Extension of stay based on Thai wife / Work Permit

[Richard Hall]

Recently, the subject arose that it is obviously a (new) requirement to also provide a photo of the minimum of 4 Thai employees at their workplaces when extending your stay based on Thai wife, holding a work permit and paying tax for a minimum montly income of THB 40.000 (proven by tax receipts PorNgorDor 1 for the last three months and annual income tax report PorNgorDor 91 for the previous year).

Actually, first I thought this to be a groundless rumour but yesterday a friend extending under the said circumstances at temporary Lat Phrao Immigration Office was requested to provide exactly this. Granted, it was the first time that he used a work permit and tax receipts because last year he still extended without work permit but by evidence of foreign income certified by the embassy.

Anyone any experience/info on that because I will be due for extension next month and try to avoid going twice because of lacking the Thai employee picture. Yes, we are really talking an extension of stay based on Thai wife and work permit and not an extension based on work/business.

Thanks.

Cheers,

Richard

[ubonjoe]

I have never heard of this being a requirement. Probably just a Bangkok immigration requirement.

[Mario2008]

Same here, your report is the first about this I have seen.

Hoppefully others will report in the comming days about their experiences so we can get more clearity.

[JeremyBowskill]

Why would you go twice? just take the picture and if they don't want it don't show it. Or am I missing something?

[Richard Hall]

Why would you go twice? just take the picture and if they don't want it don't show it. Or am I missing something?

That's what I eventually will do since there seems to be no knowledge obtainable about this subject.

But... I raised the topic here to avoid that possibly other people have to go twice because of that lack of knowledge just as it has happened to my friend at the beginning of this week. Certainly, I could just post that there is a new requirement but if this wasn't generally the case I would just cause confusion due to lacking the proper knowledge and undergo deserved flaming for spreading rumours.

Hence I started this thread. The worst that can happen now is that there will be no feedback, I have to take the picture(s) to avoid going twice although taking the picturer(s) isn't possibly necessary at all and give the appropriate answer to my question publicly myself upon I have applied for my extension at the beginning of next month at Bangkok Immigration.

[JeremyBowskill]

Gotcha! If you can't be bothered to take pics you are welcome to use the gals from my office's pictures.

[Richard Hall]

Gotcha! If you can't be bothered to take pics you are welcome to use the gals from my office's pictures.

Better not, 'coz that will surely motivate at least the male Immigration Officers to pay us very regular control visits and result in longer application times for others because of those field trips. Therefore, thanks but no thanks in consideration of the "kreng jai" aspect. And imagine if my actual employees do eventually not fulfill the expectations generated by the filed photo material upon a trip of the best part of Bangkok.

[Richard Hall]

Eventually, I have now applied for my extension on last Friday at temporary Suksawat Immigration Office.

Filed just the usual documents and surely also had my Thai wife present as in the past but was not asked for a picture of the Thai employees at their work places. Hence, this appears just to be a requirement when an extrension is done by using a just newly acquired work permit as this was the case with my friend while I have been holding my work permit already for 14 years. No, I didn't raise the subject myself because I had no interest in wakening any "sleeping dogs" and therefore can just share my most recent own experience.

[glasswort]

An extension of stay visa based on a Thai spouse and a work permit are not the same thing. If, as I suspect is the case, the original question comes from someone who has their own business on the back of a Thai spouse visa then the requirement for evidence of Thai employees is nothing new. Several years ago I wished to start up a small consultancy using my Thai spouse visa but gave it up because of the onerous requirements; pictures of the necessary Thai employees at their work places being one of them.

[Richard Hall]

Well, in my case I started out with a Tourist Visa. Switched it to Non-Immigrant B back in 2000 within the country when I established my own company. In 2002 I became married to a Thai citizen but continued to base my stay on business. Eventually, in 2005 when the requirements became more and more demanding for extensions based on business I switched to "Thai wife" maintaining my work permit ever since and continued running the company as Managing Director with having my wife employed.

Yes, when I started out on business there was the requirment of evidence for four Thai employees, the office was inspected and even for about 6 months the company became actually checked whether there was activity going on but not anymore since I was staying on base of supporting my Thai wife.

This year, all of sudden in my friend's case the requirement (Thai company managed by his Thai wife and himself) arose that there must be also a photograph provided showing the four Thai employess at their work place which got me totally by surprise because for the previous 8 years there has not been such a demand in my case and therefore I started this thread. However, last Friday at Immigration it turned out that everything was the same like in the past years. Stay based on "Thai wife" and financially supported by the salary paid by "my" company. Work permit and all other documents backing this up filed as usual and no new additional demand for that said photograph.

[recycler]

As far as I have experienced the pictures of the Thai employees at work are a requirement for at least 8 years or more in Chonburi and Rayong. Last 2 years I even have to show up at immigrations with Thai colleagues.

[ubonjoe]

As far as I have experienced the pictures of the Thai employees at work are a requirement for at least 8 years or more in Chonburi and Rayong. Last 2 years I even have to show up at immigrations with Thai colleagues.

I am sure that is for an extension of stay based upon working not marriage to a Thai.

[recycler]

As far as I have experienced the pictures of the Thai employees at work are a requirement for at least 8 years or more in Chonburi and Rayong. Last 2 years I even have to show up at immigrations with Thai colleagues.

I am sure that is for an extension of stay based upon working not marriage to a Thai.

Yes, you're right. We married 2 years ago, did not yet use that in the extension.

Would it make things easier? We also have a daughter together.

I work for a Thai company, only farang there.

[ubonjoe]

As far as I have experienced the pictures of the Thai employees at work are a requirement for at least 8 years or more in Chonburi and Rayong. Last 2 years I even have to show up at immigrations with Thai colleagues.

I am sure that is for an extension of stay based upon working not marriage to a Thai.

Yes, you're right. We married 2 years ago, did not yet use that in the extension.

Would it make things easier? We also have a daughter together.

I work for a Thai company, only farang there.

It certainly wold be easier. No need for photos for company employees and a stack of company documents.

Plus your extension would not be tied to your job. If you were to loose your job your extension would remain valid.

You would prove your income of 40k baht by showing tax payments and your work permit to prove you are working legally.

[Richard Hall]

As far as I have experienced the pictures of the Thai employees at work are a requirement for at least 8 years or more in Chonburi and Rayong. Last 2 years I even have to show up at immigrations with Thai colleagues.

I am sure that is for an extension of stay based upon working not marriage to a Thai.

Yes, you're right. We married 2 years ago, did not yet use that in the extension.

Would it make things easier? We also have a daughter together.

I work for a Thai company, only farang there.

It certainly wold be easier. No need for photos for company employees and a stack of company documents.

Plus your extension would not be tied to your job. If you were to loose your job your extension would remain valid.

You would prove your income of 40k baht by showing tax payments and your work permit to prove you are working legally.

When providing the prove of income by monthly income tax payment documents (PorNgorDor 1) for the previous last three months and annual income tax report of the past year (PorNgorDor 90 or 91) it will notbe enough to file a copy of the documents and the receipts by the Revenue Department but at least Bangkok Immigration is requesting certified copies by the Revenue Department.

Not even showing the original yellow receipts by Revenue Department will be sufficient but certified copies must be provided of the said documents.

A requirement that came up as per my experiences about three or four years ago.

[ubonjoe]

That could of well changed in 3 or 4 years. And would only apply to Bangkok.

It is always best to check with the local immigration office to see what they require.

[recycler]

As far as I have experienced the pictures of the Thai employees at work are a requirement for at least 8 years or more in Chonburi and Rayong. Last 2 years I even have to show up at immigrations with Thai colleagues.

I am sure that is for an extension of stay based upon working not marriage to a Thai.

Yes, you're right. We married 2 years ago, did not yet use that in the extension.

Would it make things easier? We also have a daughter together.

I work for a Thai company, only farang there.

It certainly wold be easier. No need for photos for company employees and a stack of company documents.

Plus your extension would not be tied to your job. If you were to loose your job your extension would remain valid.

You would prove your income of 40k baht by showing tax payments and your work permit to prove you are working legally.

Thanks, I'm up for renewal in 2 months, will try this.

So I just go with my wife to immigrations and show my pay slip, tax form and current workpermit and marriage certificate? They probably will have a form for this I guess.

[Richard Hall]

- Filled in and signed application form TM7 including an affixed photograph not being older than 6 months

- Passport of applicant plus 1 copy

- Work permit plus 1 copy

- Copies of marriage certificate KhorRor 3 and marriage registration document KhorRor2

- Copies of Thai-ID-Card and house registration of Thai wife

- Statement by employer of a monthly salary of not less than THB 40,000

- Copies of income tax documents (PhorNgorDor1) plus receipts of the last three months plus last annual income tax document (PhorNgorDor91) plus receipt

- Map to your place of residence

- Copy of up-dated company registration (not older than 6 months)

- Photographs showing you together with your wife in front and inside your place of residence (affixed to or printed on an A4 sheet)

All copies signed by the holder(s):

Means work permit pages, passport, PhorNgorDor91 and receipt by you.

KhorRor3, KhorRor2, map, photographs by you and your wife.

Employers statement, company registration and PhorNgorDor1 documents and receipt by Managing Director(s) of company and company stamp.

[recycler]

- Filled in and signed application form TM7 including an affixed photograph not being older than 6 months

- Passport of applicant plus 1 copy

- Work permit plus 1 copy

- Copies of marriage certificate KhorRor 3 and marriage registration document KhorRor2

- Copies of Thai-ID-Card and house registration of Thai wife

- Statement by employer of a monthly salary of not less than THB 40,000

- Copies of income tax documents (PhorNgorDor1) plus receipts of the last three months plus last annual income tax document (PhorNgorDor91) plus receipt

- Map to your place of residence

- Copy of up-dated company registration (not older than 6 months)

- Photographs showing you together with your wife in front and inside your place of residence (affixed to or printed on an A4 sheet)

All copies signed by the holder(s):

Means work permit pages, passport, PhorNgorDor91 and receipt by you.

KhorRor3, KhorRor2, map, photographs by you and your wife.

Employers statement, company registration and PhorNgorDor1 documents and receipt by Managing Director(s) of company and company stamp.

Tried it, but failed due to not enough time to provide all documents at Mabtaphut (Rayong immigrations) they required also:

- A blacklist investigation by police headquarters in BKK

- The statement that I was able to marry from my home country (We couldn't have married without that statement at the amphur, so why provide it again)

- A statement and showing up at immigrations of 1 or more Thai neighbors confirming that I actually live with my wife

- They want both 400K in the bank for 3 or more months and 3 months income.

- Copy of a rental contract of our house we bought the house, and the copy of the chanote got them confused and even with my wife's name on the back of it they wanted the sales contract. Handed a copy of the sales contract they asked for ID copies of the seller of the house.

Annoying often here is that the rules are applied different over different immigrations offices and that as soon as they don't know it they keep asking for more and more irrelevant information.

We decided to go for extension based on work now and try this next year with more time.

[Richard Hall]

Reads to me like someone was fishing for a proposal to ease the requirements under the headline of helping each other out. A favour for a favour after one gets desperate.

The described requirements appear to be much stricter than at Immigration Headquarters on Chaeng Watana Road and recently temporary office on Suksawat Road which are pretty much as shown under the following link:

http://www.thaivisa.com/non-imm-o-marriage.html

[recycler]

Reads to me like someone was fishing for a proposal to ease the requirements under the headline of helping each other out. A favour for a favour after one gets desperate.

The described requirements appear to be much stricter than at Immigration Headquarters on Chaeng Watana Road and recently temporary office on Suksawat Road which are pretty much as shown under the following link:

http://www.thaivisa.com/non-imm-o-marriage.html

My colleague who takes care of the documents from the company side said it wasn't fishing. I'm not sure, even not sure if the company likes to keep me in a more depending position. It might even just be ignorance from both sides... It's also a subject where I'm on the outskirts of my Thai vocabulary, so translating is difficult in both ways.

[thepool]

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Reads to me like someone was fishing for a proposal to ease the requirements under the headline of helping each other out. A favour for a favour after one gets desperate.

The described requirements appear to be much stricter than at Immigration Headquarters on Chaeng Watana Road and recently temporary office on Suksawat Road which are pretty much as shown under the following link:

http://www.thaivisa.com/non-imm-o-marriage.html

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My colleague who takes care of the documents from the company side said it wasn't fishing. I'm not sure, even not sure if the company likes to keep me in a more depending position. It might even just be ignorance from both sides... It's also a subject where I'm on the outskirts of my Thai vocabulary, so translating is difficult in both ways.

Did you (or the wife) ask for list of exactly what is required ?

[Satcommlee]

I'm fully legal in Thailand with work permit and hideous amounts of tax being paid...

But I found it much easier to simply take my bank statements to the british embassy and get a letter from them stating my income, technically the income is supposed to come from outside Thailand I know but the embassy don't care and they still gave me the letter.

I think it makes things easier for the immigration staff too... they were happy when I produced the Embassy letter and simply handed all the tax payment crap back to me.

And it gives them less excuses to ask for rediculous photographs of you and the thai staff etc..

edit: This is 1 year extension of stay based on being married to a Thai

[thepool]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I'm fully legal in Thailand with work permit and hideous amounts of tax being paid...

But I found it much easier to simply take my bank statements to the british embassy and get a letter from them stating my income, technically the income is supposed to come from outside Thailand I know but the embassy don't care and they still gave me the letter.

I think it makes things easier for the immigration staff too... they were happy when I produced the Embassy letter and simply handed all the tax payment crap back to me.

And it gives them less excuses to ask for rediculous photographs of you and the thai staff etc..

edit: This is 1 year extension of stay based on being married to a Thai

What is described may well work until an immigration officer asks about the source of the funds claimed in the Embassy letter.

[Satcommlee]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I'm fully legal in Thailand with work permit and hideous amounts of tax being paid...

But I found it much easier to simply take my bank statements to the british embassy and get a letter from them stating my income, technically the income is supposed to come from outside Thailand I know but the embassy don't care and they still gave me the letter.

I think it makes things easier for the immigration staff too... they were happy when I produced the Embassy letter and simply handed all the tax payment crap back to me.

And it gives them less excuses to ask for rediculous photographs of you and the thai staff etc..

edit: This is 1 year extension of stay based on being married to a Thai

What is described may well work until an immigration officer asks about the source of the funds claimed in the Embassy letter.

It doesnt matter, I always have the rest of the paperwork just in-case... It just seems to make thier life easier .

[recycler]

I'm fully legal in Thailand with work permit and hideous amounts of tax being paid...

But I found it much easier to simply take my bank statements to the british embassy and get a letter from them stating my income, technically the income is supposed to come from outside Thailand I know but the embassy don't care and they still gave me the letter.

I think it makes things easier for the immigration staff too... they were happy when I produced the Embassy letter and simply handed all the tax payment crap back to me.

And it gives them less excuses to ask for rediculous photographs of you and the thai staff etc..

edit: This is 1 year extension of stay based on being married to a Thai

I wish is was this easy in Rayong, I would also doubt if the NL embassy would give me the income statement so easy as all my income is from Thailand. I have sufficient income statements from the company I work for. But they kept asking for irrelevant documents like a rental contract, which we dan't have as my wife's name is on the back of the chanote, than they wanted a sales contract of buying the house, seeing that they asked for ID copies of the seller... They want a statement from a Thai neighbor that you actually live there with your wife, giving that they want the neighbor to show up there. The breaking issue was that they wanted an international criminal record check from the central police dept in BKK that takes more time than I have left on my current visa.

Al pictures are no problem, I'm regularly photographed while working as part of our normal reporting and documenting our work with hazardous materials.

[digitalchromakey]

In Phuket if you apply for a National Police Order 777/2551 Case 2.18 extension (Thai Family) with 40,000 THB pcm income then they want to see:

1) Current Work Permit.

2) Latest PND 1.

3) Most recent PND 91.

4) Company Registration Papers.

5) If Thai Spouse then also the usual marriage stuff (Wife incl Tabien Baan and ID card, Fresh KR2, KR3, household/family photos, birth certificates of kids, renetl contract, map).

The extension stamp has a Thai script stamped above which reads 'Thai wife and working'

For 2.18 Extension whilst working, Immigration do not ask for work place photos accounts or contracts, etc as would be the case for a case 2.1 extension.