@Ken ******

Good to see you have checked that out already 👍

@Ken ******

Just one word of warning.. if it is not certified in the requisite format you risk it being rejected by the Amphur.. and if you are getting the translation done in Thailand in preparation for certification by the MoFA anyway.. then you are probably going to need an agent.. so you save very little in terms of cost by getting your original marriage licence certified in your homeland.. if it's all done in-country you know it will be acceptable.. and if it's not then the agent has to rectify matters at their own cost.. this assumes the American embassy in Bangkok still provides marriage certifications of course.. otherwise you need to make sure it meets Thai standards 👍

You will need a translated and certified copy of your marriage certificate to register your marriage at the local Amphur where you live.. this involves having the original overseas marriage certificate certified by your country's embassy here in Thailand.. as well as the translated copy being certified by the Thai MoFA.. we simplified the process by engaging an agent to handle it.. since this avoided us having to fly to Bangkok where all of the embassies and the MoFA are located.. took about 3-weeks to conclude and cost us around 5,000 baht.. the one and only time I've used an agent and considered it money well spent.. they also provided a certified copy of my translated passport in case i need it in future, at no extra cost.. once you have both the English and Thai certified marriage certificates you can register your marriage at the Amphur and obtain a 'Kor For 22' (ask them for 3 stamped originals) which you need to apply for a non-o marriage visa at immigration.. the Amphur will most likely try to retain your original certified marriage docs.. but i fought this since I knew i'd very likely need them again (for other business) and they eventually conceded.. taking copies for themselves and returning the originals.. though they considered it a concession on their part.. I simply told them it would cost them 5,000 baht to keep them since i'd have to pay again for new copies and that did the trick!

Ps. Once you have the KR22 you can go to the Municipality and apply for a 'Yellow Book' for the marital home.. assuming your wife has the Blue Book for it.. and can then return to the Amphur to apply for a Pink Foreigner ID Card.. then you are good to go whenever immigration or other agencies (like the LTO) want proof of ID or proof of address issued by a Thai authority!

@Denys *******

It's a real time system.. your input is registered immediately.. as soon as you set up your account it's ready to use.. but you (or they) cannot begin any input.. such as uploading landlord docs for the first time.. until you are actually going to complete an application in it's entirety.. the system will save everything on exit.. assuming you have completed all data entry.. then store it for repeated use.. you will get an immediate acknowledgement or acceptance on the system so you can see it was successful.. it does sound like you are over planning a little here.. when there's really no need to stress about it.. you must register your TM30 within 24-hours of reaching your accommodation.. and if the online system is down (or malfunctioning) then you need to go to your nearest immigration office to do it in person.. so no worries 😊

You can actually set up your own user account on the immigration system.. and can file your own TM30's with your Landlords co-operation.. but you need to be in country to do it.. because you won't be recognisable in the system until you enter Thailand and your passport is registered at the airport or border of entry.. it's also a declaration of your place of residence here.. where immigration can go to find you.. which it clearly won't be until you actually reach the stated accommodation.. however, assuming your Landlord is a Thai individual.. you will need a digital copy of their National Identity Card (front and back) and also the main page of their Blue Book for the property.. since only the person who is named in the blue book can register a TM30 for guests staying at the property.. or facilitate a TM30 registration in this manner.. so the names on both docs has to match and that address has to relate to the place where you will be residing.. a colour photograph of said documents is sufficient for uploading to the TM30 system.. but remember, if you travel around Thailand and stay in a hotel or guest house they will automatically register you as a guest there.. so if you later return to your original accommodation you will need to re-register on the TM30 system for that accommodation.. which is relatively easy since it will have maintained the records you previously uploaded to simplify the registration.. and you won't have to involve your Landlord.. the same applies if you do a border run and return to the same accommodation a few days later.. but if you move to a new place which is privately owned you will need to add that property to the system.. and then upload the relevant documents pertaining to your new Landlord.. in order to file an effective TM30.. and lastly always take a screenshot or photograph of the acknowledgement page at the end of the process for future reference.. though once the application has been accepted you should be able to go back into the system and find a certificate for your registration.. which you can save as a 'pdf' file on your device or get printed to carry with your passport.. hope that helps your understanding my friend.. enjoy your stay in the land of smiles 😁

You can only use the income method if you are applying for the visa outside of Thailand.. because the British embassy here no longer certifies income to support visa applications.. if you are already in Thailand and want to apply for a non-o immigrant visa based on marriage.. then you must use the capital method of 400k baht deposited to a Thai Bank account in your name.. and ensure it is seasoned for 2-months before applying for the 12-month extension.. however you can switch to the income method at the next renewal.. which is technically an extension rather than a renewal.. this is subject to evidencing the requisite monthly income being deposited to your Thai bank account every calendar month in the year preceding the extension.. this does not have to be deposited directly by your pension provider in the UK.. and in fact there is no requirement to prove it is a pension at all.. you can simply transfer a monthly sum from your UK bank account every month yourself.. and it doesn't matter if the transfers are being funded from accumulated savings or are from current income you may be receiving.. your bank book (or statements) together with a confirmatory letter from your Thai bank is all that is needed to satisfy the income threshold.. though the payments should be tagged as coming from overseas and not as payments from another Thai bank account (ie. internal transfers) to fulfill the requirements.. I've had to jump through all these hoops myself over the last couple of years.. so I'm speaking from my personal experience of the CM immigration system.. but as always everyone should always check with the immigration office nearest the location they will be residing to double check.. in case they have some additional requirements or there are other variations to the above mentioned procedure.

If you've already been in Thailand for 50 days.. and you have never filed a TM30.. then you can expect to be fined.. it is the responsibility of the hotel (or guesthouse) to do it and technically they are in breach.. but it is you that will have to pay the fine to regularise it.. it's an easy online process that costs nothing to do.. and you need the print out or screenshot to prove its been done.. you can do it yourself but would need your a copy of your Thai landord's NIC (front and back) and blue book (main page) to upload to the system.. which they may be reluctant to give you.. I'd ask them if they would assist you to do it yourself.. by sitting with you while you do it so they can watch you upload and then delete the documents.. which may make them more comfortable.. suggest you involve an English speaking Thai friend to communicate with them if their English is poor.. to explain the severity of the situation and to encourage them.. otherwise you need to find another place to stay with a more helpful landlord 😐

You can normally apply for the initial 90-day non-o visa without seasoning the funds.. meaning after you get it you must have funds deposited to a Thai bank account by day 30.. thereby giving it 60 days to season before returning for your 12-month extension.. at least that's how it worked for me with a non-o based on marriage in CM.. but you will need to check with your own immigration office to see if that process will work for you!

The problem i can see here.. is that the return flight was booked for 90-days time.. whereas the visa exempt stamp granted to tourists is only 60-days.. i understand he was pre-empting a 30-day extension.. but this (1) assumes the extension will be granted, and (2) indicates an aspiration to max out his stay.. in other words it looks like a pre-meditated attempt to abuse the system.. whereas most genuine tourists will enter on the 60-day exempt stamp and will have a flight out booked within that time frame.. any extension happens as an after thought when they are in country and conclude they'd like to stay a little longer.. often precipitated by events that have occurred during their initial stay.. meaning they had not 'planned' a 90-day stay at outset.. i think if your friend had booked a dummy flight that leaves at the end of his 60-day tourist stamp.. and showed that to mmigration on the pretext of only staying for 60-days.. then he may have had an easier time entering.. but being open about his intention suggested he was trying to abuse the system in their mind.. and if he was still grilled about a 60-day stay so soon after his last trip.. he could have said 'I've come back to begin the process of obtaining a retirement visa' so i can live here.. but once uttered he'd have to do it because that could be recorded on his immigration file.. in the end it's about being careful in the way you present yourself.. and though it was a genuine situation it didn't look like it because of the 90-day intent prior to entering Thailand.. if this hadn't been disclosed he may not have had such a hard time!

Surely the safe solution is to go and do it in person at the earliest opportunity.. meaning abandon the idea of an appointment and just go and queue up and get it done.. yes it may well mean you are there longer.. but it takes all the worry away from this dilemma.. and if you go early you may get done sooner than you think.. besides in my experience appointments are not rigid anyway and you often have to wait way beyond your allotted time to get seen!