I'm in the process of trying to change my (non-Thai) wife's Extension from being my dependent (I'm on a Work extension issued in Bangkok) to a Parent/Guardian extension from our local office. Our son has an Education extension also from our local office.

 

She has had the required amount in her account for 3 months, and all was set.  However, the agent I've been taking advice from, has now informed me that the charge from that office will be 21,000 baht. I was under the impression that all extensions were 1,900 (which is what we paid for our son's change).

 

Does this sound right?  

 

2 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Does this sound right?  

 Nope sounds pretty not right at all 😮 
 

ALL extensions of stay no matter how long they're issued for are 1900baht 

You're using the wrong agent if 21k baht is the price they're quoting you 😕 

Also seeing as this would be her very first yearly extension based on supporting a foreign child enrolled in school here (guardian) extension I believe that she'd only need to show the 500K baht seasoned for 30 days <- as that's the seasoning for the first yearly extension and then it goes to 3 months after that 

Thanks Tod.

 

The agent was very good with sorting my son's Ed extension, so it was a shock to hear about the 21k today.  He says it's the charge from that particular office.  Strange.

 

Anyway, is it straightforward to apply myself (for my wife)?  The requirements shown on the Immigration website seem clear, plus a TM7?

 

The issue may be that my wife's original visa was issued in 2016 and she's been on annual extensions as my dependent since then, so she doesn't hold "a temporary resident visa".  Perhaps that's why there's a fee for getting around her having to leave Thailand and get a new visa?

 

In the case of being a family of an alien who has been granted permission to temporarily reside in the Kingdom to study in an educational institution according to
criteria 2.8 or 2.9 of this order (only for father, mother, spouse, child, adopted child, or child of spouse)

Evaluation criteria

1. Aliens must obtain a temporary resident visa.
2. There is evidence of a relationship.
3. In the case where spouses have a relationship both legally and de facto,
4. or In the case of a child, adopted child, or child of a spouse requesting to be under care, the child, adopted child, or child of that spouse must not be married and reside as part of that household and must not be over 20 years of age, or
5. In the case of the father or mother, there must be a deposit in a bank in Thailand in the father's or mother's name that has remained in the account for the past 3 months, not less than 500,000 baht. In the first year, only show the deposit account with the said amount deposited in the account for not less than 30 days as of the date of application for this reason.

Required supporting documents

• Application form TM.7
• A copy of the applicant's passport
• Copy of passport of alien who has been granted permission to stay for study
• Copies of documents showing the relationship, such as marriage certificate, birth certificate, child registration certificate, house registration certificate, adoption registration certificate, or other evidence from relevant government agencies or departments.

Your wife would apply under section 2.11

 

 

I would hazard at a guess that as her original Non O was issued as your dependant, she needs to change the reason for the Non O to that of a dependant of a child. You could confirm this with your Immigration office.
That quoted 21K could be for the change of reason for the Non O and the subsequent 12-month extension - confirm with agent.

There is no 21k baht change of reason fee. 

 

The criteria is that she at one time held a non-immigrant type Visa which she did and now she had been in yearly extensions

 

all she's doing is canceling the current extension and applying for a new yearly extension for a different reason. 

 

That's 1900 baht like every extension is. 

 

Whether it will be straightforward or not is between you and the immigration office so I would say you your wife and you could should all show up out there and see if you can change the reason for her extension.

 

People change the reason for their yearly extensions all the time, it is a common place thing.

 

58 minutes ago, Liquorice said:

That quoted 21K could be for the change of reason for the Non O and the subsequent 12-month extension - confirm with agent.

That is nothing more than paying a bribe to get this switched over and there's no other way to look at it.. 😒

 

I believe because they are on yearly extensions now and only changing the reason for the extension from being a dependent to being the parent of a foreign child enrolled in school, it's a straight forward reason change. 

47 minutes ago, Tod Daniels said:

That is nothing more than paying a bribe to get this switched over and there's no other way to look at it.. 😒

 

I believe because they are on yearly extensions now and only changing the reason for the extension from being a dependent to being the parent of a foreign child enrolled in school, it's a straight forward reason change. 

I agree in principle, but let's wait and see what his Immigration office advises.
It seems strange that an agent, who handled their son's previous application, would try to rip them off to the tune of 21K for a simple extension due to a change of reason. If OP has all documents and finances in place, a fee of 6-8K handholding fee would seem more appropriate.

@Liquorice it could be that going from an extension based on marriage to a foreigner (dependent/trailing spouse) cannot actually be changed to an extension based on raising a foreign child enrolled in a school here (guardian) 

AND

That can only be accomplished by cancelling the extension their on, exciting the country, returning either with a new non o or few stamp and applying for the initial 90 day non o at the immigration office. 

 

I cannot recall having anyone go from a trailing spouse extension to a raising foreign child extension in recent history. 

 

Perhaps the agents 21k fee is an in-country "work around" and it might be preferred to starting all over from scratch. 

51 minutes ago, Tod Daniels said:

@Liquorice it could be that going from an extension based on marriage to a foreigner (dependent/trailing spouse) cannot actually be changed to an extension based on raising a foreign child enrolled in a school here (guardian) 

AND

That can only be accomplished by cancelling the extension their on, exciting the country, returning either with a new non o or few stamp and applying for the initial 90 day non o at the immigration office. 

 

I cannot recall having anyone go from a trailing spouse extension to a raising foreign child extension in recent history.

That was my train of thought.

 

52 minutes ago, Tod Daniels said:

Perhaps the agents 21k fee is an in-country "work around" and it might be preferred to starting all over from scratch. 

Agreed, the fee could include the in County workaround without the need to leave the Country and inclusive of the first 1-year extension, in which case the 21K fee is very reasonable.

1 hour ago, Tod Daniels said:

@Liquorice it could be that going from an extension based on marriage to a foreigner (dependent/trailing spouse) cannot actually be changed to an extension based on raising a foreign child enrolled in a school here (guardian) 

AND

That can only be accomplished by cancelling the extension their on, exciting the country, returning either with a new non o or few stamp and applying for the initial 90 day non o at the immigration office. 

 

I cannot recall having anyone go from a trailing spouse extension to a raising foreign child extension in recent history. 

 

Perhaps the agents 21k fee is an in-country "work around" and it might be preferred to starting all over from scratch. 

That's how I see it.  The agent is adamant that it's the Immigration Office's 'fee', although I have now found out that the 21,000 includes his fee which I had previously agreed, at 10,000.

 

I realise I could have tried to do it all myself, but the 'visa' people at my son's school, who deal with many such extensions, told me 'categorically' it couldn't be done in-country, and would require my wife getting a new O visa.  I contacted an agent to see if there was a way around this - and it would seem there is - at a cost!

 

I wonder if I'll get a nice blue receipt after paying?  

12 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

wonder if I'll get a nice blue receipt after paying?  

You will indeed, and it will be for 1900 baht, the cost of the yearly extension

Finally got my wife's Parent/Guardian extension from Rayong, without having to leave Thailand for a new non-O.

 

The receipt was for 1,900 baht.  Total cost to me - 21,000 baht.  Bargain.

On 9/19/2025 at 11:09 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

…The agent is adamant that it's the Immigration Office's 'fee', although I have now found out that the 21,000 includes his fee which I had previously agreed, at 10,000…

 

Perhaps the 21K payable to your agent will also include the application fee of 1,900 Baht.

On 9/18/2025 at 9:03 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

Thanks Tod.

 

The agent was very good with sorting my son's Ed extension, so it was a shock to hear about the 21k today.  He says it's the charge from that particular office.  Strange.

 

Anyway, is it straightforward to apply myself (for my wife)?  The requirements shown on the Immigration website seem clear, plus a TM7?

 

The issue may be that my wife's original visa was issued in 2016 and she's been on annual extensions as my dependent since then, so she doesn't hold "a temporary resident visa".  Perhaps that's why there's a fee for getting around her having to leave Thailand and get a new visa?

 

In the case of being a family of an alien who has been granted permission to temporarily reside in the Kingdom to study in an educational institution according to
criteria 2.8 or 2.9 of this order (only for father, mother, spouse, child, adopted child, or child of spouse)

Evaluation criteria

1. Aliens must obtain a temporary resident visa.
2. There is evidence of a relationship.
3. In the case where spouses have a relationship both legally and de facto,
4. or In the case of a child, adopted child, or child of a spouse requesting to be under care, the child, adopted child, or child of that spouse must not be married and reside as part of that household and must not be over 20 years of age, or
5. In the case of the father or mother, there must be a deposit in a bank in Thailand in the father's or mother's name that has remained in the account for the past 3 months, not less than 500,000 baht. In the first year, only show the deposit account with the said amount deposited in the account for not less than 30 days as of the date of application for this reason.

Required supporting documents

• Application form TM.7
• A copy of the applicant's passport
• Copy of passport of alien who has been granted permission to stay for study
• Copies of documents showing the relationship, such as marriage certificate, birth certificate, child registration certificate, house registration certificate, adoption registration certificate, or other evidence from relevant government agencies or departments.

Technically it may be a charge from the office, but some words may be lost in translation or purposefully stated as is, and it is what that agent's contact at the office is charging the agent.

@brewsterbudgen 
I was at Chaengwattana this last week and asked at the counter that does trailing spouse extensions and they said that you cannot go from a trailing spouse extension to one based on raising a foreign child enrolled in school on an ED extension (guardian extension) inside the country without "special consideration" <- (which is their way of saying you can pay your way to get it 😮 ) 

They said the real process is, cancel the trailing spouse extension, exit the country, either come back in free stamp and apply for the in country Non-O visa based on guardian OR get the Non-O visa online from a thai consulate outside the country, come in on it, and then after 2 months apply for the year extension. 

So you clearly took the "special consideration" method with your 21K baht fee.  

Glad you got it sorted, all's well that ends well. 😛😉