Applying for a Spouse Visa

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Originally Posted by cyrille

It isn't a matter of 'standing up' to immigration officers.

That was not what your wife did.

Not at all.

People who walk in with that attitude have shot themselves in the foot before they've even started.

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Cyrille, I'm sorry if you misunderstand my use of "standing up to" as she didn't angrily argue with them but didn't put up with demands regarding the paperwork we submitted over the counter. In the end they consulted with their "Boss" and agreed that we were right and they would therefore accept what we presented. The disputed documents were Marriage Certificates and whether they had to be originals or whether certified copies would suffice. We told them we didn't have the original that had been certified by the Foreign Affairs Ministry as it had been kept by the Amphur when we registered our marriage. We also told them that to get the TM22 (I think that's the right number) we must have presented the original.
It is my belief that it is not that any Immigration has issues with the paperwork submitted but rather they don't want to get into trouble from their Bosses.

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Originally Posted by Stumpy

God bless ya Ootai. :) Sometimes I get lucky.

IMHO I think you need to use an agent if you do not meet all the requirements. I have a few Aussie long time friends here that use agents because they cannot meet all the requirements and the agents "Make that happen". The downside or risk is if you get called on it in some outside chance you get pulled over or tagged like Tax says he has.

If you spend the time and get established doing it yourself you are far better off. I think Wasp may be a little spun up and anxious about all he reads and the horror stories but he needs to keep in mind that many that have issues either didn't do it right or were idiots with shitty attitudes at immigration. I have witnessed many of those asshats in my time here.

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Looks like you got lucky twice Stumpy as I agree again.

So, your wife explained the difficulty and the io waived the requirement.

Not really 'standing up' to the immigration officer, was it. ;)

We were also lacking a piece of paper to do with marriage. We have the marriage cert., but an additional piece of paper that I've never even seen before was missing.

It was 26 years ago. :D

Anyway, the io waived the requirement.

This is something an agent might frame as a minor miracle, achieved because of their contacts, of course. :D

Stumpy : Sorry Waspy. Can't help ya there. Never used one. Are you sure you need one?

No I'm not sure I need one but there are people saying it took them 8 Minutes and there are people saying the extreme opposite ........... that they had so much hassle I am better off handing it over to an Agent and just pay the money . I'm inclined to do that for the first application . After that I will surely be able to do an 8 minute renewal as I'm assured it can be done .

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Originally Posted by Norton

A Brit resturaunt owner I know here uses a Maha Sarakham based agent every year for his marriage visa. The agent takes care of everything including the 400k in the bank. Brit and missus show up once at immigration office to sign various forms and walk away with visa.

This agent operates in several Isaan provinces. Not sure about Korat but next I see the Brit will get agent contact number.

Cost is 17k baht.

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This sounds pretty good to me Norton !

W.

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Originally Posted by Wasp

This sounds pretty good to me Norton !

W.

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Will see him today so should have agent contact soon. ;)

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Originally Posted by Wasp

This sounds pretty good to me Norton !

W.

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Stress Free Visa Service All Around Thailand | MYTHAIVISA

There ya go. ;)

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Originally Posted by armstrong

Bit expensive just for a phone number norts

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Besides the visa cost there is a small matter of tea money.

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Originally Posted by Edmond

If one has all the requirements in place

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probably the hardest is finding a bank to open an account for you on a "visa exemption"

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Originally Posted by Wasp

This sounds pretty good to me Norton !

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Unlike the pm from Ed.


:D

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Originally Posted by cyrille

Unlike the pm from Ed.


:D

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Huh?...

Post 2.

cyrille : " Unlike the pm from Ed ."


Ed has been good actually !

Wasp

Thank You Norton .


Wasp

All of this produces a question which is highly interesting to me .
Have any of you ever had an application for a Non-Imm 'O' turned down ? Whether for Spouse or Retirement ??

And if you have had a Refusal ....... on what grounds was your application denied ?

w.

^ never

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Originally Posted by Wasp

Have any of you ever had an application for a Non-Imm 'O' turned down ? Whether for Spouse or Retirement ??

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Not I.
My retirement application was an emergency, Covid arrived at the same time as my work permit expired. Udon Thani Immigration was in melt down. An agent fixed it for a fee. All my renewals have been straightforward, no agents.

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Originally Posted by Wasp

ever had an application for a Non-Imm 'O' turned down ?

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Nope.

^ During Covid, I found the immigration office in Sakhon Nakon to be very helpful and got extensions to my tourist visa without any problem. We phoned beforehand and asked what documents to bring. Only required marriage visa and my quaranteen certificate (as in I had done quarantine and allowed to travel)
I also found the doctors and nurses very helpful during thar time. I sent temperature readings twice a day and they visited every 3 days to check on me.

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Originally Posted by Wasp

And if you have had a Refusal ....... on what grounds was your application denied ?

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I heard Cyrille got refused and had to pass a brown envelope on account of his conviction for interfering with a camel in Saudi during the month of Ramadan.

Any other time of the year and he would have git a round of applause, he just fvcked up on the timing.

Smethwick schoolboy error:smileylaughing:

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Originally Posted by Wasp

Have any of you ever had an application for a Non-Imm 'O' turned down ? Whether for Spouse or Retirement ??

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Never as well.

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Originally Posted by Topper

Reading this thread reminded me that my wife turns 50 at the end of the month so we both now can get a retirement visa via an agent.....but we'll probably just stay here.

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How are you and Mrs Topper finding living in the P.I? compared to Thailand if it's not to personal of a question. Curious to know. And advance happy birthday to Mrs topper

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Originally Posted by Joe 90

I heard Cyrille got refused and had to pass a brown envelope on account of his conviction for interfering with a camel in Saudi during the month of Ramadan.

Any other time of the year and he would have git a round of applause, he just fvcked up on the timing.

Smethwick schoolboy error:smileylaughing:

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It's all about the timing. For sure.

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Originally Posted by BLD

How are you and Mrs Topper finding living in the P.I? compared to Thailand if it's not to personal of a question. Curious to know. And advance happy birthday to Mrs topper

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Well, number one, visas are easy for Americans, I've already received my permanent resident's visa, I'll never have to apply for a visa again here. After visiting Bangkok (our former home for 17 years) we realized we really didn't miss the place that much, that this is our home now.

Prices are cheaper, but selection is a struggle in supermarkets, there's no air pollution, no traffic. The local food sucks (sorry Katie!) but some of the best international food I've had is here.

There's lots of options like Thailand, from beach towns like La Union to living in the sticks. The chance of natural disasters are much higher, but life is an adventure. My wife was reading this and said thanks for the Bday wishes! Personally, the best decision we've made was moving here.

I did'nt think agents did marriage visa's simply because you have to be there in person, i recently did a marriage visa 1st March in Jom Tien, it took about 50 minutes all told, and it was banged out as usual, in fact the bank letter took nearly as long and we got there early before the bank opened, the wife took care of all the paperwork, bless her, so when we got to "the Dragon's den" she went through all the paperwork as usual so i was relieved when i saw the paper clips come out it meaning they were excepted.
Home visits took no more than 10 minutes had a visit every year since it started next year will try for the retirement extension through an agent, at 85 yrs old it's getting a bit much now, need an agent to cover the extra 400,000 needed plus the running around required!
First post so hope it's not too long winded and is of some help!

Seems a bit pointless to me i using an agent for a marriage ext. if you both got to turn up at IO. (JomTien in my case) in fact i was under impression an agent would'nt do a marriage ext. for the reason i have said you've got to be there in person, so other than thr paperwork and maybe money in bank needed, you may as well do it yourself, i'm on my 10th ext. by the way!

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Originally Posted by mutznutz

Seems a bit pointless to me i using an agent for a marriage ext. if you both got to turn up at IO. (JomTien in my case) in fact i was under impression an agent would'nt do a marriage ext. for the reason i have said you've got to be there in person, so other than thr paperwork and maybe money in bank needed, you may as well do it yourself, i'm on my 10th ext. by the way!

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Thank you for taking the time , mutznutz .
A few people ( such as yourself ) have got me thinking I should be less apprehensive and simply be careful . Check what they want and take more than that . So you ( and they ) are making me abandon the agent and just get into it .

Thanks again .

Wasp

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Originally Posted by Wasp

Check what they want

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There ya go.

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Originally Posted by Wasp

Check what they want and take more than that

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As long as you have the 400k in the bank, then yes DIY.

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Originally Posted by Topper

Well, number one, visas are easy for Americans, I've already received my permanent resident's visa, I'll never have to apply for a visa again here. After visiting Bangkok (our former home for 17 years) we realized we really didn't miss the place that much, that this is our home now.

Prices are cheaper, but selection is a struggle in supermarkets, there's no air pollution, no traffic. The local food sucks (sorry Katie!) but some of the best international food I've had is here.

There's lots of options like Thailand, from beach towns like La Union to living in the sticks. The chance of natural disasters are much higher, but life is an adventure. My wife was reading this and said thanks for the Bday wishes! Personally, the best decision we've made was moving here.

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That's fantastic..glad you and Mrs Topper have adapted to the p.i. personal I think.its a country I could definitely retire to, Mrs blds been a few times to the Philippines do maybe I've gotta put that idea on her head? Or do both half the time in Lao and half in the Philippines. It's a bit of a conundrum for me because I like both places equally. And I turn 60 soon can retire but still.need to be in Oz another 6 or 7 years get them kids schooled up. Can't have them making as many grammar crimes on forums as me

^yes, plant the idea into her head so that she can get used to it - if that's what you intend to do.

I assume that this will happen when your kids are grown/ have finished school. You can go for the retirement visa (SRRV - info at pra gov ph). You'll have to deposit 10k usd in a bank for that. Alternatively, you can be a long term tourist. (many ppl do that) At the moment, you+wife can enter PH & get 30 days free. Then keep extending your tourist visa until 3 years then you'll have to do a visa run. However, there's an Immigration bill under review in Senate now, so those things could change when it's approved & becomes a law.

You could also do 6 months each in Laos/ PH. For this case, you can be on a tourist visa.

Good luck in your future plans.

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Originally Posted by Wasp

Thank you for taking the time , mutznutz .
A few people ( such as yourself ) have got me thinking I should be less apprehensive and simply be careful . Check what they want and take more than that . So you ( and they ) are making me abandon the agent and just get into it .

Thanks again .

Wasp

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Isn't it more what...virtually everyone is saying? :D

With a marriage visa (ie a Thai on your side already) and if you're able to satisfy all the conditions, then how does paying XX,000 baht make sense?

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Originally Posted by katie23

^yes, plant the idea into her head so that she can get used to it - if that's what you intend to do.

I assume that this will happen when your kids are grown/ have finished school. You can go for the retirement visa (SRRV - info at pra gov ph). You'll have to deposit 10k usd in a bank for that. Alternatively, you can be a long term tourist. (many ppl do that) At the moment, you+wife can enter PH & get 30 days free. Then keep extending your tourist visa until 3 years then you'll have to do a visa run. However, there's an Immigration bill under review in Senate now, so those things could change when it's approved & becomes a law.

You could also do 6 months each in Laos/ PH. For this case, you can be on a tourist visa.

Good luck in your future plans.

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The Philippines is indeed generous with visas I sure hope it stays that way. The Thais seem to be totally over the farang these days. Mass tourism was good for the gdp but perhaps they are a victim of there own success. I would hate to see the Philippines become the same way.i honestly don't think the world realises just how unique the Philippines is. That's just my opinion gleaned from.visiting there from the age of about 20 , and working there for a couple of years. Yes in the Philippines some things aren't ideal, brownouts etc, but if you remain positive in your outlook ya can't go wrong. It's definitely more fun in the philippines

^ It's the fooking Chinese messing things up as I recall and I agree with Katie. Three years on a tourist visa, it costs around 10,000P to renew every six months, you can open a bank account to transfer money to easily without any of the hassles of Thai immigration. There's literally any kind of lifestyle you want to live at a fairly low cost. I've been watching videos of northern Luzon and there seems to be a good vibe in places like La Union and surrounds.

^yes. The Chinese were the reason why the PH govt froze/ discontinued one type of retirement visa. There are several types of retirement visa (SRRV) and there's a category for those who are 35 y.o and above, then another category for 50 & above, another type for ex-military. The 35-above visa, the target was mainly USA ex-military ppl who retired early. (I think USA military allows retirement after 20 yrs of service. So if one enlisted at 18, he could retire at 38.)

The problem was that there were many Chinese men (who were still young and fit enough to fight - in their late 30s to early 40s) who were coming in and getting that type of early retirement visa. Given the political situation, the PH govt (esp some senators) said that those Chinese men could pose a threat to national security. They cited the case of pre WW2 wherein Japan sent out men to PH (as businessmen, etc) to assess the situation (and presumably gather Intel). Then after Pearl Harbor bombing, PH became a colony of Japan after a few months.

So the PH govt stopped issuing the 35-above retirement visa. This was in 2021, I think. Covid also happened, so the Chinese were unable to travel out of their country.

++++
Re: La Union or Pangasinan, I think they are good as laid-back places for retirement in Luzon. There are large hospitals in San Fernando, La Union and in Lingayen, Pangasinan. One can choose a place near the beach (if that's what one wants). Also, they're only a few hours away from Baguio if one wants cooler climes. They're also near Clark Airport (but there are fewer int'l flights via Clark).

cyrille :

Isn't it more what...virtually everyone is saying? :D

With a marriage visa (ie a Thai on your side already) and if you're able to satisfy all the conditions, then how does paying XX,000 baht make sense?


Well ....... there's no point asking for peoples thoughts if you then go and ignore them .
And people have said it can be a hassle and that its worth ( in their opinion ) handing the stuff over to an agent and avoiding such hassle .
I listened to these people - because they've gone through the process . Others say their experience is that you don't need an agent at all .

I'm simply grateful for the time people take to give their view .

W.

1 person on this thread has said it's a good idea, many more have said otherwise. :D

Anyway, up to you obvs.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by Wasp

And people have said it can be a hassle and that its worth ( in their opinion ) handing the stuff over to an agent and avoiding such hassle .
I listened to these people - because they've gone through the process . Others say their experience is that you don't need an agent at all .

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Obviously the IO, and their demands are the factor for this.

IO: Everything's in order. Stamp stamp. Good.
IO: No, no, no you need to get this from here on this date, photos there, updated certs from here on this date only, etc etc. A pita.


Hence go to the local IO and see what they want and need. If easy, do it yourself, if not, pay some lackey to do all the running and smooth things over with cold hard cash, unless you're a tightwad

"Here are the following basic requirements you have to keep in mind for your Thai Marriage Visa application:

Passport (must be valid for at least 6 months and must have 2 blank pages)
Copy of your Thai marriage certificate (both versions);
Copy of your Thai wife’s ID card
Copy of your Thai wife’s Tabian Baan (House Registration Papers)
Copy of a map to your residence in Thailand
Copy of photos showing you and your wife together (House, Inside of the House, Family Picture, Outside of the House)
Copy of your bank book showing 400,000 THB in your bank account deposited at least 3 months prior to visa application or copy of your income showing 40,000 THB per month in income
Bank Guarantee and Bank Statement
The Immigration Office will require you to show the following documents in order for them to consider your Thai Marriage Visa application."

If you have the above do it yourself. If not contact the agent I gave you.
Time to shit or get off the pot Wasp.

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Originally Posted by Norton

the following basic requirements

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Of which some IOs may actually follow.

I did my extension earlier this year and was politely asked for my parents' surnames including mother's maiden name to be written down on a blank piece of paper. I just smiled, said sure, wrote them down and passed the paper back politely.

^^ x2 for all documents in CM.

All signed two thirds of the way down the page.

Not at the bottom of the page.

Also the application form needs two recent photos and your mobile no.

You have to draw both maps- copies not accepted.