Bardeh

I imagine it's mostly something to do with some sort of superstition. I will say, though, that once our son started walking they became incredibly handy to keep track of him. As soon as they went quiet you would know he was up to no good

I'm applying for my daughters first UK passport. She is eleven years old, was born here in Thailand and holds a Thai passport. I am British and her mother is Thai.

1) What documents does her mother/my wife need to provide?

2) What documents need to be translated from Thai to English?

3) Can anyone suggest and good translation service?

We've done family visit visas for four previous visits to the UK, but it makes sense to sort our daughter out with her own British passport. We live in Nakhon Si Thammarat so when we make the trip up to Bangkok I want to have everything right and not forget the dogs DNA Certificarte (!!!) as it's a long (and expensive return trip).

If you look at my list further up the previous page, you'll see everything you need. If you were born before 1982, I think you can forgo your parent's birth and marriage certificates, but better to check and make sure. Everything in Thai needs to be translated and stamped by the place that did it. I went and got them certified by the Foreign Affairs Ministry here just in case, but I don't think that's actually necessary as long as the translation shop you use is legit.

OK my appointment is on the 13th to apply for my son's passport. I'm going to go mad with all these bits of paper!. Can I just get a sanity check on my documents for those who've done this before? I'm a Brit, my wife is Thai, and I was born after 1982. Here's what I have:

• Colour copies of every page in my passport.
• Colour copies of every page in my son's Thai passport.
• Colour copies of every page in my wife's Thai passport.
• The application form, filled out and signed by countersignatory.
• Two photographs of my son, one countersigned on the back.
• My wife's birth certificate, translated and stamped by the Thai foreign affairs ministry.
• My son's birth certificate, translated and stamped by the Thai foreign affairs ministry.
• Mine and my wife's marriage certificate, translated and stamped.
• My original birth certificate, long version with my parent's names.
• My mother's birth certificate.
• My father's birth certificate.
• My mother and father's marriage certificate.
• Tabien baan with my son's name, translated.

Am I missing anything here? I don't think I am, but I don't want to go all the way down to Bangkok and have it be unsuccessful because I missed a document.

Why do you need your parents' birth certificates?

Because I was born after 1982, I think.

+1

what they can manage is not the point .....why would anyone want to do that in the first place ? when my hottie and i are in action there is no room for anyone else to sleep in my bedroom or for that matter even be there .....................

Its just plain weird and wrong.

How can you give your wife a good seeing to if there's a kid watching?

Anyone who has their kid sleeping in the same bed or same room as them, obviously isn't banging their wives.

Its plain to see on here that there's certain TV members who are controlled by their Thai ladies.

Those that have kids in the same bed as them need to wake up and smell the coffee. Its not to keep them safe and away from the bogey man, its because their Thai ladies don't want sex with them, and use the kid as an excuse.

Those that have another mans kid in the same bed need locking up.

Bear with me here, because I know what I'm about to suggest is weird and strange. But have you ever heard that you don't have to have sex in your bed? For example, spare bedrooms also exist! It's perfectly possible to make love in the shower! Hell, it's even just about feasible to have a go on the sofa! Bringing sex into the equation when you're talking about co-sleeping with kids says far more about you than those you are trying to disparage.

Yeah you're right weird and strange.

The world was in uproar when Michael Jackson confessed to have young boys sleep in his bed. Now clowns on here are saying its alright.

Get a grip.

So it's the same when Michael Jackson sleeps with stranger's kids in his bed as sleeping in the same bed as your own child?

What I'm saying is, the bed doesn't have to be a designated 'place for sex' that disbars having your kid share it with you. Don't get me wrong - if people would prefer to have their kids sleep in a separate room (actually my own feelings) then that's fine. Your reasoning for forbidding it is very strange and quite disturbing. Beds and bedrooms aren't only for sex, especially in a family setting.

Its just plain weird and wrong.

How can you give your wife a good seeing to if there's a kid watching?

Anyone who has their kid sleeping in the same bed or same room as them, obviously isn't banging their wife.

You clearly don't have much idea how Thai families live.

They still manage to have sex with grandparents, parents and children all in the same room.

what they can manage is not the point .....why would anyone want to do that in the first place ? when my hottie and i are in action there is no room for anyone else to sleep in my bedroom or for that matter even be there .....................

+1

Its plain to see on here that there's certain TV members who are controlled by their Thai ladies.

Those that have kids in the same bed as them need to wake up and smell the coffee. Its not to keep them safe and away from the bogey man, its because their Thai ladies don't want sex with them, and use the kid as an excuse.

Those that have another mans kid in the same bed need locking up.

Bear with me here, because I know what I'm about to suggest is weird and strange. But have you ever heard that you don't have to have sex in your bed? For example, spare bedrooms also exist! It's perfectly possible to make love in the shower! Hell, it's even just about feasible to have a go on the sofa! Bringing sex into the equation when you're talking about co-sleeping with kids says far more about you than those you are trying to disparage.

There is no mandatory requirement to submit "old" passports with an application. Indeed, the guidance says that previous passports are a document that you "may" want to submit to evidence previous travel. So, it would be wrong for an ECO to refuse the application solely because previous passports had not been submitted. In such a case it would be good customer service for the ECO to ask to see the passports if he had any doubts about the answers to questions about previous travel in the application form. If the application should be refused on this point alone, then contact the forum sponsor - Thai Visa Express - and they may be able to assist.

I understand that it's not mandatory, but it probably will be very beneficial for the application for them to see that she's frequently travelled abroad in the past without any issues with overstaying etc.

Yes, for sure, it would be beneficial to the application. The point I was trying to make is that the ECO shouldn't refuse the application because the passports weren't submitted, and that if he did, then you would have a good case for a review of the decision. I was also pointing you in the direction of professional help, should it have been necessary. Fortunately it wasn't.

Thanks for your advice

There is no mandatory requirement to submit "old" passports with an application. Indeed, the guidance says that previous passports are a document that you "may" want to submit to evidence previous travel. So, it would be wrong for an ECO to refuse the application solely because previous passports had not been submitted. In such a case it would be good customer service for the ECO to ask to see the passports if he had any doubts about the answers to questions about previous travel in the application form. If the application should be refused on this point alone, then contact the forum sponsor - Thai Visa Express - and they may be able to assist.

I understand that it's not mandatory, but it probably will be very beneficial for the application for them to see that she's frequently travelled abroad in the past without any issues with overstaying etc.

Crisis averted - she managed to get back into the VFS office and they let her include the old passports in her application.

As for why she didn't hand them in originally, I have no idea. I love her, but I wish she'd take a few moments to consider WHY we brought them with us if not to include them. I would have gone with her to the counter, but I was in the other office picking up my own replacement passport.

Anyway, thanks for the replies and alls well in the end so no harm done.

The title explains the situation. She handed in bank statements, supporting letters, tabien baan for her house, current passport, marriage certificate etc. We're applying for a visit visa to stay for a couple of months over christmas and new year to visit my family.

However, because the guy behind the counter didn't specifically ask for them, she didn't give him her old passports which show that she's travelled in and out of Thailand plenty of times in the past and never overstayed her visas to other countries. To me, this would be a good thing to show in the application.

Moving beyond my annoyance (and I am very annoyed because we've come all the way down from Chiang Rai to do this, plus the application fees) is there a chance they'll ask us to send those old passports separately once they realise they're absent?

I can't see there being a problem with our financials or anything else, so if she gets rejected for this I'm going to be f**king livid.

It turned out to be a smart investment for the russians who snapped up property here, now they're house is at least worth 2x more in rubles.

You hit the nail on the head my wife sold one yesterday ,he is over the moon ,but there are lots of Russian owned condoes coming on at the moment.

???????????? I do not understand how it is worth more in rubles. Please explain.

He bought when the ruble was worth much more, then it crashed a few months back, now he's sold it and his baht will get him many more roubles than he originally invested. Whether or not those roubles will have anywhere near the same purchasing power that they used to is another matter though...

Just as an update for this in case anyone finds it useful: my documents were accepted and my passport is ready for pickup. So it seems as if a rental bill or agreement WILL be accepted as proof of address.

I think both ow mai and me mai are ok ow mai is asking to get it (assuming the store has it) and me mai is asking if they do have it. I am learning thai so i may be wrong also.

You are wrong. Ow mai is asking if they want it. I am sure they didnt want any empty printer cartridges

Not necessarily. This phrase can also mean 'I want a new one', or 'i want some wood'. Perhaps staff in an IT shop would understand that this wasn't what the customer was expecting, but you never know in Thailand. I tend to go with the path of least resistance, or the simplest phrase that gets my point across. So, pointing to what you're holding and saying 'Mee a ni mai Krap?' is pretty much idiot proof. Learning the phrase for 'printer cartridge' and then asking 'mee (printer cartridge) mai krap?' is the next easiest. Neither requires much effort, and both are 100 times more effective than wandering into a shop in Thoeng, a rural area, and saying 'same same' to people who are very unlikely to have daily interaction in English of any sort.

SAME SAME kind of TV topic.

Just posters to criticize the OP and/or other posters.

I replied at the bottom of page 1, am not going to bother with reading next pages/posts.

So we should be commiserating with the OP that after nine years living here, he can't even muster a very basic question in Thai? If a foreigner came to live in your country and acted the same way, what would you have to say to them?

Also, most posters have at least attempted (with varying amounts of accuracy) to teach the OP how to ask the question he needed in this situation, not just criticized him.

"Mee a ni mai, krap?" = "Do you have this?"

Maybe this'll last you another 9 years

In English I assume?

Yes, I had him write his name in English along with his contact details. The addresses of both him and the house I'm renting were in English too.

I hope it'll be accepted, but if it's not I'm assuming Liverpool will let me know and give me some time to send them extra documents. If that's the case, I'll go to immigration and see if they can stamp something for me to say I'm living here.

I did the application today and gave them a receipt for my rental payment signed by my landlord. The girl told me that it was fine, after checking that the addresses matched on that and my application form.

Driving over the bridges in town over the past couple of days, I couldn't believe how fast the water level has risen.

I never complained about the price, just posted it without comment.

Like Le Meridien Sunday Brunch it certainly falls into the upper price bracket but it's nice to have somewhere local to go that's a bit better than average when you feel the need.

I also occasionally enjoy Maccas or local Thai food when I go out, it's just about having options.

How is Le Meridien Sunday Brunch, by the way? We keep meaning to go and try it out, but never seem to get round to it.

Seems they seek something official or governmental

The annoying thing is that if I just went by the UK government's official documentation, a photocopy of my visa would suffice as proof of residency.

The and/or clause would seem to imply the visa is proof enough. Anyway, I'll get a signed receipt from my landlord and hope it's enough.

Thanks Maestro, I'll do that.

Although, thinking about it, my wife owns a house in her village. We don't live there full time, but someone in an office in Liverpool doesn't know that. Could I just get something signed by her saying that I live there?

I have an appointment at Trendy tomorrow for a passport renewal, and I didn't think this proof of address stuff would be so important. Would a translated copy of my wife's Tabien Baan and a translated copy of our marriage certificate suffice, do you think? That's probably the best I'm going to be able to do on such short notice.

EDIT: Or could I type up a letter saying something like this?:

I hereby declare that (Bardeh) is currently renting the property at (my address) from me, (my landlord's name),

Signed,

(landlord's signature)

Has anyone recently been to renew a passport without proof of address? We rent from a friend of my wife's and for simplicity all the bills are in her name. I can't think of an easy way to get something on short notice that they'd take as proof of address.

It was pretty quiet yesterday, there was no queue and I was done in less than ten minutes.

I do have a question, though, about the beggars that sit on the bridge with their children. How is it that those kids are ALWAYS asleep? Do they give them sedatives or something? It's extremely depressing to see them every time I go

I have to go today to activate my next visa entry. Fingers crossed the rain will keep people away, I don't fancy standing in a queue in this weather!

For what it's worth, I recently applied for my son's first UK passport, and the time between application and the email telling me it was ready for pickup was only 13 days.

Did you apply for this in Thailand? 13 days really?

Seems very quick, but then again the retarded civil "Servants" in the UK have been getting a hell of a lot of flak over passports recently so maybe they have decided to get off their lazy asses and do the job they are paid to do.

Yup, it was far far quicker than I was expecting!