Which visa?

[samwell]

Hi gents

 

Currently living and working in Saudi but will be returning to England for a month. after quitting my job. Then I plan to move out to Thailand for a year or so, I have a Thai wife and son currently in Thailand so wondering what would be the best visa for me to get? Also would I be able to take a normal flight to Thailand (not an embassy flight?) 

 

Anyway advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sam

[ubonjoe]

At this time you would have to apply for a single entry non-o visa and a certificate of entry at the embassy in London. 

Info is here: https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/application-for-certificate-of-entry-to-thailand-for-non-thai-nationa?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

You will see on that page you can arrange flights now on certain airlines to here. No need to wait for repatriation flights to here.

After arriving you could apply for a one year extension of stay based upon marriage to a Thai. You would need 400k baht in a Thai bank for 2 months in your name only or proof of 40k baht income,

 

[jacko45k]

Good luck mate, did pretty much the same some 15 years ago and never looked back. Didn't have the Thai wife and son and things were easier back then!

[samwell]

Hi Guys

 

I never thanked you guys for your responses.

 

Yeah I will be in the UK next week and all this visa stuff is confusing as hell. I need to apply for the visa first, right? then the COE etc. Do I book my flight after receiving the visa or before?

If anyone could give a point by point run of the steps of all I have to do that would be very much appreciated.

 

Cheers guys

 

Sam

 

 

[moouaan]

2 hours ago, samwell said:

Hi Guys

 

I never thanked you guys for your responses.

 

Yeah I will be in the UK next week and all this visa stuff is confusing as hell. I need to apply for the visa first, right? then the COE etc. Do I book my flight after receiving the visa or before?

If anyone could give a point by point run of the steps of all I have to do that would be very much appreciated.

 

Cheers guys

 

Sam

 

 

These are the steps that I followed and which were given to me by the embassy staff.

 

1. Check your eligibility and visa categories to enter Thailand including documents.

2. Submit a visa application online. (you will need to attach all the documents like marriage certificates, invitation letter from wife, wife's ID etc.) Even though the form asks for travel dates and airline numbers, you don't have to have a ticket purchased at this time and there is no need to show any tickets. I received a reply the following day that my visa has been approved, but they say it could take up to 15 working days.

3. After your visa is approved, register for the COE to Thailand. This is also an online submittal and you will need to upload a photo of your visa, your wife's ID and marriage certificate and COVID insurance.

4. Once your COE registration is approved (mine only took 30 minutes before I received an email) you will need to upload your airline ticket and ASQ hotel booking.

5. If the COE is approved, you will receive the COE via email.

 

 

3. 

[samwell]

Hi Guys

 

I am finally back in the UK after returning from Saudi Arabia and I am desperate to get out to Thailand to visit my family. From what I understand, I can only get  a Non-O visa based on marriage which will be a single entry. I don't have a Thai bank account so I think when I want to convert the visa into a marriage visa this will not work. Another option which I am not sure that is available to me is the STV tourist visa. Has anyone tried this from the UK?

 

I will shoot an email to the Thai embassy, but if anyone has any ideas what visa I should come in on etc that would be most helpful.

 

Sam

[Sheryl]

A non-O is already a "marriage visa", no need to convert visa type. You just need to do a one year extension. See Ubon Joe's post (post #2). You will be stamped in for 3 months on arrival and then have 1  month to open a bank account and transfer funds into it.

 

 

 

 

[Salerno]

3 minutes ago, samwell said:

I am desperate to get out

 

Don't blame you but it's just got harder; not sure what they will accept as a reason to leave. That said, if wanting to get out fast in case other changes are afoot, fastest and least paperwork would be visa exempt (still available so far), gives you enough time to open a bank account, deposit the money and convert to Non O then get 1 year extension.

[samwell]

Hi

 

The problem is how do I open a Thai bank account without having a work permit? Surely they would allow someone to leave if you then going into further quarantine in Thailand for 15 days. I will be staying in Hua Hin BTW

 

Cheers

 

Sam

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, samwell said:

The problem is how do I open a Thai bank account without having a work permit? 

That is not a requirement to open a bank account.

If yous wife has a account at a bank she can be your reference to open an account at the same bank.

[jackdd]

8 minutes ago, samwell said:

The problem is how do I open a Thai bank account without having a work permit?

You visit a few different banks and somebody might open the account for you.

With Krungsri your success rate should be quite high, they usually just want to see something like a long term rental contract (I guess if your wife writes on a piece of paper that you stay with her at her house this would work as well)

[Salerno]

4 minutes ago, samwell said:

The problem is how do I open a Thai bank account without having a work permit?

 

You don't need a work permit. Again, it's another thing that's gotten more difficult over the past years, but not impossible (especially when you want to deposit 400K+). Just takes some leg work or you can throw a few Baht at an agent.

 

6 minutes ago, samwell said:

 Surely they would allow someone to leave if you then going into further quarantine in Thailand for 15 days. I will be staying in Hua Hin BTW

 

Haven't looked into it that much but the quarantine isn't relevant IMO. Looks like Boris is just trying to stop the movement of people. Perhaps someone from Hua Hin will pop in to give info re opening a bank there.

[samwell]

Hi

 

Cheers guys

 

Hopefully Boris can give some more clarification about who can leave  the country and under what circumstances.

 

 

Sam

[Salerno]

16 minutes ago, samwell said:

Hopefully Boris can give some more clarification about who can leave  the country and under what circumstances.

 

Sounds like they're coming out with yet more paperwork but as usual light on specifics.

 

Quote

People wishing to travel out of the UK will first be required to declare their reason for travel and prove it is essential, the home secretary has said.

 

Priti Patel said declarations would be checked by carriers and there would be increased police at airports and ports.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55821702

 

 

[Peter Denis]

OP > What's your age?

If under 50 you will ultimately have to apply for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage.

But you could do that in UK, or first enter Thailand Visa Exempt or on a 60-day Tourist Visa and then apply at your local IO for that 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage.

Note: Forget about the STV when wanting to stay long-term in Thailand, as it will only allow you to stay for 3 months, which can then be extended twice, but after 9 months of stay on the STV there are no options for further extensions and you would then have to leave Thailand.

 

[samwell]

Hi Chaps

 

Have decided to go with the imm o visa rather than risk the visa exempt due to the travel ban. Hopefully with the imm-o I can argue that I am travelling to Thailand to support my family and to gain employment while there.

 

Couple of further questions

 

On the website where you apply for the visa, one of the categories asks about employment. I am currently unemployed but have adequate funds in bank etc. If i select the unemployed option would that create a a problem for the issuance of the visa?

 

Also with regards to the travel insurance I am applying for an imm-0 visa, how long should I get the insurance for?

 

Finally does anyone have any recommendations for the ASQ hotel?

 

cheers

 

Sam

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, samwell said:

On the website where you apply for the visa, one of the categories asks about employment. I am currently unemployed but have adequate funds in bank etc. If i select the unemployed option would that create a a problem for the issuance of the visa?

If applying for a non-o visa the answer is no.

The covid 19 insurance would only need to be valid for 90 days from the day you enter the country.

[samwell]

57 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

If applying for a non-o visa the answer is no.

The covid 19 insurance would only need to be valid for 90 days from the day you enter the country.

Cheers UbonJoe

[Peter Denis]

1 hour ago, samwell said:

...

Have decided to go with the imm o visa rather than risk the visa exempt due to the travel ban. Hopefully with the imm-o I can argue that I am travelling to Thailand to support my family and to gain employment while there.

...

Hi Sam,

What 'travel ban' are you talking about?

Also, in your case it would not only be far easier but actually also cheaper NOT to apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage at the London Thai Embassy.

But simply to enter Thailand VisaExempt (no Visa required) as that will provide you with a 45-day permission to stay stamp on entry.  And then after having finished the 15 days quarantaine at you ASQ Hotel, you can then apply at your local HuaHin Imm Office for that 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage.

This has to be done when you still have at least 15 days left on your permission to stay, and you would need to show +400K on a personal Thai bank account at the moment of application.  So you have 2 weeks to open a personal Thai bank-account and transfer the funds to that account.

In the last month of those 90 days you can then apply for a 1-year extension of stay for reason of marriage based on that original Non Imm O Visa, and the +400K must by then have been seasoned for at least 2 months on that personal Thai bank-account.  Also you will not receive the 1-year permission to stay immediately, but there will be an administrative under consideration period (typically 3-4 weeks) and during that under consideration period the +400K funds have to remain on your personal Thai bank-account.  But once you get that 1-year permission to stay stamp in your passport, you are then free to use those funds as you please, only to top up again to +400K two months before you plan to apply for your next 1-year extension of stay.

The advantage of entering Thailand VisaExempt and applying for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage, instead of applying at the London Thai Embassy are:

1 - No need to apply for a Visa at the UK Thai Embassy with all the current associated hassle;

2 - You would only need to subscribe for 45-days to the 100.000 US $ covid-19 treatment insurance, which is currently part of the CoE requirements for anybody entering Thailand.  This instead of 90-days when having applied for the 90-day Non Imm O visa for reason of marriage.

This because that covid-19 insurance only needs to cover the period of your permission to stay you will receive on entering Thailand.

The small downside is that you would have to apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage at your local HuaHIn IO (cost 2.000 THB), but having done that the subsequent 1-year extension of stay application you would need to do would be already somewhat familiar for you (and you would have to do that anyway, also when entering on the 90-day Non Imm O Visa issued by the London Thai Embassy).

So save yourself the headache of applying in London for your Visa, but simply enter Thailand VisaExempt and take it from there.

Cheers!

[ubonjoe]

9 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

What 'travel ban' are you talking about?

The UK one.

[Peter Denis]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

The UK one.

Not clear for me how that would impact his plans to return to Thailand? 

[ubonjoe]

18 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Also, in your case it would not only be far easier but actually also cheaper NOT to apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage at the London Thai Embassy.

Why?

I see no great reason in your post.

A lot of it is offset by having to make two trips to immigration. Also if he doesn't have a Thai bank account he would have to open one to put 400k baht into the,

 

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Not clear for me how that would impact his plans to return to Thailand? 

This from the OP.

1 hour ago, samwell said:

Have decided to go with the imm o visa rather than risk the visa exempt due to the travel ban. Hopefully with the imm-o I can argue that I am travelling to Thailand to support my family and to gain employment while there.

 

[Peter Denis]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

This from the OP.

Thanks. didn't realize that the UK travel ban affect outbound travel...

[Tanoshi]

On 1/28/2021 at 6:51 PM, samwell said:

Hopefully Boris can give some more clarification about who can leave  the country and under what circumstances.

I would think travelling to rejoin your wife and son is classed as essential travel.

[Tanoshi]

8 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Thanks. didn't realize that the UK travel ban affect outbound travel...

Yep, only permitted to travel for essential reasons.

[samwell]

HI Chaps

 

Regarding my plane ticket, it has to be a return ticket right?

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Sam

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, samwell said:

Regarding my plane ticket, it has to be a return ticket right?

It is not required for the non-o visa application.

A return or onward ticket is needed for the visa exempt entry.

[Tanoshi]

5 minutes ago, samwell said:

HI Chaps

 

Regarding my plane ticket, it has to be a return ticket right?

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Sam

No, not if you apply for the Non O Visa based on marriage.

Single one way ticket fine.

 

I advise you look at travelling through Helsinki (Finnair) or Amsterdam (KLM) as they had some very reasonable one way ticket prices.

Direct flights are extortionate and avoid the UAE.

[Tanoshi]

2 hours ago, samwell said:

Also with regards to the travel insurance I am applying for an imm-0 visa, how long should I get the insurance for?

There is no requirement for travel Insurance.

 

There is a requirement for a Covid Insurance policy.

It's only required to cover your 90 day permission of stay granted on entry from a Non O Visa.