Getting A Family (o) Visa In Bkk?

[matcube]

I am in Thailand, holding a regular tourist visa (or, better said, the "permit of stay" that they issue at the border when entering), can I go to the immigration bureau in BKK with the required documents and apply for a family visa? I am Italian married with a Thai woman, although I have never "trasnformed" the Italian marriage certificate into any Thai equivalent, but I have a certified English and Thai translation of it.

Also, would they usually issue the visa the same day, or is it a lengthy process?

Thanks,

Matcube

[Sunbelt Asia]

I am in Thailand, holding a regular tourist visa (or, better said, the "permit of stay" that they issue at the border when entering), can I go to the immigration bureau in BKK with the required documents and apply for a family visa? I am Italian married with a Thai woman, although I have never "trasnformed" the Italian marriage certificate into any Thai equivalent, but I have a certified English and Thai translation of it.

Also, would they usually issue the visa the same day, or is it a lengthy process?

Thanks,

Matcube

Sorry Matcube.

I surmise you mean the 30 day stamp and not a 60 day tourist visa. If it is a 60 day tourist visa, you can change it to a O" visa in Thailand.

You will need to go to a Thai Consulate/ Embassy outside Thailand and get a visa. Then you can do the extension of stay here.

I surmise you mean the 30 day stamp and not a 60 day tourist visa. If it is a 60 day tourist visa, you can change it to a O" visa in Thailand.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[matcube]

Thanks Sunbelt,

My situation is a bit more complex than that, and your reply answers to that. In fact I have a Non-Immigrant Visa B that is going to expire soon. Since I am going for a short trip out of the country before my Non-Imm B expires, I was considering the two options: getting the Non-Immigrant O before exiting, or go out witout any re-entry permit and get a Non-Imm O when I am back, but apparently this is not possible, as your reply suggests. Thanks.

On my second question, how long does it take them to issue the Non-Immigrant O at the immigration bureau? If my document/status get stuck there for long, I won't be able to go for my short trip outside Thailand.

Thanks again (you or anybody else).

Matcube.

[lopburi3]

There is no family visa. If you can meet the requirements for support a Thai wife extension of stay which are 400k in Thai bank account you may be able to extend your stay on that basis once you have a real visa. The normal procedure would be to take your marriage paperwork and copy of the wife ID card to the Royal Thai Consulate on Penang to obtain a non immigrant O visa to visit wife which allows a 90 day stay and during the last 30 days of that stay apply for extension at immigration.

The visa should be issued the following afternoon after a morning application if no holiday involved and normal work week is Mon-Fri.

The extension of stay for one year is normally approved after 30-60 days of review.

[matcube]

Thanks Lopburi3 for the clarification. That opens up a third question. My permit of stay + visa (Non-Imm expires at the end of September. If I apply now for the "supporting thai wife stay extension", can I leave the Kingdom (with or without purchasing a re-entry permit) while they process my application?

Matcube.

Edited August 23, 2006 by matcube

[Maestro]

My permit of stay + visa (Non-Imm expires at the end of September. If I apply now for the "supporting thai wife stay extension", can I leave the Kingdom (with or without purchasing a re-entry permit) while they process my application?

If your non-B visa was for a single entry then its expiration date, i.e. “utilize before” date, no longer matters. If it was for multiple entries, you can leave Thailand and re-enter the country any time before the visa’s “utilize before” date.

You say that your permission to stay, the 90-day period granted you when you entered Thailand on the non-B visa, expires at the end of September. This means that you can any time during the last 30 days of your permitted stay go to Immigration and apply for an annual extension for the reason “support Thai wife”. No need to go to a consulate abroad for a new visa. Best not to wait until the last day for your application for extension, in order to have time to get additional documents if they should be required.

When you make your application for extension you will get a stamp saying that your application is under consideration and that you must report to Immigration again on a certain date. This report date will probably be 30 or 45 days after the application date. If you travel abroad during this period, get a re-entry permit.

If you travel abroad before making the application for extension and if your non-B was single-entry, get a re-entry permit before leaving Thailand.

---------------

Maestro

[lopburi3]

First post you were here on a "tourist visa" that was really an entry stamp and then it became a non immigrant B visa and it expires "soon" but now it is both visa and permission to stay that will expire but not until the end of September. It is very hard to provide valid information when the goal posts are changing in every post. Hopeful with maestro post all possibilities are covered.

If you have a non immigrant visa entry and can fulfill the requirements for support Thai wife you should visit immigration after the end of this month to start the process, with your wife. As said if you have to travel before then, or after, make sure you have a re entry permit if you want to keep your current permitted to stay alive.

[matcube]

Lopburi at al,

sorry I didn't mean to stir the forum nor play a game. In fact, my intention was to simplify the situation: since I thought I would shortly go out of the Kingdom and back in (without a re-entry permit), I was projecting my situation once I am back. As for the tourist visa/stamp distinction, it wasn't completely clear to me at the time of writing. Your answers helped a lot and now I have a much clearer idea.

If you want to hear the whole story with details, here it is:

Intended trip abroad: Sept 2- Sept 8

Non-Imm VISA+Stamp: Expire Sept 20

Work contract: Expire Oct 1

Intended long trip abroad: Oct 1-Nov 30

Nov 30: Back in Thailand with a Non-Imm O visa (to be obtained abroad) or with the "supporting family member permit of stay" which I should apply now but I am not sure what happens if they call me in to report back after I have left (Oct 1).

Any additional comment or suggestion is welcome. Still, I don't want to bother anybody too much with my personal story, at some point next week I'll go to Suan Plu and ask them.

Matcube