Visa For Marriage Extension: Rule Changed?

[SabaiBKK]

are you saying thay it is not possible anymore to get a 1 yr extension based on marriage if you have a non-b visa?

i have been extending my non-b visa for the last 6 yrs without any problem. is this a new rule??

i did change my extention from non B to non O last May without problem and the officers at chaeng wattana were very helpfull in explaining the whole process and even accepted my files even thought i was missing a paper from the revenue department that I had to bring within a week.

thing is that if you extend your non B for Thai Wife reason you don't have a non B anymore but a non O which is better in case of you losing your work permit because the "7 days and out" doesnt apply anymore.

.

[lopburi3]

The 400k account has never been required to be a separate account used only for show to immigration. Up until 2551 they allowed joint accounts with spouse and have always actively encouraged activity in account (and asked questions when there was none).

[SabaiBKK]

The 400k account has never been required to be a separate account used only for show to immigration. Up until 2551 they allowed joint accounts with spouse and have always actively encouraged activity in account (and asked questions when there was none).

sorry this didnt read out like I wanted to " it was always clear TO ME that I would put the 400k in a separate account" .... didnt mean it was mandatory :jap:

Edited August 28, 2011 by SabaiBKK

[trevorg]

I strongly recommend that foreigners assume year by year that the 400,000 Baht requirement will increase. You have noticed how the regulations are often being tightened up and changed, probably because of foreigners and criminals abusing the system. If you can, keep 600,000 Baht in an account, which you don't touch at all. One day, the 400,000 Baht amount will change. It's not a matter of "if", just "when", in my opinion. Probably the period for having this amount will be increased to at least 3 months.

Thanks for your strong recommendations and opinions, I for one will bear them in mind! Top work!

[spacebass]

They really don't like doing extensions based on marriage. The policeman that managed to frustrate my application told me "That it was impossible that the money I had in my bank account came from the sale of a condo because foreigners need a work permit to sell a condo" (which I don't have)and is anyway complete nonsense.

None of these occurrences are official they are new devices manufactured by the immigration officers to frustrate your application for reasons best known to Thai people but probably connected with inducing a bribe at some stage i.e. corruption.

[talatnat]

i did change my extention from non B to non O last May without problem and the officers at chaeng wattana were very helpfull in explaining the whole process and even accepted my files even thought i was missing a paper from the revenue department that I had to bring within a week.

thing is that if you extend your non B for Thai Wife reason you don't have a non B anymore but a non O which is better in case of you losing your work permit because the "7 days and out" doesnt apply anymore.

.

As the OP, I have a non-B visa but never had a workpermit. My one-year extensions are based on marriage. The visa continues to be listed on the passport as a non-B, and not a non-O. It appears that while this is fine, there does seem to be a perception that it should be a non-O (for example, as I wrote in the first post, the confusion on the immigration officer's part). Question:

1. Did Immigration actually change your visa as listed in your passport from non-B to non-O when you extended your non-B (work permit-based?) to non-O (for Thai Wife)?

2. If so, what's the exact procedure (documents, etc.) to change the non-B to non-O?

Thanks.

[connda]

I have a "Marriage Extension" to my Non-B visa. I keep two bank accounts: one for funds that I use and one 400,000 baht "frozen account" strictly for the visa extension. I've found the simpler you make it for immigration the better.

[RedBullHorn]

The 400k account has never been required to be a separate account used only for show to immigration. Up until 2551 they allowed joint accounts with spouse and have always actively encouraged activity in account (and asked questions when there was none).

This has been the case for me, the same officer who process my extension every year prefered to see activity in my statement and will ask me to point out oversea fund tranfers deposit. Once there was this guy whom was told he need to season the fund for 3 months as if was not the 1st year extension, he argued and was told off to do as he was told by the office, then it was my turn, greeted him with a wai and handed over my papers, i had only 2 months and 5 days on the seasoning and it was my 3rd extension but i have close to a million THB on my statement....and i passed

"Oh it's you~ Time of the year again ? "

I didn't bribe nor tip-after because he didn't ask and i don't feel like spoiling his dignity, i'll just be extremely polite and wai sincerely and...

"See you again next year ! " he said...

Edited August 28, 2011 by RedBullHorn

[gleeglee]

I agree feeding her with a dinner will make it harder for the next victim now she knows there is profit to be made,

Feeding the culture of corruption will not kill it

I am sorry the OP had to resort to that

[Milo]

I see nothing wrong in giving a 'tip' to someone who has performed a task for you.

The OP handing over an evelope after the job was done, was a nice gesture on his part.

No different than giving a bottle of whiskey or food hamper at Cristmas, to someone you do business with.

Glad everything turned out well in the end for you OP, but don't forget, she'll expect the same next year

A few years ago when Udon Immigration office was still under AEK Udon Hospital there; after nipping back with a box of chocs for the lady officer who'd put in a tremendous amount of work changing my visa to include a new business without disrupting my previous non-O & full-time employment status, she was SO over the moon and gushed I could come and "throw water" on the Monday before Wednesday's Songkrahn next week...

Didn't feel like pushing my luck quite that far! TOO tempting!!

Shame she left actually, even though she never had any change, that was just...understood, making 100b on each visa? No biggie.

These new guys at the airport ok too after being complete sticklers to begin with; we live in Udon but work in Cm and it's always awkward with money/time/business/commitments. I find if me & the missus go in first and ask real pleasant how we can manage it best while still making life as easy for them as possible, they can be quite flexible on occasion. Never once has a gift/bribe gone their way.

[nahkit]

The last time I exited Thailand, the immigration officer at the airport looked at my 30 day on-arrival visa and then noted that I had obtained a 60-day extension based on my marriage to a Thai. After asking if I had a Thai wife, he flicked through the rest of my passport and then said "passport no good soon" - I only had two empty pages left. I told him I was planning to get a new one once I arrived in the UK and that I also would then apply for a non-imigrant 'O' before returning. He studied the passport a bit more then placed it back on the desk and said "now you give me money". I wasn't sure I'd heard him right and said "what?". He repeated his demand for money but as I'd already picked my passport up by now I told him no and walked through to departures.

Never in twenty-six years of coming here have I ever had such a blatant attempt at a shake-down at the airport.

[EarthAlien]

As I posted earlier, the Immigration Officer was genuinely concerned. She greeted us with a lot of smiles, but kept us waiting 45 mins beyond the appointed time while she processed the "simpler" cases (90-day reporting, etc.) of people who came after us.

In our case today, there was no attempt to "moan and groan" about extra work, nor was there any suggestion of a shakedown as I wrongly implied earlier. As we were leaving, we passed over an envelope and just said: Thanks for all the extra work, we'd like to buy you dinner. The officer seemed surprised at the gesture, and then very pleased... a big, big smile.

Come on, get real.

Whatever immigration office that is, "incompetence" comes to my mind.

And you passed over an envelope.....shame on you!

My sentiments exactly,.... clearly an incompetent officer,- with arrogance to boot!

She misquoted the legal requirement (i.e. minimum $400k bht in your account) and made a song and dance over the various withdrawals which were none of her business given that the minimum balance at the lowest point was 30% higher than the minimum required legal threshold!

I would say she deliberately complicated things and incovenienced you (i.e. "come back when we're not busy",.. & seeing latecomers for 45 minutes ahead of you) to a twofold purpose; 1) elevating her own self importance, 2) to make you worried about the process in the hope that it may end up in the presentation of a brown envelope (so she wasn't quite so dumb after all).

"Buy you dinner" my ass,... you plainly and simply bribed her and sold out to corrupt principles in the hope that next year you'll get silk glove treatment. More fool you,- expect the same song and dance routine next year because she'll want the brown envelope treatment again.

The Thais will never change their ways of arrogance over logic or integrity over corruption whilst ever we are encouraging this behavior by playing along with it!

[RedBullHorn]

I was wondering how it would work out for you when

...Because obviously you are the smartest one

Edited August 28, 2011 by RedBullHorn

[talatnat]

As the OP, I'm getting dismayed that the issues I posted about are getting hijacked by a discussion of my actions. It will be helpful for those interested in this topic, now and in the future, if we stuck to the issues/experiences of us all so that they can find the relevant information quickly when they need it. Those interested in the ethics of "tea money" should probably start a separate post and get a wider audience.

Like me, it seems my post worried a lot of other folk, and I thank all those who answered and clarified the issues. For many of us in the hinterlands, without access to others with more knowledge/experience, this forum is a lifesaver.

[tracy3eyes]

I have had various snags such as this, but I KNOW the immigration law and carry the Thai and English translations with me every time I go in. If they ask for something not required, I politely point out that it is not required. There is a risk of causing an officer to lose face, so one must be careful, but I have stood by my guns and always obtained what I was after in accordance with the law and with NO extra fees. The whole key to these problems is to be prepared; have everything (including a copy of the law) -- and most of all, be polite, talk slowly and smile.

As a recent example, I went in for my marriage extension last week, presented all the required materials, including a picture of my house with family -- address showing. The purpose of the picture is to allow an investigator to easily identify your house when he goes out to see if you really live where you say you do. The officer noticed it was the same picture I used last year and said that I would need a new one. I would have provided a new one if I had one with me, but was not inclined to travel all the way home, take a picture then come back. Instead, I pulled out a copy of the law and informed her that there was no requirement for an updated picture. She shot back that "there shoould be." And I quietly replied, "But there isn't." That was the end of it. The issue just died and I got my extension. Next year I will provider her a new one just to make her happy.

If push comes to shove, I call the Bangkok office, get a hold of a high enough officer, then hand the phone to the clerk in my local office. This is only for the worst case scenarios as the officer WILL lose face and you have to come back next year.

Do you have soft copies of the law and can you email to

Edited August 28, 2011 by lopburi3
email removed - use PM

[tracy3eyes]

Quick Update: The wife just called the Immigration officer, and she said that her boss had "passed" my marriage extension application.

So, all in all, a false alarm on both fronts: 1) No, you don't need to freeze the money, 2) A Non-B visa is also good for a marriage-extension.

They were very careful to specify the time for us to come tomorrow afternoon ("when it is not busy"), so we may still want to "buy them dinner" for all the extra effort and care they took over our application.

I'll update again tomorrow, but for now all ye posters, thanks, and you can rest a little easier.

Ok have uploads already. thanks

Can one go from a Non-O to a Non-B the same way? i.e. marriage breakdown but over 50

Anybody?

[tombkk]

i did change my extention from non B to non O last May without problem and the officers at chaeng wattana were very helpfull in explaining the whole process and even accepted my files even thought i was missing a paper from the revenue department that I had to bring within a week.

thing is that if you extend your non B for Thai Wife reason you don't have a non B anymore but a non O which is better in case of you losing your work permit because the "7 days and out" doesnt apply anymore.

.

How do you change the visa type?

The way I understand it, you don't actually need to do anything as long as the visa is valid. Once it is near expiry, you hand in a bunch of documents and get an Extension of Stay. Did they actually change the visda type in your passport? Why was that necessary?

[moe666]

As I posted earlier, the Immigration Officer was genuinely concerned. She greeted us with a lot of smiles, but kept us waiting 45 mins beyond the appointed time while she processed the "simpler" cases (90-day reporting, etc.) of people who came after us.

In our case today, there was no attempt to "moan and groan" about extra work, nor was there any suggestion of a shakedown as I wrongly implied earlier. As we were leaving, we passed over an envelope and just said: Thanks for all the extra work, we'd like to buy you dinner. The officer seemed surprised at the gesture, and then very pleased... a big, big smile.

Come on, get real.

Whatever immigration office that is, "incompetence" comes to my mind.

And you passed over an envelope.....shame on you!

My sentiments exactly,.... clearly an incompetent officer,- with arrogance to boot!

She misquoted the legal requirement (i.e. minimum $400k bht in your account) and made a song and dance over the various withdrawals which were none of her business given that the minimum balance at the lowest point was 30% higher than the minimum required legal threshold!

I would say she deliberately complicated things and incovenienced you (i.e. "come back when we're not busy",.. & seeing latecomers for 45 minutes ahead of you) to a twofold purpose; 1) elevating her own self importance, 2) to make you worried about the process in the hope that it may end up in the presentation of a brown envelope (so she wasn't quite so dumb after all).

"Buy you dinner" my ass,... you plainly and simply bribed her and sold out to corrupt principles in the hope that next year you'll get silk glove treatment. More fool you,- expect the same song and dance routine next year because she'll want the brown envelope treatment again.

The Thais will never change their ways of arrogance over logic or integrity over corruption whilst ever we are encouraging this behavior by playing along with it!

I love the judgemental attitude here, neither of you where there but making statements based on what you read and assume. Did you ever think maybe she was new and really didn't know and she did check with her boss. Immigration officer I would think is a thankless job especially if they are trying to help a few of the posters here.

[moe666]

As the OP, I'm getting dismayed that the issues I posted about are getting hijacked by a discussion of my actions. It will be helpful for those interested in this topic, now and in the future, if we stuck to the issues/experiences of us all so that they can find the relevant information quickly when they need it. Those interested in the ethics of "tea money" should probably start a separate post and get a wider audience.

Like me, it seems my post worried a lot of other folk, and I thank all those who answered and clarified the issues. For many of us in the hinterlands, without access to others with more knowledge/experience, this forum is a lifesaver.

Welcome to the key board warriors world

[beechguy]

are you saying thay it is not possible anymore to get a 1 yr extension based on marriage if you have a non-b visa?

i have been extending my non-b visa for the last 6 yrs without any problem. is this a new rule??

i did change my extention from non B to non O last May without problem and the officers at chaeng wattana were very helpfull in explaining the whole process and even accepted my files even thought i was missing a paper from the revenue department that I had to bring within a week.

thing is that if you extend your non B for Thai Wife reason you don't have a non B anymore but a non O which is better in case of you losing your work permit because the "7 days and out" doesnt apply anymore.

.

Your last sentence isn't correct, they may have told you that but they were wrong.

[Maestro]

Just to avoid any possible confusion, the chronology must have been like this:

1. Arrival in Thailand with a non-B visa. Immigration officer gave permission to stay (entry stamp) for 90 days.

2. Annual extensions of stay for the reason of employment (work extension). The reason usually is indicated on the extension stamp.

3. After some years on work extensions, applied for the new extension for the reason of living with Thai wife (marriage extension) and this reason was noted on the new extension stamp. Note: no visa was changed, only the reason for the extension of stay. The fact that the original arrival in Thailand was with a non-immigrant visa category B and not with a non-O visa is at this point immaterial but remains on record, as one of the the criteria for these annual extensions, including the marriage extension, is that arrival was originally with a non-immigrant visa of any category.

[Maestro]

...thing is that if you extend your non B for Thai Wife reason you don't have a non B anymore but a non O which is better in case of you losing your work permit because the "7 days and out" doesnt apply anymore.

.

Your last sentence isn't correct, they may have told you that but they were wrong.

Actually, he is basically correct. If you are on a work extension and your employment ends, ie you lose your work permit, your permission to stay ends on the last day of your employment even if the extension stamp shows a later date, but you can apply for and receive an extension of stay for 7 days. If you are on a marriage extension, the period of your current extension of stay remains valid when you lose your job and with it your work permit ends

Of course, if you are on a work extension and lose your job but you have a Thai wife you can right away apply for a marriage extension if your bank balance has been at least 400k for the last 2 months, or alternatively apply for a 60 day extension to live with your Thai wife.

[elgato]

Feeding the culture of corruption will not kill it

I am sorry the OP had to resort to that

Thanks for the false alarm and a big thanks for enabling the expectation (by the unnamed immigration office) that an "envelope" will be given by the next farang that has "issues" with their financials, etc. As posted previously, shame on you.

[granuaile]

I see nothing wrong in giving a 'tip' to someone who has performed a task for you.

The OP handing over an evelope after the job was done, was a nice gesture on his part.

No different than giving a bottle of whiskey or food hamper at Cristmas, to someone you do business with.

Glad everything turned out well in the end for you OP, but don't forget, she'll expect the same next year

I agree, it was a very nice gesture on the OP's part...

[moo9]

This is really not logical !!! What are the Top Brasses using as brain !?!!

due

Brass??! Amazing how complicated some things get here due to lack of knowledge and inefficiency. You will find that in every corner, authorities, banks, shops name it!

[CHIEFOFFICER]

"This lady officer is the backbone of the office. She's the youngest of the lot there, but all the other officers came to her to ask how to do the simplest things."

Yet she had to ask how to do what should have been a routine extension.

Sounds like you gave her something extra for extra work she caused herself.

Glad it worked out for you and that it wasn't a change after all.

TIT.

[WyattEarp]

Feeding the culture of corruption will not kill it

I am sorry the OP had to resort to that

Thanks for the false alarm and a big thanks for enabling the expectation (by the unnamed immigration office) that an "envelope" will be given by the next farang that has "issues" with their financials, etc. As posted previously, shame on you.

+1

I see nothing wrong in giving a 'tip' to someone who has performed a task for you.

The OP handing over an evelope after the job was done, was a nice gesture on his part.

No different than giving a bottle of whiskey or food hamper at Cristmas, to someone you do business with.

Glad everything turned out well in the end for you OP, but don't forget, she'll expect the same next year

The law in most countries disagrees with you on that. Any gifts to law enforcement, even a bottle of whiskey, is illegal in most countries and could cost you time in the nick. Maybe not here, but that doesn't mean you should encourage corruption.

As the OP, I have a non-B visa but never had a workpermit. My one-year extensions are based on marriage. The visa continues to be listed on the passport as a non-B, and not a non-O. It appears that while this is fine, there does seem to be a perception that it should be a non-O (for example, as I wrote in the first post, the confusion on the immigration officer's part). Question:

1. Did Immigration actually change your visa as listed in your passport from non-B to non-O when you extended your non-B (work permit-based?) to non-O (for Thai Wife)?

2. If so, what's the exact procedure (documents, etc.) to change the non-B to non-O?

Thanks.

According to police order 777/2551 that is pinned on this forum the only visa requirement for an extensions based on family is "(1) The alien must have a temporary visa", it doesn't specify any particular type.

[beechguy]

...thing is that if you extend your non B for Thai Wife reason you don't have a non B anymore but a non O which is better in case of you losing your work permit because the "7 days and out" doesnt apply anymore.

.

Your last sentence isn't correct, they may have told you that but they were wrong.

Actually, he is basically correct. If you are on a work extension and your employment ends, ie you lose your work permit, your permission to stay ends on the last day of your employment even if the extension stamp shows a later date, but you can apply for and receive an extension of stay for 7 days. If you are on a marriage extension, the period of your current extension of stay remains valid when you lose your job and with it your work permit ends

Of course, if you are on a work extension and lose your job but you have a Thai wife you can right away apply for a marriage extension if your bank balance has been at least 400k for the last 2 months, or alternatively apply for a 60 day extension to live with your Thai wife.

Apologies for the confusion, my point and disagreement was, that I doubted he changed visa status ("B" to "O") just because he changed the reason for his extension. Also, as you posted, any change of conditions were based on the reasons he applied for the extensions, not based on a visa change.

Edited August 29, 2011 by beechguy

[lopburi3]

The requirement is a non immigrant visa entry - you can not extend for Thai wife on a tourist visa entry.

[nahkit]

To correct what I wrote yesterday, I didn't get a 60 day extension to my 30 day visa on arrival based on my Thai marriage, it was actually only a 30-day extension.

Apologies to the OP if this is not within the topic but felt it was necessary to correct my earlier post.