Year extension rejected

[TravellinShoes]

Went for first year extension based on marriage, after days worth of running around completing such tasks as getting a document to say 12 yo marriage certificate is genuine, updating bank book yet again after already providing a letter from the bank and dragging a thai friend down to immigration to swear an oath, we finally completed everything to the officer's satisfaction, 2 copies. I was given the month stamp to tide me over while they deliberated. I thought I'd done a pretty good job of proving beyond all reasonable doubt that I'm married to said thai national, that we live in said house and I have the ability to support her because there's a certain amount of money in an account with my name on it.

So I was surprised when after a couple of weeks I got a phone call to say that the application had been rejected because the thai bank account is in both our names (i.e. and/or) and the regulations say only husband's name. Oh well ours is not to try and reason why ours is just to do whatever the officer says. Anyway I hope this info will help someone else not to make the mistake of thinking that having the account in your wife's name as well is a good thing.

[TerryLH]

A little surprising that they even accepted the application in the first place.

If you need time to move and season the money you can get a 60 day extension to visit your Thai wife.

[Maestro]

I wonder at what immigration office this happened, because it is true that they should not have accepted the application under those circumstances. It was probably at the regional head office that the error was noticed and the immigration office was then notified.

[ubonjoe]

As said they should of never accepted the application. The rules for several years now state it must be the husband's funds only. A joint account is not allowed.

You should get the funds moved into an a account in your name only soon as possible.

Then apply for a 60 day extension to visit your wife. The extension will start from your current permit to stay date (not the end of under consideration period) which might give you enough time if you have some days left on it.

[TravellinShoes]

The officer did mention it during the application ordeal but said he put it through anyway and see what happens, so I thought it was not so important. Yes, it was the regional head office that phoned to tell us about the problem and we went along to the local immigration to see what could be done to correct the application. The officer cancelled the month extension and gave me 60 days. There is not enough time in that 60 day period to open a new account and season the money. The officer suggested with a certain smugness that I would need to leave the country at the end of the 60 day extension get another non O and return to do the whole application thing again. So then I phoned the woman at head office and she said that I should go to the bank and get my wife's name removed without altering the account in anyway, I checked and this can be done, we just have to travel to the branch where our account is. The bit that's not clear now is when to resubmit the application, right away after correcting the account details or later before the 60 days expires, and would I have to submit the whole thing again or would they accept just the corrected document ie copy of bank book w/o wife's name?

[ubonjoe]

You will have to wait until the last 30 days of the 60 day extension to apply for the one year extension again. That includes paying the 1900 baht fee again.

[TravellinShoes]

Thanx Joe, I've already prepared myself to have pay the fee again. On the brightside it's cheaper than a visa trip out of the country and 90 day trips to the border. Also this is the only reason they rejected and it's not such a big deal to correct it and the whole thing will be a lot smoother and easier next year (hopefully). All I have to do now is be careful not to antagonise the official who made the mistake when I resubmit :-).....gently does it.

[KhunBENQ]

A little surprising that they even accepted the application in the first place.

If you need time to move and season the money you can get a 60 day extension to visit your Thai wife.

Thats my thought too.

It is so clear, that the book has to be in your name only.

Is embarrassing for the immigration office (officer) and will not give a praise.

[Suradit69]

Oh well ours is not to try and reason why ours is just to do whatever the officer says. Anyway I hope this info will help someone else not to make the mistake of thinking that having the account in your wife's name as well is a good thing.

"Oh well ours is not to try and reason why..."

The why is because it's a regulation. So the fault is clearly yours. Of course for some people, complying with the regulations is a bridge too far. Much easier to make out like it's lack of logic on the part of Thai officialdom than an inability to follow simple rules on the part of farang.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/718312-o-visa-for-marriage/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/301130-single-or-joint-names-on-thai-bank-account/

Edited April 13, 2014 by Suradit69

[Marvo]

Oh well ours is not to try and reason why ours is just to do whatever the officer says. Anyway I hope this info will help someone else not to make the mistake of thinking that having the account in your wife's name as well is a good thing.

"Oh well ours is not to try and reason why..."

The why is because it's a regulation. So the fault is clearly yours. Of course for some people, complying with the regulations is a bridge too far. Much easier to make out like it's lack of logic on the part of Thai officialdom than an inability to follow simple rules on the part of farang.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/718312-o-visa-for-marriage/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/301130-single-or-joint-names-on-thai-bank-account/

Lighten up Suradit and give TravellinShoes a break for goodness sake!

[TravellinShoes]

Thanx Suradit for the links they would have been useful to have known when submitting my application. On the list of documents I was given to present there was nothing that said the bank account should not be in joint names. The officer commented on it but still accepted the application, if he'd told me it was a regulation I could have solved the problem before submitting and paying the fee. Sorry my comment about reasonableness may have been misunderstood, I was perplexed by the regulation itself and how it means I can't use the 400k to support my wife when the account is in joint names, surely the fact that she has access to it should be a positive. But as I said maybe I'd be better off not thinking too much :-))

[Lite Beer]

Thailand practices sex discrimination.

Meaning the Husband provides for the Wife. Not the other way round.

That is why it has to be your money and not joint.

That is also why foreign ladies married to Thai men do not need to have any money in the bank or any income.

The Thai Husband has to provide.

[Dah fahrang]

Thailand practices sex discrimination.

Meaning the Husband provides for the Wife. Not the other way round.

That is why it has to be your money and not joint.

That is also why foreign ladies married to Thai men do not need to have any money in the bank or any income.

The Thai Husband has to provide.

.....or not.

Where I live, the 'gold Rolex' and '10 golden buddhas on an enormous chain' brigade prevail.

Wives, mia noi (plural) and assorted gik all 'depend' on these blokes.

Even those lower down the pecking order who make pretence at this grandeur practice the game.

Sad, as many of the wives rarely see their provider, let alone get taken out, treated to nice things or given anything more than subsistence Satang.

The concept of a 'joint account' so frowned on by Thai Immigration gives legally married partners equal and fair access to funds, and all that entails.

I, too sadly go along with the rule, by having one 'holding' account in my name only, into which money from the UK is remitted,then frozen in time for exactly three months and four days before applying to extend my stay.

Thence it is moved double quick into our joint account where my wife can access the funds she/we need to live for the next 12 months.

[TravellinShoes]

You will have to wait until the last 30 days of the 60 day extension to apply for the one year extension again. That includes paying the 1900 baht fee again.

After a day's trip to our local branch at the end of April we were able to get my wife's name removed from the bank account leaving my name only. The bank crossed her name out on the bank book and signed, dated stamped it. The 400K still in the same account, same bank book since January, only wife's name removed as per immigration's requirement. Beginning of May 30 days left of the two month extension so we go and show the officer the corrected bank book, 400k still in the account since January, and say we want to apply again for the year extension. First thing he looks at is the date wife's name removed and hands it back and tells me to come back in two months from that date, which means the two month extension will have expired and I have to leave the country to get another non imm.

So I try and reason.....how long has the money been in the account? when wife's name was removed did it affect the balance? then why is that date of relevance? surely the only date relevant to the requirement is the the date the 400k went in? It was if he'd already deceided that I would have to leave the country and I could see that reason was about as much use as a chocalate teapot. Leaaving the country is inconvenient, not onlt because of travel expenses etc but because when the 3 month non imm expires we plan to go home to see mum, changes in visa application requirements in my country mean I will not be able to get a visa during the time we are there, so I'll have to come back on a VOA then go across the border yet again to get another non imm. so it'll be then end of the yeat before I can apply for the year extension again, in my situation I can't keep the 400K in the a/c that long. Of course all of this is of no concern whatever to the official, he's enjoying his little power trip and all the hassle he can cause my family who are just trying to get on with a normal life. His reply..."that's the law and we have to abide by it".....yeah I'd like to see that law and the one that says you can charge 500B for the proof of residency letter!

So to cut what's becoming a long saga short....I've had enough, I'm headed for Lao and hopefully a year non imm multiple, and I won't have to see the freindly local TM officer for another year at least.

[sirineou]

Sorry to hear about your troubles TravellinShoes, the requirement that the funds are only on your name is ridiculous since you are married and applying for a visa extension due to marriage and are using funds that are probably married community property. TIT

I love the ambiance and the Thai people,but over the past seven years the more I learn about Thailand (visas, medical, property rights , legal rights, corruption, decease, pollution, politics, etc) the more convinced I am that Thailand is not going to be a viable retirement option for me, Perhaps six months there and six months in the home country will be a better option for me.

[worldfun]

yup ridicule all along. but if we wanna try to understand how it is to flex their muscles I suppose we would have to be in a dead end public job in our country & then probably we might see the light

I suppose there might be a huge commision ticking in every time the immi officers manage toconvince yet another farang to fly out of the country even if just very temporary !!

Edited May 7, 2014 by worldfun

[mahjongguy]

Yesterday I was in the bank getting my new passport number put in their system in support of my two accounts and my online banking.

There was a late-60's farang at the next service desk who had come to have his girlfriend's name added to his account so she could have his money when he died. The young male bank clerk told him that this would create a serious problem for him with Immigration when it came time to renew his extension, and that he should just write a Thai will.

Amazing, eh? The naive customer got correct and extremely important advice by the sheer luck of his queue number!

It is unfortunate, by the way, that this fellow can't just put her name as beneficiary to the account. That would accomplish what he wants without any hazards. Since all banks here refuse beneficiaries who are not a spouse or immediate family, I assume this is Thai law, but it's an unnecessary law and a great inconvenience.