New Regulations For Extensions Of Non-immigrant Visas

[Lite Beer]

An important change (for some) to the Retirement Visa requirements as well.

The 800,000 baht only has to be in the account for 60 days for the first year (but 90 days for subsequent years if I read this right):

(4) Account deposit with a bank in Thailand of not less than 800,000 Baht as shown in the bank account for the past 3 months at the filing date of the application. For the first year, the applicant should have that amount in his bank account for not less than 60 days.

I think the form used by the banks you give to immigration only says 30 days on it, unless they change it this year. I got my retirement visa in Pattaya for the 2nd year and only had my funds in the account for about 45 or 50 days and they said nothing...

They can see how long the balance has been in the bank from your bank book. Apparently Pattaya were not enforcing the 3 month rules for subsequent years.

[Lite Beer]

Thank you all for your replies, I guess they didn't want to did it for me at Nong Khai, also people are telling us that I will have to go out of the country to change to a married visa, surely this is not the case, if I went to BangKok Immigration would they change it for me if I took my yellow book, amarriage certificate wife and child? There seems to be different rules for area offices, is there a web site or email address where I can get this sorted once and for all? Over the last year I've been told it's possible but when I ask Immigration they say no. I need someone with authority!

Many thanks to you all for your replies, it's a great comfort.

Your problem will be that you are supposed to use your local office. Bangkok will probably turn you away. Where do you live? Maybe you can go to Korat.

You need what you mentioned above plus.

A letter from your Embassy as proof of income. Your Wife,s ID Card and house registration. Photos of you and her together in and around the house. Map showing the way to your house.

From what you have told us you do qualify.

[amphur]

I read somewhere about the bankaccount (with the 400K) being in both names (husband/wife) being a problem.

It now shows both our names in our bankbook.

Should the bankaccount only be in my name (husband) for the extension of stay to be accepted?

[johnseven]

Many thanks to you all for your replies, it's a great comfort.

Your problem will be that you are supposed to use your local office. Bangkok will probably turn you away. Where do you live? Maybe you can go to Korat.

You need what you mentioned above plus.

A letter from your Embassy as proof of income. Your Wife,s ID Card and house registration. Photos of you and her together in and around the house. Map showing the way to your house.

I or we live in Udon Thani, the income we get every month is coming from Thailand, because we invested in Apartments here, so the 40,000 baht per month is not a pension, would this make a difference?

[Lite Beer]

I read somewhere about the bankaccount (with the 400K) being in both names (husband/wife) being a problem.

It now shows both our names in our bankbook.

Should the bankaccount only be in my name (husband) for the extension of stay to be accepted?

As the rule says that it has to be your money I would have thought that the bank book has to be in your name.

[bangkok blue]

Am I right in saying that this does not effect obtaining the initial visa in a neighboruing country? I'm going to the embassy in Vietnam soon to get a non Imm B....

If I can't extend the visa within Thailand I will go home to the UK and obtain a 1yr multiple B from Hull.

What I'm asking is do the new rules effect obtaining the initial visa, or just extending your stay at immigration within the Kingdom?

[johnseven]

Changing retirement visa to a Married visa question?

I or we live in Udon Thani, the income we get every month is coming from Thailand, because we invested in Apartments here, so the 40,000 baht per month is not a pension, would this make a difference?

Thank you

[Lite Beer]

Changing retirement visa to a Married visa question?

I or we live in Udon Thani, the income we get every month is coming from Thailand, because we invested in Apartments here, so the 40,000 baht per month is not a pension, would this make a difference?

Thank you

Yes it does. PM Sent.

[amphur]

I read somewhere about the bankaccount (with the 400K) being in both names (husband/wife) being a problem.

It now shows both our names in our bankbook.

Should the bankaccount only be in my name (husband) for the extension of stay to be accepted?

As the rule says that it has to be your money I would have thought that the bank book has to be in your name.

Any experience around of being rejected because of the shared bankbook?

[Lite Beer]

I read somewhere about the bankaccount (with the 400K) being in both names (husband/wife) being a problem.

It now shows both our names in our bankbook.

Should the bankaccount only be in my name (husband) for the extension of stay to be accepted?

As the rule says that it has to be your money I would have thought that the bank book has to be in your name.

Any experience around of being rejected because of the shared bankbook?

For the past 2 years it has been "Family Money"

Now in the new rules it is the "Man's Money".

[LivinginKata]

For the past 2 years it has been "Family Money"

Now in the new rules it is the "Man's Money".

I'm wondering if it actually states that in the original Thai, or is that a translational 'error'. I'll soon know as off to Immigration in 3 days. Would have been there today .... but King's birthday holiday.

[Lite Beer]

For the past 2 years it has been "Family Money"

Now in the new rules it is the "Man's Money".

I'm wondering if it actually states that in the original Thai, or is that a translational 'error'. I'll soon know as off to Immigration in 3 days. Would have been there today .... but King's birthday holiday.

That should be fun.

There is also a mention of the Immigration Officer having some discretion over applicants with previous extensions.

[RPCVguy]

Okay read all this with great interest, now can someone answer this please:

I have lived in Thailand for almost 3 years this coming June and have a retirement visa in my British Passport. I have been showing my 800,000 baht in the Bank the lasty couple of times and the last time I was there I asked if I could change my retirement visa to a marriage visa, the answer was no. Now that some rules have changed will this still apply? I am married to a Thai Lady .... what is the best way of changing this so I don't need to show 800,000 baht every year? Thank you.

Thank you all for your replies, I guess they didn't want to did it for me at Nong Khai, also people are telling us that I will have to go out of the country to change to a married visa, surely this is not the case, if I went to BangKok Immigration would they change it for me if I took my yellow book, amarriage certificate wife and child? There seems to be different rules for area offices, is there a web site or email address where I can get this sorted once and for all? Over the last year I've been told it's possible but when I ask Immigration they say no. I need someone with authority!

Many thanks to you all for your replies, it's a great comfort.

This is a similar situation but the 4 children are all of Thai wife's prior marriage. We are both older, and enjoying the communal life here. We registered our wedding in Chiang Mai on the same day I applied for and received my first retirement visa extension. We've also built a house in rural Lampang. All of this was very well received by the immigration officers. One even pointed out I could apply for a residence permit after 3 years, but if I'm reading correctly, that costs THB 95,000! I could continue on the retirement visa by continuing to stash THB 800,000 in my account, but FIRST am seeking advice from those who've seen enough policy changes as to whether the residence permit is a big advantage. SECONDLY, What is the process and purpose of a yellow book. I see it as an official document stating my address and connection to the home I've paid for in my wife's name. (true? Useful? Not?) At my controling Amphur they implied I needed to live here 3yrs first and want me to get an Immigration office certified translation of my passport AND then are not sure if the TM.18 form that I've completed is even the form needed to get a yellow book. (We're rural enough that I'm the first full time farang.) I tried posting this elsewhere for an answer ... with email notification, but no response and lost that thread. Thanks VERY MUCH.

[soundman]

For the past 2 years it has been "Family Money"

Now in the new rules it is the "Man's Money".

I'm wondering if it actually states that in the original Thai, or is that a translational 'error'. I'll soon know as off to Immigration in 3 days. Would have been there today .... but King's birthday holiday.

That should be fun.

There is also a mention of the Immigration Officer having some discretion over applicants with previous extensions.

No translation error. The Thai script is quite specific:

Husband's income/money.

[Mosha]

I am due for 90 day report on the 17th. I will ask my wife to ask them what they will require from me. Unless the pound heads north to 58Bt/GBP before July Penang/KL here I come.

[prinzregent]

Good news for Men with Thai Wives. The 400,000 Baht in the bank option is back.

Parents of a Thai Child are eligible for a 12 month extension with 400,000 in the bank or 40,000 Monthly income. No mention of having to be 50 years old.

I do have 800.000 on the bank since about 6 weeks. 400.000 since 4 month or even longer. But NO extention. And they ( in Pattaya Jomtien ) ask me, why you waant to stay in Thailand, WHY you not fly to Europe ???? They do NOT accept my thai children, as I am NOT married. In Chonburi they NOT want to accept the children, as they can not write, because only 4 y o.

But, THANK YOU FOR THE INFO . Monday I can try with your papers.

[ThaiLawOnline]

RPCVguy: A yellow Ta Bian Ban is a house registration. It's an official document in Thailand showing your address. It can be convenient but is not necessary and it's not because you have a yellow ta bian ban that you "own" the house.

Make a search on Thaivisa and you will find many topics on it.

We also translated the official regulation about Ta Bian Ban that you can find here, in Thai and English:

http://www.isaanlawyers.com/property.html

I do believe NO OTHER TRANSLATION has been made about Ta bian ban in Thailand. I've never seen it.

And you must ALWAYS verify with your local amphur, land department or tesaban because they don't really apply the law and documents can vary from a place to another. Welcome to Thailand. It's the same for Ta bian ban....and sometimes visas!

This is a little why I don't comment on these rules. You might have the law, but the application can be different. Officers have a lot of discretion, and contrary to the previous police order (606), the list of documents required is NOT specified in this one.

[bangkokrick]

Thanks Isaanlawyers for all your hard work in translating the new visa rules. The information has been very useful to me and i guess many other members of TV.

Cheers, Rick

[tijnebijn]

Oh my dear ,

It does effect me and my family . Just had my first extension of stay based on the income

of my wifes . For what I understand there is a slight possiblity they ' might ' consider another

extension depending in what they think is appropriate or not .....

My second extension will be in July next year , currently got only 100k in my wifes account and might

get the other 300k in time , does this money has to come from abroad , or can I just switch the money from here to there ?

If yes it will not be too hard to achieve but much less investment in my wifes business which is going pretty well .

So why they just didn't keep the 400k rule before anyway ?

Now got to change everything AGAIN !

Really getting pissed of on all those requirements and rules that change , and even more discriminating against foreign men and Thai woman in general , like my wife cannot take care of herself and our family ... Jeezzz

I will be very interested on the first extensions from members based on the wifes income extension ( marriage ) ,

and how they will implement it .

And of course I am very sorry to all who have to extend very soon and have no time enough to get everything together

in time , they should have kept this option as well open .

Perhaps they will after many complains ( they do take bad descisions back sometimes )

Cheers all .

Edited December 5, 2008 by tijnebijn

[soundman]

Oh my dear ,

It does effect me and my family . Just had my first extension of stay based on the income

of my wifes . For what I understand there is a slight possiblity they ' might ' consider another

extension depending in what they think is appropriate or not .....

My second extension will be in July next year , currently got only 100k in my wifes account and might

get the other 300k in time , does this money has to come from abroad , or can I just switch the money from here to there ?

If yes it will not be too hard to achieve but much less investment in my wifes business which is going pretty well .

So why they just didn't keep the 400k rule before anyway ?

Now got to change everything AGAIN !

Really getting pissed of on all those requirements and rules that change , and even more discriminating against foreign men and Thai woman in general , like my wife cannot take care of herself and our family ... Jeezzz

I will be very interested on the first extensions from members based on the wifes income extension ( marriage ) ,

and how they will implement it .

And of course I am very sorry to all who have to extend very soon and have no time enough to get everything together

in time , they should have kept this option as well open .

Perhaps they will after many complains ( they do take bad descisions back sometimes )

Cheers all .

Do you have (Thai) children?

If so, the way I read it is that you may still use either or both parents income 40k/month or the 400k/2months option.

[ubonjoe]

Oh my dear ,

It does effect me and my family . Just had my first extension of stay based on the income

of my wifes . For what I understand there is a slight possiblity they ' might ' consider another

extension depending in what they think is appropriate or not .....

My second extension will be in July next year , currently got only 100k in my wifes account and might

get the other 300k in time , does this money has to come from abroad , or can I just switch the money from here to there ?

If yes it will not be too hard to achieve but much less investment in my wifes business which is going pretty well .

So why they just didn't keep the 400k rule before anyway ?

Now got to change everything AGAIN !

Really getting pissed of on all those requirements and rules that change , and even more discriminating against foreign men and Thai woman in general , like my wife cannot take care of herself and our family ... Jeezzz

I will be very interested on the first extensions from members based on the wifes income extension ( marriage ) ,

and how they will implement it .

And of course I am very sorry to all who have to extend very soon and have no time enough to get everything together

in time , they should have kept this option as well open .

Perhaps they will after many complains ( they do take bad descisions back sometimes )

Cheers all .

Yes for some it is going to be a problem. Because of the change that makes it only the husbands income. You may have to get a tax ID number and claim the income for yourself. Thats can be done without working because you could say it was from outside the country or earned from a business.

There is nothing in the rules that say the 400,000 baht has to be from outside the country.

I feel the same way along with many others about the discrimination issue. There is an ongoing topic where this is being discussed.

[Lite Beer]

I will be very interested on the first extensions from members based on the wifes income extension ( marriage ) ,

and how they will implement it .

Cheers all .

The problem being that every Immigration Office will implement it in a different way. Making it even harder to guess what they want.

[Lite Beer]

This is a little why I don't comment on these rules. You might have the law, but the application can be different. Officers have a lot of discretion, and contrary to the previous police order (606), the list of documents required is NOT specified in this one.

You are a wise man Seb. We can sit here all day long discussing this but the only view that matters is the Immigration Officer you see on the day.

[Lite Beer]

Duplicate Post Deleted.

[tijnebijn]

Oh my dear ,

It does effect me and my family . Just had my first extension of stay based on the income

of my wifes . For what I understand there is a slight possiblity they ' might ' consider another

extension depending in what they think is appropriate or not .....

My second extension will be in July next year , currently got only 100k in my wifes account and might

get the other 300k in time , does this money has to come from abroad , or can I just switch the money from here to there ?

If yes it will not be too hard to achieve but much less investment in my wifes business which is going pretty well .

So why they just didn't keep the 400k rule before anyway ?

Now got to change everything AGAIN !

Really getting pissed of on all those requirements and rules that change , and even more discriminating against foreign men and Thai woman in general , like my wife cannot take care of herself and our family ... Jeezzz

I will be very interested on the first extensions from members based on the wifes income extension ( marriage ) ,

and how they will implement it .

And of course I am very sorry to all who have to extend very soon and have no time enough to get everything together

in time , they should have kept this option as well open .

Perhaps they will after many complains ( they do take bad descisions back sometimes )

Cheers all .

Do you have (Thai) children?

If so, the way I read it is that you may still use either or both parents income 40k/month or the 400k/2months option.

Yes we have 1 son together !

If it is the case as you say as you read it , does it mean when having children this option

is grandfathered one way ir the other ?

If the money has to come only from my own side it will be difficult to prove , so not an option for me right now .

Also still wonder if going for the 400k option , does the money got to come from oversees , guess when having a workpermit it doesn't , but if not having any , how did they get along with this during the old rule , now resurrected rule ?

Just wonder , if it doesn't matter many of us just scrape all the money together for 2 months ...

Still wondering here if things got better or not ......

[soundman]

Yes we have 1 son together !

If it is the case as you say as you read it , does it mean when having children this option

is grandfathered one way ir the other ?

If the money has to come only from my own side it will be difficult to prove , so not an option for me right now .

Also still wonder if going for the 400k option , does the money got to come from oversees , guess when having a workpermit it doesn't , but if not having any , how did they get along with this during the old rule , now resurrected rule ?

Just wonder , if it doesn't matter many of us just scrape all the money together for 2 months ...

Still wondering here if things got better or not ......

This is the clause I think you may be able to apply for an extension under (From subsection 2:18):

(5) In the case of a parent, one of parents must have an average annual income of not less than 40,000 baht per month or a money deposit of not less than 400,000 baht for expenses within a year.

not

(6) In case of marriage with a Thai lady, the husband who is an alien must have an average annual income of not less than 40,000 baht per month or a money deposit in a local Thai bank of not less than 400,000 baht for the past 2 months for expenses within a year.

How do other people read that?

[Lite Beer]

Yes we have 1 son together !

If it is the case as you say as you read it , does it mean when having children this option

is grandfathered one way ir the other ?

If the money has to come only from my own side it will be difficult to prove , so not an option for me right now .

Also still wonder if going for the 400k option , does the money got to come from oversees , guess when having a workpermit it doesn't , but if not having any , how did they get along with this during the old rule , now resurrected rule ?

Just wonder , if it doesn't matter many of us just scrape all the money together for 2 months ...

Still wondering here if things got better or not ......

This is the clause I think you may be able to apply for an extension under (From subsection 2:18):

(5) In the case of a parent, one of parents must have an average annual income of not less than 40,000 baht per month or a money deposit of not less than 400,000 baht for expenses within a year.

not

(6) In case of marriage with a Thai lady, the husband who is an alien must have an average annual income of not less than 40,000 baht per month or a money deposit in a local Thai bank of not less than 400,000 baht for the past 2 months for expenses within a year.

How do other people read that?

Yes. No.5. One of the parents must have the money.

No. 6 is for having a Thai Wife.

He appears to have a choice of reasons to extend.

For his Son the money/income can be his OR his wife's

For a Wife the money/income must be HIS.

[RPCVguy]

RPCVguy: A yellow Ta Bian Ban is a house registration. It's an official document in Thailand showing your address. It can be convenient but is not necessary and it's not because you have a yellow ta bian ban that you "own" the house.

Make a search on Thaivisa and you will find many topics on it.... And you must ALWAYS verify with your local amphur, land department or tesaban because they don't really apply the law and documents can vary from a place to another. Welcome to Thailand. It's the same for Ta bian ban....and sometimes visas!

This is a little why I don't comment on these rules. You might have the law, but the application can be different. Officers have a lot of discretion, and contrary to the previous police order (606), the list of documents required is NOT specified in this one.

Thank you IsaanLawyers!! Easy to locate the prior posts under "bian yellow" where my prior attempts had failed. The threads show the document is useful in my case, and will eventually be essential once I seek residency - likely as I won't have pleasant options to transplant again, but can do well here very long term. the best part about the posts was the evidence of tiT. Every Amphur seems to have a different variation of what they desire to CYA. . Your intervention in directing me to the right posts will be remembered.

[billd766]

The visa I got in January this year was living with my Thai child and no income proof was necessary. I actually got it at Suan Phlu though I live 65 km southwest of Khampaeng Phet.

I am working offshore in New Zealand for another 18 months and from what I read it seems as though I will have to go to Tak to renew it.

Unless I missed it somwhere it look as though this option is no longer available.

Can anyone please confirm that I can still do this or will I need to apply as a married man again and show the 40K baht?

I am able to do this as I have pensions which help a lot as well but as most people would I like the cheapest way of doing things.

To get a letter confirming my pensions I would have to travel to the British embassy in BKK, stay over night and then come back home, then go to Tak which all adds to the costs and frustrations (mainly with the Embassy).

Cheers

[Lite Beer]

The visa I got in January this year was living with my Thai child and no income proof was necessary. I actually got it at Suan Phlu though I live 65 km southwest of Khampaeng Phet.

I am working offshore in New Zealand for another 18 months and from what I read it seems as though I will have to go to Tak to renew it.

Unless I missed it somwhere it look as though this option is no longer available.

Can anyone please confirm that I can still do this or will I need to apply as a married man again and show the 40K baht?

I am able to do this as I have pensions which help a lot as well but as most people would I like the cheapest way of doing things.

To get a letter confirming my pensions I would have to travel to the British embassy in BKK, stay over night and then come back home, then go to Tak which all adds to the costs and frustrations (mainly with the Embassy).

Cheers

It does look as though you will have to show 40,000 monthly income. OR 400,000 in the bank.

Being honest they never liked issuing that extension anyway so they are not going to be too sympathetic.