Visa Extensions for my Filipina "wife".

[jacobus]

I stayed in Thailand for about 5 years on a retirement visa, from 2009 through 2014.  

 

For the last 3 years I have been staying in the Philippines and I met the girl of my dreams here.  :)

 

Now, we are planning to go back to Chiang Rai, which I love much more than any place that I have been in the PH.  

 

My plan is to reactivate my retirement visa and I expect that my common-law wife can easily get a tourist visa as a citizen of an ASEAN country.  

 

Does anyone have any advice for me?  My main concern is how to get extensions for her, since we would like to stay in TH long-term.  

 

 

[PoorSucker]

First of all the Philippines might not let her leave as they are reluctant to let unmarried women leave in fear of human traffic.

In Thailand there is no way she can get a long stay visa or extension unless she qualify for retirement visa by her self or you marry her.

[ubonjoe]

There is really no special tourist visa process or availability for those from ASEAN countries.

She could try to get a multiple entry tourist visa at the embassy in Manila. The visa would allow unlimited 60 day entries for 6 months from the date of issue. Each entry can be extended for 30 days at a immigration office, The visa can allow a total stay of almost 9 months by getting a new entry just before the visa expires and extending it for 30 days.

If not she could get a single entry tourist visa. Then get another one at nearby embassy or consulate.

If you were legally married she could get a extension of stay as your dependent after you get your extension based upon retirement.

[jacobus]

17 minutes ago, PoorSucker said:

First of all the Philippines might not let her leave as they are reluctant to let unmarried women leave in fear of human traffic.
 

Thank you.  I had heard something about this also.  Any ideas on how to "work around" or avoid these difficulties? 

[tropo]

24 minutes ago, jacobus said:

Thank you.  I had heard something about this also.  Any ideas on how to "work around" or avoid these difficulties? 

You (and she) have to convince the Immigration Officers at NAIA that you're in a genuine relationship. They can even take you into an interview room, in which case they will speak to her in Tagalog. Sometimes they will just ask her questions in Tagalog as she's standing next to you. As you probably know, de facto relationships are frowned upon in the Philippines. You'll be amazed at how much better they treat the both of you if you're married. I'll put money down that's what she wants.

Edited June 22, 2017 by tropo

[BritTim]

I really think you should consider marriage, given that you seem comfortable that she is your one and only. That will provide you with cheap options. The alternatives are

• Non Ed (education) visa and extensions for a year or so. This may make sense as she will probably find it easier to adapt to Thailand if she can speak the language.
• Buy her a Thailand Elite visa. This is a great solution, except for the sticker shock.

[jacobus]

5 minutes ago, tropo said:

You (and she) have to convince the Immigration Officers at NAIA that you're in a genuine relationship. They can even take you into an interview room, in which case they will speak to her in Tagalog. Sometimes they will just ask her questions in Tagalog as she's standing next to you. As you probably know, de facto relationships are frowned upon in the Philippines. You'll be amazed at how much better they treat the both of you if you're married. I'll put money down that's what she wants.

 

Haha, yes, and you would win that bet.  Ladies always want the official marriage.  That's another story for another time.  

 

 

My plan is to give her money to book and buy her own ticket separately from my booking.  She and I show up at the check-in counter separately and if she is questioned, she will say that she is going to visit a relative who stays in Thailand.    

 

I will give her the address and phone number of a lady friend in TH, who will back up her story if they contact her.  

 

Does that seem more likely of success than us showing up as a couple?

 

[tropo]

2 minutes ago, jacobus said:

 

Haha, yes, and you would win that bet.  Ladies always want the official marriage.  That's another story for another time.  

 

 

My plan is to give her money to book and buy her own ticket separately from my booking.  She and I show up at the check-in counter separately and if she is questioned, she will say that she is going to visit a relative who stays in Thailand.    

 

I will give her the address and phone number of a lady friend in TH, who will back up her story if they contact her.  

 

Does that seem more likely of success than us showing up as a couple?

 

No, you will have more chance of getting her through when you're with her. If you are in a genuine relationship, it shouldn't be too hard to convince them it's real. It's would be a good idea to make sure she's got a bank account with a decent balance. That shows commitment. You could buy her a nice ring and say you're engaged to get married, at least then she can say you're her fiance.

[jacobus]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

I really think you should consider marriage, given that you seem comfortable that she is your one and only. That will provide you with cheap options. The alternatives are

• Non Ed (education) visa and extensions for a year or so. This may make sense as she will probably find it easier to adapt to Thailand if she can speak the language.
• Buy her a Thailand Elite visa. This is a great solution, except for the sticker shock.

Thank you for your suggestions.  

 

The elite visa sounds great, but, yeah, the price is a bit too steep for me.  We're not even sure how long she is going to be able to bear being away from her family.  

 

I think the Non Ed visa might be the most appropriate one for us, to begin with.  I'm not sure why it is called "Non Ed".  Isn't it for people who are studying in Thailand.  She does need to start learning the language.  Can we apply for that after we arrive in Thailand?  

 

I guess the first question I should have asked is, can citizens of ASEAN countries get a visa-exempt 30 day approval upon arrival?  If not, how can we apply for the "Non Ed" visa while we are still in the Philippines?  

 

 

 

 

[jacobus]

2 hours ago, tropo said:

No, you will have more chance of getting her through when you're with her. If you are in a genuine relationship, it shouldn't be too hard to convince them it's real. It's would be a good idea to make sure she's got a bank account with a decent balance. That shows commitment. You could buy her a nice ring and say you're engaged to get married, at least then she can say you're her fiance.

I guess my concern is because I am more than 40 years her senior and she is only 19.  That may make it harder to convince them that we are in a committed relationship even though we truly are.  I am blessed because she worships the ground that I walk on.  We are very deeply committed to each other, but it's hard to convince others of that because of the extreme age difference.  That's why I came up with the idea of checking in separately.  

 

[ubonjoe]

16 minutes ago, jacobus said:

I think the Non Ed visa might be the most appropriate one for us, to begin with.  I'm not sure why it is called "Non Ed".  Isn't it for people who are studying in Thailand.  She does need to start learning the language.  Can we apply for that after we arrive in Thailand?  

 

I guess the first question I should have asked is, can citizens of ASEAN countries get a visa-exempt 30 day approval upon arrival?  If not, how can we apply for the "Non Ed" visa while we are still in the Philippines?  

The first step is to enroll in a language school that will provide the paperwork to apply for a single entry non-ed visa at an embassy or consulate. Near the end of the 90 day entry form the visa she would be able to apply for a 90 day extension at immigration. The total stay allowed is one year that includes the 90 day entry and 90 day extensions. After that year she would have to get a new non-ed visa and start over again.

If she enrolled in a school before leaving for here she could get the non-ed visa in Manila.

It would be best if she started with a single entry tourist visa rather than getting a 30 day visa exempt entry. That would give time to find a school, enroll and get the paperwork for the non-ed visa which can take a few weeks.

Not sure about the availability of language schools in Chiang Rai. It might be good to do a post on the Chiang Rai Forum to ask about that.

[tropo]

8 hours ago, jacobus said:

I guess my concern is because I am more than 40 years her senior and she is only 19.  That may make it harder to convince them that we are in a committed relationship even though we truly are.  I am blessed because she worships the ground that I walk on.  We are very deeply committed to each other, but it's hard to convince others of that because of the extreme age difference.  That's why I came up with the idea of checking in separately.  

 

Don't be so sure of her commitment to you. They can be extremely good actors, and sometimes the foreign boyfriends don't require a lot of convincing. Much older men are often considered "ripe for the picking". (They talk about this all the time in the provinces - about snaring an older man who won't be around too long). With an age gap that extreme I wouldn't be too sure of myself if I were you. Having been married to a Filipino for over a decade and closely entwined in the daily life of Filipinos for nearly 20 years (made my fair share of mistakes along the way too), I hear all the inside scoops. If she is only 19 now, you haven't been with her long and don't know her as well as you think you do. My wife's best friend is 29 and has been living with an English gentleman in his 70's for 4 years now. He thinks she loves him. I know the truth - straight from her mouth. He's also not new in the Philippines and has been living there for years (this is not his first romance) and owns property there. Even he has been fooled.

 

Having said that, Filipinos are not shocked by relationships of their female citizens with much older men. They may joke about it as you travel around, but it's nothing out of the ordinary for them.

 

It will be quite amusing though for you to go ahead with a marriage, as an under 21-year-old girl requires (legal) permission from her parents to marry - parents likely the same age as your own children (if you have any).

 

Don't worry about her missing her family too much. She's very young and will adapt sooner than you think. She will probably get lonely in Thailand though so try to keep her away from Filipino communities - they can and will lead her astray. It won't be difficult for her to find a younger foreign man in Thailand.

 

 

 

[IMA_FARANG]

You will need to marry your "common law wife" as the rules in Thailand to get your marriage recognized as your legal wife and to get her to share your life with you are that  your marriage must be " de Jure and de facto".

Which means  in law and in fact.

To get her to Thailand as your wife you will need to prove that she is your wife in fact and in the eyes of the law.

You will also have a financial requirement (funds in Thai Bank in your name or a income pension) to qualify for that retirement visa/extension for YOU.

All this is possible and can be done with  time if you work for that goal.

But first you need a marriage lscense to make your marriage legal here in Thailand. 

She needs a passport from her own country and they are VERY strict about young women leaving the Phillipines  to avoid the problem of young women being taken out of the Phillipines  and abandoned later in another country.

It happens all over the world and the Phillipine government is very strict about that not happening.

Good luck, but you face a long and hard process.....just so you understand at the start what the problems will be.

 

 

[ubonjoe]

A off topic inflammatory post has been removed. The topic is about visas not relationships.

[sometimewoodworker]

20 hours ago, jacobus said:

Thank you for your suggestions.  

  I'm not sure why it is called "Non Ed".  

 

Non immigrant visa for the purpose of Education 

[eppic]

As someone who has been married to a Filipina for several years, let me congratulate you on your good taste (far superior to Thais, at least for me - 15 years in Asia and never met a Thai I wanted to date). If you do decide to marry, just make sure you do it outside the Phils...we got married in Bali before she got her UK citizenship, but would have been easier to wait. Just a word of caution since you are relatively new to the Phils.. my wife told me of a common saying, abbreviated as the ("Four M's"), about why very young girls go for or even prefer much older men - I won't translate but you might want to look it up. I am sure you have mutual true love, so no doubt you will prove to be an exception.

Getting her to Thailand on a visa waiver shouldn't be a huge problem as long as she has a return ticket - we have had a number of my wife's relatives and friends visit - but you can expect she will get quite a grilling upon her exit from the Phils (entry to Thailand is the easy part). Best of luck.

[connda]

On 6/22/2017 at 2:09 PM, PoorSucker said:

First of all the Philippines might not let her leave as they are reluctant to let unmarried women leave in fear of human traffic.

In Thailand there is no way she can get a long stay visa or extension unless she qualify for retirement visa by her self or you marry her.

Unless you marry her, I'd just suggest that you take her to live in Baguio, Luzon.  Sorta like Chiang Rai.  Same, same but different.  Personally, if I was married to a Filipina, I'd be living in the PI right now and not Northern Thailand.  

[fordguy61mi]

1 hour ago, eppic said:

As someone who has been married to a Filipina for several years, let me congratulate you on your good taste (far superior to Thais, at least for me - 15 years in Asia and never met a Thai I wanted to date). If you do decide to marry, just make sure you do it outside the Phils...we got married in Bali before she got her UK citizenship, but would have been easier to wait. Just a word of caution since you are relatively new to the Phils.. my wife told me of a common saying, abbreviated as the ("Four M's"), about why very young girls go for or even prefer much older men - I won't translate but you might want to look it up. I am sure you have mutual true love, so no doubt you will prove to be an exception.

Getting her to Thailand on a visa waiver shouldn't be a huge problem as long as she has a return ticket - we have had a number of my wife's relatives and friends visit - but you can expect she will get quite a grilling upon her exit from the Phils (entry to Thailand is the easy part). Best of luck.

As for the four "m's", he says he is 40 years older, she is 19. That makes him 59. Hardly ready to die any time soon. A guy in his 70s might be a different story though.

[rosst]

On 2017-6-22 at 0:53 PM, jacobus said:

Thank you.  I had heard something about this also.  Any ideas on how to "work around" or avoid these difficulties? 

That is not a real problem it just means get to the airport early and you will be interviewed separately and then together to establish a valid relationship, knowing birthday's, names of family members and the history of the relationship.  This usually only happens on the first exit. 

You may need to have a return ticket and I had to sign an undertaking to bring her back ????

 

[kensolo]

she need a return tikket befor she go out from manila and not good if she fly alone better you fly same time, she can max stay 30 days and max 6 time a year, not easy to get visa to thailand, she need cash in bank, paper why she need to go thailand and when it is plat to fly to manila.

[GroveHillWanderer]

21 hours ago, eppic said:

my wife told me of a common saying, abbreviated as the ("Four M's"), about why very young girls go for or even prefer much older men - I won't translate but you might want to look it up.

I'm not sure what the problem would be with translating it, it's fairly straightforward and means, 'rich, old and soon to die."

 

It's not exactly an idea that is restricted to any one country, it's a common trope throughout the world.  The Eagles even wrote a song (Lyin' Eyes) that includes more or less this concept. Part of the lyrics go as follows: 

 

Quote

A rich old man And she won't have to worry She'll dress up all in lace and go in style

 

[tropo]

2 hours ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

I'm not sure what the problem would be with translating it, it's fairly straightforward and means, 'rich, old and soon to die."

 

It's not exactly an idea that is restricted to any one country, it's a common trope throughout the world.  The Eagles even wrote a song (Lyin' Eyes) that includes more or less this concept. Part of the lyrics go as follows: 

 

 

I think the problem is more relevant in the Philippines compared to most other countries because it's so easy for a 70-year-old to find a teenage bride there. It will be getting easier too with 53% of the population being under the age of 25 and climbing - that's 27 million females under the age of 25. Most people are feeling sorry for the young brides - but the old guys are victims too.

Edited June 24, 2017 by tropo

[biggles45]

"My " is to give her money to book and buy her own ticket separately from my booking.  She and I show up at the check-in counter separately and if she is questioned, she will say that she is going to visit a relative who stays in Thailand.  "

 

A very bad idea, Tropo has it right. Better to show them a genuine relationship and that she has reason to return to RP and not work illegally in Thailand. She gets a tourist visa in Manila at no charge but it takes two business days to issue. 

 Filipina GF and I spent 5 months a year in Thailand, for the last five years. 3 X 2 month visa plus one 30 day. Been together 5+ years and no problem with immigration in RP now but questions at first.

 

You need to be with her the first time and able to convince them you are a genuine couple, this will make subsequent trips easier. Half a dozen questions for her now and straight thru. A huge Filipina population in Pattaya, GF has dozens of friends there. The church on Sukhumvit near Klang is the favoutred meet-up place on Sundays.