Extension Of Stay Based On Married To Thai Woman

[Billion]

I’ve been to the Immigration Bureau, (Samut Prakan) Friday for my 90 days report.

I asked the officer about the required 400k when applying for extension of stay based on married to Thai woman.

She said 400k must be in Thai bank at least three month before applying.

I asked her about the new rules that say 400k for two months in Thai bank.

Then she calling another officer and the answer was the same.

My wife asked the officer in Thai language about the requirement and she got a different answer.

The new rules are: (Samut Prakan) if you are on the first year then its two months and you’re on the second or third and so on, it’s three months in Thai bank.

I also asked about 400k within Thailand/oversea.

No income in Thailand, then 400k must come from oversea respectably.

Note: Requirements are earnings of 40k within Thailand OR 400k in Thai bank from oversea.

Earning 40k for a month will be 480k for a year!!

So if you are going to Samut Prakan for renewal then its three months in Thai bank.

[fabianfred]

They really seem to chop and change with their requirements

I WAS staying on the One year Non-immigrant 'O' visas...for the last ten years since my marriage here in Fang. I had to go with my wife to the office in Chiangmai each year..... and was grandfathered on the old amount of 200,000 in the bank.

Two years ago after seeing rumors and details from other posters here at TV I made sure the money was in my bank account three months before and I had a set of photos showing me and my wife in several rooms of our house and at the entrance showing the house number. Upon going to the immigration they didn't ask to see the photos and weren't interested in the money in the bank saying that the monthly income was the important thing now.... I was OK because my UK Army pension was just enough to qualify, and I had the letter from the consulate to authorise it.

Last year (i always went to immigration in November as my visas ran out 1st december) the officer I got said that I needed 400,000 in the bank (I hadn't put any in the bank based upon the info i got the previous year.) No mention of the 200,000 grandfathered amount I had been able to show for the past 8 years. AND she insisted that I must use the Immigration office in Fang and shouldn't go to Chiangmai. Then she looked quickly at the documents and said that my pension wasn't enough to qualify anyway...since the GBP wasn then at 53 to the baht...and using her calculator said that the exchange rate needed to be over 56 to make the required 40,000 a month. So we were dismissed. I had previously used the Fang Immigration office for my 90 day reporting...and had asked if they could do the one year visas for me, but they said No and that i had to use Chiangmai Office...

My pension is not enough and I have no way to get 400,000 in the bank.... so i am stuck doing 14 day trips to the MaeSai border. Fortunately they are not counting how many you do now..... for the moment!!! As we know...this could change at any time.

A trip to Vientiane to get a Non-immigrant visa would cost me over 12,000 Baht altogether, so it is cheaper for me to do the twice monthly runs to the border....and i'm lucky to be living close enough that i can make the trip there and back within a single day....it would be more of a trip if I was living in Chiangmai.

Talk about our lives 'hanging by a thread'.... and after ten years of marriage with two kids.

Thais and farang tourists who know nothing about the farce expats have to face, think the situation i am in is ridiculous.....

it is.......

My passport is going to get full of the, fortunately small, border stamps, pretty quickly i think.

...and I never got any photos of my wedding....so if they ever required any of that it would be a no,no......

[Lite Beer]

So if you are going to Samut Prakan for renewal then its three months in Thai bank.

They really have no right to demand that as the current Police Order clearly states.

(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.

The problem being that you have little choice.

There is also no requirent written down anywhere that says the money must come from abroad. Although they might suspect that you were illegally working if it did not.

[pothai]

They really seem to chop and change with their requirements

I WAS staying on the One year Non-immigrant 'O' visas...for the last ten years since my marriage here in Fang. I had to go with my wife to the office in Chiangmai each year..... and was grandfathered on the old amount of 200,000 in the bank.

Two years ago after seeing rumors and details from other posters here at TV I made sure the money was in my bank account three months before and I had a set of photos showing me and my wife in several rooms of our house and at the entrance showing the house number. Upon going to the immigration they didn't ask to see the photos and weren't interested in the money in the bank saying that the monthly income was the important thing now.... I was OK because my UK Army pension was just enough to qualify, and I had the letter from the consulate to authorise it.

Last year (i always went to immigration in November as my visas ran out 1st december) the officer I got said that I needed 400,000 in the bank (I hadn't put any in the bank based upon the info i got the previous year.) No mention of the 200,000 grandfathered amount I had been able to show for the past 8 years. AND she insisted that I must use the Immigration office in Fang and shouldn't go to Chiangmai. Then she looked quickly at the documents and said that my pension wasn't enough to qualify anyway...since the GBP wasn then at 53 to the baht...and using her calculator said that the exchange rate needed to be over 56 to make the required 40,000 a month. So we were dismissed. I had previously used the Fang Immigration office for my 90 day reporting...and had asked if they could do the one year visas for me, but they said No and that i had to use Chiangmai Office...

My pension is not enough and I have no way to get 400,000 in the bank.... so i am stuck doing 14 day trips to the MaeSai border. Fortunately they are not counting how many you do now..... for the moment!!! As we know...this could change at any time.

A trip to Vientiane to get a Non-immigrant visa would cost me over 12,000 Baht altogether, so it is cheaper for me to do the twice monthly runs to the border....and i'm lucky to be living close enough that i can make the trip there and back within a single day....it would be more of a trip if I was living in Chiangmai.

Talk about our lives 'hanging by a thread'.... and after ten years of marriage with two kids.

Thais and farang tourists who know nothing about the farce expats have to face, think the situation i am in is ridiculous.....

it is.......

My passport is going to get full of the, fortunately small, border stamps, pretty quickly i think.

...and I never got any photos of my wedding....so if they ever required any of that it would be a no,no......

10 years and still only on a visa.....have you never heard of residency and then citezenship.....

[lopburi3]

10 years and still only on a visa.....have you never heard of residency and then citezenship.....

Would you like to explain his chances of meeting employment/income expectations to make application for PR? Perhaps we should not be too quick to judge. There are many here 10 years or more that never had and never will have the chance to obtain PR.

[Lite Beer]

10 years and still only on a visa.....have you never heard of residency and then citezenship.....

Would you like to explain his chances of meeting employment/income expectations to make application for PR? Perhaps we should not be too quick to judge. There are many here 10 years or more that never had and never will have the chance to obtain PR.

Yes. Including me if I am still around in ten years.

[pothai]

http://www.thaivisa.com/residency/residenc...t-thailand.html

as on this website...10 years and married, my boyfriend received only after 5 years.

[Lite Beer]

http://www.thaivisa.com/residency/residenc...t-thailand.html

as on this website...10 years and married, my boyfriend received only after 5 years.

PR requires a record of Income Tax payments. Something Retirees will not have.

[fabianfred]

The very people who would most benefit from residency....those who are married with families and intending to spend the rest of their lives here....are the very ones which cannot get it. Residence is given to those working here so if you are only retired and therefore not able to get a work permit, you stand no chance....

[Billion]

So if you are going to Samut Prakan for renewal then its three months in Thai bank.

They really have no right to demand that as the current Police Order clearly states.

(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.

The problem being that you have little choice.

There is also no requirent written down anywhere that says the money must come from abroad. Although they might suspect that you were illegally working if it did not.

It seems that many offices still use 3 months and if they require 3 months and money from oversea then we have to follow their rules no matter what the Police order says.

Transfer 400k 2 months before the application and we will not get any extension of stay at Immigration Bureau, Samut Prakan.

[pothai]

Someone need update this website as not say something bout paying tax. Must have work permit for residency now

[Time Traveller]

Someone need update this website as not say something bout paying tax. Must have work permit for residency now

Yes I checked this recently. On top of what the listed criteria is for residence. Before they accept your application for most categories you must have worked in Thailand with a work permit for at least 3years. It is not a matter of just having record of tax payments and yearly extensions for more than 3yrs.