Foreign Travel While Awaiting Married Persons Extension

[racefan]

On 27th March I applied for married persons extension of stay based on my Non Imm B visa which I originally had for work purposes.

I went to Pattaya Immigration with my wife and the miriad of things that they needed to process the application and after ticking all the boxes the officer took my fee of 1900 baht and told me that the application is sent to BKK and would be back in about a month.

I decllined her offer of "2 day service for an extra 4,000 baht as clearly that was an under the table arrangement"and as she had stamped my passport with an extension of stay until 6th June pending result of married persons application I had no concerns.

Due to the Red shirts activities and Songkran, I guessed that the appplication would not be completed by the end of April so I left it until last week to go back only to be told it was stilll not finished and I should go back this week which I am unable to do as I am at my house in Khon Kaen until Sunday.

My dilemma is that I am due to fly to England on 31st May and the 6th June extension currently in my passport will expire while I am away. Obviously I am hoping that when I go to Pattaya Imm on Monday all will finalised but my query is if for some reason it is not done before I travel will Pattaya Imm give me a further stamp in my passport which will cover me for my UK trip which I am not due to return from until 1st July.

I appreciate that I need a re entry permit and having already obtained the form it refers to my visa expiry date which currently is 6th June.

I imagine that Immigration have an appropriate procedure for such cases but I was wondering if anyone has any personal experience of this scenario.

[ubonjoe]

If you leave without getting your extension stamped in your passport you will have to do it all over again.

You currrently don't have an extension it is just a period of limbo while they consider your application.

Has your current permit to stay expired? Do you have a multiple entry visa or did you have an extension of stay?

The normal wait time is 30 days. Pattaya is playing games with marriage extension applications. We have had reports where people waited far longer than normal.

[racefan]

If you leave without getting your extension stamped in your passport you will have to do it all over again.

You currrently don't have an extension it is just a period of limbo while they consider your application.

Has your current permit to stay expired? Do you have a multiple entry visa or did you have an extension of stay?

The normal wait time is 30 days. Pattaya is playing games with marriage extension applications. We have had reports where people waited far longer than normal.

My original Non Imm B was a single entry issued in Vientiane on 25 Feb 2008 and I subsequently recieved a work permit on which I obtained extension of stay for business purposes.

Sadly the company I was working for went bust and upon surrendering my work permit I paid 1900 baht for a 30 day extension of stay until I got together the required documents for the married persons application.

As previously stated, this was submitted on 27th March and Immigration stamped my paspsort with a further extension of stay until 6th June when I will be in England.

As I understand it they are obliged to keep extending the period until a descision is given from BKK but I am not sure whether they are obliged to do this for more than 30 days at a time. It is a catch 22 situation as obviously I willl not be here on 6th June for them to give me a further stamp and if they do it before I leave for 30 days it will expire before I return.

My main concern about having to re apply is that after the application was submitted, I had to draw on some of the 400,000 baht I had in a special account for the purpose to pay for an urgent operation my wife needed and although I can bring funds back from the UK, they will have to be deposited for 2 months which presumably means I will have to get a new Non Imm O to start all over again.

Do you think they have a special slow pile for those that decline the "4,000 baht and get it in 2 days"offer?

[ubonjoe]

I don't understand the 27th of March to June 6th dates. If it was an extension the most would be a 60 day extension to visit your wife.

The normal stamp is for 30 days while they consider your application and it is not an extension. You cannot even get a re-entry permit during that time if your permit to stay has already run out.

I think if look very closely at the stamp and your permit to stay you find that you do not have an extension.

You need to go to immigration and get this sorted out.

If not and you do leave. You should get a single entry non-o to use when you come back and then get a your account back to 400K and then apply for the extension again after 2 months.

[hoojsn]

If you leave without getting your extension stamped in your passport you will have to do it all over again.

You currrently don't have an extension it is just a period of limbo while they consider your application.

Has your current permit to stay expired? Do you have a multiple entry visa or did you have an extension of stay?

The normal wait time is 30 days. Pattaya is playing games with marriage extension applications. We have had reports where people waited far longer than normal.

I don't understand why you need to extend your Visa in Pattaya.. you could have done it in Central Bangkok. When I was there applying my PR, I could see many foreigner with Thai Assistant seeking Immigration application over the main office.

[ubonjoe]

I don't understand why you need to extend your Visa in Pattaya.. you could have done it in Central Bangkok. When I was there applying my PR, I could see many foreigner with Thai Assistant seeking Immigration application over the main office.

You have to do your extension application at the assigned immigration office for where you live.

If you don't live in Bangkok they will send you back to where you live.

Also it is not a visa it is an extension of stay.

[racefan]

I don't understand the 27th of March to June 6th dates. If it was an extension the most would be a 60 day extension to visit your wife.

The normal stamp is for 30 days while they consider your application and it is not an extension. You cannot even get a re-entry permit during that time if your permit to stay has already run out.

I think if look very closely at the stamp and your permit to stay you find that you do not have an extension.

You need to go to immigration and get this sorted out.

If not and you do leave. You should get a single entry non-o to use when you come back and then get a your account back to 400K and then apply for the extension again after 2 months.

Here is the chronology of my passport which makes sense of the dates.

I surrendered my work permit on 4th March but only got the surrender form 2 days later from my ex employer and went to Pattaya Immigration on 6th March where they duly charged me 1,000 baht for 2 days överstay as they said I should have attended there on the day I surrendered the work permit.

After paying the fine I paid 1,900 baht for 60 day extension as I informed them that I wanted to apply for married persons extension, but the 400,000 baht would not have been in my account for 2 months until 26th March. They stamped my passport with expiry date 6th May as apparently married persons get up to 60 days.

Upon applying for the married persons extension on 27th March they then stamped my passport with a further 30 days from 6th May which is why I now have the 6th June date in my passport.

The stamp to this reads "Application for extension of stay is under consideration. Applicant must contact again on 6th June 2009"

[ubonjoe]

That makes it a bit more clear.

Your extension should of been back and approved long ago since it was done on the 27th of March which should of been the start date for the 30 day wait period (not the 6th of May).

You need to to check and see if they have sent it to Bangkok yet.

[racefan]

When I visited Imm last week and discovered that it wasn't finished an officer told me it would be back 100% by next week, but then said, "Ïf not I will telephone Bangkok!!

So much for his 100%

I have all of next week to sort it out but suspect I might be asked for an "ëxpedition fee"

Will report back on the outcome

[racefan]

I thought I would update this thread. Sorry it is a bit long but it may help somebody who has the same problem as myself.

On Monday I attended Pattaya immigration in the vain hope that the approval of my application had been finalised.

Needless to say that after waiting for 1 hour for my turn I was told, "not finished yet, come back next week"

I pointed out that I could not do that as I was leaving for England on 31st May and asked if the date in my passport could be extended to a date after my return on 1st July.

"Cannot do. Come back on 6th June and if still not finished we will stamp your passport with another 30 days".

Clenching my teeth I reiterated that on 6th June I would be in England and the officer then realised she could not deal with the problem and passed me over to a senior officer.

I had taken a copy of my airline ticket to prove that I was indeed travelling on 31st and the officer said, "Why do you have to go on 31st May. Why not wait until you application is finished"?!!!

I politely pointed out that I was travelling to attend my grand daughters Christening, when what really wanted to say was "What the f@#k sort of answer is that".

The officer then said that if I was prepared to go to Bangkok Imm she would write out a note for the woman who was (not) processing my application asking her to deal with it immediately and fax the approval to her whereupon she would stamp my passport with the 1 year extension of stay.

I aked why she could not just pick up the phone and explain my problem to the lady and ask her to do this but she said "Cannot" so at 6am the next morning I left in a taxi for BKK imm and at 8.15 I was sitting outside room 509 with ticket No.1 waiting to see Khun Ratjana who I hoped would help me, armed with the note that I had been given by the officer in Pattaya.

After reading the note Khun Ratjana said to me "Why you come here"? <deleted>!!!

I patiently went through the problem with her and after 5 minutes the penny dropped and she went to another lady's desk and found my application which she said they would work on immediately and that I should go to Pattaya Imm. that afternoon by which time they will have faxed the aurhority.

My obvious elation was soon shattered as the 2nd lady called out something to her which resulted in her coming back to me and saying that they could not finish it that day and to leave it until Friday to go back to Pattaya Imm.

I pleaded with her to do it earlier pointing out that I was leaving for the airport on Saturday evening and I needed some assurance that all had been resolved but she said "Yours is a special case and we need time to show it to our boss who has to sign the approval". Bear in mind the application was submitted on 27th March.

So here I sit in limbo land getting more and more disillusioned with Thailand and fed up with the total indifference that I have experienced from the Thai authorities and frustrated that there is no point in asking to speak to a higher authority as I am just another Farang trying to do things legally about whom they do not give a flying f@#k!

I am going to Pattaya Imm this afternoon in the hope that by some miracle they may have already faxed the consent but I will not hold my breath!!

[ubonjoe]

A couple of times you said you left and mentioned having a house in Khon Kaen.

Where have you been living?

That could cause problems because they often check to see if you are living together as husband and wife, If they tryed to contact you at your address in Pattaya and were unable to find you or your wife that could cause a delay and/or questions about your application.

[racefan]

A couple of times you said you left and mentioned having a house in Khon Kaen.

Where have you been living?

That could cause problems because they often check to see if you are living together as husband and wife, If they tryed to contact you at your address in Pattaya and were unable to find you or your wife that could cause a delay and/or questions about your application.

I own a condo in Jomtien and we have a house in my wifes name in Khon Kaen.

Part of the paperwork I submitted when I applied was photos of my wife and I at home in Jomtien and a copy of the house book of the K.K. house.

The Jomtien officer was aware that we live in Jomtien and both of our phone numbers given should an officer wish to visit us. Thus far we have not been contacted, but if they have only just started the application in BKK who knows!!

I am pretty well resigned to getting a non Imm O when I am in England and starting the whole process again when I return.

Just off to Pattaya Imm and will update later