CW 1 year Non O Extension Based on Marriage, Monday, Sept 14.

[Jake72]

Last week I decided there probably wouldn't be another amnesty extension and I better get my status sorted before running out of time. I'm on a non O that expired back in June and my admitted until expired back in late may.

 

We arrived at CW around 2 pm, I had spent the morning gathering some papers and getting copies made etc. My expectation was to get my papers checked and having to return next day with more papers. There were about 50 people in front of me in the queue when we got there, and it took about 1 hour of waiting. Honestly I expected there would've be many more people queued up considering how close we are to the deadline, from previous visits I'd say this wasn't much worse than last time I went there a couple of years ago.

 

Just to complicate things I had a new passport made back in June as the old one only had a couple of pages left in it and it was my plan back then to do a quick trip to Penang to get a new Non O multiple entry as I've done many times before and usually I just bring the old and new passport to the airport and they'll sort it out, I've done this several times before, takes maybe 10-15 minutes extra (sorry to those in the queue behind me when I've done this in the past) but much easier than going to immigration to have your stamp/visa moved to a new passport as that would take half a day. But as we all know the borders never opened up back in June/July. 

 

Anyway, they checked our papers and everything seemed to be ok, I had an updated Kor Ror 2, a letter from my bank showing the balance, plus my bank book, photos of me and wife around our home and showing the address and name of the place plus a nice big map with clear directions. Only initial issue was that my bank book was updated Friday and they want it updated same day as applying for the extension, my wife noted there was a Bangkok Bank branch in the building and she ran off to get the book updated while I tried to show them the current balance using the iBanking on my phone, but they didn't care about that. With the updated book I explained that I had a new passport and that's when the roller coaster ride stated, they looked at both my passports and then started going "oooohhh, big overstay, not good" and asked me for a letter from my embassy that I didn't have. Meanwhile I tried to explain I was under the impression that it wasn't an overstay because of the amnesty. However they had me fill out and sign a form stating that I had overstayed and it had the penalties listed like 500 thb/day, banned from re-entry if more than 3 month etc. and I did get a bit worried that I'd be taken to a detention center and deported once I'd filled out and signed the form. however we were just told to take a seat and wait.

 

Once our number was called again we went in to talk to an actual immigration officer, she went over our documents and asked a few questions, then she wanted us to show some proof that we actually live at the place stated, I'd luckily brought along the old contracts for the place we rent, however it expired like 5 years ago and I had never bothered to renew it, but that wasn't a problem at all, she looked over the contract and the only problem she noted was that in their system the owner had not regularly reported us living there. The place where we live is managed by a lawyer so my wife called him and he promised he'd start doing the updates, which seemed to be fine with the immigration officer.

 

Then I was asked to pay the 1900 thb fee and wait for my passport to be returned. I have to say, all things considered I think this went very smoothly and the immigration officers were quite helpful and lenient, quite the opposite of what I expected. Overall a pleasant experience.

 

We left the place at around 5:30 pm with the "under consideration" stamp in my passport.

[chippendale]

Thanks for your detailed info. I didn't know that CW also requests so much additional paperwork, as you mentioned:

  - photographic evidence that you're living together with your wife

 - an updated Kor Ror 2 <---- is this really necessary?

 - a letter from your bank showing the balance bank book <--- isn't an updated bank book sufficient?

 

And as for accusing you of a "big overstay" ... Have they really never heard of the amnesty??

[DrJack54]

Just now, chippendale said:

Thanks for your detailed info. I didn't know that CW also requests so much additional paperwork, as you mentioned:

  - photographic evidence that you're living together with your wife

 - an updated Kor Ror 2 <---- is this really necessary?

 - a letter from your bank showing the balance bank book <--- isn't an updated bank book sufficient?

 

And as for accusing you of a "big overstay" ... Have they really never heard of the amnesty??

I can't understand why your nonsense complain.

All of these have been in place for long time. 

Even simple extension retirement requires bank letter and even activity transaction on the day along with bankbook photocopy.

The home visit for marriage etc is to demonstrate your still together. 

In Thailand if your separated then your marriage extension in not possible.

How does your country work. 

Your post is very naive.

[Jake72]

4 minutes ago, chippendale said:

Thanks for your detailed info. I didn't know that CW also requests so much additional paperwork, as you mentioned:

  - photographic evidence that you're living together with your wife

 - an updated Kor Ror 2 <---- is this really necessary?

 - a letter from your bank showing the balance bank book <--- isn't an updated bank book sufficient?

 

And as for accusing you of a "big overstay" ... Have they really never heard of the amnesty??

The updated Kor Ror 2 is a must have, I saw the couple before me getting rejected because they didn't have this document. But honestly I don't understand this requirement because I'm sure the immigration system must have access to the same data as the ampur office issuing the Kor Ror 2. 

 

The photos are mandatory afaik, I believe they want them as some supporting evidence you actually live where you said you do and it doesn't look like a super clean place. I made sure we included places where we have pictures on the wall etc. I think we had 7 photos in total.

 

For the bank letter, you might be able to get away with just the book, but it sure doesn't hurt to have a letter from your bank stating the balance and that it's your account and how long you've been a customer. 

 

Cheers,

Jake

 

[Jake72]

On 9/17/2020 at 12:01 AM, Jake72 said:

For the bank letter, you might be able to get away with just the book, but it sure doesn't hurt to have a letter from your bank stating the balance and that it's your account and how long you've been a customer. 

Just a quick correction on this, the bank letter is a strict requirement, I watched someone getting rejected on this requirement at CW today.

 

[ubonjoe]

11 hours ago, Jake72 said:

Just a quick correction on this, the bank letter is a strict requirement, I watched someone getting rejected on this requirement at CW today.

Yes the bank letter to confirm your account and he balance on the day it written is mandatory. 

[DouglasTsui]

On 9/17/2020 at 12:58 AM, DrJack54 said:

I can't understand why your nonsense complain.

All of these have been in place for long time. 

Even simple extension retirement requires bank letter and even activity transaction on the day along with bankbook photocopy.

The home visit for marriage etc is to demonstrate your still together. 

In Thailand if your separated then your marriage extension in not possible.

How does your country work. 

Your post is very naive.

on the contrary, it's extremely informative for one and all to digest. DrJack54,as for you,it's simply arrogance and rudeness that's un-call for.We share and learn as one community. 

[DrJack54]

6 minutes ago, DouglasTsui said:

on the contrary, it's extremely informative for one and all to digest. DrJack54,as for you,it's simply arrogance and rudeness that's un-call for.We share and learn as one community. 

"it's extremely informative"?

You might notice that I put a "thanks" emote on the OP. Why, because that was helpful and informative report.

However the quote and comment I made was just complaints from someone about Extension process. No information but just questions as to why bank letters are required etc.. 

[OJAS]

On 9/16/2020 at 11:23 PM, Jake72 said:

However they had me fill out and sign a form stating that I had overstayed and it had the penalties listed like 500 thb/day, banned from re-entry if more than 3 month etc. and I did get a bit worried that I'd be taken to a detention center and deported once I'd filled out and signed the form. however we were just told to take a seat and wait.

Did the form you were asked to sign look anything like this one?

 

http://www.interprogram.ku.ac.th/newsite/images/overstay-page-004_Page_1.pdf

 

If so, it most certainly is not any confession to an overstay (non-existent in your case, as you have said) but a standard form which most offices these days require applicants for annual marriage and retirement extensions to sign so that they aware aware of the penalties which currently exist in the highly unlikely event (in most cases) of their being minded to overstay.

 

 

[Lacrimas]

On 9/16/2020 at 11:46 PM, chippendale said:

Thanks for your detailed info. I didn't know that CW also requests so much additional paperwork, as you mentioned:

  - photographic evidence that you're living together with your wife

 - an updated Kor Ror 2 <---- is this really necessary?

 - a letter from your bank showing the balance bank book <--- isn't an updated bank book sufficient?

 

And as for accusing you of a "big overstay" ... Have they really never heard of the amnesty??

They have always been required paper to have when you go for a marriage extension

[Lacrimas]

Well, all in all not a bad day at the immigration.. only 3 hours for a marriage extension it is a record in my book. Yeah the overstay scary I understand but probably you spoke with one of the trainees at the entrance that don't really know much. Don't pay too much attention to them, the officers always try to help families. We are not sexpats after all. 

[Jake72]

47 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Did the form you were asked to sign look anything like this one?

 

http://www.interprogram.ku.ac.th/newsite/images/overstay-page-004_Page_1.pdf

 

Yeah, that's the form. It seems a bit excessive if the purpose is only to inform people about the overstay penalties as it's pretty hard to ignore all the posters at the airport with the same information. It certainly gave me the impression something wasn't right when combined with the immigration officers telling me I had a big overstay.

 

[OJAS]

8 minutes ago, Jake72 said:

Yeah, that's the form. It seems a bit excessive if the purpose is only to inform people about the overstay penalties as it's pretty hard to ignore all the posters at the airport with the same information. It certainly gave me the impression something wasn't right when combined with the immigration officers telling me I had a big overstay.

 

Did they also get you to sign this form for good measure?

 

http://www.interprogram.ku.ac.th/newsite/images/form_acknow_con2stay_new.pdf

 

[Pib]

47 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Did they also get you to sign this form for good measure?

 

http://www.interprogram.ku.ac.th/newsite/images/form_acknow_con2stay_new.pdf

 

That form may have been one signed during the marriage application, but it not the form they had us sign on the day we picked up the final approval stamp. 

 

The form signed on the pickup date was a simpler from where you put your name, nationality, and passport number and then signed the form that the Thai govt was extending your marriage extension thru 31 Oct 2021 instead of a shorter date a person was expecting.