On A Tourist Visa – Got Married Yesterday – Visa Expires Tomorrow

[Annonymous]

Hi all,

I'm on a tourist VISA, it expires after-tomorrow, and I just got married with a thai girl yesterday at the local ampur.

I know that I can get a 30 days VISA extension by paying 1900BAHTS.

But I would like to know if, instead of getting an extension, I couldn't simply switch to another VISA appropriate to my situation as now I'm not a tourist anymore but the spouse of a thai person. Can this be done without leaving the country?

Regarding the required documents for marriage (O?) VISA, I heard about the need for a proof of income (or 400k bahts): I have a thai bank account on which I get about 50k baths every month for the past 7 months at least, is it enough? This income comes from online freelancing activity and I don't pay tax for it (I just don't know where...) therefore I cannot get this income recognized by my embassy.

Thanks for any advice!

Dave

[Mario2008]

Congratulatons.

Since married to a Thai national, you can get a 60 day extension of stay and near the end of that apply for a conversion to a non-immigrant visa based on your marriage.

The conversion has to be done in Bangkok and you will need to show 400,000 in a bankaccount in your name only in Thailand OR an income of 40,000 baht a month. Income from within Thailand is proven with tax documents, income from abroad needs to be confirmed by a letter from your embassy. Your embassy determines what proof they want to see to issue the letter.

If not livingin or near Bangkok, it might be easier to just apply for a non-O visa in Laos.

[lopburi3]

To obtain the 60 day extension of current stay you will have to visit immigration Thursday (not open tomorrow) with wife, marriage certificate and suspect her ID card and home register. Or visit a Consulate outside Thailand with same documents but not need wife to obtain a non immigrant O visa. A multi entry would be available from Savannakhet. For Thai wife extension of stay you would have to use the 400k in your name bank account for 2 months method as you income seems to be unusable. You are aware of the need for a work permit to work here I hope?

[Nisa]

Dave - if you are an American, you can just go to your embassy here and tell the embassy how much you make (you'll need to swear and sign it is the truth on a form) and they will provide you a letter of income the Thais will accept.

If you do the 60-day extension you need copies of the marriage license, her ID and your passport. You don't need the house book and it can actually cause issues if it is not from the area you are living. You'll also need a photo of yourself and your wife needs to go with you. Go there early and you'll be out of there within 30 to 45 minutes. The cost is 1900 baht just like the 30 day or most any other extension. Keep in mind you can't get back to back 60-day extensions without leaving the country but you can pretty much do unlimited 60-day extensions following by a land crossing and then another 60-day extension.

Personally, I would get the 30-day extension you can still get on your tourist visa to buy some time to think and plan what you want to do and even if you go with staying here on 60-day extensions, you still buy yourself an extra 30-days without having to do a border run.

[Annonymous]

Thanks all and sorry for my late reply! Just to confirm that all that you said was confirmed by the immigration officers in jomtien. I got the 60 days extensions based on my marriage. However I didn't use it as we left the country a few weeks later for other matters, but luckily we're coming back next week

Now I'm on the process of getting a Non-O VISA from the Thai embassy next door. However I'm wondering if it is worth the cost, because if I'm not able to get the one-year extension (because of unaccepted letter from my embassy regarding my income) then it would be for nothing, am I right? Wouldn't it be better to simply get a tourist visa so I can stay 60 days + 30 days extension (tourist) + 60 days (marriage)?

...or I could give a try to the Non-O VISA and hopping that the one-year extension will be approved.

What do you think? What VISA should I get? Thanks again

[wayned]

You can only extend a Non-O visa for marriage. You should get the Non-O which will give you 90 days on entry and extend it for 1 year because of marriage. If, for some reason, you cannot get the letter you can extend the Non-O for 60 more days just like a tourist visa. I'm American and use the income Affidavit every year and never had a problem. I've been living here for 15 years, first with marriage extensions and now retirement.

[lopburi3]

The cost for 90 day stay:

Tourist visa 1,000 plus 1,900 plus visit to immigration/forms/copies.

Non Immigrant O visa 2,000 total.

You can get a 60 day extension on either.

[ubonjoe]

You don't need to worry about immigration not accepting your income letter as long as it stamped by the embassy and shows 40K baht or more income.

Some though might want to see some backup to the letter such as a bank book showing some regular transfers into your account.

[Annonymous]

Ok thank you all for your valuable answers

So if I'm correct, the single-entry Non-O VISA would allow me to stay AT LEAST 90 days + 60 days extension based on marriage, and if by chance I can get the affidavit accepted then it'll be 1 year of course.

If I don't get the 1-year extension then after 90+60 I'll have to make a visa run, correct? That's still enjoyable as 90+60 is 5 months without visa run, unless I'm mistaken and it's not 90 days of permission of stay but 90 days of visa validity which is the same as a simple tourist visa. Which one is it?

Regarding the cost, I was referring to the multi-entries Non-O VISA which is quit expensive according to what I've read (almost 200 USD or 5000+ bahts).

By the way if I get the 1-year extension, what is the difference between the single and multi-entries? (in case I leave the country once during this year?)

I guess that with both single and multi I'll have to go through the 1-year extension process again when coming back to thailand? The only difference is that I won't need to go to a Thai embassy get another single-entry Non-O VISA as I'll be able to use my previous one. Correct?

[lopburi3]

Single allows one stay of 90 days and costs 2,000 baht

Multi allows unlimited stays of up to 90 days for one year validity (so almost 15 months if used just before expiration for a new 90 day stay and costs 5,000 baht.

Extension costs 1,900 baht plus paperwork and any exit/return to keep the one year stay 1,000 baht re-entry permit or 3,800 for multi entry version.

One year extension can be from single or multi entry visa - done during last 30 days or any entry.

[TCA]

So if you're on a tourist visa you can extend for 60 days if married. And if you've already extended for 30 days you can still extend by a further 60 days?

Maybe a daft question but I presume you can't extend for 60 days based on marriage first, then get the usual 30 days after that?

[lopburi3]

Yes you can extend any entry for 60 days

No you can not use that and then obtain 30 days for tourist visa - but you can get the 30 days for tourist visa and then the 60 days to visit family.

[TCA]

Thanks lopburi.