Update On Non Immigrant O Extension Through Marriage

[JeffreyWitty]

You are aware that Thai wife extension will take in excess of 30 days during which time you will have to appear to obtain the final stamp? For most working people multi entry non immigrant O visa is the better option.

Darn, did not know that. Thanks for the heads up. I will investigate the non immigrant O route first then when I settle here (thailand) permanently switch to the "married to a thai with 400k+ baht in the bank" visa.

[ubonjoe]

Can you prove income of 40K baht a month proven by a letter from your embassy? That is the other option.

Savannakhet Laos issues multiple entry visas with no proof of income.

If you are in Korea you could probably get a multiple entry at the embassy there.

[TravelerEastWest]

Now, for all I have said, I also recognize that Thai Immigration officers are one million times more nice, decent and respectful than American Immigration officers, which is why I am here. I was not complaining; just pointing out some behavioral facts: The OP was not imagining the nitpicking.

Are you confusing the US immigration officers with their security officers ?

I've never had a bad experience with the American immigration officers (I just immigrated to US just this year) unlike those sourfaced people at chaeng wattana. Some people might complain or believe they treat visa applicants from some countries with contempt, but the American immigration are much nicer (and do smile) and professional than Thais.

My Thai wife found the American immigration officers polite and helpful at every step of the way from intial entry when they stamp your passport (upon entry to America) with permission to work and a permanent residency and a super easy path to citizenship.

Thailand is a wonderful country in so many ways but they clearly are not on a par with America in how they treat foreigners with Thai spouses.

[baboon]

I have nothing but respect to those who jump through the hoops to extend in country. Me, I simply cannot dance to the fiddle of a so called `Officer` who wants to mess you around for the simple reason that they can, for their own amusement. So I have to do 90 day visa runs? Suits me....

[Dibbler]

I have income derived from working for a company registered in the US but am not a US citizen. I have a letter from my employer stating my income and position with the company. Do I need to, or am able to, obtain a proof of income statement from my home country's Embassy in order to submit for my O visa extension?

[Mario2008]

Normally yes, at least my embassy does this as long as the proof it is in their language or in English.

But always beest to ask your embassy to se what they will accept as proof of income.

[ubonjoe]

You will need to get an income document from your home country embassy or consulate. I cannot tell you if you will be able to get it or not. You will have to check with them on what will be needed.

[peterquixote]

Last year I entered Thaialnd for 6 months with a Non Immigrant O-A retired over 50 Visa.

I applied to Thai Embassy Wellington New Zealand and they took $NZ250 from me.

I loaded a bank account and sent a statement to them.

The difficulty with the retirement Visa is that it requires a medical cedrtificate as well, each time, and this is further expense.

So I rang Thai embassy Wellington and said I will apply for Non immigrant O- based on marriage.

Can we carry the money to show you in my wife's name , her bank account not mine .

They said yes. I said are you sure. They said yes.

I rang a few days later to ask how much money we would have to show in statement , the woman said if its a marriage based Visa we do not require bank statement deposits, or proof of money

I said are you sure. She went away, came back and said yes.

I don't believe any of it. I suspect here in New Zealand they have no idea of their own rules until suddenly it would be too late for me, and I would have Visa refused.

I will check again today to find out, and report

[merijn]

@ Vintage: no surprise, for marriage OYSP extension you have to show proof of 400k baht in thai bank account since 2 months the first years, 3 months next years. They wanna see a letter from the bank (most popular have branches just inside Laksì government complex) of the very same day and maybe better go there with bank passbook updated the same day.

Take the document list there at immigration, so you'll be aware of what they may ask you next year

uh, and remember pictures of the house and with your wife have to be done new every year

The requirement is 2 months for all Thai wife extensions of stay when using the 400k in account method.

Phuket immigration requires 2 months seasoning for first time and 3 months for consecutive extensions.

This is a local rule.

[Maestro]

peterquixote, there are different sets of rules for visas (from a Thai embassy or consulate) on the one hand and for extensions of stay (from an immigration office in Thailand) on the other hand. If the Thai embassy in Wellington tells you that they don't need to see any proof of your financial situation you have no cause to argue against it.

[Maestro]

The general rules for visa requirements can be viewed on this web page of the Ministry of Foreign Affiairs:

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/123/15398-Issuance-of-Visa.html

One of the requirements indicated there for the non-O visa reads as follows:

- Evidence of adequate finance ( 20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht per family )

Another paragraph says:

2.3 Consular officers reserve the rights to request additional documents as deemed necessary.

Among the hundreds of posts by members detailing their experiences of applying for and receiving an non-immigrant visa for the purpose of visiting their Thai wives in Thailand I remember vaguely only one, years ago, where an embassy or consulate enforced the requirement of evidence of 20,000 Baht, or its equivalent in another currency, in an account in the applicant's name. The obvious conclusion I can draw from this is that while Thai embassies and consulates have the right to request additional documents, they also have some degree of discretion not to enforce some requirements, for example this requirement of financial evidence.

[peterquixote]

Yes thanks for reply, admin.

I double checked today, for Non Immigration O Visa, based on marriage.

Required as per Royal Thai Embassy web site

1. Passport 2. Marriage certificate [ english, married in NZ ] 3. Wife national identity copt, and Passport copy

4. Itinerary [ meaning air ticket copies 5. Letter from Thai wife general 6. Bank statement showing 400,000 baht

I will take the NZ Thai embassy at their word, as suggested and send no bank statement of 400,000 baht, as they say this is not required .

They did ask that I send a copy of wife household registration in Thailand . It is some weird register they have of where people live at a certain time. Meaningless in our case because my wife has not been at that address for three years.

Cost for this application Non Immigration based on marraiage is $NZ100 as compared to $NZ250 for Non immigration O-A retirement , and also I don't have to update Police records and Medical certificate.

In general it seems that the wife here carries quite a lot of the responsibility, for the husband's [me] Visa.

She has to supply most of the documents being passport copy, National Identity, air tickets, letter and this quaint home registration. I asked the Embassy in Wellington if the lack of requirement for applicant bank account 400,000 baht was a new policy. They said no, they didn't think so ,

I'm bluffed

[lopburi3]

The reason they ask for copy of Thai ID card and home register is to help prove the relationship is current and they often ask it be signed and dated. The 400k is an immigration requirement for one year extension of stay and is almost never asked for visa issue (but there are a few exceptions - but in most cases less might be accepted if reasonable. It should never be asked for single entry visa but they sometimes make it harder for the one year multi entry.

[peterquixote]

thanks lopburi3.

This year I did NZ Immigration residency Visa for Bangkok Wan. Visa for self to go back to Thailand.

Soon Visa for Bangkok Wan's son [ 7 years] is exhausting I need an office with three Thai girls in short skirts just to do it.

It is of interest that my superannuation NZ goes from $350 per week to $500 per week once Bangkok Wan gains residency.

Our Government has many welfare state relics in the cupboard.

The Thai women here have good reputations , they work at places a lazy New Zealander would sniff at.

We bought a car over there, it was expensive. It was very expensive. Nearly twice the price of NZ.

It was good travelling through the south tail. Cha am . I wanted to go down to the border but Bangkok Wan would have none of it. Terrorists she said you go by yourself.

[LburtonL]

It's not just you. I go in (Phitsanulok) every year for the marriage extension with a three ring binder filled with everything they might ask for. They always seems to embrace the challenge of finding something I don't have so they can make me make an extra trip. Others relate the same phenomenon.

Instead of pasting a picture on my TM7 form, I digitized it and pre-print it in the correct place on the scanned form. I do this every year and everybody has been happy with it. This year, the officer said I needed loose passport pictures (never before asked for). I had them. He then pasted them over the pre-printed ones, which were identical in image, size, color and placement! Huh? Then they wanted a second picture of my Thai family (never before asked for). I had it. Then they wanted separate passport sized pictures of my wife (never before asked for). I had them.

I had my bank letter, obtained and dated that morning (because some have reported a two day old letter not being accepted), saying I had more than 400,000 in the account for more than two months. I had copies of my bank book. Although I updated the bank book that morning, the last activity was more than two months before, so that was the last that showed. However, I had an ATM slip, with copies, printed that morning showing a balance matching the bank book balance. It seemed I had exhausted them and my application was passed on to the supervisor.

The supervisor explained that I may have taken money out of the account during the two months and then put it back that morning before obtaining the ATM slip. Thus, I would have to go to the bank and make a 100 baht deposit, then get the book updated so that they could see if there was any other activity during the last two months. I explained that I had a bank letter saying the money was there for the entire two months. The supervisor explained that she needed this and there would be no further processing on my application until I got it. They had never before asked me for this. So I went and did as bidden. However, it is noteworthy that this was the Monday after a four day holiday, so I was stuck waiting in the bank for over two hours to accomplish this seemingly simple task. Now I rhetorically ask, if you must have a bank book with an entry the day of the application so that the officer can see by means of the bank book that more than 400K has been there more than two months, then what is the purpose of the letter? It is pure redundancy.

Look, I know they have the power, so I smile and carry on. But nobody will ever convince me or my friends here that some of these immigration folks must be bored and find outlet in pulling peoples' chains. Everybody is smiling and polite the whole time (on both sides), but you would have to be stupid not to see the game. My end of the game is to try to second guess them and be ready for every curve ball, and I am usually successful. I always have an extra big smile on my face each time I open my binder and casually return one of their curve balls. But sometimes they get pretty creative.

Of course somebody out there will accuse me of paranoia. All I can say in response to that is just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get me!

thanx for the info since i will be going there

[Rag]

Hello, for foreigners who have children of nationality 'thai, who gave his name to the children and to the district recognized at birth, but who are NOT married to the mother, is it possible to get OYSP (one year stay permit) at immigration office?

[Mario2008]

Hello, for foreigners who have children of nationality 'thai, who gave his name to the children and to the district recognized at birth, but who are NOT married to the mother, is it possible to get OYSP (one year stay permit) at immigration office?

No, for the simple reason that you are not the legal father of the child. You first have to legitimize the child as yours, before you can apply or an extension of stay based on your children.

For more info on legitimization look here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/381917-how-to-gain-parental-rights-as-a-father/

You registered the birth and are named on the birth certificate, but that is not enough to become the legal father.