Switch From Retirement Visa To Thai Wife Visa.

[KaoYai]

Searched for specific thread...not found. so here goes...

Been here 8 years now...am changing from retirement visa to Thai wife Visa (Sinkhon/Hua Hin) have complied with all the listed documents needed..Will go on the 25th June... anything not posted here under IMM/"O" marriage) that I need to know..the wonerful lady at the immi office said ,,,"oh...not easy not easy not easy...? something I should know and any members know already...? would be most grateful..Thanks George, Thai Visa et al.. and any members..

[7by7]

The above post has been moved from this unrelated topic in General.

[Lite Beer]

(6) In case of marriage with a Thai lady, the husband who is an alien must have an average annual income of not less than 40,000 baht per month or a money deposit in a local Thai bank of not less than 400,000 baht for the past 2 months for expenses within a year.

Letter from your Thai Bank showing balance and up to date bank book.

OR.

Letter from your Embassy showing income. Now may also need proof of income as back up.

Marriage Certificate

Marriage Registry entry.

Wife's Tabbien Baan and ID Card.

Your Passport.

Copies of everything.

Photos of you and your Wife in and around the house.

A map showing the way to your house.

Passport size photos and 1,900 Baht fee.

Take your Wife to be interviewed.

You will be given a 30 day under consideration stamp.

Go back in a month and get the remainder.

[lopburi3]

The normal copies of passport/arrival card/TM.7/fee/financial proof plus 30 or more day under review period, wife with you, wife ID and home register (and if not same province issues), photos together (varies but likely in home together with home number showing and clothing hung together in bedroom and/or marriage photos, marriage certificate/copy and copy of marriage ledger entry, may include home visit or having people who know you visit immigration, interview of wife will be done and may be without you. As this is a decision that needs higher approvals expect a very close exam. Not that hard but will involve a lot more paper than retirement and can be upsetting for some Thai.

[beano2274]

The lady at your local office was right "Not easy". As they can make the decision there and then to give you a new extension, but now if applying for an Extension based on a Thai wife, the decision making is out of their hands, as everything is sent to Bangkok for the committee.

[ThaidDown]

As said more difficult for the "marriage" option, for both you and them, but for a legal and real ongoing relationship not too onerous, just do not lose your cool with immigration at what may seem unreasonable requirements.

They may try to persuade you to go for the "retirement" option, one way to head that off is show enough money in bank, or income, for marriage but not enough for retirement.

[KaoYai]

All the above replies are noted and appreciated...thanks to everyone

[khastan]

Just to add to the list of requirements you now may need for a marriage extension. I have just reapplied for my second marriage extension at Nong Khai and has well as all the above I had to provide two witnesses to verify my details at a stipulated time and date. These witnesses were both interviewed separately. They signed documents and were both asked questions to verify my status. This is despite me providing two witnesses the year before when I applied for my first marriage extension successfully. They also rejected the application form TM7 I had printed and completed with a passport sized photo on it and printed out a new one which had a bigger window to fit the photo in. The passport sized photos I supplied were rejected and they wanted bigger ones, a young girl took these and charged a 100 bht for the pleasure. I also had to provide two sets of all the house photos, only one set was asked for last time.

[lopburi3]

Actually the photo needs to be larger than the past area so if you cut to fit the block on download it would have been less than the required 4x6cm.

[MJCM]

Just to add to the list of requirements you now may need for a marriage extension. I have just reapplied for my second marriage extension at Nong Khai and has well as all the above I had to provide two witnesses to verify my details at a stipulated time and date. These witnesses were both interviewed separately. They signed documents and were both asked questions to verify my status. This is despite me providing two witnesses the year before when I applied for my first marriage extension successfully.

<snip>

Yesterday, while I was doing my 90 Day Report, my wife went to talk to the Immigration Officer responsible for "Married Couples Extension of Stay" as my 1st extension is also up for renewal in about 2 weeks. She went there to ask which documents do we need (as things can change) plus 1 specific question "Do we need a Witness again?" And the answer was "No you only need a

witness while doing the First Extension of Stay, for subsequent extensions it's not necessary."

However this was Pattaya / Jomtien Immigration, but just to be on the safe side I will ask my witness (Retired Police Officer) to be on "stand by" on the day that we are going for the extension.

Other thing worth mentioning is that she also reminded my wife to bring an Recent printout / copy of Kor Ror 2.

I will report back in about 2 weeks after I have done my extension.

Edit: // Spelling

Edited June 6, 2012 by MJCM

[khastan]

I presume the requirement of two witnesses and separate interviews for each one was designed to make sure they were both telling the truth because the questions asked from what I understand were identical. However this was in Nong Khai so I would not be to concerned because the requirements of your office may be different.

[khastan]

Actually the photo needs to be larger than the past area so if you cut to fit the block on download it would have been less than the required 4x6cm.

The photo they took,printed and cut was 5x6.5 and that fit into the outline on the TM7 they provided.

[lopburi3]

Normally they accept a little larger but not smaller (and even say 2 inch sometimes) - the normal document print download is less than 4x6cm in size for some reason.

[Gary A]

If you qualify for a retirement extension, you will find it much easier to continue that way rather than going for the support visa. I have been legally married for seven years and continue to go for the retirement option.

[khastan]

If you qualify for a retirement extension, you will find it much easier to continue that way rather than going for the support visa. I have been legally married for seven years and continue to go for the retirement option.

I would second that statement without any hesitation.

[gamini]

I thought about switching from retirement to marriage visa. But decided against it. Too many problems. Like wife and I are on separate housebooks because we own several properties. Apparantly we must be on same housebook etc, etc. Stick with retirement visa if you can.

[ubonjoe]

Glad I live where I live and have a friendly immigration office to use.

Photos amount to 2. One of the house as if you were driving up the street and one of myself, wife and our kids in front of the house.

No kor ror 2 and never any witnesses. Took about 15 minutes total last year with most of the time spent while officer reviewed previous statement with the wife (might of been quicker if wife hadn't gotten into a gab session with the officers).

Edited June 7, 2012 by ubonjoe

[khastan]

Glad I live where I live and have a friendly immigration office to use.

Photos amount to 2. One of the house as if you were driving up the street and one of myself, wife and our kids in front of the house.

No kor ror 2 and never any witnesses. Took about 15 minutes total last year with most of the time spent while officer reviewed previous statement with the wife (might of been quicker if wife hadn't gotten into a gab session with the officers).

You are very lucky having a friendly immigration office, I wish they were all like that. I provided 6 pics x 2 and it took over one and half hours going from one desk to another for the paperwork to be collated.

[MJCM]

I presume the requirement of two witnesses and separate interviews for each one was designed to make sure they were both telling the truth because the questions asked from what I understand were identical. However this was in Nong Khai so I would not be to concerned because the requirements of your office may be different.

Yes, I think that a lot of Immigration offices make up their own rules, but I am not concerned but just wanna come prepared.

Note: the wife went today to the Amphur to get a up to date copy of the Kor Ror 2, she was told at the Amphur that we need 2 copies (but at 20 THB each (so 40 THB in total) it's not a big hurdle).

[tracy3eyes]

If you qualify for a retirement extension, you will find it much easier to continue that way rather than going for the support visa. I have been legally married for seven years and continue to go for the retirement option.

I would second that statement without any hesitation.

I just tried to do it the other way at chiangmai this morning. I have a non-ovisa for staying with spouse and tried to extend based on retirement and the lady immig off said I could only extend for staying with spouse which surprised me. Surely it should not matter? was she correct? She said I had to leave the country and get a new non-o based on retirement.

Thoughts?

[lopburi3]

You pointed out in previous post you obtained this visa from Immigration in Bangkok - not from a Consulate - and they you had a Thai Wife extension prior to this. What financial proof did you provide Bangkok during this change? That might be the key. Suspect Chiang Mai may believe it was for spouse rather than retirement extension and holding you to that.

[tracy3eyes]

You pointed out in previous post you obtained this visa from Immigration in Bangkok - not from a Consulate - and they you had a Thai Wife extension prior to this. What financial proof did you provide Bangkok during this change? That might be the key. Suspect Chiang Mai may believe it was for spouse rather than retirement extension and holding you to that.

I have had a spouse extension for the last 8 years but had to do a conversion because of forgettng do do a re-entry permit. They gave me 60 days. I then Submitted a new non-on for spouse at CW and they stamped my passport till 31 July. I showed them bank book and letter from bank with cash over 800k. I was told that I could extend either for spouse or retirement. So whilst in CM this morning I tried to extend for retirement with a letter of income from Embassy well in excess of the 65000 a month. But she said I must extend for spouse only. I can do but its means more travel and trouble. Its just so frustrating! I mean what is the difference? Its more income requirement for retirement. What it nmeans is that if you split with your wife then you have to leave the country and get a new non-o for retirement. Why dont they let you convert and get 60 days and then do new non-o retirement at CW?

[lopburi3]

As mentioned in your other thread suspect the use of Chiang Watanna for this conversion is the issue as Chiang Mai can do the conversion on basis of retirement from my understanding - so to use Bangkok would require it be for something else.

[Lopburi99]

At Lopburi Immigration today we submitted all the documents that Lite Beer posted (photos of the house, witnesses, etc) in post #3 to change from my retirement visa to the marriage visa. I wouldn't have done it had I found this thread first.

Anyway, it is in the works now with us getting the 30 day consideration stamp. Unfortunately, the last person to check our batch of papers evidently wasn't communicating with my wife. My wife said we needed to open an savings account and put money into it because my income (approx. $2000/mo) didn't meet the 65K requirement, and is totally confused. I tried to explain the differing requirements but I quickly lost her. I'll just wait the process out, everything should be fine.

My question is: When (if) I get approved for the visa change, will I actually get an entirely new visa, complete with new page, in my passport or do I get some sort of a extension stamp?

[lopburi3]

It is all extension of stay from immigration, nothing to do with visas. You will have the same extension of stay stamp you now have but will likely get "Thai wife" rather than "Retirement" stamp. And takes the extra 4-6 weeks for approval so you get an under review stamp for that.

Money requirement is 40k income for Thai wife so expect what they told your wife is you did not meet the 65k requirement for retirement so would have to do the 40k Thai wife version (perhaps she was asking why it could not be immediately stamped as when you did retirement?) so to do that would require the extra savings account.

You did get a 30 day under review stamp? If not they may believe you want retirement and will wait for you to open an account..

[Lopburi99]

It is all extension of stay from immigration, nothing to do with visas. You will have the same extension of stay stamp you now have but will likely get "Thai wife" rather than "Retirement" stamp. And takes the extra 4-6 weeks for approval so you get an under review stamp for that.

Money requirement is 40k income for Thai wife so expect what they told your wife is you did not meet the 65k requirement for retirement so would have to do the 40k Thai wife version (perhaps she was asking why it could not be immediately stamped as when you did retirement?) so to do that would require the extra savings account.

You did get a 30 day under review stamp? If not they may believe you want retirement and will wait for you to open an account..

I think you are probably right about why the confusion. Here's the stamp I got -- Under consideration. Thanks Lop3.