Gday all,

Again I need your help!

My situation again, I have a Visa O A and my wife is on a visa O. I am trying to get her 3 month visa O to match mine somehow, i.e. 12 months as opposed to 3 months.

I went to the closest immi office here and asked them what I need to do and was advised that she needs to show 800k baht in a bank account and fill in a form which we were given (though I must add the person didn't really seem to know what he was talking about). Upon closer inspection of this form I found it to simply be a TM7 form. I thought this was only for Visa O A holders.

I then called the Thai consulate in Sydney and was advised what we were told is incorrect and that being on a Visa O she cannot extend or anything. I was advised that if my wife has a multi entry Visa O, then she will need to report with me every 90 days and that it will be up to the officials whether my wife needs to a boarder run or not, and that if required the run would not be a problem because of the multi entry.

Does anyone have any ideas? Who is giving me the right info?

Cheers and thank you in advance for all the wonderful replies!

your immigration office is not allowing your wife to get an extension of stay based on your dependent untill you are on an extension of stay yourself. (Did you explain that you are on a O-A visa and want your wife to stay in Thailand as your dependent?).

The form immigration gave was correct, she wants an extension of stay and tm7 is the correct form for that. Either it is not clear that she wants to be your dependent or that office is not allowing her to be your dpedent till ou are on an extension of stay yourself, hence she needs to qualify for the extension herself.

The advise from the Sydney consulate is totally incorrect. If she has a multiple non-O she can either get an extension of stay as per above OR leave the country every 90 days.

A TM 7 form is used for all extensions.

It looks like Immigration will not issue your Wife with the dependent extension as you do not have an extension yourself.

They are asking her to apply on her own rights.

You will probably need to be on an extension before they will issue her one.

Go and have another chat.

But she can not do anything until less than 30 days remain on a 90 day entry. Immigration requirement should be your passport showing the O-A permitted to stay stamp (which is an "approved" extension of stay) and marriage paperwork for her to obtain a matching extension as dependent. Have seen reports of them not allowing saying the O-A is a visa and not an extension - but in fact it was and is an extension and believe should be allowed. If spouse actually has a multi entry non immigrant O visa and they will not allow extension she can just cross border for new 90 day entries and you can then extend in normal manner at end of current year stay and she then extends as your dependent. But I would give extension a try first with them understanding you are actually marriage ahd on a one year stay (extension) pre approved on entry.

Thank you all for the answers!

So just to make sure I understand correctly, I will go and get an extension first myself. Though am I allowed to get one now seeing I only just recently arrived in the country or do I have to wait for say 90 days or even 12 months :\ ?

If I can then I will get an extension and then go try again with my wife, I'll produce the marriage certificate too.

Cheers!

your immigration office is not allowing your wife to get an extension of stay based on your dependent untill you are on an extension of stay yourself. (Did you explain that you are on a O-A visa and want your wife to stay in Thailand as your dependent?).

The form immigration gave was correct, she wants an extension of stay and tm7 is the correct form for that. Either it is not clear that she wants to be your dependent or that office is not allowing her to be your dpedent till ou are on an extension of stay yourself, hence she needs to qualify for the extension herself.

The advise from the Sydney consulate is totally incorrect. If she has a multiple non-O she can either get an extension of stay as per above OR leave the country every 90 days.

Yes Mario I told them she is my wife, which they seemed to understand. What you said makes sense, I think they are wanting her to fill it in because I do not have an extension myself.

You must show them that you have an extension - that one year stay is an immigration approved extension in advance and provided on entry - but as it is not normal many will not know that.

Ah I see, so I really already have an extension. I wonder if shoeing 800k baht in a Thai bank account would make them feel more comfortable.

I will try and let you all know how I go.

Yes, 800,000 baht in the bank (only in your wife's name) will make the Immigration office "feel more comfortable". They'll give your wife an extension due to retirement, if she applies during the final 30 days of her current permission to stay and if the money has been in the account for at least 60 days. (In future years it will need to be in the bank for 90 days)

That way, she'll have her own visa and won't be carried as a dependent on yours. I've seen several situations where women were absolutely lost in navigating the visa process after their marriage ends. It's especially traumatic if the husband dies. Most dependent don't realize that they need to get their visa situation sorted within 7 days of the marriage ending. Every new widow I've known has a very full plate the week after the passing of her husband, what with making funeral arrangements, dealing with travel arrangements for family, trying to figure out how to pay the bills, contacting life insurance companies, etc. Having to make a trip to Immigration (or a border run) is the last thing they should worry about in this siutation.

It would have been easier if you had both entered on a Non Imm O Visa rather than you having a O-A Visa.

If your Wife wants to apply in her own right she will need 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank OR 65,000 monthly income OR a combination of both.

If she intends on applying as your dependent you would need to be have an extension from Immigration.

Do you have a Single Entry or a Multi entry Non Imm O-A Visa?

Does your Wife have a Single or Multi Non Imm O Visa?

EDIT.

I see you have a Multi Entry so it will be almost 2 years before you have to apply for an Extension.

Your Wife has a single entry so has to do something in less than 3 months from now.

If she intends on extending at Immigration for 12 months she needs to get the 800,000 baht in a Thai Bank in her name pretty quick.

It would have been easier if you had both entered on a Non Imm O Visa rather than you having a O-A Visa.

If your Wife wants to apply in her own right she will need 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank OR 65,000 monthly income OR a combination of both.

If she intends on applying as your dependent you would need to be have an extension from Immigration.

Do you have a Single Entry or a Multi entry Non Imm O-A Visa?

Does your Wife have a Single or Multi Non Imm O Visa?

I have a Multi entry O A and my wife has a Multi O.

The reason my wife got a Visa O is because she is not of retirement age, so I am assuming she cannot apply in her own right? Does that mean I should deposit the 800k Baht in my name and then provide a marriage certificate showing she is a dependent?

Nope.

All she can do is continue with her Non Imm O Visa and do the border runs every 90 days.

She can get almost 15 months out of this.

As I said you should have both entered on a single Non Imm O Visa.

Too late now though

Thanks, sorry just another question, what do you mean she can get 15 months?

Thanks, sorry just another question, what do you mean she can get 15 months?

She can exit and re-enter just before the visa expires, and will receive another entry of 90 days.

And she should be able to obtain another such visa for next year if you get a new entry one year extending longer as being the spouse of someone with an Q-A visa allows O visa issue.

Clause 2.20 of Thai Police Order 777/2551 for dependent extensions is only for extensions based upon other clauses (IE: 2.22 for retirement) of the police order. Meaning that immigration has no authority to grant an extension for a OA visa entry.

Apparently the embassies and consulates that issue the OA visa are aware of this because they normally give the other spouse a multiple entry non-o visa.

I always suggest that unless both spouses can qualify for an OA visa they should both get single entry O visas and the spouse that qualifies for it should then apply for the extension of stay at immigration. And then the other spouse can get a dependent extension.

Gday, just another question...I am going to open a bank account
soon to deposit the 800k baht, should this be in both my name and
my wife's, or only mine as she is a dependent or in her name only?
If in joint names will this create any problems when I come to extend
my O A Visa?

Thanks!

It must be in your name only to obtain extension of stay.

It would depend on who is applying.

The applicant must have the money in an account in their own name.

Only he can apply as wife is not old enough according to his previous post (at bit late in thread).

The reason my wife got a Visa O is because she is not of retirement age