What are the prerequisites for obtaining a Guardian Visa in Thailand?

Apr 14, 2021
4 years ago
PM ***********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Anyone knows the prerequisites for a guardian Visa?

Thank you.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
To obtain a Guardian Visa in Thailand, one must typically have a child attending school on an Education (ED) extension. Only one parent can qualify for the Guardian extension, and a financial requirement of having at least 500,000 baht in a Thai bank account is essential. It is advisable to visit the local immigration office for specific requirements as they may vary by region.
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Tod *********
IF I was to guess, I'd say you wouldn't qualify for one, but the ONLY people who would know would be the immigration office in the area where you live.

So what I'd do (once they're open from the Songkran holiday) IS take your partner, your child, and every scrap of paper you have to the immigration office and see if they think you can get a Non-O visa based on raising a foreign child here or not.
George *************
@Tod ********
That's the best advice, of course. I tend to post the Phuket requirements because the website for that office maintained by the Phuket Immigration Volunteers is usually pretty complete, but what flies in Phuket is not guaranteed to fly in another province. Immigration offices in my experience don't always maintain up-to-date requirements online, but many have a handout of requirements and all should be willing to discuss your case if you go to visit them in person.
PM ***********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
thank you for your advice. ๐Ÿ™
Tod *********
@PM **********
you need them to understand you're going for the Non-O visa based on raising a "foreign child" here and will show the 500K baht in the bank (there is no monthly income method on that type of visa/extension you bank the money)
PM ***********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
your advise is very valuable. Thank you very much๐Ÿ™
Tod *********
I don't know IF you'd qualify for a guardian visa based on raising foreign children in thailand or not.

About all you can do is slog on over to your immigration office and see if you meet the proof of funds 500K baht in a thai bank account in your name only for 30 days if you can apply for a 90 day Non-O visa and then a year extension.
George *************
@Tod ********
In Phuket, yes. A child attending school in Thailand having an ED Extension includes foreign children. Indeed, I imagine a Thai child attending school would not need an ED Extension (not need any extension at all as a Thai citizen). I'm not sure whether foreign parents having a Thai child would qualify. I just don't know anyone in that particular circumstance.
Tod *********
@Geo***
the child is NOT thai, in thai eyes. BUT because it's born to one of the hill tribes it doesn't need a visa to be here either.

The mother is one of the thousands of 'stateless' people here, they can be here, they have to stay in their area, they need permission to travel outside the province their i/d was issued at.

I truly don't know if the foreign father could get a 90 day Non-O based on raising a foreign child here and showing the 500K baht or not
George *************
@Tod ********
Point taken.

I would imagine in the admittedly unusual case wherein a Thai child (with Thai citizenship) is adopted by foreign parents and attending school in Thailand that one of the parents would be eligible for a Guardian Extension (even though in that case the Thai child would not have or need to have an ED Extension). Maybe similar reasoning would apply here as regards needing an Education Extension, even though in this case the child is not a Thai citizen. In other words, it may be that the requirement is actually for the child to have permission to be in Thailand, whether that is due to being a non-Thai resident (which seems to be the case for the OP's child), or having (in the more typical case) an Education Extension.

In any case, best discussed with the immigration office at which the OP would be applying.
Tod *********
Very valid points
@George ************
and I think that might be the case. The child needs no visa, and in the eyes of the thaiz clearly ISN'T thai legally at all even if they can stay here.

It's gonna come down to how the O/P's specific immigration office interprets the actual rules for issuing a Non-O visa based on raising a foreign child here. Definitely they'll require the 500K baht in a thai bank account in the O/P's name only to even begin to contemplate issuing the visa (as that's a requirement without any wiggle room).
George *************
Perhaps the takeaways from the above are that the child must be attending school on an ED Extension and only one of two possible parents can obtain the Guardian Extension. Also, there is a financial component, minimum 500,000 baht that needs to be shown.
George *************
These are the requirements to get a Guardian Extension in Phuket. Each office may differ, but I think this will give you a general idea of what is needed:

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