All Non O Visas from Hull now need 800K Bht in the bank

[lopburi3]

So for me whats the best way to proceed, I just arrived back in the UK for an 8 weeks stay to visit parents and plan to renew my NON O mutli entry, I have a Thai bank acc with 400k in it for over a year as I planned to get a retirement visa when Im 50 (in 4 weeks), now it seems Im going to have to get my Wife to put another 400k in my Thai bank acc and wait for 3 freaking months.

Should I go back on another visa and show some money in Thailand there like the 400k ie go back on a tourist visa then take my bank book an apply for a retirement visa.............what a mess.

I dont keep more than £10k in the UK as I dont live here much at all

Guessing your best bet would be to buy a tourist visa (1,000 baht for a single entry good for 2 months) and convert it to a non-o based on marriage in-country, which should only require your 400,000 in the bank, then the same 400k would get your 1 year extension after that. That'd give you ~17 months...

If you want a 1 yr retirement extension instead of a 1 yr marriage extension you could do the same but you'd have needed 800k, not 400k in the bank anyway (it's been 400k for a marriage extension, and 800k for retirement extension for a while now).

Ah ok thanks Ill go for the marriage extension then as it just ties up 400k in an account.

If I go for the marriage extension do i need the POLICE report from the UK??

There is no police report or medical required for extensions for marriage or retirement in Thailand.

[Jim walker]

Not many big changes then I am sure us O Visa boys will cope with this minor changes.

Edited September 18, 2013 by lopburi3
remove shout

[kannot]

So for me whats the best way to proceed, I just arrived back in the UK for an 8 weeks stay to visit parents and plan to renew my NON O mutli entry, I have a Thai bank acc with 400k in it for over a year as I planned to get a retirement visa when Im 50 (in 4 weeks), now it seems Im going to have to get my Wife to put another 400k in my Thai bank acc and wait for 3 freaking months.

Should I go back on another visa and show some money in Thailand there like the 400k ie go back on a tourist visa then take my bank book an apply for a retirement visa.............what a mess.

I dont keep more than £10k in the UK as I dont live here much at all

Guessing your best bet would be to buy a tourist visa (1,000 baht for a single entry good for 2 months) and convert it to a non-o based on marriage in-country, which should only require your 400,000 in the bank, then the same 400k would get your 1 year extension after that. That'd give you ~17 months...

If you want a 1 yr retirement extension instead of a 1 yr marriage extension you could do the same but you'd have needed 800k, not 400k in the bank anyway (it's been 400k for a marriage extension, and 800k for retirement extension for a while now).

Ah ok thanks Ill go for the marriage extension then as it just ties up 400k in an account.

If I go for the marriage extension do i need the POLICE report from the UK??

There is no police report or medical required for extensions for marriage or retirement in Thailand.

Thanks.

[razer]

This is madness. Now you need 800k in the bank simply for the privilege of spending 90 days with your spouse? What on earth is going on?

This is incentive for Thai women to target men who can afford to post the 800,000 Baht. No money no honey.

[lopburi3]

I think some of you need to do some homework on Thailand and its obsure nationalistic rules that are anti-foreigner.

Firstly, under Thai law, any Thai female who marries a foreigner MUST change her name to her husbands name by registering the marraige officially.

This is to stop Thai females from marrying foreigners and then buying land and houses in her maiden name. The fact that she HAS TO change her name and make this record enables tracking to "prevent" her from officially then buying Thai land or Thai houses - or allowing the state at a later date to "claim back" all land and houses in her maiden name if she has not changed it.

Any Thai female who is "married to farang" and has not changed her surname to her hubands has :

Broken the law.

Will automatically lose any land or house she has in her name if caught - or if some snooping neighbour reports her.

Is not "married" under Thai law.

To be honest anyone who thinks that Thai law which adamently prohibits the wives of foreigners to own land or houses would not enforce her to change her family name - well, I do not know.

Secondly - if she has not changed her family name you are not actually married in the eyes of the Thai legal system - the whole process is not formally complete until she changes her name. So it seems many out there are not actually formally married - they have bits of paper saying the ceremony has been done, but you are not legally in Thai married.

So now you understand why Thai Embassies have started asking for marraige certs and ALSO her passport or ID to PROVE she has changed her name and is therefore on record as being married to a foreigner - and so loses her rights to own land or houses in Thailand.

If she has not changed her name - you are not married and you will not be issued with a Non-Imm O visa - cause you are not married in Thailand according to the letter of the law.

Totally false information - name change is not required and a Thai can always buy land regardless of name used - the only restriction is if married to a foreigner the money must be hers and not marriage income (husband has no claim over land).

[umbanda]

Please explain if this apply to American citizen. I am 69 and living here for more than 3 years. I was renewing my retirement visa just showing the US Embassy income statement. Nothing more.

[bobl]

Ah ok thanks Ill go for the marriage extension then as it just ties up 400k in an account.

If I go for the marriage extension do i need the POLICE report from the UK??

Police reports are required for something but I can't remember what and too lazy to go look it up. One of the long stay visas & work permit maybe.

I do know it's NOT required for a marriage extension though...

[smotherb]

Isn't it obvious, they are trying to keep the Brits out of Thailand.

This is a load of horseshite, you don't need to be married to a Thai for an O visa.

[Sceptict11]

Although there was a 2003 constitutional court ruling that gave the Thai wife the right not to change her name - you would be a brave soul to rely on this when it comes to Thai-Farang as opposed to Thai-Thai marraige.

A lot of information out there in reality only applies to Thai-Thai marraiges and is incorrectly associated with Thai-Farang marraiges.

As you can now see, the Thai Embassy is insisting that in the case of Thai-Farang marraiges the Thai wife has to have changed her name - now you can take them to court on this based on the 2003 ruling for Thai-Thai marraiges if you wish......... but I do not think it will get you anywhere.

You still have not posted a link relating to the "law" which is alleged to exist !

BTW My Thai marriage certificate lists my name and my wife's MAIDEN name !

Edited September 18, 2013 by Sceptict11

[rizla]

Just get a tourist visa for return and convert to non immigrant O at immigration after you get the 800k in account and then 2 months later do the retirement extension of stay (it is two months first time).

Please allow 3 months for even the first seasoning as Many local immigration offices now want that, be warned.

I have not seen any such report for retirement - first application is 60 days.

Well, sorry to remind i have been told this many times from various people at various immigrations, and at korat for sure, if you want their number to check i will supply it...

[OJAS]

Just get a tourist visa for return and convert to non immigrant O at immigration after you get the 800k in account and then 2 months later do the retirement extension of stay (it is two months first time).

Please allow 3 months for even the first seasoning as Many local immigration offices now want that, be warned.

I have not seen any such report for retirement - first application is 60 days.

Well, sorry to remind i have been told this many times from various people at various immigrations, and at korat for sure, if you want their number to check i will supply it...

So you always believe everything which anyone tells you to be the gospel truth, then, do you?

[kannot]

see no mention of the 800k for non o married to a Thai on the Thai embassy website unless not updated yet?

http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/49

[AYJAYDEE]

I can see a lot of farang men now shouting at Embassy staff that their wife "does not need to change her surname" .............. its an argument they will lose.

Any farang whose wife has now not changed her surname will now no longer be issued with Non-Imm "O" visas. That is now the rule being enforced and you will not get around it.

show us evidence its being enforced

[kerr17]

Does having legal custody of a thai child (from an unmarried partner) doesn't apply anymore from getting a non imm O?

There seems to be no mention on their website.

[Upnotover]

see no mention of the 800k for non o married to a Thai on the Thai embassy website unless not updated yet?

http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/49

That will be the £16,500.00 they mention.

[Anthony an Panida]

Well, I have a marriage visa and need an extension. This terrible change for married people, if true, effects Thai citizens who are married to us farangs. For instance: my Thai wife when she read the post instantly turned around and said she would go to the bank to borrow the extra 400K and give it to me. I think if this continues, soon it will be the poor Thai spouses that will be supporting the farangs.

I have written to the embassy to ask for clarification and contacted a friend in immigration here at Chiang Mai... Let's hope it's just an mistake...

[KunMatt]

I predicted this was going to happen and cited it as one of the reasons that we will move back to the UK when our kids are of school age because as an expat you are really at the mercy of the next year's visa changes.

I'm 35 and have 2 children with my partner, I was mulling over the option of raising our kids in Thailand because we are very close to our Thai family, however I knew that over the next 18 years that anything can happen to the visa rules and I would be forever at the mercy of whatever was decided year to year.

4 years ago I could get this visa just for visiting a Thai friend. Then it changed to you must have a baby with a Thai. The next year you needed to be married to a Thai, and then you had to be married and have 400k Baht in a Thai bank. This coming year it's upped to 800k, so just in the space of 4 years it's gone from visiting a friend to needed to be married with quite a hefty wedge of cash sat in a Thai bank. How much stricter are they going to make it over the next 18 years? All they need to do is make some rule like any expat is not allowed to spend more than say 90 days of any year in Thailand and that would destroy any life we built here after how ever many years our kids were growing up here for.

So either I forever live in fear of whatever visa conditions I need to fulfil next year and be treated as a national security risk and a 2nd class citizen for the rest of my life with my family here, or we all move back to the UK where my partner will have all of the rights and privileges I am entitled to.

[transam]

That'll deter a few yobs and wanke_rs from setting up in Thailand.

It's a good policy to keep out the riff-raff.

Perhaps yes, BUT, it also affects the genuine folk who have been taking care of Thai nationals for years. Perhaps places like Hull have been dishing out Visas purely for the financial gain. Have read that non UK EU folk were posting applications to Hull cos they were an easy touch.

[kerr17]

I predicted this was going to happen and cited it as one of the reasons that we will move back to the UK when our kids are of school age because as an expat you are really at the mercy of the next year's visa changes.

I'm 35 and have 2 children with my partner, I was mulling over the option of raising our kids in Thailand because we are very close to our Thai family, however I knew that over the next 18 years that anything can happen to the visa rules and I would be forever at the mercy of whatever was decided year to year.

4 years ago I could get this visa just for visiting a Thai friend. Then it changed to you must have a baby with a Thai. The next year you needed to be married to a Thai, and then you had to be married and have 400k Baht in a Thai bank. This coming year it's upped to 800k, so just in the space of 4 years it's gone from visiting a friend to needed to be married with quite a hefty wedge of cash sat in a Thai bank. How much stricter are they going to make it over the next 18 years? All they need to do is make some rule like any expat is not allowed to spend more than say 90 days of any year in Thailand and that would destroy any life we built here after how ever many years our kids were growing up here for.

So either I forever live in fear of whatever visa conditions I need to fulfil next year and be treated as a national security risk and a 2nd class citizen for the rest of my life with my family here, or we all move back to the UK where my partner will have all of the rights and privileges I am entitled to.

I'm exactly on the same situation, 36 with 2 kids (from an unmarried partner) and after almost 10 years I'm convinced that moving back is our only option I'm afraid.

[Sceptict11]

I predicted this was going to happen and cited it as one of the reasons that we will move back to the UK when our kids are of school age because as an expat you are really at the mercy of the next year's visa changes.

I'm 35 and have 2 children with my partner, I was mulling over the option of raising our kids in Thailand because we are very close to our Thai family, however I knew that over the next 18 years that anything can happen to the visa rules and I would be forever at the mercy of whatever was decided year to year.

4 years ago I could get this visa just for visiting a Thai friend. Then it changed to you must have a baby with a Thai. The next year you needed to be married to a Thai, and then you had to be married and have 400k Baht in a Thai bank. This coming year it's upped to 800k, so just in the space of 4 years it's gone from visiting a friend to needed to be married with quite a hefty wedge of cash sat in a Thai bank. How much stricter are they going to make it over the next 18 years? All they need to do is make some rule like any expat is not allowed to spend more than say 90 days of any year in Thailand and that would destroy any life we built here after how ever many years our kids were growing up here for.

So either I forever live in fear of whatever visa conditions I need to fulfil next year and be treated as a national security risk and a 2nd class citizen for the rest of my life with my family here, or we all move back to the UK where my partner will have all of the rights and privileges I am entitled to.

Hope you are able to meet the UK financial requirements of moving the family to the UK

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/partners-families/citizens-settled/spouse-cp/can-you-apply/financial/

[Upnotover]

Well, I have a marriage visa and need an extension. This terrible change for married people, if true, effects Thai citizens who are married to us farangs. For instance: my Thai wife when she read the post instantly turned around and said she would go to the bank to borrow the extra 400K and give it to me. I think if this continues, soon it will be the poor Thai spouses that will be supporting the farangs.

I have written to the embassy to ask for clarification and contacted a friend in immigration here at Chiang Mai... Let's hope it's just an mistake...

This thread is about VISA's, not extensions. Nothing changed with extensions.

[KunMatt]

I predicted this was going to happen and cited it as one of the reasons that we will move back to the UK when our kids are of school age because as an expat you are really at the mercy of the next year's visa changes.

I'm 35 and have 2 children with my partner, I was mulling over the option of raising our kids in Thailand because we are very close to our Thai family, however I knew that over the next 18 years that anything can happen to the visa rules and I would be forever at the mercy of whatever was decided year to year.

4 years ago I could get this visa just for visiting a Thai friend. Then it changed to you must have a baby with a Thai. The next year you needed to be married to a Thai, and then you had to be married and have 400k Baht in a Thai bank. This coming year it's upped to 800k, so just in the space of 4 years it's gone from visiting a friend to needed to be married with quite a hefty wedge of cash sat in a Thai bank. How much stricter are they going to make it over the next 18 years? All they need to do is make some rule like any expat is not allowed to spend more than say 90 days of any year in Thailand and that would destroy any life we built here after how ever many years our kids were growing up here for.

So either I forever live in fear of whatever visa conditions I need to fulfil next year and be treated as a national security risk and a 2nd class citizen for the rest of my life with my family here, or we all move back to the UK where my partner will have all of the rights and privileges I am entitled to.

Hope you are able to meet the UK financial requirements of moving the family to the UK

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/partners-families/citizens-settled/spouse-cp/can-you-apply/financial/

As per that website, yes I qualify the condition for having 2 children 3 times over. Thanks.

[dao16]

I think some of you need to do some homework on Thailand and its obsure nationalistic rules that are anti-foreigner.

Firstly, under Thai law, any Thai female who marries a foreigner MUST change her name to her husbands name by registering the marraige officially.

This is to stop Thai females from marrying foreigners and then buying land and houses in her maiden name. The fact that she HAS TO change her name and make this record enables tracking to "prevent" her from officially then buying Thai land or Thai houses - or allowing the state at a later date to "claim back" all land and houses in her maiden name if she has not changed it.

Any Thai female who is "married to farang" and has not changed her surname to her hubands has :

Broken the law.

Will automatically lose any land or house she has in her name if caught - or if some snooping neighbour reports her.

Is not "married" under Thai law.

To be honest anyone who thinks that Thai law which adamently prohibits the wives of foreigners to own land or houses would not enforce her to change her family name - well, I do not know.

Secondly - if she has not changed her family name you are not actually married in the eyes of the Thai legal system - the whole process is not formally complete until she changes her name. So it seems many out there are not actually formally married - they have bits of paper saying the ceremony has been done, but you are not legally in Thai married.

So now you understand why Thai Embassies have started asking for marraige certs and ALSO her passport or ID to PROVE she has changed her name and is therefore on record as being married to a foreigner - and so loses her rights to own land or houses in Thailand.

If she has not changed her name - you are not married and you will not be issued with a Non-Imm O visa - cause you are not married in Thailand according to the letter of the law.

Totally false information - name change is not required and a Thai can always buy land regardless of name used - the only restriction is if married to a foreigner the money must be hers and not marriage income (husband has no claim over land).

Just to add our experience: we changed my wife's name more for reasons of travelling abroad. It looks a lot better when you are travelling together to have the same name. Once you leave SE Asia, Thai women are seen as very suspect, so just having a passport with the same name and travel stamps convinces them you aren't scamming or doing something illegal. I know, it sounds bad, but this has really helped.

When we went to change her name, they said it didn't matter--up to us. Wife didn't suddenly lose her rights to anything she owned before and has bought stuff since the name change.

The law you are referring to, NFFCKKC, is no longer on the books. Changing your wife's name is more of a formality than anything and a way to show other governments and immigration officials in other countries that you are definitely married and committed.

Edited September 18, 2013 by dao16

[Phronesis]

I predicted this was going to happen and cited it as one of the reasons that we will move back to the UK when our kids are of school age because as an expat you are really at the mercy of the next year's visa changes.

I'm 35 and have 2 children with my partner, I was mulling over the option of raising our kids in Thailand because we are very close to our Thai family, however I knew that over the next 18 years that anything can happen to the visa rules and I would be forever at the mercy of whatever was decided year to year.

4 years ago I could get this visa just for visiting a Thai friend. Then it changed to you must have a baby with a Thai. The next year you needed to be married to a Thai, and then you had to be married and have 400k Baht in a Thai bank. This coming year it's upped to 800k, so just in the space of 4 years it's gone from visiting a friend to needed to be married with quite a hefty wedge of cash sat in a Thai bank. How much stricter are they going to make it over the next 18 years? All they need to do is make some rule like any expat is not allowed to spend more than say 90 days of any year in Thailand and that would destroy any life we built here after how ever many years our kids were growing up here for.

So either I forever live in fear of whatever visa conditions I need to fulfil next year and be treated as a national security risk and a 2nd class citizen for the rest of my life with my family here, or we all move back to the UK where my partner will have all of the rights and privileges I am entitled to.

I will say it again:

All farangs are here on a USER PAY BASIS. Doesn't matter if you have supported her extended family and others in her village for decades. Doesn't matter if you have a baker's dozen of loog krueng kids. Doesn't matter if you have established a successful business and pay sh_t tins of tax. You are not here as a father, friend, businessman, volunteer, benefactor, teacher, investor, expat. You are just a farang here on a USER PAY BASIS. The rules regarding your the amount of required payments will be changed by the Thai authorities periodically and arbitrarily. If you can no longer pay you will be shown the door...violently if required.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Phronesis

[kannot]

see no mention of the 800k for non o married to a Thai on the Thai embassy website unless not updated yet?

http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/49

That will be the £16,500.00 they mention.

multiple entries

Pension earners or Applicants over 50 years of age, following document is required;

- Pension statement if the applicant is a pension earner, or

- Proof of income with a minimum of £1,400.00 per month or

- Thai Spouse visa with a copy of marriage certificate and passport or Thai ID of spouse and (3 months bank statement showing monthly income of more than

£1,400.00 or £16,500 anuually for those who have been issue category O with multiple entries)

ah ok thanks , so much info on websites hard to see

[Sceptict11]

I predicted this was going to happen and cited it as one of the reasons that we will move back to the UK when our kids are of school age because as an expat you are really at the mercy of the next year's visa changes.

I'm 35 and have 2 children with my partner, I was mulling over the option of raising our kids in Thailand because we are very close to our Thai family, however I knew that over the next 18 years that anything can happen to the visa rules and I would be forever at the mercy of whatever was decided year to year.

4 years ago I could get this visa just for visiting a Thai friend. Then it changed to you must have a baby with a Thai. The next year you needed to be married to a Thai, and then you had to be married and have 400k Baht in a Thai bank. This coming year it's upped to 800k, so just in the space of 4 years it's gone from visiting a friend to needed to be married with quite a hefty wedge of cash sat in a Thai bank. How much stricter are they going to make it over the next 18 years? All they need to do is make some rule like any expat is not allowed to spend more than say 90 days of any year in Thailand and that would destroy any life we built here after how ever many years our kids were growing up here for.

So either I forever live in fear of whatever visa conditions I need to fulfil next year and be treated as a national security risk and a 2nd class citizen for the rest of my life with my family here, or we all move back to the UK where my partner will have all of the rights and privileges I am entitled to.

Hope you are able to meet the UK financial requirements of moving the family to the UK

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/partners-families/citizens-settled/spouse-cp/can-you-apply/financial/

As per that website, yes I qualify the condition for having 2 children 3 times over. Thanks.

The "condition" does not relate to the number of children but rather to having a provable income of , at minimum, £18,600.

[ubonjoe]

ubonjoe, on 18 Sept 2013 - 04:06, said:

Just because you are leaving every year does not mean you can't get an extension as long as you do your first extension at the time of year when you know you will be here for a couple of months. You only need a single re- entry permit to make your trip.

Why make border runs every 90 days unless you really have to.

 

 

The point I was making was that I wanted to do an extension based on marriage but Si Ratcha immigration didn't want to give me one, plus the exit stamp every year because I had to return to the UK annually. 

 

Thai immigration actually told me to get non'o' visas every year and do border runs.

 

 

 

They can't refuse your extension for that reason. That could of been an officer that didn't know what he was talking about.

There are people on extensions that only stay here 6 months at a time.

[crazykopite]

If you are married to a Thai the income requirement is 400,000 baht in the bank or a monthly income of 40,000 baht . If on the other hand you are single or married to a non Thai then you need either 800,000 baht in the bank or a monthly income of 65,000 baht. Hull seem to be giving out wrong information.

[navara]

How crazy can it be? The European economy went down, the Thai bath is unreasonable high and now they wanna see 65k a month? So.... all married farangs have to take the last flight to the UK or whatever?

Yes... your welcome, but ONLY when you bring CASH.

[tonneke breda]

Getting out will be the only solution for some....