Visa questions answered
Passport palaver
Q, Myself and my wife and Thai daughter have just returned from the British Embassy we tried to apply for a British Passport for our daughter but they would not accept a copy of my birth certificate they required the original, is this correct?
A, Yes this is correct; the foreigner has to show there passport and an original birth certificate, we have seen many cases were the foreigner lives in Thailand and has no way of getting there birth certificate, if this is the case you can order a new birth certificate on line by going to www.gro.gov.uk
Stamp shortfall
Q, I have come to Thailand with a one year non-immigrant o type visa multiple entry I have just checked my visa stamp that I was given at the airport and they have only stamped me 30 days and not 90 days what can I do?.
A, we have seen this on numerous occasions, you can go to your local immigration office and very politely point the mistake out to them and ask if they can change the date for you and give you your allocated days, if they will not you can go back to the airport there is an immigration office located there and they will be happy to change it for you, it is always important when you come through the immigration desk at the airport to check your visa stamp, It seems that the current trend is that everybody is so relieved to be allowed in to Thailand they forget to check there visa stamp, the key to success is if you come to Thailand with a visa type in your passport e.g. non-immigrant or tourist visa, when you fill in the little white departure card TM6 on the airplane place the departure card next to the page that has your visa stamp so the immigration officer can see the visa, your visa stamp in your passport is your responsibility to check that the stamp is correct.
50/50 split
Q, I have tried to apply for a retirement visa, I went to the Immigration Bureau with all the documents required and they said because my 800,000.00 baht was in a joint account with my Thai wife I needed some documents from her, can you help?
A, This is not a great problem, when you re-visit the Immigration office make sure your wife has signed the copy of your bank book and also take a signed copy of your marriage certificate and a signed copy of your wife’s identification card, attach them to the copy of the bank book so no misunderstandings.
I don’t want to leave!!
Q, I currently have a work permit and a business visa issued by the Immigration Bureau and I am planning on finishing my work and I want to change to a retirement visa, do I have to obtain another non immigrant visa to start the process?
A, The answer in no, because you have currently got a business visa already you have still got your Immigration status, I would advise you if you are going to relinquish you work permit and business visa to give yourself around three weeks before your visa finishes, you should then hand your work permit back to your local labor office and they will issue you with a Por Gor 10 which advises the Immigration officer that your work permit has been given back and it will also be helpful for any future employment and work permit applications, as long as your documents are correct for the retirement visa application the officer should be willing to change to a retirement visa, please note that not all officers are stringent about having to showing the Por Gor 10 but better being safe than sorry.