Visa Choice

Visa Choice

After 2 years of "Visa Run", leaving Thailand every 90-days, I decided that it was time to change the lifestyle from a "Traveler" to a "Family" and I opted for a "Thai Wife" Visa. So, I traveled to my country to apply for a visa "Type "O"", which was later converted in Thailand to a "Thai Wife" visa.

Everything was going well with my Visa, and I went every 90-days to the Immigration Office "Suan Phlu" in Bangkok. I went also every year to the Immigration Office, with my Thai wife and my Thai/Belgian daughter, to ask for a Visa Extension which was granted without major problems.

In 2006, a local Immigration Office was opened in Nakhon Ratchasima, which made it easier for us to do the 90-days report and ask for a Visa extension every year.

But the local Immigration Office had made their own rules.

In 2009, we went for the Visa Extension, and the Immigration Officer wanted to have a "private chat" with my wife.
After a few minutes, the Immigration Officer and my wife came back and I was told by the Immigration Officer that the Visa extension would be granted but I needed to take care of my "marriage".
On leaving the Immigration Office, I asked my wife what the Immigration Officer was meaning with "I needed to take care of my marriage". But my wife didn't know why she said that.

In 2010, we went again for the Visa extension.

The Immigration Officer wanted to have a "private chat" with my wife again.
After a few minutes, the Immigration Officer came back and told me the my Visa extension was refused on the grounds that I did not take care of the family of my wife. I learned that if a I marry a THAI woman, I am required to take (financial) care of her family also.

We left the Immigration Office without a Visa Extension.

Luckily for me, my Visa was still valid for a few days.

The next day, I want to the Immigration to the Immigration Office in Khon Kaen, and applied for a "Retirement" visa. This Visa was granted on the spot. Lesson learned the "hard way".

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