1-year marriage extension report (Chiang Mai)

[Falconator]

CM immigration report: 1st time 1-year marriage visa extension. I'm on a 90-day multiple-entry O visa obtained at Savannakhet last year.

 

Make sure to have 2 sets of everything, all signed!

Here's what I did:

- Wrote out everything in blue ink

- 2 sets of all required documents, including 2 visa application forms written out by hand. The 2 sets of documents were neatly organized.

- 2 STM forms also signed, along with the COVID amnesty agreement form given by the immigration office that I signed.

- Family photos printed out on A4 paper (5 baht each at local print shops around Chiang Mai), 2 sets x 4 photos (I gave them 6 and they were OK with it)

- I signed everything except for my photos and wife's/landlord's IDs and marriage certificates

- Bank passbook updated on the same day (although yesterday is also OK). 400,000 baht had been deposited exactly 60 days before.

- Wife forgot to photocopy the KR.2 marriage certificate, so we had to do photocopies of that that on site. Immigration wanted the original KR.2 marriage certificate and said we should get another one.

 

The process:

- Dressed neatly and respectably like for church/office/school.

- Some English/Chinese-speaking church volunteers staffing the front of the immigration office (airport location) checked all of my documents to make sure they were OK. The documents were all in order.

- Came in just after 1 pm. 2 hour wait time. I was then called in for an interview that took just 10 minutes with a nice lady who was just there to fill out forms, not interrogate anyone. The entire interview was done in Thai, though you could opt to do it in English if you want to.

- Immigration didn't bat an eye about the fact that my wife is (a lot) older than me and acted like we were a typical couple. Other countries would probably interrogate such couples a lot more. I guess Thai immigration sees all kinds of couples and don't care about how weird they are. Questions included where we had first met, how long we had lived together, our estimated monthly income, my parents' names, my siblings' names and residences, who lives in our house, our occupations, and other basic information. They even let my wife and I collaborate on the answers and think about what to say.

- Online work for foreign clients isn't a problem at all. They accepted that and said it was OK.

- Got a stamp telling me to come back exactly one month later. Immigration said a house visit would be made in 10-15 days and that I should have my phone on at all times to get ready for their call.

- Witnesses can be any friend or relative, and don't have to be neighbors.

 

There was no attempt to delay the process by saying we were missing such-and-such documents when we had everything we needed, no intrusive questions, and no unreasonable wait times. There was no "what are doing here, why don't you go back to your home country" kind of attitude.

 

Easy, straightforward process. Nothing to fear, and nothing compared to filing US taxes.

 

Good job Chiang Mai immigration office!

 

[Falconator]

The most common mistakes I saw from other applicants:

 

• 2 sets for only some, but not all documents
• Bank passbook not updated either today or yesterday (yesterday is also OK)
• Bank letter not obtained within the last 7 days (Bangkok Bank charges 100 baht for it, done within 5 minutes)
• Forgot either the KR.3 (rose border) or KR.2 (detailed form) marriage certificate - you need both!
• Forms written in black, not blue, ink

 

[cnxgary]

I did this process on the 2nd of july. Slightly different though in that I was not asked for the bank statement ( 1 yr. ) the bank letter was several days old and a computer generated map to the house was accepted and Imm. did not do a home visit but rather the witness, wife and I went to Imm. and was interviewed there. The application was accepted and I was given the 30 day under review stamp in passport that said report to Imm. on the 24th. When I went on the 24th I was told the application is still under review and the response was the same when I went yesterday the 30th. So here I am with no visa my 1yr. extension expired yesterday and the 30 day extension expired last week am I on over stay and does a person have to go to Imm. every day day in and day out to inquire as to status?

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, cnxgary said:

So here I am with no visa my 1yr. extension expired yesterday and the 30 day extension expired last week am I on over stay and does a person have to go to Imm. every day day in and day out to inquire as to status?

You are not on an overstay. The under consideration stamp allows you to stay in the country until your extension is approved.

No need to go every day. Try and get their phone number to call them about it or wait a week and go back to check.

[Tarteso]

After 8 years doing ext. Visa on money in Bank, Monday I will go to do 1st married extension. Promenada is Open, or must go to airport?

Edited July 31, 2020 by Tarteso

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, Tarteso said:

After 8 years doing ext. Visa on money in Bank, Monday I will go to do 1st married extension. Promenada is Open, or must go to airport?

You have to go to the main office near the airport.

Promenada only offers limited services such as 90 day and TM30 reports.

[Tarteso]

Thanks joe ????

[homemade514]

18 hours ago, Falconator said:

The entire interview was done in Thai, though you could opt to do it in English if you want to.

- Immigration didn't bat an eye about the fact that my wife is (a lot) older than me and acted like we were a typical couple. Other countries would probably interrogate such couples a lot more. I guess Thai immigration sees all kinds of couples and don't care about how weird they are. Questions included where we had first met, how long we had lived together, our estimated monthly income, my parents' names, my siblings' names and residences, who lives in our house, our occupations, and other basic information. They even let my wife and I collaborate on the answers and think about what to say.

do they usually do an interview like this? You did the 400k 2 month seasoned yea? Just asking because curious why they would ask what your monthly income is? 
 

im goin in September for the first time and just thinking about the whole thing. Using the money in bank method. 

[BritManToo]

18 hours ago, Falconator said:

Other countries would probably interrogate such couples a lot more. I guess Thai immigration sees all kinds of couples and don't care about how weird they are. Questions included where we had first met, how long we had lived together, our estimated monthly income, my parents' names, my siblings' names and residences, who lives in our house, our occupations, and other basic information. They even let my wife and I collaborate on the answers and think about what to say.

All these questions are unusual.

They never asked me any of that, and if they had the answer would have been, "Not your business".

In fact, the 4 or 5 times I endured them, they didn't speak to me at all.

And my misses wouldn't have been able to give them any of that information.

Edited July 31, 2020 by BritManToo

[BritManToo]

6 minutes ago, homemade514 said:

do they usually do an interview like this? You did the 400k 2 month seasoned yea? Just asking because curious why they would ask what your monthly income is? 

I never encountered anything like this.

[Tarteso]

14 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

why they would ask what your monthly income is? 

In my situation, have a letter from embassy, certificating the annual incomes from SS... They divide the amount in 12 months and must to result +40.000.-Bhts/month.

Edited July 31, 2020 by Tarteso

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, Tarteso said:

In my situation, have a letter from embassy, certificating the annual incomes from SS... They divide the amount in 12 months and must to result +40.000.-Bhts/month.

Are you suggesting they are incapable of reading the letter?

[Tarteso]

10 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Are you suggesting they are incapable of reading the letter?

No. I mean that lasted years they take the Embassy letter in which it was reflected + 800,000.- the Police toke his calculator and they divided by 12 ... the result must appeared +1800 Euros/month in Bahts. Was my experience with IO.

 

[brianthainess]

13 hours ago, BritManToo said:

All these questions are unusual.

They never asked me any of that, and if they had the answer would have been, "Not your business".

In fact, the 4 or 5 times I endured them, they didn't speak to me at all.

And my misses wouldn't have been able to give them any of that information.

I was asked the same. wifey '' him want know how much you have every month''  I did reply that is none of his business this conversation was done through my wife. As we left i asked '' what you tell him"    wifey ''you have Nid noy every month'' LMFO????

[utalkin2me]

13 hours ago, BritManToo said:

All these questions are unusual.

They never asked me any of that, and if they had the answer would have been, "Not your business".

In fact, the 4 or 5 times I endured them, they didn't speak to me at all.

And my misses wouldn't have been able to give them any of that information.

That seems like a very good answer said politely, as from his report it seems it would be very easy to accidentally say or admit you are working here. Although it did not sound like the io had this angle in mind. 

[Kalasin Jo]

If you have the seasoned 400k it seems to me no one then has a problem. My IO (Kalasin) urged that twice. Couldn't do that as I was not expecting to have to do this . If you have an Embassy income letter looks as if that's fine too. But if you have to try income method without the Embassy letter then it can get  very confusing and trying for us and for them.  So much so I have given up and will be leaving well before current amnesty extension.

 

In previous years I had several consecutive 1 year marriage extensions with seasoned 400k. But I have never in 9 years spent more than a total of 6 months here.....until now with 7 on the trot ( omg, missing all the good months in Europe) about to clock up. So the last of those extensions expired  without renewal in mid January 2019. The 400k spent and not replaced. So I  then got at Savanakhet a new non O multi based on marriage.  The visa looked just the ticket for me and my comings and goings with a bonus of no finacials at all. And Savanakhet is not so far from where I live, at the time no further than the Sakon Nakhon IO I had to use then. Needs an overnighter but only 1 trip.   Last year I  did two entries on it and 2 stays, one of 90 days the other of only 6 weeks. Back in Europe between them. From early August 2019 til 10 January 2020 I was not in in Thailand at all.

 

But now, as I missed the closing door on border with Laos, and then extended my 90 days by the 60 before, but not by much,  the amnesty and the 60 days expired early June it appears that in my particular circumstances I must leave before the current amnesty expiry deadline. And actually I do want to. I've always wanted to since early May! My year has been completely xxxxed by all this. But the wife none too happy as we have no idea when if I, or both of us, leave when it will be straightforward to return and when I do unless I can do the Savanakhet trip, coming in initially visa exempt,  I'm going to have to start with a Thai ( French) Embassy visa before travelling and then start the whole process again. So that will be next year sometime I'm guessing.

Our marriage has survived much. This might be the  straw that broke the camel's back. We are already arguing over this....and I'm still here with her.

[Falconator]

On 7/31/2020 at 5:53 AM, BritManToo said:

All these questions are unusual.

They never asked me any of that, and if they had the answer would have been, "Not your business".

In fact, the 4 or 5 times I endured them, they didn't speak to me at all.

And my misses wouldn't have been able to give them any of that information.

The questions were asked by a clerk filling out blanks in an application.

 

Perhaps your case was the unusual one? I can't really imagine immigration not asking you a single question for your first extension.

 

I guess you couldn't (or didn't want to) speak Thai to them. Or maybe you were referring to later extensions.

 

As for the 400,000 baht deposit, they just highlighted the 400,000 baht shown on the passbook photocopy in yellow. No questions asked.

 

[Falconator]

Home visit report, took about 30 minutes:

 

A few days earlier, immigration called in, saying 3 officers will be visiting our home at this exact time and date. The caller even suggested to us that we had the option of providing the visiting officers with something so that our subsequent extensions would be much easier. So I prepared 3 angbao (red envelopes).

 

On the day of the home visit, the immigration office called again. They said only 2 Immigration officers would come, because one other officer was busy somewhere else.

 

The 2 immigration officers came in with a laptop and printer. Gave them water and opened the air conditioning. Wife got a random witness, a random vegetable seller from the local market that she often talked to.

 

The officers did not even walk around and check anything, nor did they talk to any neighbors. One officer was just typing things on his laptop and the other just sat by, occasionally asking to take a few photos of us, and a photo of the witness too.

 

They asked a few questions like whether my wife has been to the US (we said, not possible due to COVID), how things are in the US (I said, healthcare is unaffordable now), where my relatives live in the US and what they do. Seemed like curious personal questions rather than an actual required interview. They didn't even ask what I did for a living and why I wanted to live in Thailand.

 

While reading the forms, they also smiled and laughed at the fact that my wife was older, teasing her "You like kids huh?" She responded with a friendly laugh, and so did the witness. But they were not suspicious of anything at all, and didn't ask any questions about age gaps.

 

Angbaos with 1,000 baht each were provided to each officer. Some friendly greetings and they were off on their way.

 

Does anyone have any experience with being asked to provide the visiting officers with envelopes? Or maybe they took a risk and figured that I was likely more open to giving them gifts?

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Falconator

[SteveK]

2 minutes ago, Falconator said:

 

 

Angbaos with 1,000 baht each were provided to each officer. Some friendly greetings and they were off on their way.

 

 

 

You shouldn't have given a penny.

[Falconator]

Just now, SteveK said:

You shouldn't have given a penny.

 

The visiting officers never asked for anything. The calling office only made a suggestion and never acted like they were forcing us to do something.

But, it beats having to use an agency for later extensions.

 

What I want to know is if others have had similar experiences with giving gifts to visiting officers? Or was my case more unique?

 

 

[SteveK]

2 minutes ago, Falconator said:

 

The visiting officers never asked for anything. The calling office only made a suggestion and never acted like they were forcing us to do something.

But, it beats having to use an agency for later extensions.

 

What I want to know is if others have had similar experiences with giving gifts to visiting officers? Or was my case more unique?

 

 

If they asked for something I may have bought a bottle of Sangsom, would never hand over 2/3k baht.

[Falconator]

The officers only asked the witness a few procedural questions, such as:

 

- How long have you known him? ("About 2 years") (Actually I've never seen the witness and later asked my wife, who was that?!)

 

- So they really love each other and live together regularly, traveling together everywhere ("Yes they do")

 

- Where do you live? ("That mooban in the back")

 

- Can you sign this? ("Yes")

 

 

[FarFlungFalang]

7 minutes ago, Falconator said:

 

The visiting officers never asked for anything. The calling office only made a suggestion and never acted like they were forcing us to do something.

But, it beats having to use an agency for later extensions.

 

What I want to know is if others have had similar experiences with giving gifts to visiting officers? Or was my case more unique?

 

 

Could be seen as a bribe by them or anybody could be dangerous!Could be like burly for sharks. 

[Falconator]

6 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Could be seen as a bribe by them or anybody could be dangerous!Could be like burly for sharks. 

Nah. The calling office had already made the suggestion by phone so we were safe to go. It was quite a blatant suggestion though, and they weren't being indirect or trying to hide anything.

 

Of course I don't recommend doing anything could make anyone lose face.

 

The officers were happy. "Wow the angbao is colorful and pretty! We wish you and your family many years of wealth and prosperity! Khop khun khap!"

 

Better than having them think "Farang khii-niaw" in the backs of their minds.

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Falconator