Non - O

[siamamerican]

Should I get my Non-O visa before leaving or is the process not too difficult in Bangkok. I've been married to a Thai for 6 years and she will be returning to Thailand in December. I have a few work related things to take care of in the US and will head to Thailand a few weeks later. I was hoping I could apply for a non-o visa in Bangkok without her being present. I have a US marriage cert and letter from her confirming we are still married.

My Thai wife is a US citizen, but I don't think I have to notify Thai authorities of this fact. Also, I will have no problem with the financial requirements if there are any.

I've never applied for a visa at the Thai consulate in the US. If anyone has any info they could share, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

SaimAmerican

[ubonjoe]

Should I get my Non-O visa before leaving or is the process not too difficult in Bangkok. My Thai wife is a I've never applied for a visa at the Thai consulate in the US. If anyone has any info they could share, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

SaimAmerican

You cannot get an extension before leaving because your wife will need to be present for an interview at time of application. Also there is 30 day wait before you get the extension stamp in your passport.

Requirements for extension can be found on page 8 clause 7.17 of police order.

Link: http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/2notice/rtp606EN.pdf

Before you make the application for the extension you will need to get a certified translation of your marriage certificate if you use the one from the states. I suggest though that you register your marriage at the local district office. That way her house book and ID card can be updated showing her new maritial status. These updates will be needed for the application. Also if your residence is not in Bangkok you will need to do the application at the immigration office nearest your home.

For a non-o visa in the states you will need a copy of your marrigae certificate and photo page of your wifes Thai passport. At the following link to DC embassy you can get a list of conulates in the US by using the pull down menu at top of page. Honarary consulates normally give the best service and are easier to deal with Link: http://www.thaiembdc.org/AboutEmb/EmbDirect.aspx

Hope this helps.

Good Luck

Joe

Edited October 25, 2008 by ubonjoe

[siamamerican]

Joe,

Thanks for the info. I went to the link you provided and also looked at the LA Thai Consulate web site. It seems the best thing to do would be to get a non-O at the Las Angeles Thai Consulate that is good for 90 days. I would then apply for an extension in Thailand before the my temp visa expires.

It seems strait forward. Am I missing anything? Also, could I just arrive using a tourist visa and get a the 90 day non-O visa in Thailand. I assume this would be more difficult, because I would need to have the US marriage cert translated.

Thanks for the help.

SiamAmerican

[ubonjoe]

You can not get a visa in Thailand only extensions. It would be much better to get a non-o visa in the states other wise you will have to do a change of visa status when you apply for the extension. It is going to a take little bit of time to get all your wifes paper work sorted out before you can do the application so a 90 day visa is best. Also she will have to do the changes at the district office where her current home registration is. That is also the best place to register your marriage.

Unless you are going to apply in person the LA consulate it may take a long time to get a mail in application back.

Joe

Edited October 26, 2008 by ubonjoe

[siamamerican]

You can not get a visa in Thailand only extensions. It would be much better to get a non-o visa in the states other wise you will have to do a change of visa status when you apply for the extension. It is going to a take little bit of time to get all your wifes paper work sorted out before you can do the application so a 90 day visa is best. Also she will have to do the changes at the district office where her current home registration is. That is also the best place to register your marriage.

Unless you are going to apply in person the LA consulate it may take a long time to get a mail in application back.

Joe

Glad I asked and thanks for taking the time to respond. I'll head down to LA in the next few weeks.

SiamAmerican