There are many types of visas for every conceivable need. I have recently gone through the Spouse Visa process which was pretty easy I have to say. If you have everything ready with the guidance from this post you can get it all in a day even.
There are some advantages to having a Thai Spouse Visa if your staying here and want to make it more permanent. The primary one is you don’t have to leave the country with a border run. This is a pleasure for.me as its only about an hour to Mesai, The border with Myanmar. It’s a shopping trip but if your in Bangkok it’s a Long way to Malaysia or Myanmar with Laos another option. This is a drag every 90 days so again the Spouse Visa is helpful.
The list of basic requirements to get a visa are pretty obvious but there are a couple other parts that may not be so let’s look at these.
The most important step is to be married to a Thai citizen and have a marriage certificate. There are two pages you need to get a Thai spouse visa and they are the front page showing your marriage but you also need the second page to apply for a visa. If your marriage is registered you can go to the Umper anywhere as the documents are on computer and request a copy for free.
You need to ask for ” Tabian Somlot Bai Song” ie Wedding Certificate, Page 2.
They will know what you want. These are issued and date stamped by the manager as well. The copy is only valid for three months. If you need it after this you need to get another authorised copy at the Umper.
When you depart your country of domicile you need to have a Spouse Visa Type O Non Immigration visa. These are obtained for $300 Aud when I got my last one from Canberra. Prices may vary around the world.
To receive your visa you need a few important documents from your Thai partner.
One very important note is the visa is operating from the day it is put in your passport so generally you want to leave this as late as you can. If you can go to the Embassy yourself is ideal. It may be a single visit or you may have to return the next day or so to pick it up.
If like me I have to send it to the Thai embassy in Canberra which is a 12 hour drive each way from Adelaide. Yes, Australia is huge! It doesn’t look that far on a map but it is.
Getting your documents ready for your new visa can start one you have arrived and settled in. You have 90 days till you need to have your visa in place or you will need to do a visa run.
This became a huge issue for me because I arrived while the Thailand land borders were still closed. The Immigration department in Chiang Rai were excellent in helping me navigate this issue. A big thanks to them.
The crucial list of required documents is long but not insurmountable. It is possible to assemble everything fairly quickly.
The list of documents is extensive but reasonably easy to get. In Chiang Rai the local Umper (Government Office) is next to immigration. You can get your page 2 of your marriage certificate there if you need and you will likely find a photocopy booth there. In Chiang Rai it’s privately run and about 2 baht a copy. You will need two copies of everything at lease in Chiang Rai as one copy is kept at Chiang Rai office and the second set goes to the Mesai office for approval. If your in Bangkok you may not need extras.
Getting a bank account is very easy for obtaining a Thai spouse visa. You simply need your passport and your visa. They will charge you to open the account with just a passbook and extra if you need a card.
Once open you can deposit the $400,000 Thb and it must remain untouched in the bank account for two full months. On completing the initial deposit period you need to visit the bank and ask for a letter from them proving your money has been there a full two months. It will be signed and dated. There is a small fee for the letter service. (100Thb).
It is also advisable to get a printout on the two month anniversary or after on the day your going to immigration to apply. The managers letter can be done in advance I believe. Depends on the Immigration office on the day. If it’s done a day or two ahead you will be asked to go to an ATM and get an up to date statement.
NOTE: The $400,000 can be withdrawn and used if you wish once you have your visa stamped in your passport. It does not need to remain there. The $400,000 Thb needs to be present a minimum of two months before your next visa application. If you use it them be ready to have it topped up in time for your next visit in a year!
Honestly we all chuckled when we saw this requirement but we delivered. We had family take pictures of us both in front of our home with our address visible. Yes the letterbox with who lives there and address need to be in the picture.
The next pictures were in our home with sitting in the lounge and in the bedroom. We had picture with our family as well. They are wanting to confirm your residence is real. They DO come and check so make sure it is!
I had the pictures printed at a local portrait shop. It was about 60 baht. Two copies of each are required.
Just a note when applying for your Thai Spouse Vis only use blue pen on the forms. I don’t know why this is a big thing but it is to them. Maybe black pen can’t be distinguished over a photocopy. Please just be aware.
It’s pretty safe to turn up to immigration and have them check your documents are ready for your application. They asked me for copies of a couple things I missed which dragged out the process but it wasn’t to bad. It’s fine to turn up and grab an application form. You need to fill it in in BLUE pen and sign it.
Once the application had been checked we were then asked.to both sign every page. Two signatures from yourself and your partner.
The Thai Spouse Visa application has some quirks, none more so than the dreaded map of where you live. I drew this map four times initially from immigration to my home. No they just wanted from the nearest main road to my home. Again a line drawing a 5 year old could follow but no that’s no good. Also I didn’t use the dreaded blue pen so it was.no good again. I have to say this was the only time I had to hang on to my old man temper. It was starting to creep through.
Once I used a blue pen and they showed me what they wanted it was a success. The streets had to be two lines so the road had some width. Corners and the village market, temple as well as the nearest school and petrol station finally had.my map pass the test. Very frustrating 20 minutes or so.
The Thai Spouse Visa for had been completed about two weeks and we received a call from immigration. They were coming to our home about lunchtime. We had an option of another day but no guarantee when so we accepted.
A frantic clean ensued as we didn’t know what to expect. I believe it’s a stressful thing for some when they visit but I found it fine. The white immigration arrived with two female officers who introduced themselves.
We sat on the front porch and got a barrage of questions fired ay us like how long have you been married? Where do you live? How many children do you have if any and where are they?
They also wanted an independent person to backup our story. We had my sister in law come chat to them and sign a document after showing her ID and house certificate.
They took some pictures with us on the front porch. They never went in the home at all. This may be different for you, I can’t say.
I found them very businesslike and pleasant. Initially they were a little pushy but they must meet some aggressive people at times so I understand their initial stance.
We chatted for about 20 minutes while they checked out our story. I spoke only Thai to the ladies from the whole time they visited which opens so many doors for me. I don’t know their English language abilities so they may have spoken quite well. Ill never know.
I have spent many years learning both Thai and Neua ( Northern Thai Dialect). I am fluent and love the language. The same was done at the Immigration when doing my application. It’s so appreciated by authorities when I meet them. It opens so many opportunities that could have been much more difficult.
If you don’t speak Thai I’m sure you will have an good experience as well. May I recommend you remain calm and if your being a bit flustered by questions or understanding just take a breath and relax.
If you raise your voice you will just hit a brick wall and maybe get your application rejected. The Thai culture need you to be soft spoken, respectful of their authority. Yes sir no sir will get you a long way.
I was told as they got into their car to leave “You Absolutely Pass” Which was nice of them to let me know. Two weeks latter we attended immigration and my passport was stamped with a Thai Spouse Visa.
Congratulations you now have your Thai Space Visa stamped into your passport. This visa is a one year visa!
It is still required that you report to immigration every 90 days. It’s a relatively quick process. In Chiang Rai there is a cardboard box in front of the entry door. If your here for a 90 day check you drop your passport in there and they check the box regularly through the day. They pick up the passport, do their required paperwork and return it to you in probably 15 minutes. They were pretty efficient and I saw them do this a number 9f times when I have been in the immigration office.
Your Visa will have a reporting day and please ensure you go on that day. If you go a day or so early I don’t think would be an issue but don’t go late. The consequences could be upsetting.
I have seen a number of flyers at immigration on 90 day reporting online. This may become available after my initial 90 day visit. I’ll update this one. I know but it would certainly be convenient to do it on line.
As your happy years continues note when your renewal process will start and ensure your 400,000 Thb is in your bank a count for the full two months prior to you REAPPLYING for your Thai Spouse Visa. If you only plan on the 12 month expiry you won’t have had it in the bank for the appropriate time. DONT FORGET!
I can’t speak for Thai immigration but when I needed to get an extension because I could not renew my visa with a border trip they offered me a 90 day extension so I could then apply for my full Thai Spouse Visa.
I needed time for the bank requirements. It was pretty easy and cost 1900 Thb. This may be the answer if you don’t have it all ready in time.
You can remain in Thailand until you need to renew which should be at the 11 month point as the process takes as long as the first application. It’s about a month.
It’s probably wise to start getting everything together and start your application around six weeks before your Thai Spouse Visa expires. You don’t need to leave the country to get another Type O Visa as you did on initially arriving.
Brendon McAliece has visited Thailand for approximately 40 Years. Married to his Thai wife since 1985 they have lived in Australia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia together. They currently live in Northern Thailand in a small village. Brendon speaks fluent Thai as well as the northern dialect of Neua. He has a Sport Pilot License and has payed in bands in the middle east.
Optimized by Seraphinite Accelerator