questions regarding Non O 1 yr first time marriage visa/retirement visa

[andreas islinger]

Australian, 49 married to thai citizen.

i recently obtained a 3 month single entry Non O visa in Kathmandu, easily obtained there.

i am now back with wife here in Bangkok and have a range of questions which are still unclear to me, we tried to find out from immigration but the more we asked the more different questions we received....

1. as i am booked to go mid sep to japan i need to know how many days after entering thailand with my Non O visa i am able to apply for my Non O 1 year Multible entry visa, some sources said 30 days some spoke of 45 days before the visa expires.

2. after applying for the 1 yr Non 0 visa, how long does it take to receive the passport back? some people told us 1 month? do i leave it at the office, are they sending it back or do i need to pick it up?

3. cost of 1 year visa (Non O mult entry.

4. i am going to be 50 years next year and my question is

4.1 is it better to change then to retirement visa or do i have to anyhow or can stay and just continue extending my Non O marriage visa.

4.2 is there any advantages to the one or the other?

thanks so much to this wonderful forum!

[Mario2008]

1. you apply for a 1 year extension and on that can get a multiple re-entry permit.

2. you keep your passport yourself, immigration does not keep it.

3. 1,900 baht and a re-entry permit is 1,000 baht (single) or 3,800 (multiple). Only needed when you plan to travel abroad.

4. retirement requires more money, but has less paperwork and the extension is given on the spot. Marriage requires a lot more paperwork and you have to come back to immigration after 1 month to get the final approval of your application, but requires less money.

If you meet the requirements, retirement is easier.

Bangkok allows applying 45 days early. Question is how long your current permission to stay is valid and will you be back before that time or not. if you apply for an extension now, you have to come back after 30 days.

Apply for a single re-entry permit, after obtaining the 30 days under consideration, as it will only be valid for the duration of your current permission to stay

[Lite Beer]

It is not a Non Imm O Visa.

It is a 12 month extension of stay.

Apply within the final 30 days of your permission to stay.

Some offices allow 45 days.

After application you have to return in about 30 days to get the full stamp.

You do not leave your passport there.

The fee is 1,900 Baht for the extension.

3,800 Baht for the multi re entry permit.

Up to you what you do next year.

Retirement requires double the financial requirements, but is a little easier to do.

With Marriage you are able to get a work permit if you wanted to.

[iancnx]

I might add that the above advice on retirement is all good as at today's date. What's in store for the future who knows. I have the cash but I am super reluctant to go down the retirement route purely because they might move the goal posts at a moments notice. Marriage extension is a hassle, and I feel more disparaged as each application is gone over with frankly cumbersome unnecessary pernickety detail, but I am here supporting my family - they are dependent upon me - so I hope I will be amongst the last group asked to leave. Granted - there's a big slice of paranoia in there somewhere,.... Unfortunately. I hope I am wrong and Immigration will note that it would be far more cost effective to grant extensions 5 yrs at a time..... I'm ready to pay 10K in advance for that.

[craigp]

It is not a Non Imm O Visa.

It is a 12 month extension of stay.

Apply within the final 30 days of your permission to stay.

Some offices allow 45 days.

After application you have to return in about 30 days to get the full stamp.

You do not leave your passport there.

The fee is 1,900 Baht for the extension.

3,800 Baht for the multi re entry permit.

Up to you what you do next year.

Retirement requires double the financial requirements, but is a little easier to do.

With Marriage you are able to get a work permit if you wanted to.

`

Does an extension based on marriage make it easier to get a work permit in any way? (Not opening a business)

[ubonjoe]

Does an extension based on marriage make it easier to get a work permit in any way? (Not opening a business)

It just lowers the requirements a bit. The registered capital is cut in half to 1 million and the number of Thai employed required is reduced to 2 (can depend upon where application is done).

[OJAS]

I might add that the above advice on retirement is all good as at today's date. What's in store for the future who knows. I have the cash but I am super reluctant to go down the retirement route purely because they might move the goal posts at a moments notice. Marriage extension is a hassle, and I feel more disparaged as each application is gone over with frankly cumbersome unnecessary pernickety detail, but I am here supporting my family - they are dependent upon me - so I hope I will be amongst the last group asked to leave. Granted - there's a big slice of paranoia in there somewhere,.... Unfortunately. I hope I am wrong and Immigration will note that it would be far more cost effective to grant extensions 5 yrs at a time..... I'm ready to pay 10K in advance for that.

They might equally move the goalposts for marriage extensions at a moment's notice!

[JLCrab]

Maybe, per #4 above, one year is the maximum Thai Immigration cares to extend one's stay via marriage without verifying that the marriage is still de jure (legitimate) and de facto per P.O. 777/2551 2.18 - 3.

[Mario2008]

1 year is the maximum time immigration is allowed to extends someone's stay per immigration act.

[iancnx]

Yes 1 year is the max..... But don't stop putting the idea across. 5 yrs benefits everyone. Thai wife is liable and will be prosecuted if she fails to report a change of circumstances. She signs that covenant every year. Therefore what's the problem with 5 yrs.

[Suradit69]

I might add that the above advice on retirement is all good as at today's date. What's in store for the future who knows. I have the cash but I am super reluctant to go down the retirement route purely because they might move the goal posts at a moments notice. Marriage extension is a hassle, and I feel more disparaged as each application is gone over with frankly cumbersome unnecessary pernickety detail, but I am here supporting my family - they are dependent upon me - so I hope I will be amongst the last group asked to leave. Granted - there's a big slice of paranoia in there somewhere,.... Unfortunately. I hope I am wrong and Immigration will note that it would be far more cost effective to grant extensions 5 yrs at a time..... I'm ready to pay 10K in advance for that.

"so I hope I will be amongst the last group asked to leave."

No groups of legitimate long-stay foreigners have been asked to leave and the goal posts for none of them have been moved.

You can hardly call the crackdown on over stayers or people who stay in Thailand indefinitely using back to back tourist & ed visas entries or those who have been repeatedly using visa-exempt-entries for months if not years as "moving the goal posts." The referee may have been lax for quite awhile, but the rules of the game have not been changed. The ref just woke up to what's been going on and he's started handing out more red cards.

" I am here supporting my family - they are dependent upon me."

I love it when people act as though supporting the family that they chose to create is some selfless act intended solely to contribute to the Thai nation.

It does merit some consideration since being married to a Thai results in a lower financial requirement for an extension than for someone retired here, but I think it's a stretch to assume you're performing some special national service by choosing to leave your country to find a wife and then produce YOUR children with YOUR wife, who happens to be Thai.

[iancnx]

I might add that the above advice on retirement is all good as at today's date. What's in store for the future who knows. I have the cash but I am super reluctant to go down the retirement route purely because they might move the goal posts at a moments notice. Marriage extension is a hassle, and I feel more disparaged as each application is gone over with frankly cumbersome unnecessary pernickety detail, but I am here supporting my family - they are dependent upon me - so I hope I will be amongst the last group asked to leave. Granted - there's a big slice of paranoia in there somewhere,.... Unfortunately. I hope I am wrong and Immigration will note that it would be far more cost effective to grant extensions 5 yrs at a time..... I'm ready to pay 10K in advance for that.

"so I hope I will be amongst the last group asked to leave."

No groups of legitimate long-stay foreigners have been asked to leave and the goal posts for none of them have been moved.

You can hardly call the crackdown on over stayers or people who stay in Thailand indefinitely using back to back tourist & ed visas entries or those who have been repeatedly using visa-exempt-entries for months if not years as "moving the goal posts." The referee may have been lax for quite awhile, but the rules of the game have not been changed. The ref just woke up to what's been going on and he's started handing out more red cards.

" I am here supporting my family - they are dependent upon me."

I love it when people act as though supporting the family that they chose to create is some selfless act intended solely to contribute to the Thai nation.

It does merit some consideration since being married to a Thai results in a lower financial requirement for an extension than for someone retired here, but I think it's a stretch to assume you're performing some special national service by choosing to leave your country to find a wife and then produce YOUR children with YOUR wife, who happens to be Thai.

Nice diatribe, must have taken a few hours for you to have put that together. Made me chuckle !

[JLCrab]

Yes 1 year is the max..... But don't stop putting the idea across. 5 yrs benefits everyone. Thai wife is liable and will be prosecuted if she fails to report a change of circumstances. She signs that covenant every year. Therefore what's the problem with 5 yrs.

The last time the Immigration Police Order was changed the 40K baht monthly income / 400K in the bank for extension from the non-Thai spouse could then not be combined with the Thai spouse. So don't be so sure if they choose to go through the convoluted procedure to amend the Thai Immigration Act (2522/1979) they will do so in the direction you favor.

[andreas islinger]

thanks for your post, i am ab bit clearer

so my currwent non o runs out on sep 10, still not sure weather i can risk going 45 days before that or should wait 30...

my wife rung the immigration office in Bang Buathong which is the nonthaburi office. (i life in Nonthaburi)

she was told that the don't do the extention there (is this true???) and we have to go to the Chaeng Wattana office as it is the only one in bangkok (true???) which processes the visa extention (based on Marriage)...

i just want to make sure i go to the right office in the first place...

we tried to ring Chaeng Wattana office but there is only an automated message...

anyone got any more ideas???

[andreas islinger]

one more thing....i am also confused which form to use...

Extension of Temporary Stay in The Kingdom Application Form (TM. 7)

or/and

Re-Entry Permit into The Kingdom Application Form (TM.8)

[Mario2008]

As far as I know Nonthaburi immigration does do the extension based on marriage.

There might be a misunderstanding, as they won't do a conversion and for that will send you to BKK. That is were the confusion might be from.

[ubonjoe]

They will do extensions of stay based upon marriage there. Perhaps your wife mentioned change or such. You don't need to change anything you just apply for an extension..

You will complete the TM7 form for the extension of stay.

The TM8 is for a re-entry permit. Unless you want to travel during the 30 day under consideration period you will have after you apply for your extension you will not apply for it until you have the one year extension stamp.you will get when you go back to immigration.

[Julie H]

I have a question regarding the single entry Non O 90 days single entry based on marriage.

After 90 days you can apply for a 60 extension, when that 150 days is up can you go to a neighbouring country & obtain another 90 days then apply for another 60? Is there a limit to how many times you can do this?

[Mario2008]

There is no official limit, but it also depends on the immigration office you use.

Some immigration offices do put a limit to it to a certain number of times per year.