Latest extension of Non-O based on marriage

[Psychic]

My just finished extension on visa based on marriage.
I just finished the process on my latest extension from the Hua Him office.
There were several notable changes from previous years. 

The first was that the application is actually from Petchaburi Immigration, although since that office hasn't opened yet the paperwork is processed in a temporary facility at HH. The new office is supposed to open in Tha Yang next month.
The paperwork was mostly the same, copies of:
Tabien Ban 
Marriage Certificate
My wife's ID
My passport...picture page, visa page, departure card
Paper from the amphur verifying marriage registration
Application form with photos attached
Notarized statement of income from my embassy
Photos of the wife and and I outside the house with the address and inside on the sofa and bed.
A hand drawn map to our house.

Those were pretty much the same as last year.

New this year:
I should change shirt from inside to outside. Bangkok wants.
My income statement needed a stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Chaeng Wattana, Bangkok.
The Immigration Officer need to come to our house and take photos with us.

First of all, Chaeng Wattana. It was relatively painless (except for the 5 hour wait and the inconvenience of having to go to Bangkok).
The procedure: go to the information desk on the 3rd floor with your embassy letter.
They will give you a form to fill in and you require a copy of the photo page in your passport.
Return and they give you a number, when its called, turn in the papers and 400 baht and then...go wait.
I'd recommend going and getting something to eat or something since its going to be a long wait.
At some point you ask and go to a different window and they give you your document receipt and any change back....then go wait.
After waiting a while, I'd recommend going to the document tracking window where they will give you an idea when your documents will be ready.
Again, I'd recommend re-checking there as the calling of names seems to be a little haphazard, as well as hard to hear with all the other noise.
For me, I started around 9am and finished just short of 2pm.

 

This may not be necessary for most, since HH seems to have decided to do this alone, although they are saying its coming from Bangkok due to some people forging the embassy letter.

With all of these papers (all copies in duplicate and signed...passport by me, ID, tabien ban by wife and everything else by both...we submitted them to Immigration paid 1900 baht and went home to wait for the visit.

The very nice lady Immigration Officers showed up took some photos and we chatted.
After having spoken with them, I now commiserate.
She told me that she would now have to go back to work and spend until midnight clearing up the mountain of paperwork since, if she didn't another mountain would show up tomorrow.
Both of us looked at each other as if to say "there's got to be a better way".
I got the impression that Bangkok keeps piling on the amount of paperwork without any concern to either the clients or the poor officers who have to try and keep up.
 

[al007]

I am in the middle of an altercation with KhonKaen immigration, all I can say all the people in the office want to help

 

I used Embassy letter this year previous 6 yrs used 400,000 in bank, if on embassy letter needs to be 40,000 per month or 480,000 so I am told, but no Bangkok certification required, my embassy letter only showed 440,000 batt, I am in the process of getting second pension added

 

(Removed)

 

Immigration despite all the information being on the computer, want bundles of paper each year same as last year, consuming mountains of trees VERY SAD, and burdomson on the Thai staff

[whatproblem]

That's bad if have to go to ministry of foreign affairs 

[sandyf]

This may not be necessary for most, since HH seems to have decided to do this alone, although they are saying its coming from Bangkok due to some people forging the embassy letter.

 

Which embassy are you?

I did my extension a couple of weeks ago and no problem with the income letter. I did notice however that the British Embassy have changed from a plain embossed stamp to a red embossed seal.

[Psychic]

Sandyf,

Canadian.

Yes I had checked with HH Immigration a couple of weeks ago because I already had my letter from the embassy and I had heard stories from US and Australians that they had to go to Chaeng Wattana.

At that time I was told that I was OK for this year but I would need the MFA stamp next year.

When I went in last week with all my paperwork I was told I needed the stamp.

The lady made a call when I was there and I heard her give my citizenship to whoever she was talking to and then confirming I needed the stamp.

So I just assumed that it was for all nationalities. It would be even more bizarre if it weren't.

 

[Suradit69]

Quote

New this year:
I should change shirt from inside to outside. Bangkok wants.

???

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, Suradit69 said:

???

A different shirt for the photos inside snd outside the house.

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, Psychic said:

Sandyf,

Canadian.

Yes I had checked with HH Immigration a couple of weeks ago because I already had my letter from the embassy and I had heard stories from US and Australians that they had to go to Chaeng Wattana.

At that time I was told that I was OK for this year but I would need the MFA stamp next year.

When I went in last week with all my paperwork I was told I needed the stamp.

The lady made a call when I was there and I heard her give my citizenship to whoever she was talking to and then confirming I needed the stamp.

So I just assumed that it was for all nationalities. It would be even more bizarre if it weren't.

 

Not necessarily if in fact forgery was the real reason. I don't know what prompted the British Embassy to change but the old stamp was very weak, you could hardly see it and the IO's had to feel its presence. The new red seal would be a lot more difficult to replicate so it would not be out of the question for Thai immigration to say one form of authentication was more acceptable than another.

Of course it could all be an excuse for additional revenue, no doubt it will be as clear as mud in due course.

I abandoned my last attempt at a marriage extension in favour of retirement but the income letter is a common factor.

[Psychic]

Suradit69, yes accompanied by a look that said "yes, I know it's idiotic".

I don't know what it is supposed to prove....that you must live there because you have 2 shirts????

 

Like I said in my OP, I feel sorry for the IO's who have to enforce this lunacy.

Apparently every marriage extension in HH will have a home visit, so basically that makes half the paperwork completely redundant since the IO can see you, your spouse and the house. In my case they took more photos with both of us and the IO together.

 

Also, they supposedly have, my passport on file with the visa, my departure card, my wife's ID and the tabien ban.

 

You'd figure, with IT progressing, that the procedure could be made a lot easier with computer processing but it just seems to be becoming more convoluted.

 

Makes you wonder what they do with all that paperwork when they're done with it.

 

[Generalchaos]

Wouldn't it just be a lot easier to leave 400K in the bank for a couple of months rather than dancing through hoops for income statements?

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, Generalchaos said:

Wouldn't it just be a lot easier to leave 400K in the bank for a couple of months rather than dancing through hoops for income statements?

Why put the 400k baht in a low interest account when it can be invested in other ways that earns a lot more.

Not many hoops to use a income letter or what ever it is called. Done it for the 9th time today without a problem with a income affidavit I got in May during a holiday trip with the family to Pattaya.

The part about having the consular officer signature verified is something new and certainly is not required at all offices.

[Generalchaos]

SCB will give you a letter for immigration for your deposit in a fixed rate account that (WAS) paying 1.5%! Best just leave it in there than trying to juggle a thousand Baht here and a thousand Baht there.

Seems a lot of people must be living on a knife edge if they are having to worry about a 400K guarantee. I keep the 400K in the SCB, it is never touched, any other cash is up to me. I am not willing to gamble my extension of stay on exchange rates or how immigration determine my bank balance during the consideration period, I would rather play the slots at Vegas!

[Generalchaos]

16 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Why put the 400k baht in a low interest account when it can be invested in other ways that earns a lot more.

Not many hoops to use a income letter or what ever it is called. Done it for the 9th time today without a problem with a income affidavit I got in May during a holiday trip with the family to Pattaya.

The part about having the consular officer signature verified is something new and certainly is not required at all offices.

Give me an example of a high interest rate on 400K in Thailand and I will be in like Flash!

To get your income letter...where do you go what does it cost? How much hassle is it? Is it convenient? Sorry but for me it seems we need to jump through a lot of hoops here just to stay legal. The last little Hitler at the CM immigration was annoyed that I used 19/5 for my address (Moo Baan) rather than 19/005! Pathetic! I have been here since 1999 and every year they make it more of a struggle, joint account / then a single account, apply for an extension based on marriage and have to camp in the car park at immigration, and by God if you ask them what time is best to arrive...1AM or 2AM they take a hissy fit!

 

They know full well they are making your life difficult, they just hate you pointing it out to them!

 

About time other countries did the same to the Thais and give them a bit of a taste of their own medicine.

[ubonjoe]

18 minutes ago, Generalchaos said:

Give me an example of a high interest rate on 400K in Thailand and I will be in like Flash!

To get your income letter...where do you go what does it cost? How much hassle is it? Is it convenient? Sorry but for me it seems we need to jump through a lot of hoops here just to stay legal. The last little Hitler at the CM immigration was annoyed that I used 19/5 for my address (Moo Baan) rather than 19/005! Pathetic! I have been here since 1999 and every year they make it more of a struggle, joint account / then a single account, apply for an extension based on marriage and have to camp in the car park at immigration, and by God if you ask them what time is best to arrive...1AM or 2AM they take a hissy fit!

 

They know full well they are making your life difficult, they just hate you pointing it out to them!

 

About time other countries did the same to the Thais and give them a bit of a taste of their own medicine.

Your post is more of rant than a reply to my post.

I wrote invest the money not putting it in a bank account. Many banks offer mutual funds and etc that cannot be used to prove the money in the bank for an extension. Other than the money that comes in from my pension I don't keep any money in the bank in my name.it is in my wife's name.

My income affidavit cost me 1780 baht this year and took about 20 minutes of my time, As I wrote I got it during a trip with my family which means there was no extra cost for the trip to get it.

I cannot comment on the problem you have had with CM immigration since that is not where I do my extensions and I have not had a problem with the office here in Ubon.

 

[HHTel]

Just done my extension of retirement visa.  The income letter was accepted without question.  There is a reason that some embassy letters need further verification.  The British Embassy requires proof of income and the proof is stated in the letter.  There are other embassies, i.e. U.S, Australia etc that produce the letter based on an affidavit from the applicant.  An affidavit is a sworn statement but not proof of income.  I'm told that it's those nationalities which need further verification because of the lack of documentative proof.

[ubonjoe]

7 hours ago, HHTel said:

Just done my extension of retirement visa.  The income letter was accepted without question.  There is a reason that some embassy letters need further verification.  The British Embassy requires proof of income and the proof is stated in the letter.  There are other embassies, i.e. U.S, Australia etc that produce the letter based on an affidavit from the applicant.  An affidavit is a sworn statement but not proof of income.  I'm told that it's those nationalities which need further verification because of the lack of documentative proof.

The verification being discussed is for the consular officers signature on the income letter not the amount shown on it.

Apparently immigration has been given some fake income letters that has led some offices to request the signature be verified before accepting the letter.

[vogie]

13 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Why put the 400k baht in a low interest account when it can be invested in other ways that earns a lot more.

Not many hoops to use a income letter or what ever it is called. Done it for the 9th time today without a problem with a income affidavit I got in May during a holiday trip with the family to Pattaya.

The part about having the consular officer signature verified is something new and certainly is not required at all offices.

Excuse my ignorance Joe, but by getting an affidavit in Pattaya mean no paperwork has to be sent to (in my case) the British Embassy, and if so where in Pattaya can one obtain an affidavit?

[ubonjoe]

Just now, vogie said:

Excuse my ignorance Joe, but by getting an affidavit in Pattaya mean no paperwork has to be sent to (in my case) the British Embassy, and if so where in Pattaya can one obtain an affidavit?

Mine is done by the US embassy. I did the affidavit at one of their outreach visits they had in Pattaya.

At least being from the UK you can apply for your income letter by mail. I can only do mine in person.

[Evilbaz]

11 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Mine is done by the US embassy. I did the affidavit at one of their outreach visits they had in Pattaya.

At least being from the UK you can apply for your income letter by mail. I can only do mine in person.

Is the one from the UK Embassy not an Affidavit (which must be sworn and signed in the presence of the official)?

[ubonjoe]

38 minutes ago, Evilbaz said:

Is the one from the UK Embassy not an Affidavit (which must be sworn and signed in the presence of the official)?

If is a letter that the embassy does based upon proof of income sent to them.

[Psychic]

17 hours ago, HHTel said:

Just done my extension of retirement visa.  The income letter was accepted without question.  There is a reason that some embassy letters need further verification.  The British Embassy requires proof of income and the proof is stated in the letter.  There are other embassies, i.e. U.S, Australia etc that produce the letter based on an affidavit from the applicant.  An affidavit is a sworn statement but not proof of income.  I'm told that it's those nationalities which need further verification because of the lack of documentative proof.

As UbonJoe said, that sounds like they're just making things up as the stamp from the MFA in no way verifies the income.

I can understand the forgery explanation but it seems strange that not all nationalities would be obligated. There was talk of the UK seal being hard to forge but my Canadian embassy letter also had an official stamp that would be hard to duplicate also.

Plus I had the official receipt showing I had paid.

So it seems that not only did they change the rules this year but that it is only at a limited number of offices and even there it does not apply to everybody.

Sigh!

[al007]

With my own problems on marriage extension, even though the mistake was mine, I thought Embassy letter needed to be in excess of 400,000, not in excess of 40,000 by 12 ie 480,000batt, I would in future only do cash in bank in Thailand

 

I consider I was stupid to try the income route when with my wife and I we have plenty of spare cash, but in the wrong accounts

 

I keep emergency fund and spare cash in my wife's name, just in case I drop dead quickly  !   1q   1

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Is there anyone else here, besides the OP, who's run into the "income letter has to be certified by MFA" at Hua Hin Immigration? Or conversely, anyone who's recently done at income letter at HH without any such requirement?

 

[Psychic]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Is there anyone else here, besides the OP, who's run into the "income letter has to be certified by MFA" at Hua Hin Immigration? Or conversely, anyone who's recently done at income letter at HH without any such requirement?

 

I think another person posted on another thread that they had.

I originally heard of it from a US citizen on another forum and an Ozzie had a similar experience.Thus, me dropping in to enquire and getting told that my embassy letter that I already had was OK alone this year but next year it would need the stamp.

2 weeks later when I showed up with my paperwork the Immigration lady made a phone call, mentioned I was Canadian and I was told I needed of this year.

Then again, UK embassy letters seem to be exempt according to one poster. 

I'm hoping when the Petchaburi Immigration office opens that this is dropped, since HH seems to have gone down their own little pathway again. UbonJoe posted the regulations in another thread and there doesn't seem to be any mention of getting a MFA stamp.