800,000Bt in a Thai bank and I am not going to transfer money from my UK bank to put 800,000 in a Thai bank. I know personally people who have had a bad time and I don't trust myself not to retaliate if some IO starts any nonsense.

And there must be 1000s of retirees who DID put 800k or 400k into Thai banks without any problems, me being one of them.

So for Marriage, you are stuck with transferring 40k per month, Retirement is 65k. You can however, spend every last satang of that money.

[NoshowJones]

5 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

And there must be 1000s of retirees who DID put 800k or 400k into Thai banks without any problems, me being one of them.

So for Marriage, you are stuck with transferring 40k per month, Retirement is 65k. You can however, spend every last satang of that money.

Thai banks used to guarantee up to 5 million Baht in your account for safety, then it was reduced  to 1 million Baht. There must have been a reason for that.

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, NoshowJones said:

Thai banks used to guarantee up to 5 million Baht in your account for safety, then it was reduced  to 1 million Baht. There must have been a reason for that.

40k and 80k are both LESS than 1M.