I am really confused! Can anybody point me to a site which sets out

the CURRENT rules  followed by Immigration and requirements in

granting one-year extensions of non-immigrant visas for a person who

supports  a Thai wife and family?

The site for the Immigration Dept. of the Thai Royal Police lists

requirements which were already out-of-date in 1999. The site of the

Thai Embassy in Washington D.C. gives the new income requirement for

retirees at 65,000/800,000 baht but is now silent on what is required

for marrieds.

I myself hear conflicting stories from different sources. It seems it

is up to the whim to the officer(s) handling the application. I myself

have been told I must have 250,000 baht in my bank account, which I

managed at the time of application, plus proof of about 26,000

baht/month pension income . However, after four monthly trips to the

Immigration Office I am now being told that they will check my bank

account again. How do they do this? Are the banks obliged to furnish

this information to a government agency whenever theya ask for it?

In another case I read about, the applicant's application was

accepted, then when he returned a month later he was told his legally

married Thai wife had to change her name first to his. 2 months later

they told him they had to check his bank account  again whether the

200,000 baht (not 250,000) were still there. Also was requested to pay

an extra fee of 5,000 baht for special processing fees. If both

conditions were not met he would be blacklisted from returning to

Thailand for an undisclosed period. I find this rather unbelievable,

but the writer disclosed his full name and address.

As an aside, my curent application was submitted right after my

application for permanent residency had been rejected (after waiting

about 18 months). Somebody told me that it is the policy to reject the

first application for a one year extension in this case, so the

applicant must leave the country and his unbroken string of 3 years

prior to residency application is broken.

Anybody has information on these matters?

Is it a rquirement now to have 250,000 baht in the bank to obtain an "O" visa at Penang or Khota Baru in the first place?

Guenter Bellach

[email protected]

Check this page:

http://www.thaivisa.com/391.0.html :

A person married to a Thai will on request be given a three month Non-Immigrant category O visa and this can be extended up to one year and then annually thereafter on payment of the current fee of 500 Baht without the need to leave and re-enter the country. A deposit of at least 250,000 Baht in a Thai bank account is required to prove that you have the funds to live in Thailand without working. You will normally have to report to immigration once a month whilst your application is being processed which may take several months.

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Can they check your bank account? Yes, you have given them authorithy to do that (they have copy of bank book and the letter from the bank -they just refer to these documents).

Wife must change to farangs family name within 90 days after marriage, thats the rules.

It seems to be common that they reject one-year applications in order to break the three-year rule, YES!

250,000 in the bank is the latest I have heard. No monthly income required as in the retirement case.

Does anyone know if this information is still valid?

Does anyone know if this information is still valid?

An O visa is still obtainable for a married to Thai person, but as of 09 July 2004 the amount required is 400.000 baht OR a combination of income and savings amounting to a similar sum. Some Immigration offices have jumped the gun, and are asking for the July rate now, but this is not the law.

How often will I have to leave Thailand?

Does the visa permit me to work or no?

Does the 400k have to be in my bank account all the time?

How long does this take to process?

Any other advice?

How often will I have to leave Thailand?

Does the visa permit me to work or no?

Does the 400k have to be in my bank account all the time?

How long does this take to process?

Never.

No.

No. But don't expect extension if it appears money is not 'real'. Activity is expected and encouraged in your account.

Normal time seems to be 40-45 days.

Thanks for your resposnes. Greatly appreciated++

Using this type O non-immigrant visa am I then able to get a work permit from a company in Thailand (e.g. I'm hired by a company and they give me the permit to stay)?

This looks like a positive solution as my wife has already changed her last name to mine, we have a joint bank account, property and other assets.

Based on http://www.thaivisa.com/300.0.html, am I correct in understanding that I could not apply for residency if I go with the type O, if so - what are my options?

Thanks for your help.

Based on http://www.thaivisa.com/300.0.html, am I correct in understanding that I could not apply for residency if I go with the type O, if so - what are my options?

From ThaiVisa:

Qualifications of an applicant:

1. An applicant must have received permission for yearly stays in Thailand on a non-immigrant visa for at least of three years prior to the submission of an application for permanent residency. Holders of multiple NON-Immigrant visas can not appy. You must have 3 un-broken yearly extensions in order to qualify.

2. An applicant must be holding a non-immigrant visa at the time of submitting an application.

I read it like this.

You do not qualify, if you hold MULTIPLE non-immigrant Visa, example would be if you do not apply for 1-year extention on a type O non-immigrant visa, and keep re-applying for the same Visa.

Anybody to confirm ?

Confirmed. You do not qualify.

Hum... Interesting.

Does anyone know what an expected processing period in the north of Thailand would be (specifically Chiang Mai)?

Also, regarding the 400,000.00, if I provide a letter from an employeer stating that they will be paying me 50,000+ per month -- so I still need the 400,000.00 in the bank?