What should I do if my husband's Thai visa was issued with the incorrect reason?

Jun 23, 2022
2 years ago
Rene ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
I'm a work permit holder. My husband got a visa to accompany me from the Thai consulate in LA, California but they mistakenly listed the reason as "Thai wife". Our local immigration office won't grant an extension of stay until the mistake is corrected, but I can't get any response from the consulate in LA.

I'm thinking that we'll have to exit the country, apply again at a consulate outside of Thailand, and return. Is that correct?

(I get zero visa support from my employer for family members. Even getting the appropriate documents to apply for the visa was a struggle.)
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TLDR : Answer Summary
A work permit holder is facing issues with her husband's visa, which was incorrectly labeled as 'Thai wife' instead of 'spouse of a work visa holder'. The local immigration office is refusing to grant an extension until the error is corrected, but the applicant has received no response from the Thai consulate in Los Angeles. Suggestions from the community include either going to a nearby Thai consulate in Laos to apply for a new Non-O visa based on being married to a foreigner legally working in Thailand, or exiting Thailand to reapply for a visa outside the country. Additionally, the community advises checking the visa details upon issuance to prevent such issues.
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May *****
FYI on not getting any response from the LA Consulate, you can try their Facebook page too.
Robert *******
As soon as you get a visa you need to check the details.

a Thai Wife absolutely does not need a Work Permit to work inside Thailand, so both people do not have the Thai Nationality, How could you accept on receiving this Visa the text based on Thai wife?

I understand mistakes are made by an Embassy, but accepting being a Thai and then travel with that visa is taking a risk as denied entry is a big possibility by using this incorrect visa.
Robert *******
Can you send me a copy of that description, you can use PM if you like but blank out the personal details.
Rene ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Robert ******
oh, gotcha, I'll pm that to you in a bit.
Rene ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Robert ******
*******************************************


It's really not clear for dependants of work or study visa holders
Robert *******
@Rene *****
I know that the Non Immigrant O visa where O stand for others has many reasons, that is why the Embassy always put a small stamp like "Thai Wife"on the visa. As this e-visa is new I like to see how the reason as you mentioned "Thai Wife"and the reason depending on foreigner with long stay are mentioned on your E-visa.
Rene ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
Rene ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Robert ******
we frankly didn't know the difference since the description given at that consulate included both married to a Thai person and married to a work permit/long stay visa holder. We're planning a trip soon to use Tod's advice and reapply.
Tod *********
@Rene *****
To be completely honest, the two ways to rectify this would be

Method 1 - send your husband to the thai consulate in either Vientiane Lao (which requires a booking to use) OR Savannakhet Lao which is walk up, and have them apply for a 90 day Non-O based on being married to a foreigner who legally works in thailand.

He'd need the original marriage certificate, copies of it, your passport data page, your Non-B visa, your extension of stay, your work permit, possibly your contract with your employer, AND possibly a letter from your employer stating it's okay for him to apply for a 90 day Non-O trailing spouse visa. It'd be 2000baht to do that.

OR

Method 2 - bounce him out and back to get a new a 30 day visa exempt entry. Then you two could go to the immigration office where you got your extension and he could apply for the 90 day Non-O inside the country based on marriage to a foreigner who legally works here for 2000baht

You are gonna be doing a LOT of hoop jumping dealing with the MFA about correcting the visa (especially seeing as you already entered on it ๐Ÿ˜• ). I mean it's doable but I don't know if it's doable in the time you have left on the initial 90 day stamp he got when he entered.
Tod *********
@Rene *****
just send him to a thai consulate nearby and get a single entry tourist visa then, that'll give him 60 days and he can get a 30 day extension on that (depending on his nationality) and that'll get you thru to Sept
Rene ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
thank you, I suspected as much. We're planning to leave at the end of the current term (end of September), so we'll probably just do option 1 to get him in for 90 days to carry us through the end of term. It's been a nightmare with visas the past year and a half.
Tod *********
Once a visa issued and used, <- seeing as you didn't catch it was issued for the wrong reason and entered on it ๐Ÿ˜• the only way anything can be corrected is at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office out at the Government Complex on Chaengwattana Road.

They are the ones that control the visa issuing OUTSIDE the country at the thai embassies/consulates. They'd have to contact the issuing consulate, get the documentation submitted, review it and then make any notation or correction to the visa. The type is correct Non-O, just the reason it was issued was wrong.
Rene ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tod ********
we frankly didn't know the difference since the description given at that consulate included both married to a Thai person and married to a work permit/long stay visa holder. This isn't the first time we've struggled with the consulate in LA over the past 2 years. Before either of us came to Thailand our documents got "lost" on someone's desk for months and we both had to apply for new passports!
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