Answered4 days ago

What should I do if my wife's work visa expires while she is waiting for her Type D family reunification visa in Thailand?

Non-O Visa Family Reunification Visa Type D Visa Dependents Work Permit Visa Application Process

Rudi ***********

asked Oct 23, 2026

2.6k

views

replies

likes

Could someone please help me find a solution to my problem? I would be sincerely grateful for any assistance. I am a Belgian national, and I hold a Non-O retirement visa with a one-year extension. I currently reside in my apartment in Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani. I possess a "yellow" house registration book (*tabien baan*) and a pink ID card. My Cambodian wife works in Thailand; she holds a Non-LA visa, and her work permit (Form 33) is valid until February 13, 2027. Her official registered address is linked to her employer. We were legally married in Chiang Mai on October 22. Once all the necessary documentation is gathered, my wife intends to apply for a "Type D" family reunification visa (under Article 40ter for family members of a Belgian national) via TLScontact. This process requires her to surrender her passport until the Type D visa is approved—a procedure that can take up to six months. The issue is that, since her work visa expires on February 13, 2027, her employer will be unable to apply for a new visa for her, as she will no longer be in possession of her passport. This raises a concern: will my wife be required to leave the country, even though she would not have a passport at that time? Furthermore, I suspect that the immigration office in Pathum Thani may not be able to transition her status to that of a dependent under my one-year extension once her work visa expires. How can I resolve this situation while waiting for her Type D visa to be approved and for her to receive her passport back with the visa stamp? I hope someone here can offer some advice. Thank you very much in advance.

Answer summary

A Belgian national with a Non-O retirement visa seeks advice on his wife's immigration situation. She holds a Non-LA work visa and plans to apply for a Type D family reunification visa, which requires her to surrender her passport for up to six months. Concerns arise about her work visa expiring during the waiting period and whether she will need to leave Thailand without her passport or how her status can be transitioned to depend on his retirement visa.

29 repliesnewest first

Click comment and we will ask for your email, then OTP, then name.

Siggi *******

Do you want to move to Belgium or stay in Thailand? Your question make no sense, why do you need a work permit when plan to move to Belgium. When you want to live in Thailand why do you want the Belgium long term visa?

3 days ago

Rudi ***********

Siggi Tirak It seems there is a misunderstanding. Naturally, the intention is for my wife to come to Belgium and be registered in the Belgian population registers. Otherwise, she would not be applying for a 'Type D' visa for family reunification with a Belgian national (under Article 40ter). The issue is that, upon submitting her visa application—expected around November 10th—she is required to surrender her passport. However, since her current work visa expires in February of next year, and her passport will still be held by the Belgian Embassy pending the approval of her visa, she would be forced to leave the country immediately. The plan was for her to go to Cambodia and remain there until her visa for Belgium is approved; however, this becomes impossible if she does not have her passport. I am in the process of contacting the Belgian Embassy, and my wife is reaching out to the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok to address this situation.

3 days ago

Siggi *******

Rudi Vermeulen you can do it in Cambodia, why it has to be in Thailand. And I doubt you can register her in Belgium if she won't live there.

3 days ago

Rudi ***********

Siggi Tirak There is no Belgian embassy in Cambodia, only an honorary consulate, but my wife cannot apply for a D-type family reunification visa there. The only option is to submit the visa application via Thailand. I am looking for people here who might be able to provide me with a solution, please.

3 days ago

Brook ********

Americans can receive two passports for similar reasons.

Can your wife as well?

3 days ago

Rudi ***********

Brook Powers no, can not.

3 days ago

Bob **********

Sounds like she must go back to Cambodia and apply from there if she doesn’t have a passport how would you expect her to stay here on overstay I’m hearing the will have to go to Phnom Penh to get a new visa to work in Thailand

3 days ago

Phillip ******

This one's above my pay grade. Good luck.

3 days ago

Phillip ******

This one's above my pay grade. Good luck.

3 days ago

Rudi ***********

Phillip Dick thank you.

3 days ago

Eddy *********

"I am familiar with the Type D visa for Belgium and the potential 6-month waiting period, during which the passport normally must remain at the embassy until the visa is approved. In certain cases—specifically when retaining possession of the passport is strictly necessary to maintain one's legal status in Thailand (such as holding a Non-Immigrant B visa and work permit)—the Belgian Embassy may grant an exception. The TLS contact office is not authorized to make decisions on this matter; therefore, you should contact the Belgian Embassy directly to request this. If an exception is not possible, I recommend switching to 'Plan B': applying for a Type C visa (short-stay) for family reunification. For the spouse of a Belgian citizen, the processing time for this is very short, typically 5 to 15 working days, meaning the passport is only missed for a brief period. Once in Belgium, it is completely legal to apply for a long-term residence permit (an 'F-card') by registering with the local Belgian municipality. While awaiting the final decision from the Immigration Office (Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken), the applicant will receive a temporary residence document (Annex 15), which permits them to legally stay in Belgium for the entire duration of the processing period."

4 days ago

Wannikea *********

Why not wait till February and extend / renew her Thai visa for another year and then hand over her passport for 6 months for the D visa?

4 days ago

Wannikea *********

Why not wait till February and extend / renew her Thai visa for another year and then hand over her passport for 6 months for the D visa?

4 days ago

Rudi ***********

Wannikea Wanblee That could indeed be an option. However, the problem is that if her employer applies for an extension of her work permit before February 13, 2027, she will also have to submit her passport. During the last renewal of her work permit, my wife had to wait until July to get her passport and the confirmation of her work permit extension back—even though her work permit was valid through February of that year. For this reason, that option is not a viable one, but thank you for your response nonetheless.

3 days ago

Wannikea *********

Rudi Vermeulen if her work permit is valid to that date she can possibly go down to the special immigration offices that handle the bordering country laborers and get the extension herself. I know someone from Myanmar with an LA Visa that did it earlier this week and got a 6-month stamp.

3 days ago

Rudi ***********

Wannikea Wanblee Did the person you know receive a 6-month extension without leaving Thailand, and without an extension of her work permit? At which specific immigration office did she obtain that extension? Thank you.

3 days ago

Eddy *********

"I am familiar with the Type D visa for Belgium and the potential 6-month waiting period, during which the passport normally must remain at the embassy until the visa is approved. In certain cases—specifically when retaining possession of the passport is strictly necessary to maintain one's legal status in Thailand (such as holding a Non-Immigrant B visa and work permit)—the Belgian Embassy may grant an exception. The TLS contact office is not authorized to make decisions on this matter; therefore, you should contact the Belgian Embassy directly to request this.

If an exception is not possible, I recommend switching to 'Plan B': applying for a Type C visa (short-stay) for family reunification. For the spouse of a Belgian citizen, the processing time for this is very short, typically 5 to 15 working days, meaning the passport is only missed for a brief period. Once in Belgium, it is completely legal to apply for a long-term residence permit (an 'F-card') by registering with the local Belgian municipality. While awaiting the final decision from the Immigration Office (Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken), the applicant will receive a temporary residence document (Annex 15), which permits them to legally stay in Belgium for the entire duration of the processing period."

4 days ago

Rudi ***********

Eddy Burleon Thank you for your response. I have an appointment at the Belgian Embassy in Bangkok on October 29th to have the marriage certificate, the marriage registration, and her Cambodian birth certificate legalized (all three documents bear the MFA stamps and have been translated into Dutch). At that time, I will explain our situation, and I hope the consul will be able to provide a positive response immediately. Thank you in advance—you clearly understand exactly what our problem is.

4 days ago

Eddy *********

Rudi Vermeulen You're welcome, and good luck at the Belgian embassy.

4 days ago

Rudi ***********

Eddy Burleon Ik heb u een pb gestuurd..

3 days ago

Ron ********

Surely a passport is a personal identifier and should never be given to anyone regardless if circumstance. Certified copies should suffice.

4 days ago

Ron ********

Surely a passport is a personal identifier and should never be given to anyone regardless if circumstance. Certified copies should suffice.

4 days ago

Rudi ***********

Ron Leeman What you are saying is incorrect. There are several types of applications for which you are required to submit your passport.

3 days ago

John **********

Are you confused? A type D visa is usually a diplomatic visa. If you are on a retirement visa, as in a Non-O based on retirement she would be looking at a Non-O as your dependant BUT she's not going to be able to get that visa inside Thailand or any nearby consulate.

4 days ago

John **********

Are you confused? A type D visa is usually a diplomatic visa.

If you are on a retirement visa, as in a Non-O based on retirement she would be looking at a Non-O as your dependant BUT she's not going to be able to get that visa inside Thailand or any nearby consulate.

4 days ago

Rudi ***********

@John *********

Dear John, a 'Type D' visa for family reunification with a Belgian national (under Article 40ter) is not the type of visa you are referring to. Furthermore, while I am aware that my wife—who is currently in Thailand—cannot simply be added to my one-year residence extension as a dependent, I did mention in my previous message that she must surrender her passport to TLScontact when submitting her application file. She will only receive it back once her visa has been approved by the Immigration Office in Belgium. Consequently, she is unable to travel to any neighboring countries, as she does not have her passport in her possession.

4 days ago

John **********

@Rudi **********

ah you're talking about a visa to Belgium. So a schengen visa. I don't think there's any way round them holding her passport

4 days ago