Visa For Baby And Wife

[kayaker]

My wife and i work for an international school. I have a son who is two weeks old. My wife will not be working for a while and we had assumed that getting a type 'o' visa would be ok!! but what about the baby.

it also appears that having told us that my wifes work permit etc wouldn't be cancelled, the school cancelled the w/p two weeks ago.

i have asked and been told that because my wife isn't going to another job, she is still o.k. until the end of her visa which is august 31st.

it's all a bit confusing, I am still waiting for my visa to be sorted out.

will we have to pay the overstay?

[samran]

the school should organise that your wife get an non immigrant "O" visa, if she isn't on one already. Extensions of this visa will be based upon your working here in Thailand as her spouse, so she won't be subjected to visa runs etc.

As for your child, there are two schools of approaches.

1) Children under 7 aren't charged for overstay. So, many kids under 7 simply enter Thailand on 30 day stamps and then the fine for overstay is waived whenever they leave the country. Those who are born here, are fine until they leave the country for the first time. As visa's are available in-country for those who are born here, they'll be allowed to leave the first time with no hassle.

2) Getting a non-immgrant O visa for your child the next time you leave the country at a Thai embassy or consulate. Strictly speaking, this is the 'legal' way to go. In a similar way to your wife, your child when they next re-enter Thailand, will be given 90 days on entry with the O-visa which can then be extended for a futher 9 months based on you working here. If you are working at a half way decent international school, you should get an airfare for you and your family, to say Singapore, to get the O-Visa organised for your child at some point in the next few months (as well as the proper documentation from the school to support the application).

I am a bit conservative, and method 2 is my perference, and it has been for a quite a few of our friends who have had their children here in Thailand.