Have lived in Phuket for almost 9 years now with O-retirement and yearly extensions. Have been married for four years (together for eight) and want to change to married visa principally because of the bank deposit requirements; just too much money sitting slack.

My renewal is due in late June, so I would expect to do this change before then. I have looked at the visa section and gather that I need the usual personal papers, wife ID, marriage certificate, house registration. How about financial, is it same as for renewal i.e 400k in bank or 40k/month income. Anything else of note?

The wife herself will definitely be a requirement? And you do not want to qualify for retirement (800k). You will likely be asked for photo in/around/outside house with house number visiable in one or two and clothing stored together and map to home and perhaps witness or two that you live together. Exact requirements vary from case to case and place to place.

I wonder if you can even do it at all in Phuket. I have tried for 3 years to change my extension from Retirement to Married to Thai citizen. It seems they just don't want to do it for some reason. Possibly because the retirement extension can be done in 5 minutes on site, while for a marital visal extension, they have to send paperwork to Hat Yai, and maybe they are too busy to do the paperwork. There is a new head of immigration in Phuket so perhaps you will have better luck. I just visited 3 lawyers. After hearing my situation and request, 1 was too busy, 1 said I should do it by myself, 1 called Immigration and then reported to me "too complicated just continue with retirement extension"!

It is not hard but there is more paperwork and wife must take an active part. Not sure with new organization but in the past all approvals have had to be made at Bangkok which is the reason all other offices had to provide a 30 day wait for the final stamp.

If you only had 400K in the bank, it shouldn't be a problem. Imm may not like it, but if the 800k isn't there...

The account needs to be in your name only.

You do this just like you renewed for retirement purposes. Extend in the last 30 days of your current permission to stay. Give supporting your family as the reason for the extension.

Technically, "living with Thai wife" would be the correct reason to put on the application form.

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Maestro

I just tried it.

Last week.

AFter them telling me all the above things that Lopburi3 says in post 2.

And i had them all. Plus a few other things. (my sons birth certificate, our marriage license, letter from my sons school, etc)

They simply gave me a retirement extension and said "see you next year" and wouldn't answer my questions about why i didn't get what i wanted.

I considered going to a lawyer but now read what someone said above that the lawyers may discourage you too.

Please let us know how your case comes out as maybe the new head will allow it to go through.

I really believe that it's only because of the extra paperwork that they would rather not do.

If you fail to meet the financial requirements for extension of stay based on retirement the extension will not be issued. As long as the paperwork submitted shows a seasoned bank balance of more than 400k (but less than 800k), or embassy letter showing income of more than 40k (but less than 65k) if from outside Thailand, I find it hard to believe that immigration would refuse to process an application for extension of stay based on marriage.

fiddlehead: What financials did you show immigration?