accompanying person visa

[ciliate]

I am a Canadian citizen working at an international university in Bangkok. I am a researcher and have a one year non immigrant researcher visa. My spouse is here with a tourist visa, which we are going to change to an accompanying person's visa. We have put together all the required documents and are almost ready to go. Here comes the question: In the sheet we were given at the immigration office it mentions that we need either a marriage certificate OR a letter from an official government body certifying that the applicant is indeed married to me. When we called the number provided on the sheet to clarify we were told that maybe we need both.

Question 1: Do we really need both documents? What does maybe mean? This is absolutely unclear. Or is it sufficient to have just the marriage certificate?

The marriage certificate is certified by our country's authorities but apparently it also has to be certified and I quote: "...by the Legalization Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand"

Question 2: I read an older post that mentioned that the process is relatively painless. Do I need to also be present for the process or can my spouse go alone?

Thanks in advance.

[glegolo]

This one will be interesting.... I guess you mean extension of stay with dependent. I cant help you, But will be nice to see how his can be solved.... Have only see this thing in connection with extension of stay based on retirement...

So wait and you will have a great answer from other people here.

Glegolo

[ciliate]

I don't mean extension of stay with dependent. I can legally stay for a year and I just want my spouse to also stay. Why is this tricky?

[paz]

I don't mean extension of stay with dependent. I can legally stay for a year and I just want my spouse to also stay. Why is this tricky?

Because it is not so streamlined.

"legally stay for an year"" is called "extension of stay". For that your spouse need to be on a non-immigrant visa. Normally, immigration does not do conversion from tourist to non-immigrant visa for dependents. I sure wish you they will make an exception in your case, (cost would be Bt 2,000), but if it not so she will need to obtain first a non-imm 'O' from a nearby country, before applying for an extension of stay (Bt 1,900).

Regarding the marriage certificate, you need to have it translated and legalized at Minister of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok.

[ciliate]

So my spouse would need to go to a nearby country to get the non-imm O. Which country would you members recommend for this process? I assume that some embassies may offer better service than others. And how long does it take?

[paz]

So my spouse would need to go to a nearby country to get the non-imm O. Which country would you members recommend for this process? I assume that some embassies may offer better service than others. And how long does it take?

Most people goes to Vientane or Savannakhet, Laos. The first is serviced by minivan by a sponsor of the forum here.

Savannakhet has same day service but due to bus/flight schedules it's virtually impossible to do in one day. Will need copies of your passport, visa and extensions if any. If the marriage certificate is in English they may accept it w/o translation.

[ciliate]

AH! Well time for a mini holiday then! Might as well make the most of it. The marriage certificate is in Greek and also translated in English and officially stamped by the MInistry of foreign affairs in Greece. I guess we will have it certified from the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Thailand as well. I will add the letter from the university on the endless pile of documents as well. Let's see how this plays out...

[paz]

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs there are services that will translate from the original to Thai, and do the legalization.

Then for the extension only, you may need a letter from your consulate or embassy confirming that the marriage is still valid.

[ciliate]

Thank you all for the very helpful replies. I am still amazed at the amount of paperwork here!

[Maestro]

It has to do with the fact that neither Greek nor English are an official language in Thailand, just like Thai is not an official language in Greece and in Canada.

[bertty]

so there you have it.. The joys of being a greek Canadian.... are you either ?

[ubonjoe]

Your wife needs to go out for a non-o visa. The embassy or consulate should accept the English translation you have of your marriage certificate. A copy of your passport photo page and extension of stay stamp will needed.

Go to a translation service to have your marriage certificate translated to Thai. Then it needs to certified by the MFA. The translation service can get the certification done for you for a small fee.

During the last 30 days of the 90 day entry your wife will get from the non-o visa she can apply for an extension of stay as your dependent. She will need the translated marriage certificate (plus a copy) and your passport pages showing your extension of stay.

[ciliate]

so there you have it.. The joys of being a greek Canadian.... are you either ?

Yes, both my husband and I are Greek-Canadian and have passports from both countries.

[ciliate]

Your wife needs to go out for a non-o visa. The embassy or consulate should accept the English translation you have of your marriage certificate. A copy of your passport photo page and extension of stay stamp will needed.

Go to a translation service to have your marriage certificate translated to Thai. Then it needs to certified by the MFA. The translation service can get the certification done for you for a small fee.

During the last 30 days of the 90 day entry your wife will get from the non-o visa she can apply for an extension of stay as your dependent. She will need the translated marriage certificate (plus a copy) and your passport pages showing your extension of stay.

Thanks. I do have all the relevant documents, my question pertained to whether I need to have "a letter from an official government body certifying that the applicant is indeed married" to me on top of the marriage certificate. The way it is translated in English is not clear. I had a Thai colleague translate the original text and I only need the marriage certificate after all. One muddy spot cleared out! Let's see how this plays out. Once all is taken care of, I will post an update here.

[paz]

As mentioned above. You may need the letter for the extension of stay only. Not for the visa.

[ubonjoe]

As mentioned above. You may need the letter for the extension of stay only. Not for the visa.

Does somebody not understand or.

He wrote it said "In the sheet we were given at the immigration office it mentions that we need either a marriage certificate OR a letter from an official government body certifying that the applicant is indeed married to me.

They will have a marriage certificate so no need for anything else.

Clause 2.20 of immigration order 137/2557 has this.

"4. Copy of documents proving relationship, such as a marriage certificate, a birth certificate, registration of child legitimization, household registration certificate, child adoption registration certificate, or other evidence from the government or relevant agency"