OK OK OK ....... please make it dead simple .

[Wasp]

5 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

The fact that you already have a personal Thai bank-account (with Kasikorn Bank) greatly simplifies things, as the crazy Thai banking system is such that it is not as easy as walking into a Thai bank and open an account.

When you are not able from UK to get hold of the 6-digit pin number which you don't remember anymore, it would normally be simple to solve the issue once you are in Thailand by going to a Kasikorn Bank branche with your bank-book and debit-card and they will re-set it for you.

It's a small problem to be solved and you won't need that Thai bank-account when you apply for a Visa from UK (if you opt for a Visa that requires financial requirements to be met, your UK bank-account will be accepted).

The one problem I have is that from time to time I send money from the UK to my Account at Kasikorn . Wait and check that the money is there . And then pay money on to the family . I want to see all the steps as I don't trust anybody's word at all . The Thais are nice enough . But too many think that lying is a good hobby . ( Plenty of those here too ... I know ).  So I want to see all the steps but without PIN2 I cannot send it on . That is until I am actually at a Bank in Thailand again . Which may not be for a long time yet .

[Wasp]

6 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

OP mentioned that he married his Thai wife in UK.

When applying for the Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage at the London Thai Embassy, he will be able to use that UK marriage certificate (accompanied with a copy of the Thai ID-card of his wife) for his application.

But once in Thailand, as Peterw42 correctly mentions, OP will need to get hold of a Thai marriage certificate as the UK one will not be accepted by Immigration when applying for a Visa or an extension for reason of Marriage to a Thai national.

As @ubonjoe wrote >

... Immigration requires your foreign marriage be registered at a Amphoe (district office) to get a Kor Ror 22.

You marriage certificate must be legalized by a authority it in the UK and the Thai embassy in London to do the registration. The procedure is here. Best to get it done before leaving the UK.

 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714089/Legalisation_info_June_2018.pdf

Then after you are here it will need to be translated to Thai and the translation be certified by the Department of Consular Affairs. Not a big problem to get done before going to the Amphoe.

>> To avoid any problems getting hold of that required Kor Ror 22, OP needs to ensure that he legalizes his UK marriage certificate in UK before leaving for Thailand  according to the procedure mentioned in the link provided by UJ.

They do love paper - don't they ? I mean they absolutely ADORE paper , paper , paper ...... 

 

[Wasp]

2 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

It is difficult to make it 'super simple' for your situation because of 3 intertwined issues:

1 - Being +50 years of age AND married to a Thai national, you have many options to apply for Visa and extensions (which is of course a good thing);

2 - Currently EVERYONE wanting to re-enter Thailand, also needs to comply with the CoE (Certificate of Entry) requirements - and those requirements are not 'static' but are in-flux and on top of that are not consistently applied everywhere;

3 - You being married to a Thai national in UK will allow you to apply for a Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage in UK.  But when entering Thailand on a different Visa (or Visa Exempt) and then applying for a Non Imm O Visa or an extension of stay for reason of marriage, requires that you get a Thai Marriage certificate as your UK one will not be accepted by Thai immigration.

 

Nevertheless I will try to provide you with a simplified overview of the options you have, so that you can make a well-informed choice.

In your situation there are basically 4 options you need to choose from, when wanting to enter Thailand, and the option you chooses has consequences for how to proceed once you are in Thailand.

The 4 options (and their pros/cons) are the following:

1 - Entering Thailand Visa Exempt, which will provide you with a 45 day permission to stay stamp.

The PRO of that option is that you do not need to apply for a Visa at the London Thai Embassy, and the consequence of doing that is that you will need to apply for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa (for reason of marriage or for reason of retirement) at the local Imm Office of the province where you intend to stay long-term. The application for such 90-day Non Imm O Visa needs to be done, when you still have at least 15 days left on that 45-day permission to stay you received on entry.  So in practice you will have a 15 day window to do it, as the first 15 days of your stay you will be in an ASQ quarantaine hotel.  Having applied for the Non Imm O Visa, you will need to collect your 90-day permission to stay at the end of the approx 2 week 'under consideration' period.  And in the last month of that 90-day permission to stay, you would then need to apply for a 1-year permission to stay based on that original Non Imm O Visa.

So the CONTRA of that easy no Visa required entry process, is that you will need to visit your local Imm Office 3 times in a relatively short period, having to make 2 applications.

2 - Applying for a 60-day Tourist Visa, at the London Thai Embassy which will provide you with a 60 day permission to stay stamp.

The process is exactly the same as for a Visa Exempt entry, so the PRO-CONTRA consideration is whether you are inclined to apply for that Visa just to get 15 days longer on the permission to stay stamp you will receive on entering Thailand.  Imo that is not worth it...

3 - Applying straight-away for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa, at the London Thai Embassy which will provide you with a 90 day permission to stay stamp.

The PRO of that option is that you then do not need to apply for such a Visa at your local Imm Office, but that you can then in the last month of that 90-day permission to stay, apply for the 1-year extension of stay.

When applying for that 90-day Non Imm O Visa at the London Thai Embassy, you have 2 options.  You can either apply for reason of marriage, or for reason of retirement (+50 years of age).

The requirements to be met for both applications are different, but a current CONTRA factor for doing this for reason of retirement is that the CoE now requires a Thai IO approved health-insurance for doing that.  So in your case it would make sense to apply for reason of marriage.

4 - You might be surprised that I also mention as fourth option to apply for a 1-year MultipleEntry Non Imm O-A Visa at the London Thai Embassy.  An absolute PRO of that Visa is that it will provide you with a 1-year permission to stay stamp on entry.  And each time you exit and then re-enter Thailand while the Visa is still valid (1 year from date of issue), you will once again receive a 1-year permission to stamp.  So when timed right, that Visa can provide you with almost 2 years of stay in Thailand WITHOUT the need to visit your local Imm Office for an extension of stay.

And on top of that during that almost 2 year stay, there is NO need to park or transfer funds to a Thai bank-account.

The only down-side of that Non Imm O-A Visa to start your long-stay in Thailand, is that it requires a Thai IO-approved health-insurance policy.  When reading the requirements for that on the Thai Embassy website you would be inclined to 'give up trying', but in actual fact it is neither difficult nor costly to subscribe to such a policy (just PM me if you are interested in a Guideline document I compiled on how to meet that insurance requirement, it is easy if you know how).

 

Some additional comments:

I - When applying for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa at your local Imm Office (after having arrived in Thailand Visa Exempt or on a 60-day Tourist Visa), you can do this for reason of marriage or for reason of retirement.  The requirements are different, but the financial requirements to be met for a 1-year extension for reason of marriage are way lower (+400K to be parked on your personal thai bank-account for approx 3 months - 2 months before application + the 3-4 week under consideration period) than what is required for a 1-year extension for reason of retirement (+800K to be parked on your personal thai bank-account during 2 months before and 3 months after your application, and +400K during the remaining months of the year, but having to top up again to +800K two months before your next 1-year extension of stay application).

However, a 1-year extension of stay application for reason of marriage requires proof that you are still married to your Thai wife and that both of you are living together at same address.  Sounds easy, but the Thai love for documents makes that somewhat of a challenge (especially if you are not very admin-minded).  Also in your case, you would need to get hold of the Thai Marriage Certificate as your UK one will not be accepted (see an earlier post of mine to you on that subject).

II - When applying for the 1-year extension of stay, you can SWITCH the reason for such application.  So having applied for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage at the London Thai Embassy, you would be able to apply for the 1-year extension of stay at your local Imm Office for reason of retirement (when you meet the requirements for such application).

Similarly, when having applied for the 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa at the London Thai Embassy, you would be able to apply at the end of the 2-years the permission to stay could provide you, for a 1-year extension of stay for reason of marriage (thus avoiding the mandatory health-insurance for a retirement extension based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa).

 

Hope this info (simplified as much as possible without skipping essential details) will help you determine your best choice of Visa to enter Thailand for intended long-stay.

Unfortunately, navigating the Thai Visa jungle is not easy and quick/easy 1-sentence replies on questions you might have provided by the Embassy staff or by Immigration officals, will often not address consequences of your choice or possible alternatives.

Luckily the Thai Visa Forum members are there to help you.

Cheers and success!

Peter ..... I would think that if you don't work as an advisor then you should . This looks comprehensive but I cannot deal with it while loafing around . I must Copy it , Print it , maybe Laminate it ....... and take it a line at a time . I'm the same with electrical circuit plans . Just cannot get my head into it . Maybe I should just post my Passport , her ID Card and Marriage Certificate to you .  Many thanks . 

[Peter Denis]

6 minutes ago, Wasp said:

Peter ..... I would think that if you don't work as an advisor then you should . This looks comprehensive but I cannot deal with it while loafing around . I must Copy it , Print it , maybe Laminate it ....... and take it a line at a time . I'm the same with electrical circuit plans . Just cannot get my head into it . Maybe I should just post my Passport , her ID Card and Marriage Certificate to you .  Many thanks . 

Lol > in my previous life I was a Quality Management / Business Excellence consultant, so well acquainted with complex, non-aligned and confusing processes that needed improvement...

>> I have PM-ed you a comprehensive Guideline document outlining all details and options on how to stay long-term in Thailand when over 50 years of age.  But you would probably need some time and some Strong Coffees to go through it (no problem PM-ing me when you have questions). 

[Wasp]

1 minute ago, Peter Denis said:

Lol > in my previous life I was a Quality Management / Business Excellence consultant, so well acquainted with complex, non-aligned and confusing processes that needed improvement...

>> I have PM-ed you a comprehensive Guideline document outlining all details and options on how to stay long-term in Thailand when over 50 years of age.  But you would probably need some time and some Strong Coffees to go through it (no problem PM-ing me when you have questions). 

I need another coffee and a banana pancake just to read this impressive CV . Mr Denis - you're hired .

[Andrew Dwyer]

2 hours ago, Jack Hna said:

Aka

my other profile.

 

It would appear that you think that I have two profiles and I alternate between the two ??

 

You couldn’t be further from the truth, I personally met Peter about a year ago and consider him a good friend. The lengths he goes to help others with visa related issues on this forum is definitely worthy of our praise and I feel his knowledge of these matters is comparable with UbonJoe.

 

Also , there’s no way you could think we are the same person;

I am a svelte hansum man from Yorkshire while Peter has been described as as a “ fat old Belgian “ ????

 

( sorry Peter , hopefully our friendship will surpass my little faux pas ???? )

 

 

[Wasp]

17 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

It would appear that you think that I have two profiles and I alternate between the two ??

 

You couldn’t be further from the truth, I personally met Peter about a year ago and consider him a good friend. The lengths he goes to help others with visa related issues on this forum is definitely worthy of our praise and I feel his knowledge of these matters is comparable with UbonJoe.

 

Also , there’s no way you could think we are the same person;

I am a svelte hansum man from Yorkshire while Peter has been described as as a “ fat old Belgian “ ????

 

( sorry Peter , hopefully our friendship will surpass my little faux pas ???? )

 

 

That " fat old Belgian " is nearly my best friend in the World !!!!

[Stevemercer]

The key difficulty is getting to Thailand.  Plenty of advice here. You just have to methodically collect all the necessary paperwork and go the Thai embassy. If you are not so good with paperwork, hire a reputable agent to do the application for you. You will still have to get the necessary paperwork for the agent, but the agent will do all the dealings with the embassy.

 

Once you are in Thailand it is easy to arrange your annual 12 month marriage extensions. Don't worry about that. You have done the hard part by getting into Thailand.

 

I don't want to confuse the issue, but there is some paperwork you will need for your annual extensions in Thailand that are much easier to get while you are still in the UK. These are a certified and translated copy of your original marriage document - the registry version (if married in the UK). The Thai Embassy can advise on the necessary steps. You should get your birth certificate done at the same time, in case it is needed down the track. You need your original marriage registry certificate and birth certificate to start these processes (e.g. order them now if you don't have the originals).

 

 

[jimn]

You are very dramatic arnt you. It sounds like you get frusterated over every little thing.

[natway09]

Under normal circumstances it is easy, but right now the circumstances are not normal.

If you can delay your move for 6 months you may find that the "Extra to ordinary ordinary" requirements will become easier.

If you did  mention your age I missed it,

A retirement visa if over 50 will take away the continual "snooping" on your home once settled

[RAZZELL]

OP

 

It is not really that difficult at all.

 

As others have said, get a list and get your ducks in a row.

 

Firstly, get a few copies of your marriage and birth certificates, and if you need it any degrees/professional qualifications.

 

Unfortunately, the links you have been given are old - apologies to Ubon Joe etc but he is from the USA (?) - the UK Embassy stopped legalising marriage certificates/degrees a few years ago. What you need to do is this:

 

Get them certified/signed by a solicitor in the UK -

 

Then send to https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised where they put a nice stamp on the back - "proving" that they are "real" ("legalised").

 

Take or send them to the Thai Embassy in London and they will put a nice sticker on the back too - again "proving" that they are "real".

 

When you get to Thailand - go to the MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) find a nice agent who will sort out the translations etc and you get another nice stamp on the back.

 

Then you are good to go - go with the original and translations - to your local Amphur and ask for a Kor Ror 22 - which registers your foreign marriage in Thailand.

 

If you want a Yellow Book, some Amphurs ask for you birth certificate which is why I suggest getting it translated (need Mother and Father's name and occupation)

 

What you have to remember is that Thailand is the ultimate "box ticker's" paradise - if you tick the boxes job done!

 

Good luck.

 

(BTW - I got married in the UK and did all of the above 3 years ago)

 

RAZZ

 

 

[KhaoYai]

On 1/17/2021 at 12:26 PM, Wasp said:

Well the UK side I am accepting I must do myself . But if you or anyone knows a good agent in Nakhon Ratchasima ....... please tell me .  Thanks Finicky .

Ahhh you'll be using Korat Immigration. Best of luck there, some people have an easy time of it - others have found extensions very difficult - a friend of mine had a very hard time. Personally, my dealings with them have been straightforward but I've never applied for extension of stay there. 

 

Last time I heard, there were no agents operating in Korat but certain members of staff can be very helpful if the 'conditions' are right. 20k has been mentioned.

[RAZZELL]

5 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Ahhh you'll be using Korat Immigration. Best of luck there, some people have an easy time of it - others have found extensions very difficult - a friend of mine had a very hard time. Personally, my dealings with them have been straightforward but I've never applied for extension of stay there. 

 

Last time I heard, there were no agents operating in Korat but certain members of staff can be very helpful if the 'conditions' are right. 20k has been mentioned.

 

You don't need an agent and you certainly don't need to bung someone 20k if you have the correct paperwork.

 

They are legally obliged to give you an extension of stay if you fulfil the requirements.

 

RAZZ

 

 

[Wasp]

3 hours ago, jimn said:

You are very dramatic arnt you. It sounds like you get frusterated over every little thing.

Especially Spellings .

[ifmu]

On 1/17/2021 at 7:12 PM, ubonjoe said:

What you need to get a non-o visa and a Certificate of Entry to enter Thailand is here on the London embassy website. 

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/requirements-for-foreigners-travelling-to-thailand-during-covid-19-tra?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

And here specifically for the visa herea little over half way down the page. 

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/84508-non-immigrant-visas?page=5d6636cd15e39c3bd00072dd&menu=5f4b6eb3f6ae4b236972c562

You will apply for the non-o visa online here. https://thaievisa.go.th/Home

Then after arriving you can apply for a one year extension of stay you can apply for a extension of stay based upon marriage to a Thai during the last 30 days of your non-o visa. You will need 400k baht in a Thai bank in your name only for 2 months on the day your apply for the extension.

Here is my general list of required documents. Marriage Extension Requirements 2.pdf

 

 

Hi UJ

you have said this before  but i do not understand why i am here on a non 0 immigrant visa to visit wife .. BUT i do not have to do the 400,000 thb  .. only the 700 usd in bank  ... what is different ?  how am i this lucky  .. thanks and thanks for tv 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, ifmu said:

you have said this before  but i do not understand why i am here on a non 0 immigrant visa to visit wife .. BUT i do not have to do the 400,000 thb  .. only the 700 usd in bank  ... what is different ?  how am i this lucky  .. thanks and thanks for tv 

When you apply for a non-o visa it only allows a 90 day entry or if a multiple entry non-o visa you have to leave and re-enter the country ever 90 days to get another 90 day entry.

With a one year extension of stay based upon marriage to a Thai you never have to leave the country again if you do not want to. That is why you need 400k baht in the bank or proof of 40k baht income.

[Tanoshi]

15 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

I am a svelte hansum man from Yorkshire while Peter has been described as as a “ fat old Belgian “ ????

He described you as a typical tight Tyke that never paid for a round.

Sorry Peter, was it supposed to be confidential.

[jimn]

9 hours ago, Wasp said:

Especially Spellings .

See what I mean. You have not got a chance in hell with being able to complete a successful application for an extension of stay based upon marriage with an attitude like that. You do not even know what a COE is. Where have you been, what planet are you on?

[jomtienisgood]

On 1/17/2021 at 7:20 PM, Wasp said:

( It's the first time I heard of a Certificate of Entry . )

This is due to Covid .....Unfortunately making moving over here a bit ( lot ) harder.... According to what I heard from some friends : Patience, patience....

[jomtienisgood]

On 1/17/2021 at 8:01 PM, Peterw42 said:

OP, did you get married in UK or Thailand ?

If its UK there will be a process to translate, register etc, your UK marriage in Thailand.

Its no big drama but something you need to be aware of.

Q from a non-UK National ( out of interest ) . In case OP is Legally married in UK, can this then be registered at UK/Th embassy? Or does it have to be translated/certified at MOFA -Chang Whattana Bkk?? 

[ubonjoe]

12 minutes ago, jomtienisgood said:

Q from a non-UK National ( out of interest ) . In case OP is Legally married in UK, can this then be registered at UK/Th embassy? Or does it have to be translated/certified at MOFA -Chang Whattana Bkk?? 

A marriage registration can be done at a embassy but it would not be recognized by the UK and there is good chance it would not recognized by a Amphoe to get a Kor Ror 2 marriage registry that is done for marriages here or even Kor Ror 22 for foreign marriage registry.

IMO it might not be worth effort to do it at a embassy.

It is shown here in Thai on the embassy website. https://london.thaiembassy.org/th/page/82031-ทะเบียนราษฎร์?menu=5d6636ce15e39c3bd000730f

It is not even show on some embassy websites.

The first step of getting marriage certificate legalized by the country that issued it can be more difficult than anything else in some cases.

[Tanoshi]

58 minutes ago, jomtienisgood said:

Q from a non-UK National ( out of interest ) . In case OP is Legally married in UK, can this then be registered at UK/Th embassy? Or does it have to be translated/certified at MOFA -Chang Whattana Bkk?? 

Not just UK, but if married overseas, your foreign marriage registration isn't recorded, or the foreign document accepted in Thailand. The marriage certificate must first be authenticated (genuine), in the UK this is done by the Home Office, then sent to to Thai Embassy who certify the Home Offices signatures.

The process is known as 'legalising' a document (to be legally accepted in a foreign Country).

 

Once in Thailand that document (in a foreign language) then has to be translated into Thai, then the document and translation 'legalised' by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (equivalent of the Home Office in the UK).

That document and it's translation will now be accepted by any organisation or office in Thailand as  legally authenticated.

 

The foreign marriage can then be registered at the local Amphoe office.

When applying for annual marriage extensions, Immigration request a Kor Ror 2/22 from the Amphoe, which basically just confirms that since your marriage was registered, there is no record of divorced, therefore still legitimately married.

Kor Ror 2 is issued to those married in Thailand.

Kor Ror 22 is issued to those who registered a foreign marriage in Thailand.

[jomtienisgood]

3 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

Not just UK, but if married overseas, your foreign marriage registration isn't recorded, or the foreign document accepted in Thailand. The marriage certificate must first be authenticated (genuine), in the UK this is done by the Home Office, then sent to to Thai Embassy who certify the Home Offices signatures.

The process is known as 'legalising' a document (to be legally accepted in a foreign Country).

 

Once in Thailand that document (in a foreign language) then has to be translated into Thai, then the document and translation 'legalised' by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (equivalent of the Home Office in the UK).

That document and it's translation will now be accepted by any organisation or office in Thailand as  legally authenticated.

 

The foreign marriage can then be registered at the local Amphoe office.

When applying for annual marriage extensions, Immigration request a Kor Ror 2/22 from the Amphoe, which basically just confirms that since your marriage was registered, there is no record of divorced, therefore still legitimately married.

Kor Ror 2 is issued to those married in Thailand.

Kor Ror 22 is issued to those who registered a foreign marriage in Thailand.

Tks for the answers. It was also my understanding.. I do have a Kor Ror 2. Translated, legalized and then forwarded to my Embassy.

[KhaoYai]

20 hours ago, RAZZELL said:

They are legally obliged to give you an extension of stay if you fulfil the requirements.

Legally obliged? Really?  Please let us know what course of action you are going to take if obstacles are put in your way?  My friend was told that his income must be from outside Thailand, even though his totally legal business is in Thailand and he has a work permit. He was told that either the money comes from outside the country or he provides 400,000 in the bank.  He called Immigration head office in Bangkok who agreed with him that Korat were wrong but refused to call them and advise accordingly.  What would you do in that case with a rapidly expiring visa?

 

I fully agree with you that they are not following the rules , and I think we both know why.  The problem is - doing anything about it, this is Thailand.

 

Having said that, there is a lawyer's office in Korat that is run by a foreigner and employs Thai lawyers, I'm told they have taken Korat Immigration to court on a number of occasions and won - that is probably what I would do to be honest but I'd suggest that most people wouldn't want to go down that route when a wheel oiling alternative is available. Going down the court route is going to take time which may not be available if youre visa is about to expire.

 

My friend ended up putting 400,000 in the bank and the following year, instead of going through the same problem or taking it to court, he used the lawyers office to make his extension application - exactly the same details as the year before (income from Thai business), visa granted.

 

I know that thousands have successfully obtained extensions at Korat but if you're one of those that gets refused for dodgy reasons, what are you going to do?

[Tanoshi]

12 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

He called Immigration head office in Bangkok who agreed with him that Korat were wrong but refused to call them and advise accordingly.  What would you do in that case with a rapidly expiring visa?

Go to Bangkok, file a TM30, do the extension at CW, go back to Korat, file a new TM30 - job done!

 

Got to be cheaper than an agent or lawyer.  

[KhaoYai]

On 1/18/2021 at 3:44 AM, Peter Denis said:

as the crazy Thai banking system is such that it is not as easy as walking into a Thai bank and open an account.

Whilst I understand where you are coming from Peter, I think a lot of us forget that it is not possible for a foreigner who does not have legal residence to open a bank account in our home countries.

 

In some respects, it is easier for us to open a bank account in Thailand.  For example, I opened my Kasikorn account with a Multi Non O visa - giving me 12 months of 90 day stays.  If I was a foreigner in the UK and a similar visa was available, I would not be able to open a bank account.

 

I fully appreciate the difficulties some have opening an account  (my branch won't let me open another account now) but it can be even more difficult elsewhere.

[KhaoYai]

1 minute ago, Tanoshi said:

Go to Bangkok, file a TM30, do the extension at CW, go back to Korat, file a new TM30 - job done!

 

Got to be cheaper than an agent or lawyer.  

Fake lease, fake tabien baan, fake landlord's ID?

[Tanoshi]

6 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Fake lease, fake tabien baan, fake landlord's ID?

Everybody knows someone who knows somebody in Bangkok.

Not suggesting fake anything.

You asked what would I do - I answered.

[Kwozzie]

On 1/18/2021 at 3:39 PM, Peter Denis said:

It is difficult to make it 'super simple' for your situation because of 3 intertwined issues:

1 - Being +50 years of age AND married to a Thai national, you have many options to apply for Visa and extensions (which is of course a good thing);

2 - Currently EVERYONE wanting to re-enter Thailand, also needs to comply with the CoE (Certificate of Entry) requirements - and those requirements are not 'static' but are in-flux and on top of that are not consistently applied everywhere;

3 - You being married to a Thai national in UK will allow you to apply for a Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage in UK.  But when entering Thailand on a different Visa (or Visa Exempt) and then applying for a Non Imm O Visa or an extension of stay for reason of marriage, requires that you get a Thai Marriage certificate as your UK one will not be accepted by Thai immigration.

 

Nevertheless I will try to provide you with a simplified overview of the options you have, so that you can make a well-informed choice.

In your situation there are basically 4 options you need to choose from, when wanting to enter Thailand, and the option you chooses has consequences for how to proceed once you are in Thailand.

The 4 options (and their pros/cons) are the following:

1 - Entering Thailand Visa Exempt, which will provide you with a 45 day permission to stay stamp.

The PRO of that option is that you do not need to apply for a Visa at the London Thai Embassy, and the consequence of doing that is that you will need to apply for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa (for reason of marriage or for reason of retirement) at the local Imm Office of the province where you intend to stay long-term. The application for such 90-day Non Imm O Visa needs to be done, when you still have at least 15 days left on that 45-day permission to stay you received on entry.  So in practice you will have a 15 day window to do it, as the first 15 days of your stay you will be in an ASQ quarantaine hotel.  Having applied for the Non Imm O Visa, you will need to collect your 90-day permission to stay at the end of the approx 2 week 'under consideration' period.  And in the last month of that 90-day permission to stay, you would then need to apply for a 1-year permission to stay based on that original Non Imm O Visa.

So the CONTRA of that easy no Visa required entry process, is that you will need to visit your local Imm Office 3 times in a relatively short period, having to make 2 applications.

2 - Applying for a 60-day Tourist Visa, at the London Thai Embassy which will provide you with a 60 day permission to stay stamp.

The process is exactly the same as for a Visa Exempt entry, so the PRO-CONTRA consideration is whether you are inclined to apply for that Visa just to get 15 days longer on the permission to stay stamp you will receive on entering Thailand.  Imo that is not worth it...

3 - Applying straight-away for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa, at the London Thai Embassy which will provide you with a 90 day permission to stay stamp.

The PRO of that option is that you then do not need to apply for such a Visa at your local Imm Office, but that you can then in the last month of that 90-day permission to stay, apply for the 1-year extension of stay.

When applying for that 90-day Non Imm O Visa at the London Thai Embassy, you have 2 options.  You can either apply for reason of marriage, or for reason of retirement (+50 years of age).

The requirements to be met for both applications are different, but a current CONTRA factor for doing this for reason of retirement is that the CoE now requires a Thai IO approved health-insurance for doing that.  So in your case it would make sense to apply for reason of marriage.

4 - You might be surprised that I also mention as fourth option to apply for a 1-year MultipleEntry Non Imm O-A Visa at the London Thai Embassy.  An absolute PRO of that Visa is that it will provide you with a 1-year permission to stay stamp on entry.  And each time you exit and then re-enter Thailand while the Visa is still valid (1 year from date of issue), you will once again receive a 1-year permission to stamp.  So when timed right, that Visa can provide you with almost 2 years of stay in Thailand WITHOUT the need to visit your local Imm Office for an extension of stay.

And on top of that during that almost 2 year stay, there is NO need to park or transfer funds to a Thai bank-account.

The only down-side of that Non Imm O-A Visa to start your long-stay in Thailand, is that it requires a Thai IO-approved health-insurance policy.  When reading the requirements for that on the Thai Embassy website you would be inclined to 'give up trying', but in actual fact it is neither difficult nor costly to subscribe to such a policy (just PM me if you are interested in a Guideline document I compiled on how to meet that insurance requirement, it is easy if you know how).

 

Some additional comments:

I - When applying for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa at your local Imm Office (after having arrived in Thailand Visa Exempt or on a 60-day Tourist Visa), you can do this for reason of marriage or for reason of retirement.  The requirements are different, but the financial requirements to be met for a 1-year extension for reason of marriage are way lower (+400K to be parked on your personal thai bank-account for approx 3 months - 2 months before application + the 3-4 week under consideration period) than what is required for a 1-year extension for reason of retirement (+800K to be parked on your personal thai bank-account during 2 months before and 3 months after your application, and +400K during the remaining months of the year, but having to top up again to +800K two months before your next 1-year extension of stay application).

However, a 1-year extension of stay application for reason of marriage requires proof that you are still married to your Thai wife and that both of you are living together at same address.  Sounds easy, but the Thai love for documents makes that somewhat of a challenge (especially if you are not very admin-minded).  Also in your case, you would need to get hold of the Thai Marriage Certificate as your UK one will not be accepted (see an earlier post of mine to you on that subject).

II - When applying for the 1-year extension of stay, you can SWITCH the reason for such application.  So having applied for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage at the London Thai Embassy, you would be able to apply for the 1-year extension of stay at your local Imm Office for reason of retirement (when you meet the requirements for such application).

Similarly, when having applied for the 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa at the London Thai Embassy, you would be able to apply at the end of the 2-years the permission to stay could provide you, for a 1-year extension of stay for reason of marriage (thus avoiding the mandatory health-insurance for a retirement extension based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa).

 

Hope this info (simplified as much as possible without skipping essential details) will help you determine your best choice of Visa to enter Thailand for intended long-stay.

Unfortunately, navigating the Thai Visa jungle is not easy and quick/easy 1-sentence replies on questions you might have provided by the Embassy staff or by Immigration officals, will often not address consequences of your choice or possible alternatives.

Luckily the Thai Visa Forum members are there to help you.

Cheers and success!

Thank you also Peter for your helpful description and information just as Wasp Im also about to go through it all including COE & 14 day quarantine loads of paper work but hopefully will be all worth it in the long run.

Could you also tell me is it true if doing voluntary work (helping my school teacher wife)you need a work permit & if so how hard is this process ??Thanks

[DrJack54]

13 minutes ago, Kwozzie said:

Thank you also Peter for your helpful description and information just as Wasp Im also about to go through it all including COE & 14 day quarantine loads of paper work but hopefully will be all worth it in the long run.

Could you also tell me is it true if doing voluntary work (helping my school teacher wife)you need a work permit & if so how hard is this process ??Thanks

Helping how?

Assisting at school is lot different than delivering eg food produce at wife's food stall.

Experts will advise, however I'm thinking a no no.