Dear editors,
I have a question? Can you also convert a single tourist visa into a Thai women visa? I only have the choice in the single tourist visa because you need an employer's statement for the triple tourist visa. And I don't have that because I have unemployment benefits.
I can't apply for a visa based on marriage yet because I'm not married yet. Marriage + bank account with the requested 400.000 baht is also a possibility. Maybe stay there for good or alternate between Thailand and the Netherlands.
Please advise what my options are.
Bedankt,
Marcel
Dear Marcel,
You cannot apply for the so-called “Thai Women Visa” from a “Tourist Visa”. The “Thai women visa” is therefore not a visa, but a year extension of a period of stay obtained with a Non-immigrant visa.
In your case, you will therefore first have to apply for a Non-immigrant “O” visa, with which you can then obtain a 90-day residence period. You can then extend those 90 days for a year, based on your marriage to a Thai. You can then have the extension renewed annually for another year, etc… Because the annual extension was obtained on the basis of a “Thai marriage”, it is called a “Thai Women Visa” or “Thai Marriage visa” for convenience. Everyone knows it under that name, and it is also called that at immigration, and it can even be on the stamp of immigration that comes in the passport, but in the end it remains a year extension and no visa.
So you first have to get a Non-immigrant “O”. This can be done in three ways:
1. In the Netherlands, but that is not yet possible in your case because you are not yet married. I also suspect that you are not yet 50 because you write that the “Tourist visa” is your only solution. If you're already 50, it's simple. You can then apply for a Non-immigrant “O” based on your age because you meet the age limit. (It goes without saying that you must also meet the other requirements, including the financial ones.) After your marriage, you can then extend the period of residence that you obtained with this Non-immigrant “O” on the basis of your marriage.
2. You can also have your “Tourist visa” converted to a Non-immigrant “O” visa at immigration. Costs 2000 Baht. Be careful with the time, because I thought that there must still be at least 15 (or is it 21) days of stay left at the time of the application for conversion. It is of course also possible to apply earlier. Normally only Bangkok Immigration 1 is allowed to make this conversion. So you will have to go to Bangkok for it and count on a duration of at least 5 days before everything is ready.
You may also be able to submit the application at your immigration office. Some have received certain powers of attorney from Bangkok, but they change quite often and I don't know exactly who is allowed to do what. There are those who are allowed to do the conversion, others only receive and send to Bangkok. It is best to ask your immigration office whether it can be done through them or not. In that case you don't have to go to Bangkok of course. After the conversion from “Tourist visa” to Non-immigrant “O” has been completed, you will receive 90 days of residence. Following those 90 days, you will then be able to apply for a year extension based on your marriage. It is also possible that everything can happen at once. Conversion to Non-immigrant “O” and annual renewal in one go. Some think that they have received an extension of 15 months, but that is not correct. In that case it is 90 days of the Non-immigrant visa plus 12 months extension. However, this is usually only allowed in the case of “Retirement”, and if the applicant can immediately provide all forms and supporting documents. In the case of "Thai marriage" I don't think it will be applied, but I'll just give it as info anyway. You never know.
3. A third option is, after your marriage, to obtain a Non-immigrant visa “O” based on your marriage at an Embassy/Consulate in one of the neighboring countries. Inform yourself very well in advance whether the embassy/consulate you want to go to actually issues Non-immigrant “O” visas for non-residents of that country. Some do, some don't. In any case, make sure you have the necessary marriage certificates, financial proofs, etc. with you and also the necessary copies. When you enter Thailand afterwards, you will get 90 days with that Non-immigrant “O” visa. You can subsequently extend this for another year on the basis of your marriage.
Just a few more comments:
- Married here means that the marriage is officially registered in the town hall. Getting married for Buddha, as it is sometimes called, does not count. The latter is therefore only a ceremonial, nothing legal that you can do something with.
- Please note that when you take a bank amount as financial proof, the amount must be in the account of a Thai bank for at least 2 months, and 3 months for subsequent applications.
- A “Triple” Tourist visa no longer exists. Since mid-November, the “Double” and “Triple Tourist visa” has been replaced by a “Multiple Entry Tourist Visa” (METV).
- Forms and evidence that can be submitted with an extension application can be found in the Dossier Thailand: www.thailandblog.nl/Dossier-Visa-Thailand.pdf It is also useful to know the following:
- If you are married to a Thai (or have a child with Thai nationality), you can also obtain (once per entry) a 60-day extension of any period of stay. They must live in Thailand.
- For example, a period of stay obtained with a “Visa Exemption or a “Tourist visa” can be extended by 60 days instead of the normal 30 days. Costs the same 1900 Baht.
Regards,
RonnyLatPhrao
Disclaimer: The advice is based on existing regulations. The editors accept no responsibility if this is deviated from in practice.