Can you apply for a non-O marriage visa within Thailand after entering on a visa exempt stamp?

Mar 23, 2023
2 years ago
Ludwig ***********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Can you apply for a non-O marriage visa within Thailand when you entered on a visa exempt stamp?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
Yes, you can apply for a non-O marriage visa within Thailand after entering on a visa exempt stamp, provided you meet the necessary requirements. However, it may involve several steps, including extending your current visa, obtaining a marriage certificate from the relevant authorities, and fulfilling financial requirements such as opening a bank account in Thailand. The process can vary in duration and complexity depending on individual circumstances and local immigration office protocols.
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Ally ************
I've been back to immigration today in an attempt to get permission to open a bank account.. i'm sharing my experience in the hope it will help others in the community in a similar situation.. i should start by saying some of the advice given by immigration staff yesterday was further clarified (or even contradicted) today.. but this is what I've achieved thus far.. my 45-day tourist visa (which had 24-days to run) was successfully extended by 30-days without any issues at all.. with the extension running from expiry of the current tourist visa.. which now gives me 54-days in total.. but a 60-day extension was denied because i don't have the sealed translation of our marriage certificate back from the consulate as yet.. and therefore i failed to tick that box.. however i was informed that i can apply to extend it again once said marriage certificate is available and we have registered the marriage with the local district registry.. this should happen across the next 2-weeks all being well which will leave plenty of time to extend again should that become necessary.. this does of course result in 2 sets of fees being payable though (once for the 30-day and again for the 60-day) which is no doubt an intentional product of the system.. the ultimate desire is to obtain a 1-year multiple entry marriage visa.. but its impossible to meet the financial requirements for it until you are permitted to open a Thai bank account (ie. the 60-day deposit rule) so its very much a chicken and egg scenario.. this was also put in motion (so to speak) today when i was allowed to apply for a certificate of residence.. this is not the registration of my residency at the Thai marital home which has already been done.. but a document that I'm told will arrive in the post in approx. 4-weeks time.. which sounds excessive in all honesty given they have already accepted a notification of residence and acknowledged it.. but apparently this is the key to resolving the bank account issue.. leading on from this we have today discovered that only Bangkok bank will offer a 'foreigner' banking facilities in Thailand.. and the receipt for the application for said 'certificate of residence' is not sufficient to persuade them to open an account.. so I'll have to wait until the actual certificate is received.. meaning a delay of around 4-weeks before an account can be opened and monies placed on deposit to support the 1-year visa application.. this will clearly result in the need to extend my current tourist visa again.. since I'm likely to have only 26-days left on it when a bank account becomes feasible.. unless they will accept the fact that my funds will have sat in my wife's bank account for around 60-days while I've been waiting for their cogs to turn.. though I'm aware that is very much a long-shot and unlikely to be accepted.. but you never know given their propensity to interpret 'the rules' how they wish to from one day to the next.. having set out on this journey to settle here permanently with my wife i am resigned to following the protocols and jumping through the hoops as and when they surface.. and will have to simply chip away at the system until said goal is reached.. I'm confident that everything will eventually work out fine but some of the 'officialdom' is mind numbing to say the least.. with much duplication on a national, regional and local district level creating layers of repetitive bureacracy.. the cost of which is passed on to us as applicants of course.. so perhaps absolute efficiency and cost effectiveness is not necessarily an important factor here!
Steve *******
@Ally ***********
You wont obtain a 1 year multi-entry marriage visa in Thailand. You will obtain a 90 day Non Imm O visa and then apply for a 1 year extention of stay and a multi re-entry permit. This will give you 1 year and 90 days in Country and the total cost should be 7700bt
Ludwig ***********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Ally ***********
usually it is possible to get a residence certificate within a few days, possibly by paying a modest fee.
Ally ************
@Ludwig **********
They issued an acknowledgement for the notification of residence on the spot.. but the certificate you need to open a Thai bank account required a separate application (and fee) and has to come in the post.. and was told not to expect it before 20 April !! Sounded crazy to me too !!
Peter *********
Yes
Lee *******
Yes
Ally ************
I have been to immigration today to investigate this myself.. and was advised to apply to extend my 45-day tourist visa by another 60 days.. then apply for the married visa.. in the interim obtaining permission to open a Thai bank account.. in order to evidence requisite savings in an account in my name within Thailand.. except will also require my marriage certificate endorsed by overseas consulate.. since we weren't married in Thailand.. then have it translated and confirmed by Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.. before being able to register the marriage here.. and finally have the marriage recognised in Thailand.. it transpires that if i wanted our SG marriage certificate to be an internationally accepted document.. then i should have had it stamped/sealed in SG.. and then had a translation authenticated by the Thai Embassy in SG for registration in Thailand.. simpler and cheaper and a lot less hassle than trying to do it once you are in country and the clock is ticking on your tourist visa.. huge learning curve!
Ludwig ***********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Ally ***********
you’ll be a busy man!
Stuart *********
Yes. you’ll need to meet the requirements to do so and you’ll need x number of days on a valid stamp to do so. X will differ from office to office. Perhaps 45 or 30.
Brandon ************
As long as you meet the requirements, yes you can.
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