Time For New Visa

[mekka]

Hey Guys,

After speaking to a very knowledgable member of the board they advised to to place a thread on here for some advice from all you guys...heres my situation.

I have been In Thailand for about 2 years (with a few months back in Australia every now and then) i am 28 years old, have 2x tourist visa's in my passport which were issued in Australia, along with a bunch of 30 day stamps from the past....I am now legally married to a Thai national and also have our first baby on the way in about 8 weeks. My wife has also been to Australia on a 3 Mopnth Tourist Visa...recently my own tourist visa for Thailand expired and i was granted a special one off 60 day extension under special circumstances...ie my wife being pregnant and due in 8 weeks... My problem is this, my 60 day extension will expire around the same time our baby is due...so i really need to get everything sorted out asap so that i am here with my wife at the time of the birth....I want to apply for a Non Imm "O" although right now i do not have a large sum of money in my bank account and do not have 40k income per month , Me and my wife have recently opened 2x buisness's here in Phuket but as we have pretty much just opened them up we are yet to pull a wage from the buisness...hence no income...i am willing to fly back to my home country Australia in order to get what i need...i guess i just want clarification of what options i have, its all very confusing...some ppl say i need 400k in the bank and 40k a month. some say i dont need anything...?

Sorry for the long post guys but i really need some help in getting this sorted out sooner rather than later...id hate to be out of the country and have the baby come early, and id really rather have some form of "proper" visa rather than continuous tourist visa's.

P.S - I have been nailing the search button for days but yet to find clarification on exactly what i can do..seems everyones situation is different and requires different things.

Thanks so much in advance guys...your life savers!

[funfun]

might be out of my depth this mekka, but cant you wait till about 2 weeks before baby due then nip to lao and grab a tourist x2 you'll get 60 plus a 30 ext??

[mekka]

I could do that but id rather save it as a last resort...id rather try and get some form of Non Imm Visa...i have 2x tourist visa's in there already and id rather not make it 3.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I could do that but id rather save it as a last resort...id rather try and get some form of Non Imm Visa...i have 2x tourist visa's in there already and id rather not make it 3.

Without the 40,000 baht a month income you won't qualify for an extension. Your best bet is to get a multi O based on support of a Thai national spouse from your friendly Thai Consulate in Australia, and border hop every three months.

[damian]

Hi Mekka,

Only a newbie here myself but I can give you my experience after just getting married earlier this month.

I rang the Singapore consulate and asked them what they wanted for the O multi marriage visa.

Passports and copies of both

Marriage license

Marriage cert

House registration cert (my wifes)

Photo plus application form

Wifes daughters birth cert (gave this as additional support but they didnt specifically ask for it)

Proof of money - now on this they said they wanted to see "any" bank account statements. As I was not sure I got a letter from my Bangkok Bank account showing around 500k and I also showed my statements from my citibank showing my deposits there.

Went down there armed with all the stuff and got the multi O for 3 months (see previous post as the 3 months should have been 12 and they may have made a mistake).

Now for my extension application. As I am self employed as a consultant and work a fair bit off shore we have decided to take the income and pay tax route. I will deposit 40k in my wifes bank account each month starting January and we will pay tax on this. (despite what others may think or advise I want to stay here leaglly and without hassle to support our new life and I think its only fair I pay some tax and for us the amount is minimal)

We will be moving to Phuket in end of February but I am going down there probably tomorrow to have a chat with them first and make sure everything will be OK. My suggestion is call acouple of the embassies and explain your circumstances. Then I would visit the imm office in Phuket and check for your situation for the extension application.

Best of luck with this and the new baby.

[funfun]

I could do that but id rather save it as a last resort...id rather try and get some form of Non Imm Visa...i have 2x tourist visa's in there already and id rather not make it 3.

ok point taken, you go to lao get a tr x2 gives you 2 months then imm get 1 month then border run ya get 2 moths then 3x border runs total 7 months out of one visa and thats spread over 7 months money wise you, suggest at mo not a lot coming in,

cost over 7 months approx

well guessing but say 6 thousand bhat to lao

imm 1900 top up 30 day

border run for x2 entry approx 2500

3x runs 2500

total approx 18,000 bhat spread, compare that with going to austrailia, and i have no idea of cost cos never been.

visa threads on here all sugesting at mo laos is still ok in fact i have an austrailian guy (bangkok bob) at my side and he got one christmas day, now i read you down in phuket but everyone is staying clear of pennang at mo!

bangkok bob has got 4 visas since nov 2006

good luck whatever ya do

chris

[gzu88bv]

Come on your Aussies, where are you? Help this young Aussie-father-to-be to get a Multiple Non-O-Visa. What I sense is that this guy is also willing to travel and apply for a Multiple Non-O-Visa, but he needs very clear and exact instructions where he should do it and what best chances he stands with his money constraints. Maybe Maestro can chime in with the possibility to change his present TV to a Non-O-Visa and a subsequent extension based on child support and being legally married to a Thai. Or is there absolutely no chance for a young Falang to be with his family even with littly money at the moment?

[damian]

I am Aussie and (unless he barracks for Collingwood or Port Adelaide) I am happy to suggest as previously i.e. ring the Thai consulates around the place and makes a personal visit to immigratioin to explain his situation. Based on the child and his setting up the business maybe they will be OK.

Mekka if you can scrounge enough cash (not sure how much) in any bank account to show you have a bit of money then try Singapore for the O. But go to see them in immigration and take the baby with you and ask about your extension requirements.

[mrobie64]

When you set up your business in Phuket did you not get a work permit? If you possess a work permit does it not allow you to apply for a non-imm B visa? I also live in Phuket and when I consulted with an attorney about setting up a business here a work permit for myself was included in the package along with a 1-year visa.

[mekka]

Mrobie....no work permit when i set the buisness up, its in my wifes name and its only small, does not warrent me working...

[mekka]

Well looks like im going to fly back to Australia and try get the Non Imm "O" based on mariage in my COnsulate in Canberra....now as far as documentation goes, do i need to take both wedding certificates? and the paperwork that came with them...do they need to be translated to English first (if thats the case and means another trip to Bangkok that would be a major pain in the ass) and as far as i can understand the money in the bank and income is not an issue when appyling in the Consulate in your own country...hence me going back to Australia for this? I just want to have all the right knowledge backing me, last thing i want to do is get back to Aus and find out ive missed out on something and get rejected!

Any hekp much appreciated guys, i plan to fly home in about a week as our baby is due in 7 weeks and i want to be back in Thailand with plenty of time before the due date incase she decides to come early.

[lopburi3]

One marriage certificate (each party gets one copy) and a copy of it should do. They should accept it in Thai (if they even require it). Also good to have a signed/dated copy of wife ID card these days as that helps to prove current relationship and is often asked for (but don't know if it is in Oz). Perhaps someone with recent experience can fill in the blanks? You might also email several locations as suspect once in Oz you could easily use mail service to obtain from a number of places.

[mekka]

Thanks Lopburi, I have a thai friend who works in the Consulate section of the embassy in my hometown but i havent been able to get in touch with him.

[lexrose07]

hi mekka

newbie here myself, infact first ever post, i also have a thai fiancee and a baby on the way in 2 months, i checked into the system of getting a visa once me and my fiancee get married, however it still wouldnt allow me to work and there is lots of hoops you need to jump through as regards to documentation and finances, i would recommend the same as i do, go to one of the timeshare companies down in phuket, there is absolute, qvc and laguna, apply for a job, its relatively easy to get one, they will give you an invitation to work for them which you take it back to austrailia and goto the thai embassy and apply for a non immigrant o business visa, 1 year multiple entry, also this costs a lot less than the spouse visa although you do have to cross borders every three months but its only a trip across and back to get new stamp, not lots of paperwork for extensions.

hope this has been of help.

[lopburi3]

An extension of stay for family reasons, using the 40k monthly family income, costs 1,900 baht per year. There is no such thing as a "spouse visa", but a one year non immigrant O visa would cost the same as a B visa. They both allow you to work if you obtain a work permit. Without a work permit you can not work on either type of visa.

[lexrose07]

a non imigrant o isnt the same as a b visa, there is a non imigrant o visa which you can get for personal use, ie:family, and there is a non imigrant o b visa which is for work, you dont need a work permit to get the b visa, infact you cant get a work permit until you get a b visa, my b visa took 1 week to get and i got mine in the uk which cost 100 gbp, the main fact i point this out is if you dont have 400k in the bank and 40k a month coming in, then this is an easy way to get a one year multiple entry visa, even if you dont intend to go and work for a company, you only need the stamped letter from them offoring the job, which they word it properley for you to take to the consulate in your home country.

[sweetchariot]

There is a lot of unhelpful advice here, listen to Lopburi, he is the expert. You can get a non-o or non-b in your home country (not a non-o b!). In England the non-o is very simple - no paperwork required at all (apart from application), and will allow you to stay for 15 months with 90 day border runs. They will issue this on the basis of visiting family. Not sure how easy this is in Oz however.

The non-b visa you can get on the basis that you are looking for work/ business opportunities, again a 12 month visa (do you need to do runs on this Lop?)

Both will allow you a work permit.

The non-o will allow an extension of stay based on marriage (not sure about the non b ), which will be 12 months, with 90 day reporting required at local immi. After 12 months you renew here - no need to go home. Sole requirement is 40k p/m joint income - not 400k in the bank (and of course a wife).

There is no such thing as a marriage/ spouse visa, non-o b, or any of the other weird and wonderful permutations quoted on this thread.

Usually these threads are very informative, but this one seems to have stooped to pub banter. The only person I would take any notice of is Lopburi - he will correct me if I have made any mistakes above.

My advice would be to check out how forthcoming the consulate in Canberra is for a non-o, give them a ring and ask, we Brits seem to have it easy when it comes to non-o's as I know alot of consulates in the US won't issue them.

Edit/ stupid computer keeps adding smileys when I type a 'b' with a closed bracket.

Edited January 5, 2008 by sweetchariot

[Crossy]

a non imigrant o isnt the same as a b visa, there is a non imigrant o visa which you can get for personal use, ie:family, and there is a non imigrant o b visa which is for work, you dont need a work permit to get the b visa, infact you cant get a work permit until you get a b visa, my b visa took 1 week to get and i got mine in the uk which cost 100 gbp, the main fact i point this out is if you dont have 400k in the bank and 40k a month coming in, then this is an easy way to get a one year multiple entry visa, even if you dont intend to go and work for a company, you only need the stamped letter from them offoring the job, which they word it properley for you to take to the consulate in your home country.

You can most definately get a work permit against a non-o that was issued for family visit reasons, you DON'T need to change to a 'b'.

If in the UK, Hull consulate will issue a non-o for visiting family, no need for letters or the like, check their website for details.

The 40k income is a requirement for an EXTENSION on the grounds of marriage (not for the initial visa application), the 400k in the bank option for extension is no longer available.

EDIT Most definately listen to lopburi3, he is THE oracle when it comes to visa matters

Edited January 5, 2008 by Crossy

[stevemiddie]

a non imigrant o isnt the same as a b visa, there is a non imigrant o visa which you can get for personal use, ie:family, and there is a non imigrant o b visa which is for work, you dont need a work permit to get the b visa, infact you cant get a work permit until you get a b visa, my b visa took 1 week to get and i got mine in the uk which cost 100 gbp, the main fact i point this out is if you dont have 400k in the bank and 40k a month coming in, then this is an easy way to get a one year multiple entry visa, even if you dont intend to go and work for a company, you only need the stamped letter from them offoring the job, which they word it properley for you to take to the consulate in your home country.

I don,t know who you are or how long you have been here but most of your advice is inaccurate and ill-informed.

[siam2007]

a non imigrant o isnt the same as a b visa, there is a non imigrant o visa which you can get for personal use, ie:family, and there is a non imigrant o b visa which is for work, you dont need a work permit to get the b visa, infact you cant get a work permit until you get a b visa, my b visa took 1 week to get and i got mine in the uk which cost 100 gbp, the main fact i point this out is if you dont have 400k in the bank and 40k a month coming in, then this is an easy way to get a one year multiple entry visa, even if you dont intend to go and work for a company, you only need the stamped letter from them offoring the job, which they word it properley for you to take to the consulate in your home country.

I don,t know who you are or how long you have been here but most of your advice is inaccurate and ill-informed.

inaccurate or ill-informed in which way ?

I obtained my new non-immi-B in exactly the same way in less than 2 minutes in Europe from a consular office (without the staff even having a look at all the papers my Thai consultant had prepared for me.... ). undoubtfully it's a different story if u want to get it from a country neighboring Thailand, though