SGD

My wife to be (getting married next week hopefully) wants to change her ID card and passport before applying for a settlement visa for the UK but we are unsure of a few things.

She thinks she has to go all the way back to her home Amphur to change her Tabien Bahn to her married name before she can change her ID card and her passport. As this is miles away and off the beaten track so to speak, it would just waste about 3 days of our time. She also says that as they cannot currently make new ID cards in Thailand, she would only get some paperwork good for 4 months after which time she would have to go back to her home Amphur again for an extension. This in particular seems madness as Thais can now get new ID cards at any Amphur I believe.

So I ask you please, do Thai females have to change their Tabien Bahn before they can change the name on their ID card ? Then what about before changing the name on their passport ? Lastly, if they do have to change the name on their Tabien Bahn first, do they really have to travel all the way back to their remote village Amphur ?

As an afterthought, a Thai born overseas can surely have a passport and perhaps even an ID card (?) without ever appearing on a Tabien Bahn can they not ?

Thanks very much for all the comments.

Just to update, I haven't found anywhere which seems to offer much in terms of kids entertainment or facilities. When I thought again about what we really needed, I realised that we want that and so the search goes on, at least for a couple more days.

I see a lot of the sites I used to use which always had "net" or inclusive prices have now moved to base rates before the obligatory tax and service charge which they say they collect on behalf of the government !

Outside of top end hotels there is no "service" charge and it certainly is not collected on behalf of the government !

Though I have not used for a while, ratestogo used to collect only a margin, which I presumed was their fee, with you paying the balance to the hotel directly.

Last year it was Bt450/500 from the airport in a fairly new Camry. I think your hotel is adding a surcharge.

Loot is dead, it is all on Gumtree now. Quite some scammers advertising what would be £500 flats for £300 to tempt people in, asking for proof of funds as they have no time to meet at the property etc. Easy to spot if you keep your wits about you.

Cheap digs are hard to find. Head out north and south on either the mainline / overground or Northern line to zone 4 or more to find cheaper stuff. The main problem is that the DSS amounts are over what would be free market rents and thus the rents are artificially inflated up to those levels.

Ibis hotels online offer a short term solution, say out to Stratford etc. Not £30 a day but you can get online and full internet on the TV / movies for around £10 a day extra in the room. Premier Inn and Holiday Inn Express can offer sub £50 rooms.

Pubs might be an option for cheapish accommodation but what you get I do not know these days.

Going back now with Xmas looming is going to push up hotel prices and I think the best bet would be to look for a flat share for around £150 a week.

Thanks for the comments so far.

I should have perhaps qualified that my aversion to extended travel is to avoid long bus or mini bus rides or even long train or taxi rides. OK for a while but wearisome for the child and we can pay to fly as opposed to having to trek it on a shoestring budget. No worries about shortish travel though I'd probably prefer no more than an hour from an airport on the return journey.

Samui did of course come to mind but we are talking November and though I know there may be no rain, I sort of discounted it on seasonality. Also, I find Samui just a massive rip off wherever you go and as stated, travelling around is the worst in Thailand. I am short of hotel knowledge on Samui as well these days. With a child I cannot go trekking from place to place so I must really pick somewhere and just pitch up after some research, though I would move on quickly if the place was just not up to scratch. Personnel recommendations are invaluable.

Whilst multi hour long tail boat rides to the outer islands of the Andaman might be off this agenda, please do not worry too much about the travel.

Koh Lanta was mentioned. I've been there before, again some years ago and the overwhelming memory is of red dust roads which got everywhere and ruined quite a few light coloured clothes. I stayed a couple of days and moved on, farther south and more remote. I would not necessarily rule it out but it would have to offer something extra to justify the extended travel.

My guess is that whilst I could easily slope off to a near deserted island, that absolute relaxation would just not be enough for the wife day after day and my guess is that my toddler would also need just a little more to pad out the time when it is just too hot for her on the beach. A trip into a town, even of sorts, would provide welcome respite as would other attractions.

Also, I just saw that Nok Air flies to Trang (I am sure others do as well). I used this as a stopping off point a few times before but without kids ! Any ideas to utilise this or even Hat Yai as a flight arrival point ?

I seem to remember the boats thinning out as the sun set and though it is a short trip, I've no real desire to take a long tail in the dark, especially with a child in tow. Also, the benefits of less nightlife (and more quiet) and the lack of cars on Railay seem to be somewhat offset by the inconvenience factor if we want to stay out after dark.

As for hotels in Ao Nang then, does anyone have any up to date recommendations not too far from the beach and preferably toddler friendly ?

Say for a week, wanting a fair hotel ($50-$100 a night) with pool and near a decent beach and easy transport from Bangkok (flights ok).

Don't want the eastern seaboard or Phuket really and would prefer somewhere quiet but with something to do apart from just sitting on the beach as we have a young child (4 years old). Chilling out, some decent food, a relaxing time are the order of the day, so no nightlife needed. Don't really want a massive travel aka planes, trains and automobiles either.

Have already just about discounted Hua Hin / Cha Am and looking for alternatives to Ao Nang in Krabi.

I fancy a week or so away from Bangkok at the end of the month or in early November and thought I might head back south to Ao Nang in Krabi. I haven't been for a few years and I guess it will be more touristy than I remember but I used to like the place.

As I'm travelling with the family, including a child, I want a hotel with a pool and easy beach access. What I don't really want is a 200% price gouge just because it is a couple of days into November. I don't have a firm budget but nothing outrageous, say from $50 to $100 a day.

As we don't need nightlife, I was wondering about staying on Railay beach. Maybe not too crammed with tourists at this time but has it been really screwed up ? I'm also thinking about how often I'd want to hit Ao Nang / Krabi and whether I could put up with the boat guys and their antics or even whether I should forget about staying on Railay ?

As I said, I haven't been for a few years so some up to date information and a few hotel recommendations would be appreciated.

I'm a UK national coming back to Thailand to get married and I want to know whether I need to enter on a visa in order to get married or whether I can just enter on a 30 day stamp. I can get a visa no problem but as I'm staying for less than 30 days, I don't need one, unless I need one to get married.

Can anyone please clarify or point me in the right direction for the current regulations.