Hi,i am due to extend my marriage visa next month(3rd year) and am worried the three month balance of 400,000 before application will be applied straight away.No one seems to know if it is retroactive or starts three months after 1st October.

Anyone done an extention after 1st October at Nong Khai with either the 400,000 balance for marriage or the 800,000 for retirement and not had that balance for the previous three months.

John, I think so much has been written about these"New" visa rules, that confusion is creeping in.
When you first apply for either marriage or retirement visa, (The very first time) you arrive with a 3 month non-immigrant visa at the end of this 3mths you have to apply for an extension for another 9 months, making one year in all. At this time you have to show evidence of funds, either 4 or 800,000 bht. depending which one you are getting,and/or proof of income/pension of 65,000bht per month. This latter item must be certified by your embassy.
A combination of the two is still acceptable. This rule has always been, it hasn't changed, the only thing is they are making sure you haven't just put the money in recently just to get your visa, so they want to see , if you are relying on the lump sum for qualification that its genuine savings, otherwise , if you think about it, we could form a cartel and pass the same money from account to account so everyone qualifies.Like most of the so called new rules, they aren't , just simply a tightening up of enforcement. The other one that has always been there is investigation of marriage circumstances. They are now checking EVERY one to make sure you are still, not only married, but in regular cohabitation.Sensible when you think how many relationships end up on the rocks.If you lose your wife, you lose your reason for qualifying, unless you can also claim for retirement.
This is a very important point. In enforcing the 90 day stay visa it makes it more probable that some will just rent a wife for the purpose of getting a visa, which makes nonsense of enforcing the 90 day rule.The only additional clause that I can see to the marriage visa is that upcountry offices cannot grant them, it must be approved by Bangkok, who will carry out the aforementioned house check and also check you have no criminal record in your home country.

Looking through the new immigration police document below it does not state if the three month period is retroactive or not:

http://www.lawyer.th.com/National_Police_Office_Order_Oct_2006.pdf

I have only just put the money in so will only qualify for a month.

John if you already have a one year marriage visa and your income in and out of your bank book plus the balance, exceeds the 400,000 bht figure for the year the 3mths proviso shouldn't apply to you. As it was explained to me its only for first time applicants.You are simply renewing an existing visa, not applying for a new one.

Thank you for your time and patience Val.

john2005 wrote:Looking through the new immigration police document below it does not state if the three month period is retroactive or not:

http://www.lawyer.th.com/National_Police_Office_Order_Oct_2006.pdf

I have only just put the money in so will only qualify for a month.

John, how did you get on?

Well,they accepted my application even though the funds were not in for three months.I now have a 30 day under consideration stamp and the papers have gone off to Bangkok.Hmmm,nerve wracking to say the least,just as bad as waiting for a driving test or the start of a school exam.Now just got to sweat for the next three months or so.
This is one time when i am truly envious of the old codgers who get an instant answer to their application.

Good luck.
John, another question:- Was your bank book the only proof you had to supply for the deposit? I'm wondering whether they will require a letter dated 3 months prior to extn application and another at the time of application?
I posed this question on Thaivisa but the answer was not definitive.

Oh, by the way. I have a friend in a very similar position to yourself where he has only just topped up the 800K for his 'OA' extension which is due next month. He was only about 120K short at the time but he is so rattled at the moment he is looking at airfares. A very nervous month for him also.

Just the letter from the bank i got before i applied.One three months before would have no value as you could remove the funds the day after and then put them back the day before the second letter.They can see from your book the balance over the three months.
To say i was nervous is the understatement of the year,could not even look at breakfast.Just wanted to get the whole thing over and done with.

John, how's this progressing? Now been more than 2 months since the OP.

john2005 wrote:To say i was nervous is the understatement of the year,could not even look at breakfast.Just wanted to get the whole thing over and done with.

Isn't it a sad reflection on the immigration system that they can make someone worry so much about their application system. Most applicants are 100% legal with all the correct documents - however on application day they turn to jelly because you never know what mood the immigration officer is in and whether he is going to ask for something not on the so called published 'list'.
They are the ones who set out the requirements - we are the ones who submit to all their requirements and yet we all know that nothing is guaranteed.
Thank Goodness its only once a year !

I agree Paul and that is why I just go to my home country every year and renew my "O" multi entry visa. Then don't have to mess with the boys and still have a year to go. Just go visit family anyway.

This link

http://www.lawyer.th.com/National_Police_Office_Order_Oct_2006.pdf

is one I have not seen. It seems like this takes the mystery and worries out of a lot of the questions I, and others seem to have had in this whole visa shakeup.

However, I copied some info from a post on 2006-04-28, for a friend back home to read. I surely wished I could remember where I saw this, but it was titled "Nomenclature for types of visa and permissions to stay for Thailand".

What I copied ended in the following statement: "And, the final decision on visa application/issue or entry into the Kingdom will always be at the discretion of the immigration officer."

That one statement alone, gives me the shakes and brings back all the fears.

What I copied ended in the following statement: "And, the final decision on visa application/issue or entry into the Kingdom will always be at the discretion of the immigration officer."

They could have added ''And your attitude''

Not always so
I have seen some of the politest, smart and generally nice people get spoken to like something on the bottom of the immigration officers shoe.

I have used the immigration office in Pattaya once or twice and the staff were efficient, friendly and actually spoke to you like a normal human being, its not that difficult to do.

Thais seem to crumble at the sight of a uniform - perhaps because we foreigners do not - they look down on us.

At the end of the day - in my view :
Respect is to be earned - not to be expected !