400,000 baht extension bank statement query

[phuketsub]

I am preparing to apply for a 1yr extension based on marriage and think I have everything in order, having done it several times already.

However, this is the first time I will be applying in Songkhla (Haad Yai) instead of Phuket.

Three questions:

1. The bank account where the 400,000 baht has been sitting for the past 3 months is in Phuket. Can any branch of the same bank (KBank in my case) issue the letter required by Immigration, or does it have to be the branch that issues the bank book for that account?

2. How does HDY Immigration compare to Phuket in terms of customer service and 'pickiness'..

3. I actually live just as close to Nakhon Sri Thammarat as I do to HDY. Is it possible for me to apply for an extension there even though my residence is in Songkhla Province?

Any help appreciated.

[ubonjoe]

1. You should be able to get the letter from a local branch office.

2. Can't help you on that but it might be good idea to check with them to see if they have some different requirements.

3. You have to do it in Hat Yai because that is your assigned office.

[phuketsub]

1. You should be able to get the letter from a local branch office.

2. Can't help you on that but it might be good idea to check with them to see if they have some different requirements.

3. You have to do it in Hat Yai because that is your assigned office.

thanks!

[phuketsub]

Interesting.I called them and they said HDY only need the money in the bank for 2 months, not 3 as is the case in Phuket if you are applying for a second (or more) one-year extension based on marriage.

However, I will only have had the funds in the bank for 58 days when my current permit to stay expires.

She advised me to pay the two day overstay (1000 baht) and then come in and apply for the 1-yr extension.

I had always assumed an overstay invalidated any permit to stay and meant you would have to apply for a brand new visa...

I hope she gave me the right info!

[ubonjoe]

An overstay dose not cancel your permit to stay. Another option would be to apply for a 7 day extension. Or a 60 day extension to visit you wife.

I forgot that Phuket does not follow the rules that state 60 days is needed for every extension not just the first.

[Mario2008]

The official ule is 2 months if based on marriage. Phuket doesn't follow the rules regarding this, HDY does.

A short overstay is acceptable and mostly not a problem for an extension. An alternative is to get a 60 day extension first and during the last 30 days apply for the 1 year extension.

[phuketsub]

Thanks for all the insights. I'll probably just pay the overstay since it's cheaper than applying for an extension anyway, but if I screw up on the documentation (always a possibility) then I could still go the extension route...anyway, I'll post about how it turns out in about a week's time. Thanks again.

[phuketsub]

Just an update on how it went.

Some documents required by Phuket Immigration (such as copy of ATM card) not required by Haad Yai.

In the end the documents (2xcopies) submitted and accepted were:

TM7

Fine Report (3 days in my case)

Passport (info page, visa page and all subsequent pages)

Departure Card* (see notes below)

Kor Ror 3 (marriage certificate)

Kor Ror 2 (proof marriage still valid)

Wife ID

Child's birth certificate

House Registation Form (for me)

Bank Letter

Bank Statement

Map to House

pix of couple in front of house w/house number visible

pix of couple inside the house

CURVEBALLS / LESSONS LEARNED :

1. I didn't realize that I would need to produce a Thai witness since I was applying in Songkhla for the first time. (I would have thought having thought having a wife of ten years present would be enough, but apparently not). Fortunately we have a friend who is a civil servant nearby, though this process apprised her of the fact that her civil service card had expired.

2. After my application was accepted on Monday, I got a call from the officer on Tuesday telling me I had to go back. It turns out that the 'Date of Entry' on the TM7 did not match that on the departure card.

This was an issue that always confused me. My last visa was issued in 2005 (I have been out on re-entry permits twice since that time) and on the TM7 form it asks for 'Date of Entry'..In Phuket I always put the date associated with initial entry on that visa, and it was accepted without problem every year I lived there. Not so in HDY. He wanted me to go back (2hr drive) to make the date on the TM7 match that which was (for some mysterious reason) stamped ON THE BACK of the departure card when I last re-entered, and hence was not visible on the photocopy thereof. I suspect he was probably technically correct on that point.

3. There is apparently only one officer there who deals with this stuff, and he is not always in. I was encouraged to call him to make an appointment next time.

4. Asked how all of this related to my 90-day reporting regimen, he said 'Don't Worry About It just do it when you come back in a month"...so I still really don't know if the 90-day reporting 'restarts' after you change reporting location.

I don't know if any of this will be of use to anyone, but it will be nice to have it online somewhere a year from now...

[ubonjoe]

The last entry means your most recent entry. The date is stamped in your passport as well as on the departure card.

[phuketsub]

The last entry means your most recent entry. The date is stamped in your passport as well as on the departure card.

Yes, I am aware of that now, but only after doing it the wrong way for nine years in a row in Phuket and getting away with it. I guess you could say it's a bad case of 'paper training'...Anyway, I have to commend you on the help you give to everyone in this forum, and I am sure many others would agree.