Marriage Visa Funds In Bank

[harrydash]

I am due to renew my 1 year marriage visa at the end of november. I have just heard that from October 1st, the 400k has to be in the bank 3 months prior to the application. Is this true ? If so I could have problems as I don't have the cash in the account yet.

This seems to be the opposite of what they introduced 2 years ago saying there had to be proof that the funds were transfered recently from abroad.

So should I just put the money in there immediately via Atm withdrawals, or arrange for the money to be sent from abroad ASAP ?

Harry.

Edited September 29, 2006 by harrydash

[lopburi3]

It is a rumor and I don't believe you will have any problem but I would arrange for the transfer as soon as you can. I would not use ATM as immigration is not likely to want to try and read those receipts.

[desmond]

Have the money in your bank one month before you apply. That should be good enough. Remember to get the letter from your bank too.

[guyham]

A good friend of mine has lived in Thailand for the past 7 years using a multi entry visa from Singapore each year. Having determined that this method would now be difficult or impossible, he decided to apply for a marriage visa (he’s been married to a Thai wife for 15 years). He borrowed the necessary 400,000 baht from a farang, putting it in his bank account the day before he applied for the visa. He got the visa but was advised by the immigration police to keep the money in his account for 10 days. This he did and then returned the money to the lender. Maybe this does not meet the spirit of the immigration laws, but I believe it does meet the letter of the law.

[kir]

Could someone please clariy the following question.

Once the 400,000 has been transfered from overseas into a Thai bank to obtain your marriage visa one year extention, can the same funds simply remain in the account and then be used again in subsequent years?.......or do the funds have to be seen to enter the country from overseas each and every year?

Many Thanks.

[Maizefarmer]

You are not going to be leaving those fund in the account if you have no other funds are.

In other words, come next year - and there is the "same" 400k in the account but you have been living here it means you have access to funds - which is exactly what that is about.

The guy in uniform has no mandate to examine where your funds come from or how much you are spending each month - all he is conceredn about is that you can demonstrate 400K in the account.

Anyway, whois to say you dont have 2 or even 3 accounts - which are the funds you spend.

No - I dont know for a fact how it works - but looking at it like that (which is a very palausible scenario i.e. you have more than one account) I just cant see them been at all cocnerned how much you are spending per month or per year - and that certainbly is not in the rules and regs.

Tim

[lopburi3]

I believe the officer will be very concerned about account inactivity and you will be questioned about it. The requirement is the 400k to prove you have the funds but the suspicion will be that you are an illegal worker.

We have had a number of reports where the account not being 400k during the review has resulted in delay until it is - I would not recommend taking the money (at least any significant amount) out of the account while in the review period.