What Visa if Married with Two Thai Kids

[JT65]

Hi

I did live in Thailand 8 years ago for a period of 7 years.

At the time I had a business in Australia selling homewares and I was exporting a great deal of Thai product. I was on a business Visa for the 7 years although still had to leave on border runs every 3 months.

I got married in 2006 and did the correct paperwork with the government etc. At the time i did not try for any other visa , as I just used my business visa.

Have been back in Oz for past 7 years with my Thai wife and two kids, who have thai and oz passports ( wife does too ).

Thinking of selling my current biz in Oz and having a year or two in Thailand just relaxing and giving the kids a taste of Thai life and school. My wife misses home as well.

I may export some product again to Oz and wife has connections in Oz Consulate, so I could just get another year business visa I suppose, although with the new regs am worried that I will be unable to do this again.

Is there any visa for a foreigner who is married with two kids to stay in Thailand more than 30 days? Up to a year at a time?

Any help appreciated on this one.

Cheers

[Mario2008]

Being married to a Thai allows you a (multiple) non-O visa, good for an entry of 90 days or multiple entries of 90 days for 1 year.

Once living in Thailand you can extend your stay in Thailand for 1 year, every year again, if you can show an income of 40,000 a month (can be from abroad) or can show 400,000 baht in a bank account in Thailand in your name only for at least 2 months.

[JT65]

Hi Thanks for the reply.

On the non-O visa do you still need to border runs every 90 days or if you have that money in the bank or in income can you stay in the country for the full year of the visa without border runs?

[Mario2008]

With the non-O visa you get 90 days. During the last 30 day of any 90 day stay you can go to immigraiton with said proof and recieve an extension of stay for 1 year and no longer need to make a border run. But do need to reprot your adddress every 90 day, which normally can be done by mail.

[JT65]

Hi

Thanks so much for the info.

I was so worried that the new rules would be putting a spanner in our plans.

I really need a year off in Thailand as living in Oz is just too stressful.

Thanks again.

[JohnThailandJohn]

With the non-O visa you get 90 days. During the last 30 day of any 90 day stay you can go to immigraiton with said proof and recieve an extension of stay for 1 year and no longer need to make a border run. But do need to reprot your adddress every 90 day, which normally can be done by mail.

Mario, Am I reading this right ... You need to show the income requirement every 90-days? I don't have a bank account in my name in Thailand so I would need to get a letter from my embassy every 90-days?

I never know my schedule but usually am back to the US at least a couple times a year. I have been just using 60-day extensions which often work out well because I often am out of the county around 90 Days (30+60) and when I am not have just done a border run and then got another 60-day extension on the visa exempt.

With the new regulations and uncertainty am thinking I am better off getting this non-o. Can you explain the general process? I get this and the more permanent visa confused but at one point I thought I remember reading I could go to Laos and get a 1-year "something" to stay in the country that wouldn't even require financial proof and just 90 Day reports and then during that year you could change it to a more permanent visa.

Also, can you get reentry permits on both or are they even needed?

Edit: to confirm, am married to a Thai.

[beechguy]

With the non-O visa you get 90 days. During the last 30 day of any 90 day stay you can go to immigraiton with said proof and recieve an extension of stay for 1 year and no longer need to make a border run. But do need to reprot your adddress every 90 day, which normally can be done by mail.

Mario, Am I reading this right ... You need to show the income requirement every 90-days? I don't have a bank account in my name in Thailand so I would need to get a letter from my embassy every 90-days?

I never know my schedule but usually am back to the US at least a couple times a year. I have been just using 60-day extensions which often work out well because I often am out of the county around 90 Days (30+60) and when I am not have just done a border run and then got another 60-day extension on the visa exempt.

With the new regulations and uncertainty am thinking I am better off getting this non-o. Can you explain the general process? I get this and the more permanent visa confused but at one point I thought I remember reading I could go to Laos and get a 1-year "something" to stay in the country that wouldn't even require financial proof and just 90 Day reports and then during that year you could change it to a more permanent visa.

Also, can you get reentry permits on both or are they even needed?

Edit: to confirm, am married to a Thai.

You are totally confused. A one year Non-Immigrant Visa would allow you an entry of 90 days, at the end of 90 days you would need to exit and return, if entering again just before the visa expires you would still get 90 days. No address report, no re-entry permit, and no visit to Immigration.

What Mario is saying, is that during any one of those stays, you can go to Immigration with 30 days remaining on your stay, and apply for a one year extension of permission to stay, you show the proof of finances then, and not again until the year is extension is about to finish, and you are re-applying. With the year extension, you would do a 90 day address report, not leave the country. But, you would need to apply for a re-entry permit to keep that extension valid when departing the country.

The new regulations as I see it, has nothing to do with any of this.

[JohnThailandJohn]

With the non-O visa you get 90 days. During the last 30 day of any 90 day stay you can go to immigraiton with said proof and recieve an extension of stay for 1 year and no longer need to make a border run. But do need to reprot your adddress every 90 day, which normally can be done by mail.

Mario, Am I reading this right ... You need to show the income requirement every 90-days? I don't have a bank account in my name in Thailand so I would need to get a letter from my embassy every 90-days?

I never know my schedule but usually am back to the US at least a couple times a year. I have been just using 60-day extensions which often work out well because I often am out of the county around 90 Days (30+60) and when I am not have just done a border run and then got another 60-day extension on the visa exempt.

With the new regulations and uncertainty am thinking I am better off getting this non-o. Can you explain the general process? I get this and the more permanent visa confused but at one point I thought I remember reading I could go to Laos and get a 1-year "something" to stay in the country that wouldn't even require financial proof and just 90 Day reports and then during that year you could change it to a more permanent visa.

Also, can you get reentry permits on both or are they even needed?

Edit: to confirm, am married to a Thai.

You are totally confused. A one year Non-Immigrant Visa would allow you an entry of 90 days, at the end of 90 days you would need to exit and return, if entering again just before the visa expires you would still get 90 days. No address report, no re-entry permit, and no visit to Immigration.

What Mario is saying, is that during any one of those stays, you can go to Immigration with 30 days remaining on your stay, and apply for a one year extension of permission to stay, you show the proof of finances then, and not again until the year is extension is about to finish, and you are re-applying. With the year extension, you would do a 90 day address report, not leave the country. But, you would need to apply for a re-entry permit to keep that extension valid when departing the country.

The new regulations as I see it, has nothing to do with any of this.

Appreciate you setting me straight with this. It has been a long time since I thought about any of this.

My concern with the new regulations is about continuing to get 60-day extensions and doing a border runs between between them since the new regulations appear to be wanting people to get proper visas and not abuse the system which the continual 60-day extension to visit wife might be viewed as.

[TerryLH]

"What Mario is saying, is that during any one of those stays, you can go to Immigration with 30 days remaining on your stay,"

In this situation, you apply for an extension during the last 30 days remaining on your permission to stay. There doesn't have to be 30 days left on it.

[Mario2008]

With the non-O visa you get 90 days. During the last 30 day of any 90 day stay you can go to immigraiton with said proof and recieve an extension of stay for 1 year and no longer need to make a border run. But do need to reprot your adddress every 90 day, which normally can be done by mail.

Mario, Am I reading this right ... You need to show the income requirement every 90-days? I don't have a bank account in my name in Thailand so I would need to get a letter from my embassy every 90-days?

I never know my schedule but usually am back to the US at least a couple times a year. I have been just using 60-day extensions which often work out well because I often am out of the county around 90 Days (30+60) and when I am not have just done a border run and then got another 60-day extension on the visa exempt.

With the new regulations and uncertainty am thinking I am better off getting this non-o. Can you explain the general process? I get this and the more permanent visa confused but at one point I thought I remember reading I could go to Laos and get a 1-year "something" to stay in the country that wouldn't even require financial proof and just 90 Day reports and then during that year you could change it to a more permanent visa.

Also, can you get reentry permits on both or are they even needed?

Edit: to confirm, am married to a Thai.

You are totally confused. A one year Non-Immigrant Visa would allow you an entry of 90 days, at the end of 90 days you would need to exit and return, if entering again just before the visa expires you would still get 90 days. No address report, no re-entry permit, and no visit to Immigration.

What Mario is saying, is that during any one of those stays, you can go to Immigration with 30 days remaining on your stay, and apply for a one year extension of permission to stay, you show the proof of finances then, and not again until the year is extension is about to finish, and you are re-applying. With the year extension, you would do a 90 day address report, not leave the country. But, you would need to apply for a re-entry permit to keep that extension valid when departing the country.

The new regulations as I see it, has nothing to do with any of this.

Appreciate you setting me straight with this. It has been a long time since I thought about any of this.

My concern with the new regulations is about continuing to get 60-day extensions and doing a border runs between between them since the new regulations appear to be wanting people to get proper visas and not abuse the system which the continual 60-day extension to visit wife might be viewed as.

60 day extensions are not given back to back. A new 60 day extension requires a new exit and entry to Thailand first. In that sense the new regulation would probably effect you.

Your way to go is the multiple non-O visa. If you really need an extension depends on your travel plans. You could also extend a 90 day extension with 60 days to visit your spouse. Giving you 150 days in country without the need to leave.

[JohnThailandJohn]

Your way to go is the multiple non-O visa. If you really need an extension depends on your travel plans. You could also extend a 90 day extension with 60 days to visit your spouse. Giving you 150 days in country without the need to leave.

Agree and thanks for the heads-up on the getting the 60 on the 90, wouldn't have occurred to me. I am rarely here more than 5 months (usually 3) without leaving for a month or two.