Hi All,

I have a small business here and I am a full-time employee of that business. For the past 6 years or so I've been on a Non-Imm B with work permit, and recently the yearly visa renewals seem to be getting more and more problematic. By comparison, the work permit renewal is a breeze.

I have a child with my Thai gf and I believe that I have the option of getting a Non-Imm O and also having a work permit. It sounds like switching to an O would save me loads of trouble with all the paperwork that having a B entails, and that very little else would change. Am I missing anything? Is there any downside to going from a Non-Imm B to a Non-Imm O for someone in my position?

Thanks in advance for any advice, and if this has already been covered in another thread then please could you point me to that thread.

Cheers,

Jimmy

I assume you have a year extension of stay based on work rather than a multiple entry non 'B' visa, in which case IMO there is no downside to switching to an extension of stay based on your child (parent). That way your permission to stay isn't linked/reliant to your work permit.

Changing the reason for your extension of stay should be possible at the next renewal. In order to get a 1 year extension of stay based on being a parent you need to be the legal father. Being named on the birth certificate isn't enough. If you're not the legal after it's a simple process, with the mothers consent, but might take a month or so to finalise. You also need 400K in the bank on the day of application OR an income of 40K per month.

Edited April 27, 201610 yr by elviajero

I recently switched to non o child support from years on non b.

Downside is needing to show financials, plus is can change or leave job without affecting visa.

Else pretty much the same.

Lived and worked on a multi O for years. Retired now, could go for extensions etc, but my wife is still working contract so we go for a 3 day break somewhere every 3 months. That suits us may not suit others.

Each 'Visa' lasts almost 15 months if we go out and come back a couple of days before the enter by date.

As I said suits us may not suit others.

Wife obviously Thai by the way.

I recently switched to non o child support from years on non b.

Downside is needing to show financials, plus is can change or leave job without affecting visa.

Else pretty much the same.

"plus is can change or leave job without affecting visa."

How does leaving your job affect a visa ? It would end an extension of stay based on that employment, but a visa remains valid until it expires.

I recently switched to non o child support from years on non b.

Downside is needing to show financials, plus is can change or leave job without affecting visa.

Else pretty much the same.

"plus is can change or leave job without affecting visa."

How does leaving your job affect a visa ? It would end an extension of stay based on that employment, but a visa remains valid until it expires.

Yes. Dont think anyone is arguing thst point.

Easiest way to look at is,

A visa is yours,

An extension is theirs.

i just changed from non im B to O visa based on my half thai kids. i got the O visa while in nz which was so much easier and cheaper than the B visa i normally get in thailand. both visas seem to work the same however. i stopped working but i believe you only need 2 thais for your work permit instead of 4. maybe someone can confirm that.

i just changed from non im B to O visa based on my half thai kids. i got the O visa while in nz which was so much easier and cheaper than the B visa i normally get in thailand. both visas seem to work the same however. i stopped working but i believe you only need 2 thais for your work permit instead of 4. maybe someone can confirm that.

Depends on the Labour Office issuing the work permit. Some will want 4 employees.

Many thanks for all the replies.

elviajero: Sorry, I get confused with some of the terminology but yes, I believe you are correct, I have a 1 year extension of stay based on work. It expires at the end of May.

I'm definitely on the child's birth certificate - what else would I need to prove I'm the father? The mother will consent to whatever, but do I have time to arrange it all or do you think I will need a trip somewhere? If I need to go somewhere, where would you suggest?

Regarding the income of 40K per month you mentioned - is the salary I am paid by my company locally OK for that?

Thanks once again to all who have taken the time to respond..

Many thanks for all the replies.

elviajero: Sorry, I get confused with some of the terminology but yes, I believe you are correct, I have a 1 year extension of stay based on work. It expires at the end of May.

I'm definitely on the child's birth certificate - what else would I need to prove I'm the father? The mother will consent to whatever, but do I have time to arrange it all or do you think I will need a trip somewhere? If I need to go somewhere, where would you suggest?

Regarding the income of 40K per month you mentioned - is the salary I am paid by my company locally OK for that?

Thanks once again to all who have taken the time to respond..

How difficult it will be to legitimize your parenthood will depend upon the age of your child. It can be done at at an Amphoe it they are 7 years old or over if not it has to be done at the family court. See: How To Gain Parental Rights As A Father

You can use your income from working to meet the 40k baht income requirement. You will need have your work permit and proof by way of tax payment and your tax return.

If you can't get the one year extension due to not getting the legitimization done you could apply for a 60 day extension to visit your child or get a multiple entry non-o visa to give time to get it done.

Many thanks for all the replies.

elviajero: Sorry, I get confused with some of the terminology but yes, I believe you are correct, I have a 1 year extension of stay based on work. It expires at the end of May.

I'm definitely on the child's birth certificate - what else would I need to prove I'm the father? The mother will consent to whatever, but do I have time to arrange it all or do you think I will need a trip somewhere? If I need to go somewhere, where would you suggest?

Regarding the income of 40K per month you mentioned - is the salary I am paid by my company locally OK for that?

Thanks once again to all who have taken the time to respond..

How difficult it will be to legitimize your parenthood will depend upon the age of your child. It can be done at at an Amphoe it they are 7 years old or over if not it has to be done at the family court. See: How To Gain Parental Rights As A Father

You can use your income from working to meet the 40k baht income requirement. You will need have your work permit and proof by way of tax payment and your tax return.

If you can't get the one year extension due to not getting the legitimization done you could apply for a 60 day extension to visit your child or get a multiple entry non-o visa to give time to get it done.

Thanks very much for the info ubonjoe - much appreciated..

The agent I was planning on using to take care of my visa change from Non B to Non O is telling me that before I can go to the local Amphoe to be officially recognized as the father of my child I must go to the British Embassy in Bangkok to get a copy of my passport certified. Does anyone know if this is correct?

It's not the end of the world if I do have to go there and do that but when I just tried making an appointment at the embassy via their website the earliest date I can get an appointment is the 23rd May...

The agent I was planning on using to take care of my visa change from Non B to Non O is telling me that before I can go to the local Amphoe to be officially recognized as the father of my child I must go to the British Embassy in Bangkok to get a copy of my passport certified. Does anyone know if this is correct?

It's not the end of the world if I do have to go there and do that but when I just tried making an appointment at the embassy via their website the earliest date I can get an appointment is the 23rd May...

I don't think the UK embassy will certify a passport. They will only do a certified copy, See: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-for-thailand

The Amphoe may also want a translation of your photo page of your passport and the translation certified by the MFA.

How old is your child?

You will not be changing your visa class from non-b to non-o. It is not possible to do that. You will only be changing the reason for your extension.

The agent I was planning on using to take care of my visa change from Non B to Non O is telling me that before I can go to the local Amphoe to be officially recognized as the father of my child I must go to the British Embassy in Bangkok to get a copy of my passport certified. Does anyone know if this is correct?

You should ask at the Amphoe. They will have their own criteria and will tell you exactly what is required.

The agent I was planning on using to take care of my visa change from Non B to Non O is telling me that before I can go to the local Amphoe to be officially recognized as the father of my child I must go to the British Embassy in Bangkok to get a copy of my passport certified. Does anyone know if this is correct?

It's not the end of the world if I do have to go there and do that but when I just tried making an appointment at the embassy via their website the earliest date I can get an appointment is the 23rd May...

I don't think the UK embassy will certify a passport. They will only do a certified copy, See: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-for-thailand

The Amphoe may also want a translation of your photo page of your passport and the translation certified by the MFA.

How old is your child?

You will not be changing your visa class from non-b to non-o. It is not possible to do that. You will only be changing the reason for your extension.

Yes, getting a copy of my passport certified is what I have been told i need to do - just the photo page to prove that I really am a British national. I spoke to the embassy this morning and they advised that I need to make an appointment online. I was kinda surprised that the earliest appointment I can get is almost 2 weeks away...

My child is 8.

The agent I was planning on using to take care of my visa change from Non B to Non O is telling me that before I can go to the local Amphoe to be officially recognized as the father of my child I must go to the British Embassy in Bangkok to get a copy of my passport certified. Does anyone know if this is correct?

You should ask at the Amphoe. They will have their own criteria and will tell you exactly what is required.

Good idea. Thank you.

By way of an update...

Went to Bangkok to get a copy of my passport certified at the British Embassy, which was painless - parked in Wave Place across the street and was in the Embassy for around 1 hour.

Informed the agent I was using I had obtained a certified copy and a few days later we all (me, gf & child) went to the local Amphoe, which for me was next to Banglamung Police Station on Sukhumvit, around Moom Aroi Restaurant/Cholchan Resort. Whilst there killed 2 birds with one stone - got myself officially recognized as the father of my child and also got a Thai ID card for my child.

Left the rest for the agent to arrange. She took care of everything about my work permit renewal and i just had to make one visit to Immigration in Jomtien for the renewal of my visa/extension of stay. Got a 30-day extension and have to go back on the 30th to get another 11 months.

What was kinda interesting is that I thought I would be switching from a Non-Imm.'B' (Business) to a Non-Imm.'O' (child dependent), whereas what transpired is that I still have a Non-Imm. 'B', but instead of the 'B' visa being based on having a business, it is now based on having a child dependent, which, according to my agent, means that I only need 2 Thai staff for my work permit and that there should be no more visits from Immigration in Bangkok.

Thanks for all the help and advice offered here from elviajero and ubonjoe. Much appreciated!

...

What was kinda interesting is that I thought I would be switching from a Non-Imm.'B' (Business) to a Non-Imm.'O' (child dependent), whereas what transpired is that I still have a Non-Imm. 'B', but instead of the 'B' visa being based on having a business, it is now based on having a child dependent, which, according to my agent, means that I only need 2 Thai staff for my work permit and that there should be no more visits from Immigration in Bangkok.

Thanks for all the help and advice offered here from elviajero and ubonjoe. Much appreciated!

The old non-B visa, which you got from a Thai consulate, did not have to be changed to a non-O visa. What has changed is the reason for your one-year extension of stay, which you got from your immigration office and previously was for employment and now is for living with your child of Thai nationality. You probably did not notice this change because your agent filled the application form out for you and you just had to sign it.

You can work on a Non O visa or an extension of that visa based on marriage to a Thai.

What you probably can not do is work on a retirement extension.

That is the difference.

But you are right, what you want can be done.