Got my Non O in Savannakhet 3 months ago with my Canadian Embassy's income verification letter. They kept the original.

Today Sakhon Nakhon Immigration refused to extend the visa for a year with out the original. I had photocopies. I tried to reason saying all Embassies kept the original when issuing the original visa.

I even asked them to check someones paper work on file to show then that they would not have the original.

I hate to pay another 1,500 baht to have another original letter issued based on monthly income from my embassy. At least I went 3 weeks early expecting some kind of bullshit from them.

I cannot tell you here what kind of people run the Sakhon Nakhon office. I wished I lived somewhere else where I did not have to deal with them after 4 years now. <snip>

I had to bow and thank them. I am waiting for a reply from my embassy.

Edited April 10, 201412 yr by Maestro
Deleted libellous and defamatory comment (to keep the poster out of jail)

They wanted the original letter from the embassy which is in the Thai Embassy in Savannahkhet.

I've always had to produce the original when applying for my extension.

Originals are always required !

I had always thought that originals are needed each time, yet I was blown away when helping a friend convert from 30 day visa exempt stamp to 90 day O in Chiang Mai using an income letter from the U.S. consulate. The immigration officer actually made a copy of the income letter and told him to be sure to bring it back when he extended the 90 day O visa -- that he wouldn't need a fresh income letter from the U.S. consulate. Sure enough, 60 days later, that's what he used in Chiang Mai to get his 12 month retirement extension.

Wasn't like a few years ago when others did the two-step process in Chiang Mai, much to the annoyance of the consulate staff. Despite the $50 fees, they'd rather not be clogging up their appointment schedule turning out duplicate documents for CM Immigration.

This is the first time that I read that somebody submitted an embassy income letter when applying at the Thai consulate in Savannakhet for a single-entry non-O visa to travel to Thailand for the purpose of visiting his Thai wife.

Today Sakhon Nakhon Immigration refused to extend the visa for a year with out the original. I had photocopies. I tried to reason saying all Embassies kept the original when issuing the original visa.

Unless they are especially accommodating, as in the example that NancyL cited, you would need to obtain more that one original.

There have been many threads regarding getting a Non-Imm O with the expectation of getting an extension of stay for retirement (for example) after 60 days and it's always been pointed out that you'd need an Embassy letter for non-Imm O (including if one is making an in-country conversion to a non-imm O at immigrations as NancyL mentioned ) and again an original embassy letter for the application for the extension of stay.

It's not that difficult to glean the requirements if you read even a small number of threads in this forum since things such as this requirement for an original letter are repeated over and over and over again.

I even asked them to check someones paper work on file to show then that they would not have the original.

And yet they would have originals on file since it is a requirement for everyone. It must be especially annoying for Immigrations officers when people try to tell them how to do their job.

Edited April 10, 201412 yr by Suradit69

So what do you folks do pay for two copies from your embassy, 2 originals? I pay 1,500 Baht for the letter they send me one original. I make photocopies.

I wished that I would have known.

Am waiting for a reply now from the embassy as to whether they want all the docs resent, or just 1,500 Baht more or whatever.....

Thanks for the information.

Make it up to a lesson learn and move on and get another one. I'm sure it will never happen again to you..

So what do you folks do pay for two copies from your embassy, 2 originals? I pay 1,500 Baht for the letter they send me one original. I make photocopies.

I wished that I would have known.

Am waiting for a reply now from the embassy as to whether they want all the docs resent, or just 1,500 Baht more or whatever.....

Thanks for the information.

You probably didn't even need it to get the non-o in Vientiane. From most reports all you need is your passport to prove your age. You could of attached a copy and they would of accepted it.

Immigration always wants the original when applying for the extension. With the the exception of rare cases where a person has done a conversion to a non immigrant visa entry.

You must provide original Embassy letter as it contains the embossed seal within it, at least UK one does. They always retain it when forwarding on your papers for marriage extn for consideration. Copy is OK to go with wife's statement.

First of all this was a Non O retirement visa. I did not mention anything about a wife so someone is confused. I am not married, unless you are looking at a thread 4 years old. That had nothing to do with a visa, but with a wife, long since gone, by my choice.

The Canadian Embassy called me this morning at 8:48 a.m. Friday and told me they were sending me a copy no charge today by express post.

So next week or when I receive it I will return to Sakhon Nakhon Immigration with an original.

Thanks Again

Today Sakhon Nakhon Immigration refused to extend the visa for a year with out the original. I had photocopies. I tried to reason saying all Embassies kept the original when issuing the original visa.

Unless they are especially accommodating, as in the example that NancyL cited, you would need to obtain more that one original.

There have been many threads regarding getting a Non-Imm O with the expectation of getting an extension of stay for retirement (for example) after 60 days and it's always been pointed out that you'd need an Embassy letter for non-Imm O (including if one is making an in-country conversion to a non-imm O at immigrations as NancyL mentioned ) and again an original embassy letter for the application for the extension of stay.

It's not that difficult to glean the requirements if you read even a small number of threads in this forum since things such as this requirement for an original letter are repeated over and over and over again.

I even asked them to check someones paper work on file to show then that they would not have the original.

And yet they would have originals on file since it is a requirement for everyone. It must be especially annoying for Immigrations officers when people try to tell them how to do their job.

I did not tell them how to do their job as I have to deal with the same office regularly, I asked them to double check. Since they tend to take your money and not put the stamps in your passport, they are not completely honest at that office.

So Friday the 18 Sakhon Nakhon Immigration gave me the extension the embassy posted me a new letter original no charge, good service, thanks for your help.