Bit of a dilemma here. About to apply for my third extension of stay in Chiang Mai but will be moving to Phuket and staying there for a while as well as keeping our CM address. Thing is, we don’t have an address in Phuket yet and will probably be staying in a hotel for a week or so before finding a house rental, therefore the wife will not be on a tabien baan down there at first. Wouldn’t really want to apply in CM and have to return every month for the ‘awaiting approval’ stamp, so would it be possible to apply in Phuket considering the lack of permanent address down there? I’m even thinking let the extension run out and fly to Singers and just get a one-year multi; seems a lot less hassle at this juncture.

Cheers

Believe this is a case where you need to talk with Phuket Immigration and ask there advise. There is no need for wife to be on a local home register that I am aware of (am sure many are still on family home lists).

Hi Lopburi, we've spoken about this before but just testing the water to see if anyone has gone through the same scenario, cheers.

Spoke to Phuket and they say if I apply in CM I'd have to come back here for the monthly 'under consideration' stamps but would struggle to apply in Phuket without a permanent address down there. So probably best to get down there ASAP and find a house.

Edited October 20, 200619 yr by jackr

What are the real benefits of an Extension of Stay over a plain Multiple 'O' Non-Imm', apart from the fact that you never have to leave the country, you can apply for permanent residency after 3 consecutive extensions and it only costs 1,900 per year? It is a fair bit of hassle having to apply every year and go through the process (the two/three consecutive monthly stamps), not to mention loading the bank up with 400k and losing interest etc. I know the visa situation is tightening up in the region regards acquiring multi 'O's but it seems a lot more attractive at the moment.

How do immigration view those who break the extension process and would it be even more of a hassle, notwithstanding the current visa situation, to perhaps extend again sometime in the future?

I would think long and hard as if you break now you will never have the option to use 400k bank deposit again (unless there is a change in rules).

Yep, that's the 'notwithstanding' bit and currently the main reason to keep going.