Requirements for getting a Thai visa marriage extension

Question

My question is when applying for a Thai marriage visa extension, what documents & information would I need to provide please?

I'm a UK national and I currently have a Non-Immigrant work visa in Thailand. I've had it for almost two years now and I've been married to a Thai national for almost a year and thought it was time to change my visa type.

In my research I found a lot of sites with slightly different information and lists so I'm still not entirely certain about what's needed. I got this list from https://bangkok.immigration.go.th (and once I have the info I'd need to apply at the immigration office here), so it seems official. But it refers to changing the visa type based on marriage instead of extending my work visa based on marriage, so I don't know if it'll be the same for my case, especially as neither of the cases in section 1 refer to me.

Also, just to confirm, when extending a work visa to a marriage visa, will my work permit and re-entry permit still be valid or do I need to request something special at all when applying please?

Answer 1

If you are working for a BOI company (and get your work permit and extensions done at the one-stop centre at Chamchuri Square), then you need to get your extension based on employment, rather than marriage. It used to be possible to have a marriage extension at a BOI company, but now they try their best to discourage it.

Otherwise, you need all the documents mentioned in the list you got the link to. Bear in mind that if your salary does not reach the required 40,000 THB per month, then the 400,000 THB they say you must have in the bank must be in a bank account in your name (not a joint account), and must have been in your account for two months. You will need to apply for the extension at the government complex up at Chaengwattana Road.

Also useful is the ability to go to immigration at any time (with your wife, her ID card and house registration), and request a 60-day extension. This is useful when you have not yet had the 400K THB in your account long enough to qualify for a 1-year extension. It’s also useful if you stop being employed and your extension is based on employment, and suddenly you have just 7 days to leave Thailand.

If you successfully apply for the marriage extension, they will initially give you a one-month extension while your application is considered. After the one month, you go to get the remaining 11 months added. This only happens on the first application. The next year, you need to go to renew your extension a month early, and they will notify you when you need to go back to get the extension added. Remember that every year, you must have proof of salary greater than 40K THB, or have 400K THB in a bank account in your name, for two months before you apply.