How Do I Get My First Non-Immigrant Visa

[chris5346]

hi,

i'm currently on a tourist visa and i want to change to a non imm type-O because i now have a thai baby here in chiang mai (i'm unmarried).

i want to be able to stay here for as long as i can and also have the ability to exit and enter thailand maybe 2 or 3 times in the next few years.

i have a few questions if you can help please:

1. i read somewhere that i can't apply until my current visa expires ? is that true or does that only apply if say i'm on the first of a double entry etc ? and if i'm on an extension do i also need to wait until the last day ?

2. i'm thinking of going back to vientiene or maybe trying KL is there much difference between the two ? i notice that KL is double the price for a single entry visas ? but what about the logistics and other factors ?

3. when filling in the form do i apply for 3 months or 1 year ? single or multiple entry etc ?

4. how much time do i need remaining on my passport ? i read that for a 1 year visa i need 18 months on my passport ? if i apply for 3 months do i need 9 months remaining ?

( my current passport expires in 11 months)

5. what paperwork etc do i need to show and provide with the application ?

6. when the type o visa expires - i believe that i can keep extending it ? how often and what's involved ?

7. do i need to do border runs etc in the future ? how many pages will i need to use in my passport if i stay in thailand for next 10 years ? (i've used a lot of pages in the past year getting tourist visas))

8. what options do i have ?

9. how do the re-entry permits work ? any limitations etc ?

10. what other things should i be looking into ? anything i've missed out ?

my names on the birth certificate as father and also on the kor ror 14 book when i registered the birth, baby has my family name if that helps ?

i have a thai bank account and have been putting approx. 40,000 baht a month in for the past 3 months - i can send larger amounts from the u.k but not sure what's best to do at the moment.

thanks for looking,

[Lite Beer]

To get a 12 month extension from Immigration to stay with your Thai Child you need 400,000 Baht in a Thai bank OR 40,000 Baht a month income. Not savings.

Vientienne would only give a single Non Imm O Visa. KL prossibly a multi entry.

The Consulate in Hull will definitely issue a 12 month Multi Entry Visa if you are thinking of going back to the UK at anytime. This would give a stay of up to 15 months.

If you have 400,000 Baht in a Thai bank or can prove 40,000 Baht monthly income go and have a chat with Immigration in Chiang Mai.

[lopburi3]

1. You can apply for a new visa at any time - but old valid visas will likely have to be void.

2. The price of a single entry non immigrant visa is 2,000 baht - only the exchange rates should change.

3. So not believe any local Consulate will issue multi entry on a birth certificate type application.

4. You should have six months remaining at end of allowed stay (as without that most countries would not let you enter).

5. You will need proof of being parent of a Thai child and any non immigrant visa can require show of 20k in baht

6. A visa entry is 90 days. It can only be extended at Immigration if you meet the requirements which would be living with and supporting child and 400k/40k as with wife. That would be for one year and cost 1,900 baht for TM.7

7. If you extend your stay no border runs would be required. You would require a new page or two each year for extension of stay/under-consideration/approved and re-entry permit if you have that each time. Plus any travel.

8. Tourist visa, non immigrant visa, extension of stay. If you work or study other extensions of stay are open.

9. Re-entry keeps current permitted to stay time alive - does not add anything but allows you to return with same stay period you had.

10. Get 400k into a Thai bank account and after two months that can be used to obtain a one year extension of stay for the non immigrant visa you plan to obtain so only one exit of country required. You are with mother and child but unmarried?

[ExpatArchie]

10. what other things should i be looking into ? anything i've missed out ?

Enough already!!!!!!!!!!

Edited June 18, 2010 by ExpatArchie

[chris5346]

hi,

what does a multiple entry mean exactly ? if i can show 400,000 in my bank is there any point in me getting one ? i guess the problem is i wont know if they are going to extend until i apply - does he 400,000 need to be in bank for 2 months ?

what happens after the year extension runs out ? do i have to apply for another visa ? or can i just keep extending ?

when i come to do the extension i will have approx. 7 months worth of 40,000 is that enough ? or is it supposed to be a years worth ? at the moment i'm just with drawing cah from atm and putting it into a savings account.

looking at this page Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand : : Kuala Lumpur

it says to make sure there's no valid visa in my passport ? if i leave thailand i presume that invalides my visa ? but if i have a double entry surely the second one will still be valid ? maybe some of these rules are flexible ?

once i get a year extension do i not need to do anything for a whole year ?

are the re-entry permits free ? is there a limit on how many ?

sounds like a standard 35 page passport should be fine .

yes i'm thinking of going to malaysia for holiday and maybe the uk if i can get babys uk birth certificate/passport done there - that's why i was asking what KL is like.

regards,

chris

[chris5346]

sorry i forgot to say yes to question - all living together.

[lopburi3]

Multi means you may enter/exit unlimited time during the validity of the visa and on each entry receive a 90 day permitted to stay stamp.

If you can extend (400k) in bank there is no need for more than a single entry. The only time it might be an advantage is for the foreign workers (oil rigs) where they travel often and may not have time for the under review period after application.

For first application money in bank 2 months at or above 400k. Next year it may require 3 months. Process is repeated every year. If you stay in Thailand more than 90 days you must file a TM.47 report with address but no other reporting required except the annual extension of stay. Re-entry permit is 1,000 for single or 3,800 for multi entry types.

Ask Consulate if they can cancel visa - if not just do a day trip to border and return with second entry being used.

The other route might be easier (if open to you) - convert to non immigrant entry at Immigration for 2,000 baht and then extend (but not sure if your non marriage may be a red flag for that or not - but worth asking). No exit of country required and no problem with visa in passport. You need at least 7 (was 21 days and unclear if always 7 now or perhaps a bit more) days remaining on permitted to stay and meet the financial conditions for extension of stay. Not all offices will do the conversion so you might have to travel to Bangkok for that part of it.

[chris5346]

thanks for info.

so just to confirm maybe i can convert my tourist into to a typo o here at immigration if not then i'll apply in vientiene or KL later on.

the first of my double entry runs out next week so too late this time - i'll do a border run and also get the 400,000 in my bank and try in july/aug gives me better chance.

[lopburi3]

You can always extend a tourist visa for 30 days to get the extra time if you want try that.

[IMA_FARANG]

Looking at the other replys...you have most of the info. Just let me add a couple of points.

Hull, England is known to be particularly "friendly" at giving multiple entry or O visas. They have given visas based on "visting Thai friends" if you can show a leter from a person with a Thai I.D. card (photo copy of I.D. and letter required)who is willing to support your "visting Thai friends" claim.

Some other Thai consulates are much less friendly. Often they require that Thai marriage certificate as a requirement before they issue that O visa. Simply having a Thai partner and a child isn't enough for them, the marriage certificate is required. The visa is always issued at the judgement of the Thai consulate or embassy, and they interpret the rules as easy or as hard as they want them to be. Some Thai consulates in the U.S. for example make it a point of requiring a marriage certifacte before they will even consider a single entry O visa...and they say that on thier web site...so there's no "I didn't know" excuse if they refuse you. The visa is always at their discretion, and they reserve the right to refuse the visa if they want to. Just be warned ahead of time.

At the present time I believe that a 6O day tourist visa (can be extened for an additional 30 days in Thailand)in Vientianne, Phenom Penh, etc is free. Purpose... to stimulate Thai tourism right now. So that's a no fee visa you can extend in Thailand (there will be a fee for the 30 day extension...but not so much you shouldn't be able to handle it). A 60 day visa with a 30 day extension will give you the 90 days you need to get that 400,000 baht you require in the Thai bank or certify that 40,000 baht a month income...whichever route you choose. Here again, some immigration offices want to see that Thai marriage certificate if you are claiming to want to live in Thailand to support a Thai wife or family. Otherwise, forget it.

In my particular case I can document from bank records 30 years of suporting a Thai family, but without that marriage certificate...that financial support means nothing to the immigration. However, I'm old enough for a retirement extension now...so that is okay. So I'll be going for a retirement extension soon.

[equium]

you should be able to sort your babies uk status out at the british embassy,we got ours all sorted at the british embassy in bangkok for our daughter.

then its all sorted if you want to take them to the uk with you.

[chris5346]

hi,

i may goto uk first on my own and try and register baby for british citizenship/birth certificate and passport to save some money if not i'll have to do it here.

how much do they charge in bangkok ? when did you do yours ? what's involved - i believe there's no time limit ?

maybe i could take my daughter to uk on her thai passport and apply for everything in the uk ?

i would have thought it's all possible but doubt many people do it that way.

regards,

chris

[chris5346]

hi yes, i have extended before 1900 baht for 1 month . i can always get more tourist visas also but maybe if they know i'm a father maybe difficult to say i'm typical tourist now

our baby is only 3 weeks old and i only have been showing 40,000 for 3-4 months so early days.

i'll transfer 400,000 to maximize my chances,

other choice is we can live in uk but maybe not allowed because we're not married ?

there must be plenty of people in same situation being allowed to stay.

chris

[lopburi3]

You should be able to easily obtain a 60 day extension of stay to visit child (3 week old baby) and from there extend using 400k in bank account. There should not be any requirement on how long it has been in a bank account for parent extension of stay but if there is the 60 day extension might cover it if transfer made soon. Your long list of items got me off track and provided the normal marriage requirement for the 400k amount in earlier post. It may not be required so get the 400k into an account and give it a go.

[chris5346]

hi,

i'm ultimetely after a 1 year extension to stay and the sooner i can get that the better.

would be nice to be able to convert my tourist visa into a non imm o to save me going to vientiene etc.

i'll probably still goto burma next week and get my next 60 days - only 1000 baht to do that.

gives me time to put the 400k in my bank.

once i've got the 400k in my bank we can talk to immigration and see what they suggest.(i'll do it that way cos i doubt they will think much to my past 3 months banking statements).

if i have to wait for ages until i can apply for the 1 year extention means the 400k is tied up.

maybe we should talk to immigration next week anyway .

i also maybe going to KL and uk anyway later in the year so i'm not sure what to do at the moment.

regards,

chris.

[pazza]

Sorry for butting into this topic but the answer might help others (as well as myself).

Hi, I am with the kasikorn bank and have just SWIFTed (is that even a word) my extension money over from the UK.

I just want to make sure ? does it matter what type of account it is in ?

sorry again

Thanks

Steve

[lopburi3]

Cash bank account. Savings or fixed deposit are normally accepted.

[pazza]

Thanks Lopburi3