For the first time this year when we tried to do our one-year extension, we've run into a new problem. Our son is on an education visa studying at an int'l school here - his extension went through with no problem. But for his parents, who had been here on an extension as his guardian/caretakers, we were told that now only one parent for each child - as our daughter as graduated, and he's the last one at home, only one of us can have this caretaker extension. Fortunately we're both over 50 and can use retirement as the purpose instead.

But a new requirement came up when we planned to have just one of us as caretaker - they were insisting that our affidavit stating that he was our son and we were married, and his parents, now needed not only the US embassy notarization, but a stamp certifying that embassy stamp by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I suppose it would be possible to have that stamp on the affidavit itself, but they were asking for the US Embassy to stamp the birth certificate itself (our our marriage certificate if we go the retirement option and have one of us as the following dependent spouse). I'm not sure how to do that, because the US Embassy is only notarizing a document that we are signing - like the affidavit - just attesting that the person who signed it proved they were that person - they're not technically certifying the statement is true. Thus I can't see them stamping a birth or marriage certificate.

Has anyone else run into this requirement for these documents to be stamped by the MoFA? Nonthaburi immigration says quite apologetically it is a new requirement. And if so, will MoFA stamp something without an embassy stamp on it (like the B/C)?

Nonthaburi immigration is known for coming up with some odd requirements.

I have never heard of immigration wanting a MFA stamp unless it was the certification of a translation done if the documents are not in English.

The MFA can only verify that the consular officers signature is valid on the affidavit.

What immigration normally want is a self certification of the marriage and birth certificates done by doing an affidavit. They are aware that most embassies cannot certify the documents.

Once one of you get the retirement extension the other one can get an extension as their dependent. You could also get one for your children up to the age of 20.

Thanks Ubonjoe. The MoFA thing came literally out of left field for us - we've had four prior extensions with no problem, and had the affidavit notarized by the embassy and copy of the birth certificate as before, and never expected this new demand. He likes us generally and likes to banter with my kids in Japanese when we go in for 90 days' or whatever, and he was nice about it all, and quite apologetic, since because our extension expires today I now have no choice but to fly to Laos and start over again, which is expensive, inconvenient, and particularly frustrating when we just got back from the US two days ago and are tired and jetlagged, and with school starting it's not the best time for parents to have to scoot out for a few days.

I asked the officer if they needed the MoFA stamp only on the affadavit, (the self certification), and he said it had to be on the copy of the birth certificate too. I asked him if the MoFA could stamp the B/C without the embassy signature (notarizing it), and he said no, the embassy had to stamp the copy of the birth certificate too, in addition to the affidavit. There's no way the US embassy will do that, I'm guessing, so I'm stumped.

We were going to do as you suggested - one of us get the retirement visa, one of us get the extension as a dependent. But if he insists on an embassy stamp on our marriage certificate I'm in the same problem. After sitting there literally from 9 am to 5 pm yesterday, I'm feeling pretty unwilling to go try it again without the MoFA stamp on both, but I guess I can try!

Thanks for the confirmation though that this is a new one - we try to pay attention and have our documents in perfect order before we go in, so I felt stupid if I'd missed something we should have known about.