Local Visa Companies to help out?

[Faz]

2 minutes ago, ExpatPattaya said:

Posted my annual stamps from Immigration here. You have to do  90 day reports now as well.  

He does not have to submit 90 day reports until he has an extension of his stay.

Currently he's been permitted a stay of 90 days, which he can extend for a further 60 days based on Thai spouse. That would take him to at least January 2022 before he required a 1 year extension and his first 90 day report wouldn't be due until April 2022.

[Faz]

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

way easier to do a retirement extension of stay instead of marriage if you can come up with the money. far far less hoops to jump through. 

Poor advice in my opinion.

I always advocate applying for the type of extension that meets the purpose of your reason to stay in Thailand. If your married to a Thai and staying for that reason then apply for an extension based on that purpose.

Extensions of stay based on marriage are issued on humanitarian grounds (family) and apart from the fact the financial requirements are less and you have the right to work, it has other advantages.

Roll back to the beginning of April 2020 when Thailand stopped all International flights due to Covid.
Semi commercial flights were introduced and apart from returning Thais, aircraft crew and diplomats, who were one of the first to be allowed to return......... those with Thai family, on humanitarian grounds.
Retirees couldn't return for months.
At that time there were a number of foreigners overseas trying to return, many with Thai family but they had extensions of stay based on 'retirement'. Even though they had proof of Thai children, Thai spouse, they were refused entry because their permissions of stay were based on being a 'retiree', not on having Thai 'family'.

[gummy]

1 minute ago, Faz said:

Poor advice in my opinion.

I always advocate applying for the type of extension that meets the purpose of your reason to stay in Thailand. If your married to a Thai and staying for that reason then apply for an extension based on that purpose.

Extensions of stay based on marriage are issued on humanitarian grounds (family) and apart from the fact the financial requirements are less and you have the right to work, it has other advantages.

Roll back to the beginning of April 2020 when Thailand stopped all International flights due to Covid.
Semi commercial flights were introduced and apart from returning Thais, aircraft crew and diplomats, who were one of the first to be allowed to return......... those with Thai family, on humanitarian grounds.
Retirees couldn't return for months.
At that time there were a number of foreigners overseas trying to return, many with Thai family but they had extensions of stay based on 'retirement'. Even though they had proof of Thai children, Thai spouse, they were refused entry because their permissions of stay were based on being a 'retiree', not on having Thai 'family'.

100% agree with you and I can't fathom why people think a marriage extension is difficult, it has always seemed quite straight forward to me. Guess if you can't meet the financial requirements and need to go the "retirement" route to cheat the system using an agent that is understandable perhaps but as for being difficult or a hassle, I don't consider it so. Of course we all wish we didn't have to do it but unfortunately this is not an ideal world.

[NCC1701A]

3 minutes ago, gummy said:

100% agree with you and I can't fathom why people think a marriage extension is difficult,

nine years of reading all the problems everyone has with immigration with marriage visas.

a few i can remember are witnesses being asked to come to the immigration office, photos at the house, village headman being asked to support your claims of marriage, surprise visits by immigration at the house, divorce. 

[NCC1701A]

26 minutes ago, Faz said:

Poor advice in my opinion.

I always advocate applying for the type of extension that meets the purpose of your reason to stay in Thailand. If your married to a Thai and staying for that reason then apply for an extension based on that purpose.

Extensions of stay based on marriage are issued on humanitarian grounds (family) and apart from the fact the financial requirements are less and you have the right to work, it has other advantages.

Roll back to the beginning of April 2020 when Thailand stopped all International flights due to Covid.
Semi commercial flights were introduced and apart from returning Thais, aircraft crew and diplomats, who were one of the first to be allowed to return......... those with Thai family, on humanitarian grounds.
Retirees couldn't return for months.
At that time there were a number of foreigners overseas trying to return, many with Thai family but they had extensions of stay based on 'retirement'. Even though they had proof of Thai children, Thai spouse, they were refused entry because their permissions of stay were based on being a 'retiree', not on having Thai 'family'.

i agree that is a good point and very valid. but if you want to spend one hour a year at immigration with minimal requirements and hoop jumping, retirement extension is the way to go. better yet with 800k in the bank all year long. 

i am just conveying my personal experiences. also my deep seated fear of commitment. 

[BlueSphinx]

1 hour ago, cockneyboy said:

if you have a multi entry non immigrant 'O' visa then you would have received a 90 day permission to stay stamp on entry.  at the moment with the entry restrictions the time remaining on the multi entry visa is no good for you, so no border hops.

so the best way to now remain in Thailand is to apply for a 1 year extension either by retirement if over 50 years old, which will require 800,000 Thai baht in a bank account in you name only, for 2 months prior to the day of application for that extension. 400,000thb from this 800,000thb has to remain in your bank account all year round.

or a 1 year 'married ' extension which will require 400,000thb in a bank account in your name only, this money can be withdrawn from the bank after you receive the 1 year permission to stay stamp in your passport.

as i posted earlier a 60 day 'visit Thai wife' extension can be obtained to allow for money seasoning, there are a few requirements for this extension, photo's, witnesses, bank letter, updated kor ror 2, or if married outside Thailand kor ror 22, ( obtain from local amphur)

Fully correct explanation by @cockneyboy, but one additional note. 

It is possible that your local Immigration Office when applying for that very first 1-year extension of stay based on your current Non Imm O Visa, will not allow you to 'switch the reason' for application.  So if you applied for that Non Imm O Visa at the Thai Consulate in LA for reason of RETIREMENT, they might not allow you to apply for the extension for reason of MARRIAGE (and vice versa).  So if you consider to apply for reason of marriage, it would be recommended to enquire beforehand at your local Imm Office if they would be willing to handle such application, or whether you would be required to apply for reason of retirement (when that was the reason for which you applied for your original Visa).

[Faz]

7 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

nine years of reading all the problems everyone has with immigration with marriage visas.

Same, because they didn't understand what was required - that's the main problem.
Then they complain Immigration is making them jump over hurdles and through hoops.

[HolyCowCm]

10 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

nine years of reading all the problems everyone has with immigration with marriage visas.

a few i can remember are witnesses being asked to come to the immigration office, photos at the house, village headman being asked to support your claims of marriage, surprise visits by immigration at the house, divorce. 

Yes I have to agree with you on that. It kind of depends where you live and what the immigration office fuzz will put you through, and I the same as you have read some horror stories from some posters on another site over the years that just make me cringe and shake my head. But then on the other hand have read the no problems for other posters even if they did have a house visit by the fuzz. I think these were primarily out in the country areas, and another thing would be the applicant would have to drive hours to the immigration and sometimes be told they left something out and had to go back home and come back again.. . For a place like CM it is not such a big deal if within a pretty close area to the CM immigration office, but for me if they ever did visit there would be a problem because we do not talk to any of our neighbors and never will make any friendships with them. We prefer to stay by ourselves and keep our lives private. But I do hate the thought of them coming by my home although never ever to date have had them do it to me. I am on family support of kids and although the paper work is quite large it is has gotten easier now with CV-19 in play and no tourists. But generally a marriage visa or renewal is the same paper work and motion we go through same as family support of kids, so not a big problem. This years submission was way too easy, but I do give them a marriage document just to show I have that connection.

[HolyCowCm]

12 minutes ago, BlueSphinx said:

Fully correct explanation by @cockneyboy, but one additional note. 

It is possible that your local Immigration Office when applying for that very first 1-year extension of stay based on your current Non Imm O Visa, will not allow you to 'switch the reason' for application.  So if you applied for that Non Imm O Visa at the Thai Consulate in LA for reason of RETIREMENT, they might not allow you to apply for the extension for reason of MARRIAGE (and vice versa).  So if you consider to apply for reason of marriage, it would be recommended to enquire beforehand at your local Imm Office if they would be willing to handle such application, or whether you would be required to apply for reason of retirement (when that was the reason for which you applied for your original Visa).

So an agent might be able to sort that out where if he went in person and tried to change then it could easily be denied. There seems to be an incentive when an agent is used and if needed a service well worth it.. 

[Faz]

7 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

i am just conveying my personal experiences. also my deep seated fear of commitment. 

If you've never applied for an extension of stay based on marriage then you have no experience and just quoting hearsay.

 

10 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

i agree that is a good point and very valid. but if you want to spend one hour a year at immigration with minimal requirements and hoop jumping, retirement extension is the way to go. better yet with 800k in the bank all year long. 

One hour!
Takes no longer than 40 minutes for my extension based on marriage.
Granted I have to return a few weeks later for the stamp, a further 5 minutes.

The time taken for either an extension based on 'retirement' or 'marriage' can only be measured by the particular office your dealing with (urban or rural) and the distance travelled and will vary greatly.

[WilliamG]

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

if you got the money the first class way to go is to put 800k baht in the bank year round. that is what the Thais want you to do. 

a single letter from your bank every year, updated passbooks and that is it. 

Or another option for Retirement, if your Imm Office will accept it, is to do the Combination Method eg. 50k per month from abroad (via Wise = FTT ), which you use to live on, plus 200k in the bank, which you should not touch.

As long as the total is 800k it should be accepted. 

Edited September 12, 2021 by WilliamG

[HolyCowCm]

16 minutes ago, Faz said:

Same, because they didn't understand what was required - that's the main problem.
Then they complain Immigration is making them jump over hurdles and through hoops.

Actually in all my years here they have mostly always found something with me and the family that I had to do the minor jump through on, and I follow their list. sometimes they just make it up as they go for what their quirk is. Last year my map to the home wasn't up to the officers standard or they wanted something copied the way they want it that was always accepted how I did it every time before that.. Ask me for the last year, the map was perfectly great, but the person wanted lanes drawn as in two way and more pinpoint markers say like a landmark. This year was the first year easy as OMG and had zero extra to do. anyway, unless you are really not with it or trying to get by on something not exactly correct, there should be no big or real problem, that is unless you happen to rub them the wrong way. And I have seen some foreigners do that before and be sent packing out.. NCC is right. dress reasonable and act very polite and respectful.

[HolyCowCm]

4 minutes ago, Transam said:

You will love this one...

Been married to my present wife for 15 years, did an extension once at my local immigration, the rest of the time I had visa's.

Last year I had to do an extension because I could not get out of the country, C19, same immigration office..

The immigration officer wanted some proof I was divorced from my UK wife many years before. 

I said, "How do you think I was able to get married in Bangkok AND get visa's thereafter for the last 14 years"...?

Mrs.Trans even had a verbal confrontation with the sh_t. Anyhooo, he told me to go home and find something. I did find a receipt from the British Embassy regarding affirmation stuff. There's me thinking ol' guys should in LOS be respected, not flucked about.

This just goes to show there are AH's behind those desks, for which I hope karma one day comes to visit.

And there you have it. Even though you had it all together they made something up to say jump and get it more together. Funny how that can be sometimes.

[HolyCowCm]

13 minutes ago, Faz said:

If you've never applied for an extension of stay based on marriage then you have no experience and just quoting hearsay.

One hour!
Takes no longer than 40 minutes for my extension based on marriage.
Granted I have to return a few weeks later for the stamp, a further 5 minutes.

The time taken for either an extension based on 'retirement' or 'marriage' can only be measured by the particular office your dealing with (urban or rural) and the distance travelled and will vary greatly.

And the particular officer doing the interview and paperwork.

[WilliamG]

15 minutes ago, Faz said:

If you've never applied for an extension of stay based on marriage then you have no experience and just quoting hearsay.

One hour!
Takes no longer than 40 minutes for my extension based on marriage.
Granted I have to return a few weeks later for the stamp, a further 5 minutes.

The time taken for either an extension based on 'retirement' or 'marriage' can only be measured by the particular office your dealing with (urban or rural) and the distance travelled and will vary greatly.

All depending, of course, on how many other applicants or agents are in the line before you.

[BlueSphinx]

41 minutes ago, HolyCowCm said:

Actually in all my years here they have mostly always found something with me and the family that I had to do the minor jump through on, and I follow their list. sometimes they just make it up as they go for what their quirk is. Last year my map to the home wasn't up to the officers standard or they wanted something copied the way they want it that was always accepted how I did it every time before that.. Ask me for the last year, the map was perfectly great, but the person wanted lanes drawn as in two way and more pinpoint markers say like a landmark. This year was the first year easy as OMG and had zero extra to do. anyway, unless you are really not with it or trying to get by on something not exactly correct, there should be no big or real problem, that is unless you happen to rub them the wrong way. And I have seen some foreigners do that before and be sent packing out.. NCC is right. dress reasonable and act very polite and respectful.

Yes, some Immigration Offices frequently amend 'their' document-formatting rules for a marriage extension with some very minor changes, which can make the application an awkward experience when your 'identical' application from last year is not good now because the photos have to be in color/B&W or provided single-page/recto-verso or other petty nonsense.  Just stay calm, polite and respectful.  Make sure that you fully understand what changes they want, and later come back with the update that complies with their new documentation-rules.  It is good to remember that an extension for reason of marriage allows you to permanently free 400.000 THB from the funds you need to keep on your personal Thai bank-account.  And even though these petty annoyances can be irritating, SMILE knowing that such small documentation update effort will save you more than the full 1-year salary of the Imm Officer that finds some pleasure in having you come back to their Office with the updated papers.

[GMoney2312]

The stamp is until Dec 3rd

[Faz]

Lot's of interesting experiences, which are not new to me, but let's stay on topic.
Although well intended, you confusing the OP as opposed to helping him.

He has a Non Imm O ME Visa obtained based on marriage to a Thai.
He has permission of stay until December 3rd and wants to know how to proceed to stay indefinitely.

[HolyCowCm]

24 minutes ago, BlueSphinx said:

Yes, some Immigration Offices frequently amend 'their' document-formatting rules for a marriage extension with some very minor changes, which can make the application an awkward experience when your 'identical' application from last year is not good now because the photos have to be in color/B&W or provided single-page/recto-verso or other petty nonsense.  Just stay calm, polite and respectful.  Make sure that you fully understand what changes they want, and later come back with the update that complies with their new documentation-rules.  It is good to remember that an extension for reason of marriage allows you to permanently free 400.000 THB from the funds you need to keep on your personal Thai bank-account.  And even though these petty annoyances can be irritating, SMILE knowing that such small documentation update effort will save you more than the full 1-year salary of the Imm Officer that finds some pleasure in having you come back to their Office with the updated papers.

Frequently? Yes and no, but we have seen it is mainly up to the quirks of the interviewing officer, and on this particular visa has been on over a 16 year back to back run. Last year wasn't that bad and this year a breeze, but in prior years I would be quiet, the lady IO would talk directly to my wife and ask things or for papers, my wife would answer the IO and then raise her voice to me a little bit, the IO (woman) loves to see that from my wife and all was usually OK as they saw that as a good normal healthy relationship of Thai woman to husband, any husband as doesn't matter. Even before this back to back long visa run I had other visas so this is nothing new for me, but seems they normally always say jump for something or the other just to see you jump.

[HolyCowCm]

12 minutes ago, GMoney2312 said:

The stamp is until Dec 3rd

So that is multiple being quarterly of the need to do a jump. If CV-19 still is running hot and heavy then you can probably just extend at the immigration office until the multiple is up and you then have to do the real change.

[BlueSphinx]

1 minute ago, GMoney2312 said:

The stamp is until Dec 3rd

Which means you need to apply for an extension of stay ultimately on that 3rd December, but obviously better to do it in 1-2 weeks earlier in case some of the required documentation is incomplete/missing and you need to come back for that.

Because you are married to a Thai national you have 2 options:

#1 - Apply for a - one time only - 60-day extension of stay for reason of being married to a Thai national.  Cost is 1.900, - THB (like any extension application) - attached the requirements for such application.  Note that it might be better to keep that 'Joker' up your sleeve until you really need it as you can do such application only once per entry.

#2 - Apply for the 1-year extension of stay based on your original Non Imm O Visa.  Be aware that you would need to provide evidence of funds on a personal Thai bank-account (not a joint one), and that those funds need to be seasoned for at least 2 months prior to the date of application.  Which means that if you would apply say end November, that end of this month those funds have to be on your personal Thai bank-account.  Also be aware that for a 1-year extension for reason of RETIREMENT that you would also need to provide evidence of the foreign origins of the +800.000 THB on you personal Thai bank-account.  That requirement can be waived when the funds are already long time on such account.

>> As mentioned earlier it is IMPORTANT to know whether your current Non Imm O Visa which you applied for at the LA Thai Consulate, was done for reason of RETIREMENT or for reason of MARRIAGE, as your local Imm Office might not accept a 1-year extension of stay application for a different reason than what you used for the original Visa application.

60-day Extension of stay for reason of marriage.rtf

[Faz]

9 minutes ago, GMoney2312 said:

The stamp is until Dec 3rd

Thanks.

To stay indefinitely you need to apply for a 1 year extension of stay based on marriage, each and every year at your local Immigration office. The financial requirement is 400K deposited in a Thai bank for 2 months prior to the date of application, in your sole name.

You have the option beforehand to apply for a 60 day extension to visit Thai wife, which would extend your current permission of stay until the beginning of February. This would allow you more time to open a bank account and transfer the required funds, if you haven't already done so before applying for the 1 year extension of stay.

In each and every case of applications, you are not extending your Visa, you are applying to extend the 90 day entry you were permitted on entry. An extension is a 'permit' (of stay), not a Visa.
You can apply for the 1 year extension up to 30 days in advance of any current permission of stay (45 days early at certain Immigration offices) provided you meet the financial requirements at the time of submitting the application.

I can go through the application process step by step including the required documentation when the time comes. Meanwhile do you have a Thai bank account and have the necessary funds.

[Faz]

15 minutes ago, HolyCowCm said:

So that is multiple being quarterly of the need to do a jump. If CV-19 still is running hot and heavy then you can probably just extend at the immigration office until the multiple is up and you then have to do the real change.

That is not what he wants to do.

[Faz]

14 minutes ago, BlueSphinx said:

>> As mentioned earlier it is IMPORTANT to know whether your current Non Imm O Visa which you applied for at the LA Thai Consulate, was done for reason of RETIREMENT or for reason of MARRIAGE, as your local Imm Office might not accept a 1-year extension of stay application for a different reason than what you used for the original Visa application.

Definitely issued on the basis of marriage.
They only issue the single entry Non Imm O based on retirement. 

[BlueSphinx]

6 minutes ago, Faz said:

Definitely issued on the basis of marriage.
They only issue the single entry Non Imm O based on retirement. 

Thanks.  Which means that if he intends to apply for the 1-year extension of stay for reason of RETIREMENT that he should first enquire at his local Immigration Office whether they would be willing to do that based on his original Non Imm O Visa issued for reason of marriage. 

But even if they would be willing to do so, in his case a 1-year extension of stay application for reason of MARRIAGE would be the far better choice, surely from a financial point of view.