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So having an old a non-immigrant Visa will me and you need health insurance effective soon?


Yesitisdakid

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1 hour ago, Yessongs said:

And what is that crap the officer asking you "why you not use agent"? Christ tell them to have a nice day and just do your job and not worry about how I present my documents to you. 

In relation to people who file their own paperwork, I believe the attitude of the IOs at Jomtien is that they do all the work (particularly if our paperwork isn't in order) but don't get any reward (apart from their salary, which is, of course, irrelevant! 😀). If we used agents, they'd be getting a slice of the action AND having to do less work.

They can make life very difficult, so "telling" them to do anything is not a wise move. Don't forget, TIT!

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2 hours ago, KhunDon said:

I vaguely remember having to fill out a “freedom to marry form” prior to our marriage 20 + years ago, but was never asked for it when extending for retirement. 
If I remember, it’s basically a self declaration of not being married. 
Someone will, no doubt, correct me. 

Why would you need that type of document except when you marry ?

Doesn't make any sense. 

 

 

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16 hours ago, Yessongs said:

Good info to know, 2 things here I just have to ask. I use my wifes friend here who is an agent for my retirement visa and have never heard her say or my wife say or ask me or show me  anything about "certificate of freedom to marry" documentation??  What is that or am I not paying attention? 

And what is that crap the officer asking you "why you not use agent"? Christ tell them to have a nice day and just do your job and not worry about how I present my documents to you. 

If I remember correctly, The ( a) Thai Ampur ( local Government Office ) will not issue a Marriage Certificate to A Farang marrying a Thai, unless they can prove that both parties are eligible to get married. I believe they have access to a DataBase that enables them to ascertain the eligibility of the prospective Thai partner, but not the Farang.

I had to apply to the British Embassy, and fill out a questionnaire; the Embassy staff then verified ( presumably via an internet link to the UK Registry of Births, Marriages & Deaths ) that I was both alive, and single, and therefore eligible to marry. They then provided a Certificate to that effect ( which was accepted by the Ampur.

For those that do not know, there are 3 steps to a Farang marrying a Thai ( if you have more detailed knowledge than I, feel free to correct me ) :-

     1) Have the Monks marry you in front of the Thai family, neighbors and friends.

     2) Go to the Amphur and have the Marriage Registered in accord with Thai law.

     3) Take the Thai Marriage Certificate to your Embassy ( the one that issued the Certificate of Freedom to Marry ) and have them register it ( in the case of a Brit, that would be with the  aforementioned UK Registry of Brits Marriages & Deaths ).

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15 hours ago, Bazle said:

In relation to people who file their own paperwork, I believe the attitude of the IOs at Jomtien is that they do all the work (particularly if our paperwork isn't in order) but don't get any reward (apart from their salary, which is, of course, irrelevant! 😀). If we used agents, they'd be getting a slice of the action AND having to do less work.

They can make life very difficult, so "telling" them to do anything is not a wise move. Don't forget, TIT!

 

Spot on ! Completely agree.

When in the Jomtien Immigration Office, it is my policy to say as little as possible - even then, I'm aware that my blood pressure is high and my fuse is extremely short. Qudos to my wife for putting up with me and "making nice" with the IO's

 

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2 hours ago, Proffesor said:

If I remember correctly, The ( a) Thai Ampur ( local Government Office ) will not issue a Marriage Certificate to A Farang marrying a Thai, unless they can prove that both parties are eligible to get married. I believe they have access to a DataBase that enables them to ascertain the eligibility of the prospective Thai partner, but not the Farang.

I had to apply to the British Embassy, and fill out a questionnaire; the Embassy staff then verified ( presumably via an internet link to the UK Registry of Births, Marriages & Deaths ) that I was both alive, and single, and therefore eligible to marry. They then provided a Certificate to that effect ( which was accepted by the Ampur.

For those that do not know, there are 3 steps to a Farang marrying a Thai ( if you have more detailed knowledge than I, feel free to correct me ) :-

     1) Have the Monks marry you in front of the Thai family, neighbors and friends.

     2) Go to the Amphur and have the Marriage Registered in accord with Thai law.

     3) Take the Thai Marriage Certificate to your Embassy ( the one that issued the Certificate of Freedom to Marry ) and have them register it ( in the case of a Brit, that would be with the  aforementioned UK Registry of Brits Marriages & Deaths ).

We were staying at a hotel in Pattaya one wet and windy Wednesday and I asked the now wife, “what shall we do today” ? she said “why don’t we get married”? So off to Bangla Mung register office we went. Just the two of us, with a witness who we didn’t know, but who volunteered to stand in for the job. 
I filled out the Freedom to Marry form there, 15 minutes before the “ceremony” and didn’t register it at the British Embassy, nor at her Amphur. 
We didn’t do the Thai ceremony with the monks either, mainly because her parents couldn’t decide just which BKK hotel for the gathering and just how many relatives and friends to invite to the all day do. They got to around 500+ and I’d provisionally booked a venue at the Amari Watergate hotel in BKK, but I had to fly back to Blighty, so couldn’t stick around for them to finally make up their minds on total numbers.

We must get around to doing it sometime. 🤔

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I believe the overriding phrase in these situations is "TiT" !

I know of Newbies that have been married, often in the village, by the Monks, and consider it to be a done deal, even though the new "wife" still has a Thai husband tucked away in another village, and possibly several other Farang husbands on different Continents.

To protect yourself and your Thai assets in a divorce, the Thai marriage need be registered at the Amphur - if not, how do the Thai authorities know that it ever happened ?

If your Country of origin offers financial support to your ( legitimate ) Thai wife at the time of, and/or after your death, then obviously they need be aware of your marriage before you die - hence the reporting of your ( registered at the Amphur ) marriage to your Embassy.

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6 minutes ago, Proffesor said:

I believe the overriding phrase in these situations is "TiT" !

I know of Newbies that have been married, often in the village, by the Monks, and consider it to be a done deal, even though the new "wife" still has a Thai husband tucked away in another village, and possibly several other Farang husbands on different Continents.

To protect yourself and your Thai assets in a divorce, the Thai marriage need be registered at the Amphur - if not, how do the Thai authorities know that it ever happened ?

If your Country of origin offers financial support to your ( legitimate ) Thai wife at the time of, and/or after your death, then obviously they need be aware of your marriage before you die - hence the reporting of your ( registered at the Amphur ) marriage to your Embassy.

We never registered it at either amphur or embassy, yet when she applied for ILR (as my legal wife, shown on her Thai passport and ID), in the UK, they knew we were married, as they did when we applied 2 years later for her British citizenship.
I’m not saying it doesn’t have to be registered at the embassy, but I believe that is more for the UK government, so they know who is doing what and where they’re doing it and also so they can contact you in the event of an emergency.

Why should someone who may have decided to spend the rest of their life in Thailand with their Thai wife, have to inform the UK government they got married? Wives can no longer claim part of their husbands state pension after he dies, since a law change a few years ago. Although I believe the wife is entitled to a “Bereavement payment” of a couple of grand, so a legally translated and notarised Thai marriage certificate, takes care of that.  

We have never had a problem here in the UK, regarding the legality of our Thai marriage despite never “officially” registering it. 
Marriage in a Thai register office provides all that is required as proof of marriage, I trust that more than some Amphur official that may be coerced into taking a backhander, because, as you say, TIT. 🤗


As regards to assets in a divorce, anything before marriage belongs to whoever owned it and anything acquired during marriage is split 50/50.

Ok, some will say that the farang husband doesn’t stand a chance of getting anything in a divorce in Thailand, but Thai courts have awarded them 50% time and time again, but as I own nothing in Thailand, it doesn’t bother me.

We also have two wills each, one for Thailand and one for UK, but that’s mainly because of the strange rules in Thailand on who inherits what. 👌

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18 hours ago, Thai Spice said:

Why would you need that type of document except when you marry ?

Doesn't make any sense. 

 

 

I agree, TS, you don’t, I was simply replying to Professor, who mentioned it in his post, when he was told it was no longer required. 👌

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To follow-up on my previous post ( #216 ) . . . .

The Mrs received a phone call last Wednesday, just after 08.00, from the Immigration Police, asking if we  were at home - we were, and she said so. She was instructed that we were both to remain at home until they had made a Home Inspection Visit. She was also told that we had to summon the Witness that we had used for the Extension Renewal. At my instigation, she asked what time they would be visiting, she was told "later today".

Fortunately I had some paperwork to do, but had an appointment at 12 Noon. Come 11.30 I asked the wife to call back and ask, politely, what time their officer might arrive. She was told 12.30. So I cancelled my meeting.

At 12.40, a THai Immigration Police vehicle arrived with an officer in uniform and two in civvy clothes. The 2 in civvies were "large gentlemen" ( and I don't mean fat ). The uniformed guy was polite enough and had passable English. He said that one of his colleagues ( civvy #1 ) was going to walk through and take photo's in the house - didn't"ask", just "said". The civvy #2 had a mini-video cam that was recording as soon as they were out of the car.

The guy in uniform had what looked like both sets of paperwork from the Jomtien Office. He had our witness counter-sign what appeared to be every document that had already got either my wifes or my own signature on it. He said to me (I paraphrase ) "Some farang hire Bar Lady to be "wife" so they can get Marriage Visa with small money in the bank. Now Immigration sometime do house check to see if "wife" is real". I pointed out to him that the Photos that we submitted to support the renewal application were taken with the wife and In front of 1) A montage of the guests at our Wedding Party, & 2) an image of the wife and I in her mothers village home, being blessed by the monks. In both, we are in ( the same ) full wedding outfits. He say " Photoshop easy". He then said something to his colleagues; civvy #1 took photo's of both the photo montage, and then the village wedding photo, with civvy #2 videoing him doing it.

Then handshakes and wais all round as they left.

According to the paperwork in my Passport, I need to return to Jomtien on the 25th December to ascertain the progress of my renewal application. We are tentatively scheduled to go up-North to the village for Christmas & New Year, so I plan to visit Jomtien on the 20th to see what's happening and apply to re-visit on the 6th or 7th Jan.

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@Proffesor,

I am fully aware why they do this, indeed in the past there were.plenty fake marriages.

It is a similar process here in Indo.

But for me, feck that... No way. Plenty countries happy to have my money.

When I lived in Thailand, I was on work permit. Even married I kept that status.  Here I am on retirement visa.

In both cases, only me involved, nothing to do with my wife / companion.

 

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On 11/30/2019 at 11:14 AM, Proffesor said:

He said that one of his colleagues ( civvy #1 ) was going to walk through and take photo's in the house - didn't"ask", just "said". The civvy #2 had a mini-video cam that was recording as soon as they were out of the car.

How unprofessional !!!

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  • 3 weeks later...

To follow-up on my previous posts ( 216 & 234 ) . . . .

I went to Immigration on the 25th just after 11.00 and presented my Passport with the Marriage Visa renewal extension stamp dated 25/12/2019, was directed straight to the desk, no ticket required. At the desk I was bounced sideways from Officer to officer to clerk to junior clerk, who shuffled through a pile of paperwork, pulled out a sheet, verified the details and re-stamped my passport, good until the 10th December 2020. RESULT !

Nothing said about Health Insurance

Nothing said about bringing proof of THB400 k in the bank at 90 days

I said Merry Christmas on the way in, and again on the way out; they said . . . .

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12 minutes ago, Proffesor said:

To follow-up on my previous posts ( 216 & 234 ) . . . .

I went to Immigration on the 25th just after 11.00 and presented my Passport with the Marriage Visa renewal extension stamp dated 25/12/2019, was directed straight to the desk, no ticket required. At the desk I was bounced sideways from Officer to officer to clerk to junior clerk, who shuffled through a pile of paperwork, pulled out a sheet, verified the details and re-stamped my passport, good until the 10th December 2020. RESULT !

Nothing said about Health Insurance

Nothing said about bringing proof of THB400 k in the bank at 90 days

I said Merry Christmas on the way in, and again on the way out; they said . . . .

You got it the same day that's fantastic if you didn't need insurance it means you never came in on an OA Visa originally that's all which is good news

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To follow-up on my previous posts ( 216 & 234 ) . . . .
I went to Immigration on the 25th just after 11.00 and presented my Passport with the Marriage Visa renewal extension stamp dated 25/12/2019, was directed straight to the desk, no ticket required. At the desk I was bounced sideways from Officer to officer to clerk to junior clerk, who shuffled through a pile of paperwork, pulled out a sheet, verified the details and re-stamped my passport, good until the 10th December 2020. RESULT !
Nothing said about Health Insurance
Nothing said about bringing proof of THB400 k in the bank at 90 days
I said Merry Christmas on the way in, and again on the way out; they said . . . .

Been through the Marriage/Dependant extension a couple of times at Jomtien, the 2 women who dealt with us were absolute witches, especially the older one. Just tried to find fault with everything.
I’ve recently changed it to a retirement extension at Map Ta Phut immigration as I have moved out of Pattaya, they could not have been more polite and helpful, absolute chalk and cheese.


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I know NONE of this shit ... I have a law firm here that takes care of everything .... I don't think I have been to immigration in over 20 years .... 100% serious!  

Been to the US Embassy a couple of times to renew my passport but the last time I gave a "power of attorney" and they sorted out for me .....

For me - all of this shit is not worth going through the hassle ( time ) .... or worrying about .... if they don't want me here .. no problem ... a lot of other places in the world where I can spend my money ...

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I know NONE of this shit ... I have a law firm here that takes care of everything .... I don't think I have been to immigration in over 20 years .... 100% serious!  
Been to the US Embassy a couple of times to renew my passport but the last time I gave a "power of attorney" and they sorted out for me .....
For me - all of this shit is not worth going through the hassle ( time ) .... or worrying about .... if they don't want me here .. no problem ... a lot of other places in the world where I can spend my money ...

For me I don’t think it is any kind of a big deal, about an hour to sort the paperwork and an hour or 2 at immigration. I was quoted over 20K by agents to do it, cost me 1900.


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2 hours ago, Scotty said:


For me I don’t think it is any kind of a big deal, about an hour to sort the paperwork and an hour or 2 at immigration. I was quoted over 20K by agents to do it, cost me 1900.


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Well .. it is an all day affair here in BKK .. for one it takes about 2 hours ( really not that far -- but, traffic is a nightmare ) to Chauk-to-Chauk ( where Immigration is located in BKK ) ... hang around immigration for however long and then fight the traffic back home -- no thanks

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9 hours ago, code_slayer_bkk said:

I know NONE of this shit ... I have a law firm here that takes care of everything .... I don't think I have been to immigration in over 20 years .... 100% serious!  

Been to the US Embassy a couple of times to renew my passport but the last time I gave a "power of attorney" and they sorted out for me .....

For me - all of this shit is not worth going through the hassle ( time ) .... or worrying about .... if they don't want me here .. no problem ... a lot of other places in the world where I can spend my money ...

Being an expat, all my life, whatever country, this stuff was handled by my employer (employer's agent) with sometimes the mandatory visit to immigration for fingerprints or picture.

For my P.R. in HKG I had it all done by an agent. Here in Indo for the retirement visa an agent is mandatory and cost 20k per year.

How less I deal with ANY admistration in this kind of countries, the better for me. Police, immigration, city hall, customs.... no thanks.

And same as Code, the day they become a real pain in the ass, I will simply move on.

 

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