12 month extension to single entry Non Immigration O visa "retirement" Vs Spouse Visa

[4MyEgo]

I entered the country a year ago, and in February 2016 I applied for and received a 12 month extension of stay "retirement"

 

The 12 month of stay is due for renewal in February 2017, however I am looking at applying for a spouse visa as mentioned in other posts, and am going on the house book shortly and will get a yellow book and Thai ID card, however talking to a couple of long term expats here over a few cold ones the other night, they advised that it would be too difficult (their experiences) and best to stay on the current 12 months stay of extensions "retirement" as the spouse visa is 6 2 1 half dozen the other.

 

Just thought that I would throw the question out there to see if it is in actual fact 6 2 1 half dozen the other, I am married to a Thai and thought a spouse visa would be more appropriate as opposed of the current 12 month extension "retirement" ?

 

As always appreciate the feedback.

[ubonjoe]

You could change the reason for your extension from retirement to one based upon marriage to a Thai when your current extension ends. You would not have to go out for a new visa.

Not sure what people are telling you. But I suspect they are saying the extension based upon marriage is a lot harder to get which is not truly factual. Just a few more supporting documents, photos and the need to return after a 30 under consideration period to get the extension stamp.

I have done 9 extensions based upon marriage so I can state they are not that difficult to get. I consider the extension based upon marriage the correct one for me because I am here to live with my family not retirement.

[jpinx]

The main 2 differences with a retirement extension is that you don't need any cash locked up in a Thai bank, and your status will not change if the unthinkable should happen to your wife.  There are a few more bits of paper to do for a marriage extension, but UbonJoe has the experience there.  Being over 50 makes the retirement "appropriate" for you according to Immigration's own rules, there's no shame in being retired early :)

[ubonjoe]

35 minutes ago, jpinx said:

The main 2 differences with a retirement extension is that you don't need any cash locked up in a Thai bank, and your status will not change if the unthinkable should happen to your wife. 

Not sure what you mean by the cash locked up statement. Both have a requirement for the money to be in the bank for a period of time before applying. The only difference is the amount needed. It is 400k baht for marriage and 800k baht for retirement.

A person would not have to change extensions until the current one ended if something was to happen to the wife.

[jpinx]

13 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Not sure what you mean by the cash locked up statement. Both have a requirement for the money to be in the bank for a period of time before applying. The only difference is the amount needed. It is 400k baht for marriage and 800k baht for retirement.

A person would not have to change extensions until the current one ended if something was to happen to the wife.

There is no need to have money in the bank at all if one uses the income method.

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, jpinx said:

There is no need to have money in the bank at all if one uses the income method.

You did not mention the income option which for marriage is 40k baht vs 65k baht for retirement.

[jpinx]

I have never understood why the income method is treated as the poor-man's option.  It is by far the easiest way to obtain an extension, needs the least paperwork and makes no demands on an applicants finances. 

[roobaa01]

gdaya folks,

 

retirement extension change marriage extension :

 

-make sure u show less than 800 k in the bank for example 500k

- pattaya follows a special rule for marriage extension when u have no kids out of your thai marriage. then u need to take a thai person along with its id and housebook to confirm your marriage as a witness on the application day. the thai witness must be from pattaya and not a family member. thereto a photo with witness is requested in front of your residence, whereby the house number to be depicted clearly.

 

cheers roobaa01

 

[ozzydom]

Is a sworn income declaration done at the Oz Embassy in Laos acceptable at immigration ,or must it be done in Bangkok ?

[dazk]

from my experience the marriage visa seems to be getting harder because we have no kids together, immigration told me next year get the retirement visa much easier

[ubonjoe]

21 minutes ago, ozzydom said:

Is a sworn income declaration done at the Oz Embassy in Laos acceptable at immigration ,or must it be done in Bangkok ?

Immigration will not accept one unless it is done by the embassy in Bangkok.

 

[4MyEgo]

Thanks for all your answers gents, will give it a go and she how it all plays out in the new year, and we do have kids together who we put in the house book earlier on in the year.

 

If I do run into any trouble I will let you all know 555

[4MyEgo]

8 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You could change the reason for your extension from retirement to one based upon marriage to a Thai when your current extension ends. You would not have to go out for a new visa.

Not sure what people are telling you. But I suspect they are saying the extension based upon marriage is a lot harder to get which is not truly factual. Just a few more supporting documents, photos and the need to return after a 30 under consideration period to get the extension stamp.

I have done 9 extensions based upon marriage so I can state they are not that difficult to get. I consider the extension based upon marriage the correct one for me because I am here to live with my family not retirement.

 

Oddly enough when we originally applied for the spouse visa, immigration said to my wife after looking at all the documents that we provided them with, as requested, i.e. wife spoke to them on two separate occasions prior to us going to apply for the spouse visa to make sure everything was in order, you know, you talk to one and that person gives you a different story from the 2nd person, anyway they said that a retirement visa would be much easier as we have enough documents and money in the bank and they could issue it on the spot, as for the spouse visa, we would have to provide more docs and come back and it might not be approved, suffice to say we took their advice and request for some key money, only 250 baht, not that it was anything to think about, was just glad they provided me with 12 months worth of extension time.

 

It might have also had to do with the 30 day under consideration period which you refer to, that or they found an easy target to get 250 baht out of, but I doubt it, suffice to say this time it shouldn't be the case.