Changing Visa

[Backpack_thailand]

Having recently got married, I need to change my visa from a Non Imm 'B' to a Non Imm 'O' in order to get my year stamp at local immigration (already have company and WP for a year+). Then in the long run won't need to leave LOS anymore.

According to local immigration all I need is to take with me the marriage certificate and company papers to show that I am already working.

Is this all OK and also I fancy going to Vientiane as opposed to Penang, mainly just because I've never been there and Penang is a sh1thole!

Anyone have experience of the Thai Embassy in Laos???

Cheers-Me-Dears!

[Sunbelt Asia]

Having recently got married, I need to change my visa from a Non Imm 'B' to a Non Imm 'O' in order to get my year stamp at local immigration (already have company and WP for a year+). Then in the long run won't need to leave LOS anymore.

According to local immigration all I need is to take with me the marriage certificate and company papers to show that I am already working.

Is this all OK and also I fancy going to Vientiane as opposed to Penang, mainly just because I've never been there and Penang is a sh1thole!

Anyone have experience of the Thai Embassy in Laos???

Cheers-Me-Dears!

You don't need to leave Thailand to change this visa.

You just need to provide

Application for Visa Status Alteration. (TM.86)

Copy of passport entries.

4 X 6 cm. Photograph.

Application fee of 2,000 baht.

I.D. card and house registration papers of your Thai wife and for you in YOUR case: your passport, work permit and evidence of tax payment is required.

Marriage cert. (If married in another country. Must be translated and then certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

A letter from your Embassy stating you are single.

Our professional fee is 3,900 Baht and the government fee is 2,000 Baht.

www.lawyer.th.com

[astral]

A letter from your Embassy stating you are single.

I assume this means the affirmation made at the embassy before getting married?

If you were married overseas I do not see how you can get such a letter after the event,

as you are now married, not single any longer......................??

[Sunbelt Asia]

A letter from your Embassy stating you are single.

I assume this means the affirmation made at the embassy before getting married?

If you were married overseas I do not see how you can get such a letter after the event,

as you are now married, not single any longer......................??

It is what Immigration requires on support of a Thai national based on marriage. It is called a single status letter, which states that you were never married before in that country or if you had been, you are now divorced before you married your current wife.

www.lawyer.th.com

[Backpack_thailand]

Done all of the above, been to Immigration with sackfuls of paperwork and still the answer comes back from BKK that no visa will be issued, need to leave Thailand and get new Non Imm 'O'.

Maybe got a real "jobsworth" working on my case???

My visa is due up this coming Sunday (26th). If you can guarantee that this can be done by you befroe then and will have no problems 100% then I'll pay you the 5,900.

I can be in Bangers tomorrow.

[rishi]

Maybe got a real "jobsworth" working on my case???

Sure, they apparently take each requirement litterally. Below is an exact copy&paste from The IMMIGRATION website. It would require quite an amount of independent thinking to figure that item 8. might be irrelevant if the document from item 6. is a marriage certificate.

DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE APPLICATION FOR VISA STATUS ALTERATION (NON-O) TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE FROM OR GIVE ASSITANCE TO A THAI CITIZEN OR SOMEONE WHO IS A RESIDENT IN THAILAND.

1. Application for Visa Status Alteration. (TM.86)

2. Copy of passport entries.

3. 4 X 6 cm. Photograph.

4. Application fee of 2,000 baht.

5. I.D. card and house registration papers of the Thai national ; and for the foreign national residing in Thailand : residence certificate, foreign national registration certificate, passport, work permit, and house registration.

6. Document proving that the applicant is the father or mother or child, a marriage certificate or birth certificate, as the case may be.

7. Letter from a government office, embassy or consulate, certifying that the applicant belongs to the referred family.

8. A letter form The Embassy or Consulate certifying in that the applicant is single.

[Indo-Siam]

Backpack –

I completely disagree with everything you have been told in this thread – and matters such as this are my company’s core business.

If you already have a non-immigrant entry permit and work permit, you do not need a new visa – or any valid VISA (not to be confused with ENTRY PERMIT). If you have a Thai marriage registration certificate, and can document (via tax receipts) payment of personal income tax withholding on a monthly salary of at least 40,000 baht per month – and if your wife can accompany you to Immigration – and you share a home with her – then – once you are within 30 days of expiration of your present entry permit, you can apply for a long-term extension of your present entry permit.

The fact that your present entry permit was issued against a Class B visa is irrelevant – it can still be extended on the basis of supporting a Thai spouse. Any non-immigrant entry permit – except those issued against a Class O retirement visa – can be extended on the basis of supporting a Thai spouse.

I see that you are based in Kanchanaburi - and my company cannot assist (at reasonable cost) at that location. But - if you will obtain your extension in Bangkok, my company can assist you – the government fee will be 1,900 baht, and our fee will be 5,000 baht. You and your wife – and all identity, employment, and tax documents – will need to appear at Soi Suan Phlu Immigration once (we will escort you) – and then just your passport will need to visit Suan Phlu 40 days later to receive the long-term extension stamp.

Please recognize that this process will require you to also obtain two Work Permit revalidations – one that will expire at the end of the 40 day “under consideration” period, and a second long-term work permit revalidation, that will match the period of your long-term entry permit extension. The government fee for the first work permit revalidation will be 850 baht, and the government fee for the second revalidation will be 3,100 baht – our fee for both revalidation cycles (for work locations based in Bangkok) would be 4,000 baht.

Be careful to whom you listen – I am very surprised by the bad advice given in this thread. Perhaps some people replying were not reading closely enough concerning your status.

Good luck!

Steve Sykes

Managing Director

Indo-Siam Group

Bangkok

[email protected]

www.thaistartup.com

Edited March 21, 2006 by Indo-Siam

[Backpack_thailand]

Thanks for all the info and advice chaps, especially you Indo-Siam. However in the last couple of hours I've had a radical change of plan enforced on to me and next week I'm going back to UK for a couple of weeks so I'll get everything done back there via the UK Consulate in Hull (notoriously easy to obtain any kind of visa!)

In future though, any official paperwork that needs to be done I will certainly look you up Indo.

Cheers again,

Backpack...........

[Sunbelt Asia]

Steve,

I surmise the OP has a extension of stay based on business as he wrote

I need to change my visa from a Non Imm 'B' to a Non Imm 'O' in order to get my year stamp at local immigration (already have company and WP for a year+).

If this is indeed the case and he wants to change an extension of stay based on business ( Most people call this a one year business visa) to an extension of stay based on support of a Thai National ( Most people call this a one year marriage visa.) The Immigration Dept requires if he terminates his extension of stay based on business then his work permit is terminated as well and will notify the Labor Dept to be sure he has given the work permit back.

After this, he can then apply for a extension of stay based on marriage and once he does gives back his work permit to the Labor Dept. then of course he can reapply for the new work permit with the new "visa" extension of stay based on support of a Thai national.

The goal was to have him NOT give the work permit back and then not being able to run his company for 12+ days. This is why this advice was given how to do it wihout the return of the work permit and without him needing to leave Thailand.

If he has a 90 day stamp then in that case your advice is correct.

www.lawyer.th.com