I created this post as a result of our recent experience at the Chiang Mai Thai Immigration Office when applying for my annual Family Visa extension, more commonly referred to as a Marriage Visa. Organizing the documentation required when submitting your application can be extremely arduous with many applicants having to return to immigration several times to complete the process. The intent of this post is to help expats in Thailand organize the supporting paperwork that Thai Immigration will expect (based on my experience). I am detailing all the supporting documentation that I was required to submit, every submittal is different and therefore the supporting documentation will also be different. For the most part, all of the standard immigration forms and banking documentation should be close to the same. I am an American expat therefore some of the documentation is specific to my nationality.
I will post forms and examples as photos below. With the exception of the list of my documents submitted, the forms and examples were all given to me at the Chiang Mai Immigration Office.
Even though the list of my documents submitted shows the front and back of some documents listed separately, all two-sided documents were submitted two-sided.
Make sure you have the most recent TM-7, Application for Extension of Temporary Stay in the Kingdom. Forms downloaded from the internet may not be the most recent.
Thai Immigration requires all documentation and signatures be completed with blue ink.
The KhorRor_3 Certificate of Marriage and KhorRor_2 Registration of Marriage must be in Thai.
When my wife and I got married, my wife changed her first name from ‘Ms.’ to ‘Mrs.’ . Therefore we had to submit a copy of her first name change.
When my wife and I got married, my wife also changed her last name to my surname. Therefore we had to submit a copy of her last name change.
We had to submit divorce papers for both myself and my wife.
Note: when a Thai woman registers a subsequent marriage in the amphur/amphoe office she normally has to surrender the divorce document from her previous marriage. You may be asked to go to the amphur office to get a copy.
Notes specific to my supporting financial documentation:
1) The two Example Bank Letters were provided to me by the Immigration Office.
2) Bank Letter #1, also referred to as a credit advice, is obtained at the branch where you created your bank account.
3) Bank Letter #2 shows the balance in your bank account at the time the letter was created and is also be obtained at the branch where you created your bank account.
Note: My two accounts were created at two different branches and therefore I had to go to the two separate branches to obtain the letters. It took about one hour for the two letters to be created at each branch.
4) There are different ways to show compliance to the financial requirements. I use monthly deposits into a Thai bank account to meet the financial requirement. I used two accounts: the first account is a direct deposit account for my government pension which was opened in January 2019 (i.e. I have not had for one full year); the second was my regular account that I have used to transfer funds into Thailand, upon request, since I relocated. I did not have the first account for a full year, therefore, I had to use the second accounts to fill the gap over the first few months of the previous year.
5) I requested the one year bank statements at my local branch but they had to be created by the head office in Bangkok which took one week. The statement foreign transfers, designated as Foreign TT or FTT, need to be highlighted with a marker.
6) Copies of bank books need to include each page with banking transactions plus the last page even though it may not have any transactions. The bank book foreign transfers, designated as Foreign TT or FTT, need to be highlighted with a marker.
7) The summary of foreign deposits (transfers) is a list compiled from the bank statements and bank books with the date and amount deposited in Thai Baht. At the end should be a grand total.
Note: the deposits on the statement and bank book may not be exactly the same since they are not created at the same time.
One photo should be printed each sheet of paper. You will need two photos outside and two photos inside your residence.
You will need two copies of everything separated into two packages. The immigration officer may remove some of the documents from one of the packages.
You will need to sign each document. Documents specific to your wife, such as her Thai ID, only need to be signed by her. Documents specific to both of you, such as your marriage documents, will need to be signed by both of you.
One of the ‘packages’ should include any and all originals that you may be submitting. This package will be forwarded to the head immigration office. When you sign the documents in this package, do not sign them close to the edge of the paper. The immigration officer will stamp each document and signatures will need to be inside the stamp block. If the immigration officer cannot ‘land’ your signature inside the stamp block, then you will be required to sign the document again after it is stamped.
Two immigration forms will be created by the immigration officer when your documentation and interview is completed. One will need to be signed by yourself and one by your wife.
TLDR : Answer Summary
This post details the extensive documentation required for expats applying for a Family Visa extension, also known as a Marriage Visa, at the Chiang Mai Thai Immigration Office. It provides insights into necessary paperwork, specific forms that must be completed with blue ink, and the types of financial documentation needed. The author emphasizes the importance of having current documents, including marriage certificates in Thai, and notes that different iterations of documents might be expected depending on the immigration office. It also outlines the requirement for multiple copies of all documents and signing protocols to avoid delays.
