Reporter: Fokke
Perhaps a tip for readers who want to extend a Non O visa Marriage stay. I have an account with the Bangkok Bank in my name and my wife's name so this was refused yesterday in Jomtien at immigration because there was not enough money on it. At the moment there was 756.000 on it so thought this would be more than enough, ever the rules are 400.000 but because it is a joint account it was doubled. All I could do was request an extension for 2 months and make sure there is 800.000 in the account for 2 months. Take advantage if you open an account to do it in 1 name.
You get tired of it, every time they find something. If you can believe the politicians they want to make it easier but it gets harder every time. It is almost impossible if you travel a lot to stay here with all their rules, you cross the border you have to re-entry you come back again report in the long queue at immigration for a TM 30 report (have tried it online didn't work) do you think you've got some rest then the 90 day notification comes back (also tried this online but didn't work got mail report to immigration).
All that time you spend arranging paperwork at banks and municipalities and the time at Immigration is very frustrating and expensive. Well hopefully they won't find something new again in 2 months and we'll have some rest
Reaction RonnyLatYa
It has already been written here several times that when you use a joint account, the amount on it is only regarded as yours for half. There's nothing new about that at all. Half of 756 Baht is 000 Baht and therefore too little because no 378 Baht. This also applies if you use a joint account for Retired. Then it is 000 400 Baht.
A main requirement is that the account is in your name and there are immigration offices that refuse a joint account.
You should inquire about TM30 because I thought that when you return to the same address, you do not have to report it in Pattaya.
TM47 works online without any problems, but you have to do it on site the first time. After that it works for me without any problems online.
There is nothing new about anything you mention. That joint account requirement has existed for many years and the TM30 and TM47 notification is even mentioned in the Immigration Act of 1979. Although the TM30 report has only been checked more strictly in recent years.
Note: “Reactions are very welcome on the subject, but limit yourself here to the subject of this “TB Immigration Infobrief. If you have other questions, if you would like to see a topic covered, or if you have information for the readers, you can always send it to the editors. Only use www.thailandblog.nl/contact/ for this. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation”.
Regarding the TM30: In Sriracha I no longer had to report when returning to the same address.
In Jomtien/Pattaya I no longer had to report in the context of the TM30 procedure after returning from the Netherlands with a valid re-entry permit, when staying at the same address. This has been the case for some time.
The “400,000.00 baht” rule, for people officially married in Thailand to a Thai, has been known for a long time. I have a valid Thai bank account in my own name, partly with regard to these matters. There is always a feverish check on the amount of money at “immigration Jomtien”. Imagine if this is a little less. Shame anyway. It is preferable that you have 800,000.00 baht in your own name. People also advertise for it, like with me the last time, and find it strange that foreigners don't have this. Stranger still was that I am not in favor of this and that I would rather spend the money on other things than have it in a bank account. No, understanding and thinking differently is hard to find there.
I always make my application a few weeks in advance and that way I have enough time to straighten things out, if necessary.
In that case, Mr. Fokke would have had enough time to obtain a Thai bank account in his own name and then put the 400,000.00 baht on it. Saves the hassle of extending again.
Still a question that 800.000 bht and 400.000 baht bill is only necessary if you don't have enough income.
Every year I request a visa support letter with two statements of AOW and Pension, which are accepted without any problems and I am ready in less than 20 minutes. They even fill in the forms and any required copies. just a matter of signing a number of signatures.
Simple as that. And you don't have to secure anything in Thailand I like to use my income now.
Completely correct, but if you have money in the bank you do not have to do that income letter and save another 50 euros
Does the statement from the bank cost anything?
In any case, you have to go to the bank and update your bank book.
While you also have to secure your money in Thailand.
Which you might be better off using normally in your current life.
That's worth the 50 euros a year to me. What if the exchange rate drops 1 baht, it will cost you 635 euros, and of course the other way around. But I have never read a message here from people who cheer that the euro has become less valuable5. Quite the opposite.
Furthermore, if you want to withdraw money or want to have it back to the Netherlands, that is a lot more cumbersome.
That 400 baht for Thai Marriage only needs to be on it 000 months before the application for the extension was granted. You can then freely dispose of that amount for the rest of the year.
It is different with 800 Baht as Retired. This must be stated 000 months before the application and must remain stated until 2 months after the application has been granted. The rest of the year you can drop to 3 Baht.
And as I said it is a personal choice of someone what he uses and no one has to justify why he uses an income or a bank amount.
Theiweert,
The 400 000/800 000, or an income, or the combination method is a choice that someone makes.
There is no order that determines what 1, 2 or 3 is.
Someone with sufficient income can also opt for a bank amount, or someone with sufficient money in the bank can also opt for an income.
Let each do what suits him best.
I have the 800.000 bt in my account and it is only in my name. I'm not married to my Thai sweetheart. Can I make it 1,6 million and add my girlfriend to the account? (I know that she does not have to have 800.000 bt in her name, but half of a joint account is charged to both her and me.) This is so that "if something happens", it remains possible to access the money. come and not have to take all kinds of routes for girlfriend or children to make this possible.
For that reason I also put everything on 2 names, that's how I had it in the Netherlands
Dear Simon,
If you die, the joint account will still be blocked and your spouse will still not be able to immediately request the money without judicial permission to release the money in that account.
I have therefore, with the advice of a Thai Lawyer, made a will that my wife is the sole heiress of the money in that bank account, that way there are no disputes when transferring the money to a new bank account in her own name.
For the property there can be no disputes, because everything is in her name and there are 2 children who also have Thai Nationality.
The heirs when we are both dead.
Best regards. winlouis.
Yes and more, but as Winlouis says, that in itself makes little sense.
If you are married and still have to prove 800,000 with an and / or account, then I would go for retirement, much less hassle in terms of documents.
Or do you have to have 1.6 million THB on your account as a married person???
Not if you have the account in 1 name, when this is over I will open a new account in 1 name or do the income statement, but that is also 50 euros at the embassy. Retired is easier, they say, but that still takes 23 years
Not on 1 account, but that will take me another 23 years
Martin,
But he does not have to show a and/or invoice.
He must show an account of 400 Baht if he requests a bank amount. That's all.
Using a and/or account is a personal choice and then you have to bear the consequences.
If you apply as Retired, it will not be checked whether you are married or not. If you then come up with a and/or bill, it will be 1600, but that is because you are applying as a Retired, not because you are married.
“He has to show a bill of 400 Baht if he uses a bank amount.
Unfortunately, I was not aware that the account could not be in my and my wife's name for the 400.000 that this would otherwise be 800.000 otherwise I would have deposited.
I have read the 400.000 rule here several times and the alternative 40.000 income, but nowhere can I read that the account may not be in 2 names and I have read many questions here with interest.
We had to do the TM 30 report again, although we are staying at the same address, because I said that the online reporting did not work, we were not fined. Next to us was an English couple who received a 1600 baht fine and were also back at the same address. I got a new note stapled in my passport, even though the old one was only 6 months old.
At home I found out that I didn't get the 90 day notice automatically because of all the hassle so have to go back in a few weeks.
Requested the extension 25 days in advance and that woman said that the money had to be on it for 2 months and could do nothing else than 60 days extension and then come back.
"but nowhere can I read that the account may not be in 2 names and I have read many questions here with interest."
I mention it regularly, but you could also have asked….
Quite recently. It is about retired, but the principle is the same
https://www.thailandblog.nl/visumvraag/thailand-visa-vraag-nr-173-22-thaise-bankrekening/
It is indeed frustrating to hear from the immigration officer that your file is not in order but rules are rules. No, it is not made more difficult for us every time, good preparation saves you a lot of frustrations.
The 800K Thb in a joint account has always been like this. I don't understand why you don't opt for an account in your own name, then your problem is immediately solved.
In all the years that I had to extend my stay, I have always been treated correctly. I once had a comment (through my own fault) and a few hours later this was already resolved.
I wouldn't want to do the work of those people. Many Farang think they have a monopoly on the truth and are not afraid to argue. I have seen such a scene a few times and it is embarrassing to see how people sometimes rant. Some still do not understand that officials must follow the prescribed procedures closely.
Is this, as in this example, harassment? No not at all. Once you know how to compile your file, it is the same every year. It does indeed cost you some of your free hours, 'but who cares'.
Chris,
Good to see that you almost never have problems, but it can also be different if you have a different visa type.
My non O-B is arranged by an agent and every year it is a surprise what people want in terms of paperwork. Sometimes photos of a worker with a broom in hand and the delivery person sitting on a moped and other times with all the directors and then only taking photos of a few people at work.
Last week my visa had to be extended in Bangkok and I sat on a chair for 2 hours hoping she would take a picture of my face as usual, but this year it was not necessary. Half a day to hell in which I could do something else. The beauty of this whole joke is that the official is allowed to make exceptions. The latter puts me at ease because if I ever turn 90 and lose my way a bit due to a brain disorder, something could be arranged on the basis of no danger to society.
'Rules are rules' – yes, and then it turns out that different rules are applied at different offices and even within one office and even those differences/deviations are often not consistent. With one renewal this, with the next that…..
I don't have that problem. I don't keep 400.000 baht in my Thai account and I don't want renewals. An annual visa based on marriage is good for 15 months each time.
You simply plan a trip to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma or wherever every 3 months. Enjoy the sights there for a few days or a week and return.
That's 4 trips per year with euros in a Belgian account that you convert into baths as needed via Wise.
Is a way of life and works without 3 monthly visits to Immigration and re-entry stamp purchases.
You look, think and of course decide for yourself what suits you best.
Regards Guy
Certainly can.
It's difficult if they close the borders again for some corona.
Even if you are old or sick, it is not always advisable to travel for a visa.
Indeed, it is often not taken into account.
And even perfectly healthy people can become temporarily ill or immobile.
It will only happen before you make that “border run” of course…
Murphy's law can always strike.
But I do agree that everyone has to decide this for themselves and do what suits them best.
Dear Guy, I don't know if you are Belgian or Dutch… I am Belgian, and I have had a Thai girlfriend since January this year, she lives and works in Sriracha. I'm planning my first trip to Thailand sometime in November. I have never been to Thailand and am very curious. We would like to get married in Sriracha right now, obviously not yet in November, but maybe sometime next year. I am 57 years old and would like to know how you can "fix" your visa and that 400.000 baht (which you don't have) in "your" Thai account. Not everyone is able to deposit a “capital of 400.000 Bath” into a Thai bank account. Furthermore, you go to Thailand every three months via Vietnam, Laos… I assume? Your partner/wife is staying in Thailand? 4 trips / year, with x number of euros in a Belgian account?? Convert this in Bath as needed, via Wise? Wise ??I would have liked to hear how you actually do it, and/or can do it, in a clear “language”, please. Once again, I have no experience with those visas, and certainly not with traveling to a neighboring country, converting the euro to Bath via Wise... Thanks in advance! Kind regards: Geert S.
He should not have 400 Baht in an account in Thailand, because he is not applying for an annual extension. Then that is not necessary and since he writes a Belgian bill, it will probably be a Belgian.
He is married and annually applies for a Non-immigrant O Thai Marriage Multiple entry through the embassy
For this he only has to provide proof when applying for his visa to the embassy and nothing in Thailand.
https://www.thaiembassy.be/2021/09/21/non-immigrant-visa-o-visiting-or-staying-with-applicants-family-resided-in-thailand-more-than-60-days/?lang=en
That visa has a validity period of 1 year and also has a Multiple entry, ie you can enter Thailand as often as you want during a year.
With each entry you receive a 90-day stay. This also means that you must leave Thailand every 90 days if you do not renew. With a new entry you will then receive another 90 days' stay. Also called “border running”.
In theory, you could bridge 15 months with that visa. I say bridging, not staying in Thailand, because you have to leave Thailand every 90 days to get a new 90 days through a “border run”.
Since your visa is valid for 1 year, you can make one last “border run” just before your visa expires. You will then receive a final 90 days. In theory, you will arrive at almost 15 months.
This is not only practiced by those who have a Non-immigrant O Thai Marriage Multiple entry, but also by many “retirees”. They then apply for a Non-immigrant O Retired Multiple entry, but the principle remains the same.
WISE is a system to transfer money from, in this case, Belgium to Thailand.
Can you read all about it here
https://wise.com/
Regarding the TM 30 notification after a re-entry and at the same address. I hadn't done this before my return to Thailand.
But when applying for a marriage visa extension (immigration Pattaya Jomtien), the official sent me to counter 10 to first update TM 30! This went without any problems, you did not have to fill in the form, but it was automatically updated by the service itself. Afterwards I could continue my extension of my visa marriage.
Last year I asked 3 different employees at immigration Jomtien and got a different answer three times about that TM 30.
It's how it suits them. My neighbor does not have a TM 30 in his card at all (never had one) and has received his extension for several years now without any problem.