Thai Immigration impact of getting added to my wife's tabien baan for her home elsewhere?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Trying to come to some judgment about whether it makes any sense for me to try to get added to my wife's tabien baan for a house she owns in her original home town, which is NOT where she and I have been renting for the past 12-plus years here in Bangkok -- and whether doing so would create any Thai Immigration grief for me that I don't want or need.

 

The basics -- I've been on annual retirement extensions for many years based on my rented home here in Bangkok, the same and only one I've had ever since I moved to Thailand. The Thai wife, who has a work career here in BKK, and I have been living in our rented BKK home ever since we were married. But several years ago, she entirely on her own (I'm not in any way legally or financially involved) bought a new home in her original home town mainly for her parents and siblings who live there now, but also potentially for her or us in the distant future sometime.

 

Now this month, she's planning to travel back to her hometown to get her name removed from the tabien baan from the old/prior location she and her family used to live in her hometown before we met and married, and get her name added to the tabien baan for her recently purchased house (which for some reason she never bothered to do at the time of her purchase).  So that creates the question -- should I be doing anything in all this to get added via a Yellow Book listing for her new home town property where she's the sole owner?

 

It would be nice to have an official Thai ID document (in the form of a Yellow Book and Pink ID card) that I don't currently have. But I wouldn't want to pursue the Yellow Book route if it meant, for example, that somehow I'd have to start doing my annual retirement extensions there instead of here in Bangkok, or similarly, I wouldn't want to have to start doing my 90-day reporting (when required in person) in her hometown instead of here in Bangkok.

 

But it's not clear to me whether getting a Yellow Book listing based on her house in her hometown would trigger either of those Immigration-related kinds of changes or not?  Anyone have any feel for the answers to those kinds of questions?

 

TIA

 

 

 

[Maestro]

What type of extension of stay, if any, do you have?

[DrJack54]

9 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

..she owns in her original home town, which is NOT where she and I have been renting for the past 12-plus years here in Bangkok -- and whether doing so would create any Thai Immigration grief for me that I don't want or need.

I don't understand why you would even bother. 

I'm also on annual extensions retirement. 

Same as yourself 13yrs renting in Bangkok. 

Only difference is with a GF not married. 

I do extension each year and provide my lease at CW. Not even sure if it's required. 

I don't want a yellow book or Pink ID card. 

Don't need it. Don't want it. 

The saying.. "if it ain't broke then don't fix it"...springs to mind

 

[Liquorice]

14 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

But it's not clear to me whether getting a Yellow Book listing based on her house in her hometown would trigger either of those Immigration-related kinds of changes or not?

Two different entities.
Yellow Tabien Baans are obtained by registering your address with the local government under the Civilian Registration Act, whereas for Immigration you register your address under the Immigration Act.

Sure, if you had a YTB, Immigration would take a copy if offered, but they predominately want copies of the house owner/landlords Blue Tabien Baan, Thai ID card and if applicable a rental contract as proof of your address.

 

In your situation, what would be the advantage of obtaining a YTB and ID card?
Purchase a new vehicle, obtain driving licence, in which case the address on the registration logbook and driving licence would be different from your actual residential address.
Many Amphurs now require an Embassy certified copy of your Passport, translated to Thai, then legalised by the MFA. Some may also request the same of your birth certificate detailing parents names, which are entered in the YTB.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

18 hours ago, Maestro said:

What type of extension of stay, if any, do you have?

 

As mentioned above, ongoing retirement extensions from BKK CW.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

13 hours ago, Liquorice said:

In your situation, what would be the advantage of obtaining a YTB and ID card?
Purchase a new vehicle, obtain driving licence, in which case the address on the registration logbook and driving licence would be different from your actual residential address.

 

Those above would be situations where the Yellow Book might come into play... But the one other situation I have in my mind is potentially easing the opening of new Thai bank accounts in the future if needed, without having to get paid address documentation either from the U.S. Embassy affidavit or Thai Immigration certif of residence.

 

That, and just in general, actually having some form of official Thai ID, which I don't currently have any form of, since I don't have a Thai DL.

 

[Maestro]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

As mentioned above, ongoing retirement extensions from BKK CW.

 

 

In this situation, you should keep your registered address (TM.30, 90-day reports) at the place where you currently reside in the province where you live and apply for your one-year extensions of stay.

[Liquorice]

10 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Those above would be situations where the Yellow Book might come into play... But the one other situation I have in my mind is potentially easing the opening of new Thai bank accounts in the future if needed, without having to get paid address documentation either from the U.S. Embassy affidavit or Thai Immigration certif of residence.

 

That, and just in general, actually having some form of official Thai ID, which I don't currently have any form of, since I don't have a Thai DL.

 

You could obtain a YTB and ID card for your current place of residence with the permission of the owner/landlord.

 

I'm on my 3rd YTB, the first 2 obtained whilst in rented accommodation.  The owners agreed and attended the Amphoe to sign a document giving their permission.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

14 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

In this situation, you should keep your registered address (TM.30, 90-day reports) at the place where you currently reside in the province where you live and apply for your one-year extensions of stay.

 

I agree that's what I want to do... re TM 30 and 90 day reporting, and retirement extension in BKK, for that matter.

 

But then, does that mean I CAN or CANNOT also seek to be added to a yellow book for my wife's house in her home town upcountry?

 

Can the two things be done side-by-side, or they're mutually exclusive?

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 hours ago, Liquorice said:

You could obtain a YTB and ID card for your current place of residence with the permission of the owner/landlord.

 

Thanks, yes, you're right about that... And I've explored that somewhat in the past for our rented home here in BKK....

 

I've stayed the same place for nearly 20 years (my only home in Thailand) and on very good terms with the family owners....

 

But, to accomplish the YTB here means basically spending a good part of the day at the amphur office for our location, which is somewhat far from our actual home, and then asking a member or two of the owner's family to come along and likewise waste a good part of the day at the amphur office (and maybe a return visit if everything isn't exactly right the first time) -- something I haven't been especially anxious to do, just out of politeness and consideration for them.

 

[Liquorice]

6 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

But, to accomplish the YTB here means basically spending a good part of the day at the amphur office for our location, which is somewhat far from our actual home, and then asking a member or two of the owner's family to come along and likewise waste a good part of the day at the amphur office (and maybe a return visit if everything isn't exactly right the first time) -- something I haven't been especially anxious to do, just out of politeness and consideration for them.

Apart from meeting the document requirements of the Amphur.

 

I was fortunate insofar as the Provincial Amphur is only 10 minutes away and all they requested was a translation of my passport ID page plus the names of my Father and Mother. I translated the passport and my parents names myself which they accepted. It took 40 minutes to print my Tabien Baan and issue the ID card.

Times have changed and some even give up due to the amount of bureaucracy involved and whether the effort justifies the need.

I've found the card more useful than the book, which is rarely required, other than for buying/selling a vehicle, driving licence and opening a bank account.

 

I'm confident that the US Embassy no longer issue proof of address, so you're limited to a certificate of residence from Immigration as proof of address.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

15 hours ago, Liquorice said:

I'm confident that the US Embassy no longer issue proof of address, so you're limited to a certificate of residence from Immigration as proof of address.

 

I haven't had to deal with the U.S. Embassy on such things in a long time, so  I'm lacking recent personal experience on that point...

 

But, I "thought," it was still possible for them to certify an applicant's sworn declaration... In  other words, you bring them a statement saying you live at such and such address... And then they stamp/certify that you made that declaration to them. For the nice sum of $50 to stamp their stamp! 

 

Of course, that kind of thing means nothing in terms of actually certifying/validating one's address.  But it did (does?) seem to satisfy the stamp and certification crazy Thai bureaucracy... 

 

🤮

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I haven't had to deal with the U.S. Embassy on such things in a long time, so  I'm lacking recent personal experience on that point.

USA, AU, UK and some other embassies no longer provide equivalent to COR. 

That was possible some time ago. 

Now no longer. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

10 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

USA, AU, UK and some other embassies no longer provide equivalent to COR. 

That was possible some time ago. 

Now no longer. 

 

But they still will stamp and certify a person's sworn declaration, right?

 

I haven't heard/seen anything about that route being eliminated.

 

Just like they still stamp and certify copies of U.S. folks' passport face pages.

 

[DrJack54]

10 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

But they still will stamp and certify a person's sworn declaration, right?

It's not what the bank requires. 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1289223-residency-certificate-at-us-embassy/

 

 

In any event this isn't really what your thread is asking. 

Think it's a tyre kicking exercise. 

No doubt you already have Thai bank a/c, Thai DL etc etc. 

Can't imagine yellow book or pink ID card etc necessary. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

First of two  updates here:

 

1. I had another member contact me here by PM to advise that he long has been living in mostly one province, doing his retirement extensions in a difference province via once a year hotel  stays/TM30 filings, and all the while been listed on his wife's yellow book for property she owns in a third province...  

 

And according to his PM, that has never been a problem for him continuing to renew his retirement extensions with Immigration in the province where he stays briefly during the year, all the while being listed and registered on the yellow book for his wife's property in an entirely different province. And of course the person involved NOT reporting the details of all that in his Immigration interactions.

 

The advice from the member who contacted me was -- clearly the Immigration and amphur registration systems are not linked together in a way that involves routine cross-checking between the two.  And further, my contact advised it's pretty common for expats here to be doing their Immigration stuff where they actually live while also being listed on the yellow book for a different province location where their wife owns a home.

 

Which is exactly the kind of scenario I was asking about in my OP....

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Meanwhile,  I saw this somewhat related YouTube report (vis-a-vis my PM contact's example above) from BKK immigration attorney Benjamin Hart involving a surprise Immigration home inspection to verify residency of one of his clients living in a rural area upcountry on a retirement extension (not a marriage extension).

 

Home  inspections, AFAIK, are pretty routine for marriage extension holders, depending on the province/Immigration office involved... But AFAIK, pretty UNcommon for retirement extension holders.

 

 

In my case, I'm actually living (and always living) in exactly the same place and province that I report to Thai Immigration. And that wouldn't change, even if I ended up getting added to my wife's tabien baan (via Yellow book) for her house location upcountry.

 

[proton]

5 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Meanwhile,  I saw this somewhat related YouTube report from BKK immigration attorney Benjamin Hart involving a surprise Immigration home inspection to verify residency of one of his clients living upcountry on a retirement extension (not a marriage extension).

 

Home  inspections, AFAIK, are pretty routine for marriage extension holders, depending on the province/Immigration office involved... But AFAIK, pretty UNcommon for retirement extension holders.

 

 

 

He can't even use the correct terminology, always talks about retirement visas instead of extensions, you cannot change an O visa to anything. He should know better.

[TheFishman1]

It sounds like you’ve been here for a while and everything is OK why would you wanna start to open a bag of worms and then find out oh you have to go back to his hometown to do your one year extension oh you have to re-register your vehicle where that hometown is etc. etc. doesn’t seem like it’s worth the hassle for a pink card who cares about a pink card TIT

[Dickp]

Have a question? Your WIFE Legal bought a house on own and would think the land that house is located on too. Did you have to sign any paper work Stateing that you had NO Financial interest in the property? If not your wife may run into some problems when or if she whats to sell  / or transfer owership to the house. I have been though it and it still is not done.  

[Liquorice]

4 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

First of two  updates here:

 

1. I had another member contact me here by PM to advise that he long has been living in mostly one province, doing his retirement extensions in a difference province via once a year hotel  stays/TM30 filings, and all the while been listed on his wife's yellow book for property she owns in a third province...  

 

And according to his PM, that has never been a problem for him continuing to renew his retirement extensions with Immigration in the province where he stays briefly during the year, all the while being listed and registered on the yellow book for his wife's property in an entirely different province. And of course the person involved NOT reporting the details of all that in his Immigration interactions.

 

The advice from the member who contacted me was -- clearly the Immigration and amphur registration systems are not linked together in a way that involves routine cross-checking between the two.  And further, my contact advised it's pretty common for expats here to be doing their Immigration stuff where they actually live while also being listed on the yellow book for a different province location where their wife owns a home.

 

Which is exactly the kind of scenario I was asking about in my OP....

 

 

Exactly what I told you in my first post - 2 different entities and Immigration only interested in the Blue book of the rented owner as proof of address, not any Yellow book.

 

The downside of your proposal is that any ID, driving licence, vehicle registration book you obtain using the YTB will have a different address to your actual place of residence, which could lead to a problem further down the line.

[couchpotato]

Lots of questions, lots of answers, but I want to ask you one question.

Your life, extensions, obviously banking etc is fine in Bangkok where you still reside and from your post will be there for the foreseeable future.

So my question is why do need a yellow Book/Pink ID card at this time, as when and if you go to your wife's upcountry house for real retirement, then just go thru the process then (if indeed you still want it).

As another poster said..don't complicate matters, especially at this time with unstable politics, new banking laws and ever changing immigration regulations. Leave well enough alone.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 hours ago, Dickp said:

Have a question? Your WIFE Legal bought a house on own and would think the land that house is located on too. Did you have to sign any paper work Stateing that you had NO Financial interest in the property? If not your wife may run into some problems when or if she whats to sell  / or transfer owership to the house. I have been though it and it still is not done.  

 

If your comment above is addressed to me, we were well aware of such issues. And the house and attached land my wife purchased was never mainly intended as marital property, but instead, as my wife's house bought and paid for with her own funds for her and her family's future.

 

So, actually, we divorced legally for a period of time, enough for her to make the purchase and take out a mortgage as a single unmarried woman, and thus ensuring that the house and accompanying mortgage was hers alone...and not marital obligations or property. Thus I wasn't asked to sign anything involving the purchase, since I had nothing to do with it.  After that was all done, we later remarried.

 

And a bit more on the issue you raised: my wife recently was talking with her mortgage bank about a potential refinancing, and the subject of her now being married to a farang was discussed. The bank confirmed that as she was unmarried at the time of the purchase and loan origination, she could do the refinance in the future without any issues or involvement from me, since Thai law doesn't consider the house as it exists as marital property.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 hours ago, Liquorice said:

Exactly what I told you in my first post - 2 different entities and Immigration only interested in the Blue book of the rented owner as proof of address, not any Yellow book.

 

The downside of your proposal is that any ID, driving licence, vehicle registration book you obtain using the YTB will have a different address to your actual place of residence, which could lead to a problem further down the line.

 Yep... understood... 

 

I really had a two part question in my mind here in this thread:

 

1. The first part was COULD I do it, both under Thai regulations and without inherently screwing up my Immigration status... And it seems the answer to those is YES.

 

2. Then the second part is, does it make sense to pursue that, and would the advantages outweigh the potential negatives/downsides, as you alluded to in your post... On that one, I'm still undecided for the present.

 

But the discussion and elaborations here by members such as yourself have been very helpful in me trying to carefully decide whether or not to pursue it.

 

 

[Liquorice]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

1. The first part was COULD I do it, both under Thai regulations and without inherently screwing up my Immigration status... And it seems the answer to those is YES.

Yes you could. Being registered in a Yellow book regardless of the address has no impact in applying for extensions as you'd use the rented owner's blue book and ID card, and not your YTB which is off no concern to Immigration.

 

3 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

2. Then the second part is, does it make sense to pursue that, and would the advantages outweigh the potential negatives/downsides, as you alluded to in your post... On that one, I'm still undecided for the present.

The advantage is that you could buy/sell a vehicle, obtain a driving licence, open a bank account, without any need of a certificate of residence from Immigration subject to those establishments accepting a YTB and pink ID card, which some state they don't.

 

The disadvantage, as now known by a local expat as I'd describe as an acquaintance rather than a friend, who thinks he's a bit of a 'Max Verstappen' on the Thai roads, recently applied to renew his car tax at the local DLT, who asked him to wait, then 10 minutes later he was subsequently arrested by the RTP.
He has a YTB and pink ID card issued at a previous address in Hua Hin, which he's continued to use for car licence, car registration.
However, within the last 4 years he's been sent multiple tickets for speeding and going through red lights, as well as two summons to appear in court, which he obviously didn't receive, being at a different address.
He appeared in court, bailed and awaiting a court hearing. His lawyer states they are throwing the book at him, fraud, perverting the course of justice etc.
The RTP have confiscated his YTB, ID card and passport. If found guilty, he will then have a criminal record on file, which his lawyer states could impact his Immigration status.

 

Not that that would happen in your situation, but TIT.

 

[Liquorice]

41 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

But the discussion and elaborations here by members such as yourself have been very helpful in me trying to carefully decide whether or not to pursue it.

Have you made any enquiries at the local Amphur to where your wife has purchased a new home.
What are their requirements.
Are they familiar with the process, or have they given folk the run around.
That may answer whether it's worth pursuing or not.

 

[Garouda]

On 7/19/2025 at 4:49 AM, Maestro said:

What type of extension of stay, if any, do you have?

Read carefully :" I've been on annual retirement extensions for many years "

[Garouda]

You won't be on her tabian baan. By the way why don't you have a Thai spouse visa?

I have a yellow tabian baan and a pink ID, but this does not change anything for the 90 days report nor for visa extension. The pink ID card helps when they need your ID as at the post office for instance. Anyway, my car or my motorbike driving licences would also do the job.

If the owner of the rented place in Bkk fills in the right form, this will enable you to carry on reporting your 90 days in Bkk as usual.

[Liquorice]

3 minutes ago, Garouda said:

You won't be on her tabian baan.

Read carefully > 
"Now this month, she's planning to travel back to her hometown to get her name removed from the tabien baan from the old/prior location she and her family used to live in her hometown before we met and married, and get her name added to the tabien baan for her recently purchased house (which for some reason she never bothered to do at the time of her purchase).  So that creates the question -- should I be doing anything in all this to get added via a Yellow Book listing for her new home town property where she's the sole owner"?

 

5 minutes ago, Garouda said:

By the way why don't you have a Thai spouse visa?

Hobson's choice, and you mean an extension of stay based on Thai spouse, not a visa.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

11 hours ago, Liquorice said:

Have you made any enquiries at the local Amphur to where your wife has purchased a new home.
What are their requirements.
Are they familiar with the process, or have they given folk the run around.
That may answer whether it's worth pursuing or not.

 

 

Yes to the above...

 

My wife used to work at her home town's amphur office before we met, and she still knows various of the staff there,  and has talked to them about their current requirements re issuing a Yellow Book, at my behest after she told me she was going back to her hometown to get HER name added to the house  book for her own house.

 

The short answer is yes, I could do it there, if I wanted.... Would require just the normal documents, bringing a long a couple of testifying witnesses, and apparently support of the poo yai baan for my wife's neighborhood.

 

She still needs to check with them on her upcoming trip whether some of the copies they need from me can be just regular copies, or have to be MFA certified copies for things like my passport facepage, etc.