robio7

forgot to ask did u buy single or return flight?

Just to up date any Irish guys that are interested. G/F arrived in Ireland yesterday

she received a tourist visa and permission to stay for 90 days at Dublin Airport.

It took about 5 weeks to process.

Our next task it to try for long stay visa ( De Facto Visa) which will allow her to stay

in Ireland for 1 year. Anybody who has been through this process could you please

share you experience with us, we will do likewise.

Hi Pat great to hear your gf is here, Our 2nd holiday visa only took us 2 weeks to process back in January. Had you not already got your gf a visa (hence this is your 2nd holiday visa??)

I'm about to start work on a long term visa too and had been previously been advised here by a few lads (who did the same as you) and gnib to do the same. last time she was here we were going to apply but we only had 4 weeks left on the visa and the girl in the gnib said it would take longer than that to process. She also mentioned as you stated earlier that she could remain in the state as long as her application is being process, however if the application was rejected she has now overstayed a short stay visa and that would go against her in the future. she did say tho once we could provide evidence we were in a relationship over 2 years and as she was here 2 times already then we had a very high change of being granted permission to remain in the state.

so make sure you apply sooner rather than later if you havent done so already

Let me know how you are getting on as we about to embark on the same journey.

Bring ur gf to a thai community party, we were lucky as my gf had a friend who moved here recently and we got to meet all of her thai friends she met here. Lovely people and helped my gf alot especially food!!!

Cheers,

Rob

I bought a large system from them recently.

emails answered usually in 10 minutes.

Goods shipped 4 days after order and received next morning in ChiangRai.

Strongly recommened. Owner speaks good English and has good product knowledge

Their telephone was a bit hard to hear on the two days I phoned...I think they use a Skype system.

Prices very fractionally above what I could get in store in ChiangRai if they had stock but I trusted him more on ordering stuff in and he did not disappoint me.

great thanks, i was speaking to a guy called Thomas today so i presume thats the same guy.

He was saying he could get the laptop from asus in 1 day then ship it to the address i gave him in 3 days. seems ok.

by any chance are you in chiang rai city or out in a village? I'm shipping to a house in a village rather than city

Hi Guys,

Has anyone used these in a past and have they have any issues or problems with the product or delivery etc.

Heading back to Thailand in a few days so looking to buy a laptop off them.

http://www.invadeit.co.th/

let me know you expericence or if you recommend an alternative supplier?

Thanks,

Rob

very helpful....

Hi You didnt state what country you need this for

Rob that might be the best answer ever given on ThaiVisa,

BK

thanks for the kind comment.

I just log in every now and then to help others as I've received help here in the past.

Rob thanks a mill for the amazing response basically tells me everything I needed to know. Go raibh mile maith agat!!!

Meatboy, I left myself wide open for what exactly? To be insulted because I want to try bring a Bar Girl to my country for holiday????

TBH i was never even going to Log in again because in general people deal with things on thier 1st impressions and experiences and mine as you know was not pleasant.

Anyway glad I did log back in and thanks again Rob for the response.

Just another question, is the most important requirement the money so that she will not be a burden to the state?

Would you recommend to hang back till i have 4000 saved?

Thanks

Hi Pattayarox, you are very welcome. I hope my response will encourage you to continually use the forum and day you will be able to answer questions for another user.

As for your latest question, It is one of the most important things, I think there are several key items they look for (this being one of them) and having 4000+ saved will help your chances a lot.

Another very important thing is to prove she will return to Thailand before the visa has expired. So if you think about it, you might have 100,000 in your bank but if you cannot prove she will return home then that causes a problem for the person processing the visa as they might think she will become an illegal immigrant or that you could be using this as an opportunity to traffic the girl.......

As for any negative responses you might have gotten that may have offended you - I didnt see the original comments made but I wouldn't let that stop you from asking your questions on this forum.

Its an excellent source for info from people who have been through the same as you. Its very hard to find info on getting your TGF to another country especially Ireland and this seem to be the only place to get it.

If you are comfortable with your GF being a bar girl then thats all that matters. I know two bar girls who came to Ireland and the lads that brought them here have never looked back. Not all bar girls are trying to rip you off but saying that, do be careful.

Again, any other questions post them here and i'll try to help you out.

Again my advise would be to give yourself more time. I know how you feel and you want her here asap but give yourself the time to save the cash you need and let you relationship grow. Then hopefully everything will work out for you and she will enjoy her stay here.

Cheers,

Rob

Hi Pattayarox,

Welcome to the forum, this is certainty the place to get the info you need.

1st thing, if you search my threads you will find plenty of info about what exactly you need to do. Also i posted on newbepat threads my check lists etc.

I got my gfs first holiday visa approved 1st time by taking the advice on here. I then posted as much info as possible so people like yourself you get the advice they need as there isnt too much info available for irish people.

1st of all it will be impossible for you to go there in Feb and bring her with you. The application process alone will take 8 weeks after the application is brought to the consulate in BKK.

After you hand everything into the consulate in BKK (which only takes about 20 minutes if the girl looks through it for you), they send it to the embassy in KL.

After its processed in KL it gets sent to Dublin. So you will have to plan it a little better, give yourself more time and do it right first time round to avoid disappointed.

I went there in January, had all the work done in advance and applied for her to arrive in May. I then fly there in May, collected her and returned here.

I also wouldnt recommend February because the weather shock is bad enough in our summer time, she just wont like the cold and could put her off coming back again or make her want to go home.

My gf hated the cold weather and it was summer!

To save you some time she could apply for her passport in advance.

The fastest option to apply for the passport is BKK but i'm not too sure how long that takes there but i've heard you can get it in a few days.

My gf got her passport in Phuket and i think it only took 2 weeks.

Passport info:

http://www.mfa.go.th/web/474.php

I think there's a thread here somewhere with more locations other than BKK.

2nd thing, it doesnt matter too much about her bank account (which would have to be Thai bank acc) but it does help a lot as she can prove she also have savings to fund the trip. However as long as you state in you letter of invitation that you will support her financially and can prove you can support her then it should be ok.

The visa agent is correct, You will need more money than 500euro, and 3000+ will be the minimum you need, I aimed to have 5000 at the time of application and explain i'd have more by the time she arrives.

You have to prove to the INIS that she will be looked after and you can support her. They are not only looking to stop illegal immigrants but also to stop girls from being trafficked etc. They dont want her here if you cant take care of her so you really have to prove you can.

Also state that she will be residing with you, rent free. If you dont have your own place get your parents to write a letter too, stating she can stay in their house for the duration of the visit and that food will be provided.

3rd, A letter stating you are in full time employment and that you have worked in that company for 6 years is grand. You dont need to give too much details in this letter i.e. you were working part time.

you need to also supply 3 months pay slips, which you will have by the time you apply.

Your bank statement needs to be for the 6 months leading up to the application, and needs to show you have steady savings coming in to fund the trip.

Another big thing and one of the most important things is for her to prove she will go back to Thailand before the visa has expired. My GF said her, money in her bank, her job, her family and her apartment were the reasons. U stated how she works in a bar, Get the her boss to write a letter saying she can take a holiday but can also return to her job. just remember some holy biddy might be processing you application and might get the wrong impression.

Also get her to buy worldwide travel insurance. My gf got it from a travel shop. The insurance policy was world wide gold for 90days from a company called Thaivivat.

Make sure these are on your checklist:

(E) means accompanied by a notarized english translation

Application form

Your letter of invitation, financial support, details of relationship

Your work letter, pay slips, P60,

Your 6 month bank statement

Copy of your passport with all the visa stamps

Her letter explaining the reason she is applying for visa, details of your relationship, work letter(E), pay slips(E), Copy of her house registration book(E), her bank statement(E)

The itinerary you intent to buy if visa is approved, She can get this in any tour operator shop. Should be free but some change a few baht

Copy of her travel insurance policy(E)

Written under taking stating the two of you will observe all the rules of the visa, irish law etc

Pictures (you only need about 8, i had loads and the girl in BKK handed them back to me and said pick 8)

any other evidence for relationship, western union receipts, gift receipts, email, phone records, hotel receipts, flight you took together

A utility bill proving your address

read this its a hell of a lot better than what it was last year, gives way more detail now:

http://www.inis.gov....20or%20Tourist)

Thants all i can think of for now, any questions just post them here and i'll log in and answer them.

oh and to save the hassle, fly through abu dhabi. If you fly through London you have to pass immigration twice. I traveled with her BKK-AUH-DUB and I went to the passport/immigration booth with her in Dublin and had no issues.

Best of luck,

Rob

I stand to be corrected but AFAIK in Ireland it is the Immigration Officer who decides on length of stay not the ECO. Therefore whatever date is stamped in the passport is the only length of stay possible. They could stamp up to 90 days, but it's decided at port of entry. Therefore can't be extended I think.

Thats is correct the maximum you can stay now is the 5 weeks that was stamped on the visa in her passport

If you wanted you could go to the GNIB in Dublin city centre and see if there is any possibility of extend it but i seriously i doubt it.

let me know how you get on if you do chance your arm.

This has come up before. I'm sure it will be of benefit to other Irish members if you were to provide the information publicly on the forum.

Totally agree and I'll post any info I find out same as I did with the Irish Holiday Visa I created (plus irish paddy's thread).

So Far what I have confirmed:

On the AVATAS we apply for D visa (Long Stay), Reason - Join Spuse of Irish Citizen.

I've also been told, dont worry about multiple entry option, after you register in GNIB she will get a new visa any way(1 year, some people manage to get longer but its up to the officer at GNIB??) and she can apply for re-entry visas in Dublin if we want to visit Thailand for a holiday.

If you cant prove your relationship is greater than 2 years then forget about it.

I've been with my gf longer than 2 years and have plenty of evidence like hotel bookings and flight tickets but we dont have joint residency (i.e I'm not on the rent lease for her apartment as i dont live there)etc. so I have to show our photos over the years, visa entry and exit stamps from when I visited her in Thailand.

Marriage cert is obviously a must have in the application.

If anyone reads this and they've been through this please post what you went through and what you did to get visa approved.

Thanks for your post Oggie911, any other info you have let me know. a check list for the documentation you and your wife provided would also help

Thanks,

Rob

Birth certificate is not required.

My thai gf doesn't have a birth cert!

She uses the house registration book instead.

The consulate in BKK replied to me and said it is not required to change her name but if she does want to chacnge her name she has to go to her home Amhpur office and change there.

If you marry in her home town they seem to just replace the ID card and amend the house registration book then and there

But if you marry in amphur in BKK and she wants to change her name then she will have to bring the marriage cert, change of name cert (given to her at amhpur where u marry), her ID card and house registration book to the Amphur in her home to change her name and she only has 60days from date of marriage to do this.

So sounds like you should marry in her home town which is actually a bit of a pain seems you have to go to BKK anyway for embassy and MFA to stamp affirmation to marry, then return to BKK again after you've been married in the home to hand the visa application to the embassy!!

Also my fiancée found out from her friend in England that it takes 3 days to change her passport in BKK but if she does it in another passport office, i.e. Phuket, it will take up to a month

From what her friend told her about her experience in UK it sounds like everything is a little easier if she changes her name before applying for visa.

Another thing to consider when deciding to change surname is if you intend to go back to thailand and live there in the future.

From what i've been told on this forum, altho she still has the right to buy land in thailand its a little bit difficult to prove the money didnt come from foreign spouse especially now she has a farang surname! I'm not worried about that tho, if its true or not.

We process these you require a D-Visa once you arrive you report to the Garda who issue a longer term visa. We are currently awaiting two application back we submitted 4 weeks ago.

thank you, does it normally take longer than 4 weeks?

Huge thanks Rob, that MOFA page was what I was recently reading!

I am in the exact same boat as you, within a week or so after our marriage she will be applying for a visa and presenting her passport to the US Embassy. She will have an ID with her new name and a passport with her old name. Not to mention our son's two (Thai and US) birth certificates have her old name.

HOWEVER, I did read on the visa instructions page for the US that a Name Change Certificate must be submitted if any name change occurs. I can only assume that this certificate would keep the old passport and other documents valid and link it with her new name. Maybe the same would be true for Ireland? Sounds like a question for the consulate staff. Oh how those folks love answering our questions!

Hopefully that is the case that she can name change the ID card etc and not have to change the passport!

I've emailed my consulate in BKK so when i hear back from them then i'll let you know what they say.

Also from what i've read on that mfa site it seems a lot quicker if the marriage is registered in the Amphur in her home town rather than BKK where of course the embassy and ministry of foreign affairs are!!!

I found this on the Thai Ministry of foreign affairs website:

See point 3

Procedures

1. Marriage registration can be filed at any District Office or Minor District Office nationwide regardless of the birthplace of the couple.
2. Once the marriage registration is completed, each party will be given a copy of the Marriage Registration Certificate as evidence.
3. If the marriage registration is filed at the District Office located in female's birthplace (where the name is registered on the House Registration Certificate), the title used with the forename and the last name of the female will be changed by the District Officer. The female is required to file for a new Identification Card within 60 days. A service fee of 10 baht is required. If the marriage is registered elsewhere, the female is required to contact the local District Office to change her name and last name, as well as filing for a new Identification Card.
4. If both parties are unable to file for marriage at any District Office of Minor District Office, the couple can submit a request to the Registrar to register their marriage at any location under the supervision of that District Office. The parties filing for marriage are required to provide transportation for the Registrar. A service fee of 200 baht is required.

I was also thinking about this.

I am getting married in December and after this we will be handing her passport into the consulate in BKK for visa application. where it will be sent to the embassy and if approved the visa stamp will be applioed to that passport.

If she has to change her ID card then surely she has to change her passport too.

So how will this work in my scenario?? I think the change of passport takes several weeks and how can we do this when we plan to hand the passport to the embassy.

BTW we're getting married in thailand and I am Irish citizen (applying for Irish spouse visa)

Thanks,

Rob

Hi All,

Still looking for advise on above.

For anyone interested, I found someone here in Ireland who did this about 3 years ago

from what i've found out we need to apply for a Spouse of Irish Citizen Visa, then after we've gone to the INIS and got the GNIB card we can return to thailand for a holiday.

I'd still love to hear your advise and your experiences so I can get this processed successfully first time. + the person i was talking to didnt really remember everything they did.

Anything else I find out I'll post here in case others need advice in the future.

Thanks,

Rob

Hi Guys,

Looking for your help again and was hoping someone who has brought their thai wife to ireland can help me out.

My fiancée and I will be getting married in Thailand in late December 2011 and after this we obviously want to live together and settle in Ireland

After we get married we want to go back to the Consulate in BKK and hand in our application which will be completed by the marriage certs.

I'm a little confused as to what to apply for after looking on the inis website.

A.) Do we apply for a long term visa?

B.) is it possible for us to get multiple entry so we can return to thailand on holiday to visit her family?

C.) How long does it take to process the visa, we were hoping she could at least come here for April 2012

D.) do we apply for a long term visa then when she is here register with the garda immigration bureaux and then apply to immigration to remain in Ireland on a permanent basis????

What do we need to apply for (Join spouse of irish citizen) and what is actually required (evidence and documents)?

Here's some info about us so you can get a better picture:

1. we've been together since March 2009

2. I've been to Thailand 7 times since we first met including march 2009.

3. I'll be there for the 8th time in December 2011 so we can get married and then hopefully we can bring our application to the Consulate in BKK

4. My fiancée stayed here for 3 months from May - July 2011 after being granted a holiday visa, she returned to Thailand on time etc

5. I am in full time employment in my current job for 5 years

Your help and advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Rob

A Thai doesn't need to submit an affadavid, the maritial status of a Thai is registered in an onli register that will be checked. Only when a Thai is divorced they have to submit the divorce certifiacte they got when they divorced.

excellent! Thanks Mario.

Instead of waiting all afternoon at the MFA in Bangkok we had the MFA mail our documents to our home in Phuket via EMS. We received them in a few days.

We registered the marriage at the Amphur in Kathu last Friday, and had no problems.

Good to hear and congratulations, I'll only be there for two weeks so might not have the time to wait for MFA to post the documents to us.

I think we will also be married in the Amphur in Kathu

Did your wfie need to supply an affidavit? or just passport/id card/house registration book?

Thanks,

Rob

I'm not sure about the property issues but it was far more important to me (us) that our marriage be recognised in Australia (where I'm from). Various reasons for this but primarily for her Australian Permanent Residency Visa. We intend to live in Thailand when I retire but freedom of movement between Thailand and Australia is important to us too.

After lots of investigating it was far, far simpler for us to marry in Australia. We had already done the Australian Visa thing, which was a pain, but I wanted her to meet my family before we got married anyway. I'm assuming you're not being silly and rushing into this, take your time!

Good luck anyway mate, I'm sure you've had a good read around this site where you'll find a wide range of opinions regarding taking care of yourself in the Land of Smiles.

no not rushing into anything and she has been here to Ireland already and met the family etc.

Like you we are are looking to at a more permanent move to Ireland before eventually settling in Thailand but with the freedom of movement.

I believe the marriage will be recognised in Ireland once we have met all of the requirements and have everything translated back into English.

In one word: Don't

No, it's not what you think I mean.

What I mean is that it is, in my opinion, dangerous to get married to a Thai woman, in Thailand.

Realize that I am talking about registering the marriage. To be married with a celebration and monks, but to not register is fine.

Why would I say this? Because once a Thai woman officially marries she loses significant property rights. In addition, in-laws gain significant property rights. She can inherit land, but cannot purchase, once married. Even if she manages to purchase, or is given land or property, upon her death, the in-laws are free to come and legally take anything that belongs to her. (Consider that some things may really belong to you, now consider your Thai skills, along with your farang status, in both explaining and gaining your legal rights.)

It is far, far better that you marry her in your country and once married do NOT register the marriage with the Amphur. Again, if you want to marry in your country, and then come to Thailand to have a ceremony with family/monks, good, but do NOT register the marriage.

The net result is that she is married to you in the eyes of your country and gains all the rights therein. Yet she is still considered single in Thailand. In this status she gains all rights inherent in your country, and loses nothing, holding onto significant rights, and you are far, far more protected should she die before you. If you don't think you need such protection, with all due respect, you know very, very little about Thai culture, in which case I suggest that you start researching it.

Probably the biggest mistake any farang ever makes is to try to superimpose Western cultural views upon a culture that in the case of comparing it to America is ten times older. It is imperative to understand how Thai culture works. The underpinnings of the ways Thai people think, and often act is based upon their history--one CANNOT superimpose Western cultural values upon Thailand.

I strongly suggest that you buy Benjawan Poomsan Becker's book Thai Law for Foreigners and read it. It can be purchased on Amazon.com or through your local bookstore. Be warned: It stinks. Really, they used the foulest ink, it reeks of rubber. I kept it on a hot radiator for months before the stench dissipated. But it is a good book and well written, and regardless of what naysayers might respond to about what I write here, there is the authority along with references for what I say above.

Check out visajourney.com to see the K1 American process, your country must have a similar process wherein you can bring her there and marry.

Congratulations, but move carefully so that you two can have a lifetime of enjoyment.

Hi Thanks for the info. I didnt realise that she would lose the right to buy land! which eventually we would like to do but not for a long time.

Have not seen anything relative to the Thai wife-to-be submitting paper attesting to the fact that she is not currently married or is divorced, etc. Shouldn't that necessary as well, for the government or perhaps for the future husband?

After receiving some info from the Irish Consulate in BKK they seem to suggest she doesnt need anything like this as they can get all that info from her ID card/passport/house registration book.

I'd be delighted if I got everything done in BKK in 24hrs!

I don't want to rain on your parade, but from Guidance for Irish nationals wishing to marry in Thailand:

An appointment to swear the affidavit before the Irish Consul MUST be made in advance.

You should prepare the affidavit yourself in typewritten form on one page. On completion we recommend that you e-mail or fax the same to the consulate for review. This should be done at least 4 weeks before the date of which you are to swear the Affidavitt

You will also be required to complete an MP1 questionnaire form.

Our hours of opening are 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Monday to Friday excluding public holidays.

We charge Baht 840 per declaration and we can provide this service to Irish nationals only.

Please bring with you to the Consulate your passport and long form birth certificate as proof of identity, and evidence that any previous marriages have been terminated (death certificate or divorce certificate(s) as appropriate) together with a copy of your intended spouses passport or birth certificate with certified true copy of English translation from a registered translator. ORIGINALS ARE REQUIRED ; copies will not be accepted under any circumstances.

Thanks for that and dont worry you arent raining on my parade, it just would have been the idea situation

I'll make an appointment with the consulate and hopefully everything works out for us.

I sent an email of my draft affidavitt to the consulate so I'll see what they come back with. The sample they provide on that site is great.

Thanks again and anymore info anyone has would be appreciated

Rob

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the info, very helpful escepially 200 Baht for the express 2 hour service

That will definitely be used. I'd be delighted if I got everything done in BKK in 24hrs!

I'd also pay the few 1000 baht to have the dusk beach option too.

Did you have to make appointment in the Amphur office long in advance?

Thanks again,

Rob