New Photo Taking And Fingerprinting Procedure For Visa Extension

[lopburi3]

Google knows:

THE ROYAL THAI CONSULATE (Bali)

Mr. Peraphon Prayooravong – Honorary Consul <[email protected]>

Mr. Poramate Khemwongthong – Consular Officer <[email protected]>

Address: Jl. Puputan Raya No. 81, Renon Denpasar 80235

Phone: 263 310, Fax: 238 044 Email: [email protected]

Office hours: Monday to Friday 09.00 – 12.00 & 13.00 – 16.00 Visa hours: Monday to Friday 09.00 – 12.00 & 13.30 – 16.00

[Brewsta]

I am so (not) looking forward to getting my Retirement Visa when I 'hit' 50 y.old in 3 years time.......digi photos and 'prints - great.

Being married to a Thai National, plus our 2 kids (5.5 and 2.5 y.old), will the Marriage Visa be a better option?

Any input welcomed.

rgdz,

Brewsta

Ill try to make this short. I've been here 3 yrs on a mariage visa. 3 times, officers in Bkk have said its easier to get a retirement visa. Up til this year, I have gone into Bkk to extend my marriage visa although I live in another province, due to our local Imm. office having a very, how shall I put it, unforgiving officer that comes across as a person that hates their job. With the change in law, I was forced to file for extension in our local Imm office. The wife and I went in with the paperwork for the marriage visa, and this time I took paperwork for a retirement visa. My thought was, allow the officer to pick which paperwork they are in the mood to do. I might add here, that we never walk into an Imm office in shorts and tee. polo, or any other pull over shirts. Dress sharp and you get respect. Last week, when this occured, I was wearing dress slacks and a long sleeve dress shirt, the wife in a business type outfit. We saw the officer, wearing a medical face mask, so we immediately put ours on. When the officer called us up, we laid down all we had, and we were then asked why the 2 sets of forms. Upon mentioning that I really wanted the retirment visa if that would be no problem to the officer. The marriage visa forms were pushed back to us, and in 6 minutes, I got my passport back with a retirement visa stamp inside. YESSSSS, a retirement visa is a whole lot easier, if you can show proof that you make the annual income required.

Nice detail - thanks for your thoughts, featography, and fully agree with the 'sharp' approach.

Stay Well.

regardz,

Brewsta

[dsfbrit]

I am so (not) looking forward to getting my Retirement Visa when I 'hit' 50 y.old in 3 years time.......digi photos and 'prints - great.

Being married to a Thai National, plus our 2 kids (5.5 and 2.5 y.old), will the Marriage Visa be a better option?

Any input welcomed.

rgdz,

Brewsta

....or am I in the wrong thread to enquire of same.....hmmmm

rgdz

Brewsta

I do the extension based on marriage I have done so now for 6 years. The good thing about this extension over the retirement method for me is the amount of money I need to deposit in the bank. I need a minimum balance of 400,000 Baht 3 (now 2) months before the application is made and during the application process - which can take up to 2 months.

This compares to the retirement visa amount of 800,000 Baht for the retirement visa.

Bear in mind there are various mixes of income versus bank deposit amount for the retirement visa. The advantages of the retirement visa would be - for me anyway - the reduced amount of time waiting for the visa (1 day compared to up to 2 months) and I would not have the hassle of involving my wife, taking pictures and having to prove we are married etc...

Lets face it, and I am sure you have found this as well, the 400,000 Baht is actually a lot more than that as you have to have the money in the account for 3 (now 2) months before that and during the decision process. So in fact if you spend 50000 baht a month (as I do) then you need the additional 4-5 months monthly allowance. So in my case the 400,000 Baht minimum is actually 650,000 Baht.

With the retirement visa I am told you cannot work - or you are not supposed to.

I dont want to work anyway and next year I may well switch to the retirement visa.

edit: I have just read above that the retirement visa cash amount needs to be in the bank for 2 months before renewal. I cannot vouch for this personally, but I was told by someone who uses Jomtien this is not a requirement/enforced. I think I have just changed my mind about switching to the retirement visa. That would mean 900,000 baht in my case to cover the 2 extra months and once I switched to the retirement visa its hard to switch back I am told.

Edited August 16, 2009 by dsfbrit

[lopburi3]

Money for both needs to be in account for 3 months except the first time when 2 months will be enough. The regulation says 2 months for marriage but offices are not accepting except for first time. Believe Jomtien has ended the no seasoning from my understanding and now require the same 2 or 3 months that other offices have required.

[Tjip]

RENEW RETIREMENT VISA

Has anyone had trouble renewing a retirement visa at a provincial immigration office instead of in BKK under the rules which changed this year.

For three years I have lived in Roi-Et and always renewed my retirement visa in BKK by just showing a letter from the embassy certifying my pension amount, above the required 850,000THB, a five minute job usually.

Now I have to renew in Mukdahan, they are demanding I keep at least 850K in the bank in Thailand for three months+ medical certificate as well as my pension certificate.

All my money is kept off shore so no way can I show any amount in a Thai bank account.

How can the law be different in Mukdahan than in Bangkok?

Any suggestions ?

The rule always has been that if you opt for the showing 800,000 in the bank optiont the money has to be in a bankaccount in Thailand.

If you go for the income route the requiremenn is 65,000 a month (on avarage) and that can be from abroad.

Maybe they misunderstood that you are opting for the money in the bank option instead of the income option. But the required ammount would be 800,000 not 850,000.

Thai consulate in Antwerp Belgium: perfect service, but the rule is 850K

I use the Thai consulate in Antwerp too but never heard about this unless it's pretty new !!!

But why should Belgians add 50.000 Bht more to their account then any other farang ???? Because whe come from the land of milk and honey ????

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Got a letter of earnings from the embassy last time and took it to immigration Hua Hin and things went very smoothly.

Can I use the same letter again next year or does immigration require a new letter every time?

Edited August 16, 2009 by BEENTHEREDONETHAT

[lopburi3]

Some require new each year but recently other have been advising that they can be used for up to three years - so I would do early and give it a try. As long as you have the original letter.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Some require new each year but recently other have been advising that they can be used for up to three years - so I would do early and give it a try. As long as you have the original letter.

Thanks for that Lopburi3 I'll give it a try next time around.

[phetpeter]

was fingerprinted in Indonesia, Bali for my extension. Every month, new appl and photos.

I have a question for you all with retirement visas. I needed to show up for 90 day check-in with address, etc on the 10th, totally forgot, now today is closed for Queen's Birthday. Will I have to pay a fine for late reporting?

Last year I was supposed to report to Nongkhai-go over bridge and back-on the 1st Jan but listened to mates who said they would be closed so went on 2nd and was charged 500bt!!!!

WHY! the hel_l are you waiting till the last day, it's not as if you are earning money for each day you hold out on the visa expiry date??? Remember never trust 'mate's info (I haven't met one person who has not had a great story to tell of the journey to and from. and the probs at the img!I must be the only person to have a boring trip and easy deal at Img!)) get the info from the 'horses mouth!'

[lopburi3]

The fact is he is not last until a week after the reporting date. If you do early you get an early reporting date and lose every time. There is no need to report early.

The second poster seems to be talking about an overstay - not a 90 day report.

Edited August 16, 2009 by lopburi3

[poldebol]

Visa extension are made by Immigration inside Thailand - not by any Consulate. The rule is 800k in a Thai bank account for 2 months first time and 3 months thereafter; or 65k monthly income as listed on letter from your Embassy or a combination of the two to meet the 800k yearly requirement.

Sorry, I was not talking about extension, but about application for retirement visa. I go back two or three times a year to Belgium and apply there. The amount of money I must have in Thai bank is 850.000 THB.

[dsfbrit]

Money for both needs to be in account for 3 months except the first time when 2 months will be enough. The regulation says 2 months for marriage but offices are not accepting except for first time. Believe Jomtien has ended the no seasoning from my understanding and now require the same 2 or 3 months that other offices have required.

Yes - thats sounds about right - these 'little' changes / interpretations are what adds to the joy of the annual extension renewal. So for me to switch to the retirement visa, I would need to have a proven pension income of at least half the 800,000 Baht amount required to make it worthwhile, or else the amount required in the bank would be 950,000 Baht in my case. The last time I was at Jomtiem to extend my visa based on marriage, I was questioned about my pension income and income in general. It may have been to prove I did not work here in Thailand or to see if I could be encouraged to get the retirement visa - less paperwork for them. With immigration you can never be sure.

edit: I wonder how I would feel about being fingerprinted. I think I would not mind once, but every year would seem a bit excessive. Still I guess I would do almost anything rather than return to the UK!!!

Edited August 16, 2009 by dsfbrit

[lopburi3]

Visa extension are made by Immigration inside Thailand - not by any Consulate. The rule is 800k in a Thai bank account for 2 months first time and 3 months thereafter; or 65k monthly income as listed on letter from your Embassy or a combination of the two to meet the 800k yearly requirement.

Sorry, I was not talking about extension, but about application for retirement visa. I go back two or three times a year to Belgium and apply there. The amount of money I must have in Thai bank is 850.000 THB.

The Embassy web site for Belguim provides the MFA requirement of 800k (and it does not have to be in Thailand).

- A copy of bank statement showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht or an income certificate (an original copy) with a monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht, or a deposit account plus a monthly income totalling not less than 800,000 Baht.

[TongueThaied]

I am so (not) looking forward to getting my Retirement Visa when I 'hit' 50 y.old in 3 years time.......digi photos and 'prints - great.

Being married to a Thai National, plus our 2 kids (5.5 and 2.5 y.old), will the Marriage Visa be a better option?

Any input welcomed.

rgdz,

Brewsta

....or am I in the wrong thread to enquire of same.....hmmmm

rgdz

Brewsta

I do the extension based on marriage I have done so now for 6 years. The good thing about this extension over the retirement method for me is the amount of money I need to deposit in the bank. I need a minimum balance of 400,000 Baht 3 (now 2) months before the application is made and during the application process - which can take up to 2 months.

This compares to the retirement visa amount of 800,000 Baht for the retirement visa.

Bear in mind there are various mixes of income versus bank deposit amount for the retirement visa. The advantages of the retirement visa would be - for me anyway - the reduced amount of time waiting for the visa (1 day compared to up to 2 months) and I would not have the hassle of involving my wife, taking pictures and having to prove we are married etc...

Lets face it, and I am sure you have found this as well, the 400,000 Baht is actually a lot more than that as you have to have the money in the account for 3 (now 2) months before that and during the decision process. So in fact if you spend 50000 baht a month (as I do) then you need the additional 4-5 months monthly allowance. So in my case the 400,000 Baht minimum is actually 650,000 Baht.

With the retirement visa I am told you cannot work - or you are not supposed to.

I dont want to work anyway and next year I may well switch to the retirement visa.

edit: I have just read above that the retirement visa cash amount needs to be in the bank for 2 months before renewal. I cannot vouch for this personally, but I was told by someone who uses Jomtien this is not a requirement/enforced. I think I have just changed my mind about switching to the retirement visa. That would mean 900,000 baht in my case to cover the 2 extra months and once I switched to the retirement visa its hard to switch back I am told.

I'm in the process of my first marriage extension and have thought about going the retirement visa route. One worry I have is the criminal background check I need for the retirement visa. Now, not long ago, this would not have been an issue for me. However, I had to go back to the States a couple of months ago to take care of some business. One day, after consumming quite a bit of coffee, I had occasion to be driving across the Nevada desert when nature's call hit me rather insistently. I answered the call carefully concealing myself behind the pick-up from sight of other motorists. However, when one just stands in one position, behind a car, starring out into space, the enterprise is not hard to guess. I was just finishing up and beginning to climb back into the truck when the calm was shattered by a sharp burst from the siren of a Nevada State Trooper, who had both guessed my activity and taken exception to it. I actually feared he would take me to jail. When he asked me where I lived, I politely told him I had just returned from two years in Thailand. He screamed at me, spewing little pieces of Copehagan at me as he yelled, "Well this is America! And we don't piss on the road in America!" Though I remained very polite, I admitted nothing, but left with a citation for public urination, costing $107, which, unfortunately, in that particular jurisdiction, was a misdemeanor. Had I gone to court, perhaps I could have beaten it, but I had a plane to catch, so paid and went.

Despite the fact that here, a citation for this conduct would be extememly doubtful, I fear that the existence of my new criminal record could cause problems. Any thoughts on this?

[Wellmeant]

I have not been doing that and my attorney says it will be a fine of 2,000 at most. Probably not looked at period.

You have 7 days to report (plus/minus 7 days) for the 90 day reports.

[lopburi3]

I have not been doing that and my attorney says it will be a fine of 2,000 at most. Probably not looked at period.

You have 7 days to report (plus/minus 7 days) for the 90 day reports.

The law is below:

Section 76 : Any alien, alien, who fails to comply with the provisions of Section 37(2),(3),(4)or(5) shall be

punished with a fine not exceeding 5,000 Baht and with and additional fine not exceeding 200 Baht for

each day which passes until the law is complied with.

[lopburi3]

Despite the fact that here, a citation for this conduct would be extememly doubtful, I fear that the existence of my new criminal record could cause problems. Any thoughts on this?

Don't believe you will make America's most wanted list. There is no police check required when you extend your stay for retirement inside Thailand.

[boldfj]

I am so (not) looking forward to getting my Retirement Visa when I 'hit' 50 y.old in 3 years time.......digi photos and 'prints - great.

Being married to a Thai National, plus our 2 kids (5.5 and 2.5 y.old), will the Marriage Visa be a better option?

Any input welcomed.

rgdz,

Brewsta

Ill try to make this short. I've been here 3 yrs on a mariage visa. 3 times, officers in Bkk have said its easier to get a retirement visa. Up til this year, I have gone into Bkk to extend my marriage visa although I live in another province, due to our local Imm. office having a very, how shall I put it, unforgiving officer that comes across as a person that hates their job. With the change in law, I was forced to file for extension in our local Imm office. The wife and I went in with the paperwork for the marriage visa, and this time I took paperwork for a retirement visa. My thought was, allow the officer to pick which paperwork they are in the mood to do. I might add here, that we never walk into an Imm office in shorts and tee. polo, or any other pull over shirts. Dress sharp and you get respect. Last week, when this occured, I was wearing dress slacks and a long sleeve dress shirt, the wife in a business type outfit. We saw the officer, wearing a medical face mask, so we immediately put ours on. When the officer called us up, we laid down all we had, and we were then asked why the 2 sets of forms. Upon mentioning that I really wanted the retirment visa if that would be no problem to the officer. The marriage visa forms were pushed back to us, and in 6 minutes, I got my passport back with a retirement visa stamp inside. YESSSSS, a retirement visa is a whole lot easier, if you can show proof that you make the annual income required.

Brewsta, one thing you should note about the extension of stay based on Retirement is that you cannot work in Thailand with it. Whereas, with an extension of stay based on being married to a Thai wife, you can apply for a work permit and work in Thailand. Even though I don't work now, I would rather not give up my right to be able to work here as I would have to do if I sought the extension of stay based on Retirement here. I agree, the extension of stay based on Retirement here is quicker and easier to get that an extension based on supporting a Thai wife, but to me it is worth the extra effort and time. If you definitely don't want to ever work in Thailand, then an extension of stay based on Retirement is the best way to go for you, provided you meet all of the requirements.

[lopburi3]

You can easily change. It is not like a marriage. A quick trip to obtain a non immigrant O visa would be all that required if you decided to work.

[poldebol]

Visa extension are made by Immigration inside Thailand - not by any Consulate. The rule is 800k in a Thai bank account for 2 months first time and 3 months thereafter; or 65k monthly income as listed on letter from your Embassy or a combination of the two to meet the 800k yearly requirement.

Sorry, I was not talking about extension, but about application for retirement visa. I go back two or three times a year to Belgium and apply there. The amount of money I must have in Thai bank is 850.000 THB.

The Embassy web site for Belguim provides the MFA requirement of 800k (and it does not have to be in Thailand).

- A copy of bank statement showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht or an income certificate (an original copy) with a monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht, or a deposit account plus a monthly income totalling not less than 800,000 Baht.

The Thai consulate in Antwerp, Belgium has asked me on three occasions to show 850 K. I do not mind, they give me good service, but I have always wondered about the difference.