matsky13

I just got my Newborn a Thai passport , 8 days including Songkran Holliday . Impressive Turnaround !

Now i will travel to Bangkok to apply for British passport , And also apply for Wifes and other Daughter's Family and general visitor Visa .Trying to synchronize visa start times (Is this possible or will they just start Visa from Proccessing date ?) and arrival of passport, on the UKBA website it states upto 6 weeks but anyone who applied lately may have a more accurate times . For either Passport and or Visa's.

Also reading some other posts , There seems to be some confusion as to weather the Birth cert needs to be translated and then Authenticated at MFA . (I understood only professional translation no need to go to MFA )

Same goes for Marriage Certificate .

Also I understand from previous posts that as i am taking Baby with me there is no need to have Photos Signed on the back , can anyone confirm this from experience lately ?.

From Mat, Stuck in Thailand under a mound of paperwork trying to see light at the end of the tunnel .

Tullynagardy I just PM you I just got my newborn a Thai Passport took just over a week inc Songkran . I was impressed !
Now its the British Passport , I wondered same thing as you ,
1. Need for photo's Signing ?
2. need for Birth certificate Veryfing at MFA (Grrrrrrrrrr).
3. Need for Marriage cert Veryfing at MFA Also ?

I understand they need translating by an Autherised Translater .

I wondered if you had done it already and how long you expect to wait , for it being posted back . I am at the same visit to Bangkok going to try and arrange Visitor Visas for my Wife and her other Daughter . I don't want to loose too many days on 6 months visa sat in Thailand waiting for British passport .So I would like to Ask for Visitor Vissa starting roughly at time of British passport Arival .

Thanks thats great to know , I will print off and photocopy 2 of everything before i leave for Thailand its much easier to do here in UK in my home .
In your reply you say "I don't think you need to provide photos to prove a relationship if you
are legally married - ie you registered the marriage at a Thai amphur (I
assume you did not get married in the UK, as this is your first
application for a Visa for her)."
My wife has been to uk before though she got a general visitors visa last year before we where married only her 3 year old Daughter is applying for first time . This week i have already ordered lots of photo's of us together as a family and some even further back to show length of relationship . I ordered them already 70 of them !! lol .. luckily i got them for free from an online company ! first order of 70 prints free. so nothing lost but even if you say i don't need them i will put them in applications anyway it can only help !

I have only one ordered 1 copy of ORIGINAL bank statements though so i hope photocopys of those will be ok ,as i dont have time to get another set of originals from the bank !

As you say its Ball Aching , I just received my cat O visa from Thai consulate in Hull ,posed it monday with the 135 pounds photocopy of wedding certs her passport and received my pasport with visa inside Wednesday. If only the uk visa was just as easy !!

Ok I understand , dont bother speaking to VFS, not many people on here seem to have gone through this situation though or are just not able to spend the time to post , But thanks for reading anyway .

Sanitsuk I will Pm you as i wondered if I need to double up on things like photos of us all together to prove relationship is real . I still dont realy understand if i am submitting 2 completely seperate visa apps or if the supporting documents ie Bank statements and photo's will be ok to supply for both ,or if i need to do 2 copy's of everything . if that makes sense .

TVE thank you i will check if she has the PHOR KHOR 14 , SANTISUK you make it sound very easy driving around Bangkok, we recently drove through , we only had to hop offf the main road to find a hotel near Don Muang airport , we Quickly realised we where not upto the task and had to pay a motorbike taxi to guide us in .I can see that happening again ! I rely on Sat nav here in the UK these days , but I dont have that over in thailand , we used the google maps off an iphone , but it was not that accurate in Bangkok. I am very good with a map , I used to drive all over London and all of the UK with a map on my knee no problem . But In Bangkok No Way ! Its a little more hectic you need eyes everywhere on the road , no holding the map up on the steering wheel .

Santisuk , Thats all great info , You are a real star ! I had forgotton about the need for original bank statements , I better get on with ordering them , my main personel account is online account
.

I will be driving to Bangkok as we will have a newborn with us is it in the centre or is it reasonabley easy to get to ! Regent house ?

Yes good idea about calling VFS, that should put my mind at rest a little , as you said the cost is quite considerable , but also the hassle and stress ,to go through all that for only one of hem to get the visa would be heartbreaking .

Gota go to work now but i will re red your great post when i get back and PM you about the outcome in a couple of months time ! thanks again !

Anyone ?

Hi I am returning to Thailand in a couple of weeks I will be hoping to get 6 month visitors visas for my thai wife and her 3 year old daughter while i am there , I was going to start gathering all the documentation/ proof i will need before i go. in case i need something that i have in the uk rather than struggle to get it while i am away .

I have been reading lots of other posts but not found one with exactly the same circumstances .

My wife tells me her ex husband has signed something that means the daughter is her responsobility , ( he has no contact except 1 visit in the last 18 months , to turn up and ask for money !, sounds a nice guy ! but i have never met him so will reserve final judgment until that time , if that ever happens .)

I guess this means sole custody , but who knows I dont read Thai or speak it to any great extent . what should i need to see to know this is true ?

I get on great with the daughter and have just spent 10 weeks together . I am more than happy to do all i can for her ,wich includes a holliday to the uk where i hope it will help her English language and also help us bond even more into a family unit .My wife gives birth in the next few weeks in Thailand !

I understand i will need 2 seperate visas

1 for a spouse visiting family
1 for my wifes daughter a standard visitors visa

I cant see a problem with the wifes visa ,( she visited the uk last year for 2 months ) I wil get all the photos , a sponcer letter with all the supporting evidence , (marriage certs ,divorce papers ,bank statements acomodation photos etc etc, ) jus as i did for her visitors visa .

for my wifes Daughter though i am worried about that .

1 accomodation , I have a spare bedroom that i use as an office I am happy to empty it and get a bed etc , but feel its a bit silly to do all that before the visa is issued !

2 Is there any tricky points i should look out for on application I know reason to return is going to be a clincher , but anything else ??

3 I guess i have to pay 2 visa fees , does anyone know the current cost

4 does it get any easier for a second or third or fourth application as i hope to do this for the next couple of years , As I save enough money hopefully to eventualy apply for permanent residency under the new rules , and also to give my wife and daughters chance to try life in the uk .

sorry for the long post , all help and advice will be welcome .I have loads of stuff to sort out re new babys passport , Thai visa for me , etc etc . I am sure lots of you are used to it , I am not good at dealing with this kind of thing . But I better get used to it !

If anyone has a simular expirience it would be nice to here from you ! I am naturaly worried about all this !

Chris i like your story with the bar owner , was he Thai ? I always think most things can get sorted in a bar ,its worked for me most of my life .

Thanks Tomo mine dosn't look exactly like that , but has the same info on ,So I guess it is what they want

Thanks its nice to here from people who have been there and done it , gives me the confvidence to go for it .I am still worried about the long form birth certificate though , The one i have is a4 size and has my parents name and address also the occupation , but is all typed and not hand written !

I am scared to get to Bangkok and it not be the right one , Its a little late hen do anything about it .

Has Anyone had experience with flexible flight dates , I will be flying to Los next month but dont know for sure of my return dates and even my outgoing flight may change as baby is due And i want to be there for birth , but get back to work in uk as soon as possible after sorting Paperwork out in Bangkok for babys passport etc ,

I had to change a flight with Etihad last year the cost was reasonable about 80 or 100 pounds , but the service was awfull , I had to keep ringing to find out if i actualy had a flight or not and was unsure right until the boarding .they would say we will ring you back but never did etc etc .

Was thinking of using Emirates , I have changed return dates with them in the past , they advertised a 100 pound fee , but It turned out this could be a lot higher depending on how quick i wanted to fly . Understandable i guess if the flights are nearly full , they can charge more .

I Just wondered how other people have found the flexible flights ?

Also i have the original birth certificate from my parents , but is this the "long form " they refer to , I cant seem to find any solid information about this either . Some one must have done all this recently already ,

Have I miss understood the notes on the Consulate web site , is it a requirement that the baby's passport photo and application need an Authentication signature ?

Hi Everyone My Thai Wife and I ae expecting a baby in the next month ,we hope to travel to the uk shortly after the birth ,I am now in the UK , but hope to be back in Thailand for the birth where i will try to get the new Thai and UK passports for the baby , I will also be trying to get a Thai passport for my Thai "stepdaughter" I had a look at the British embassy first passport link . the one problem i see is the fact they i ask for a profesional counter signature . I dont know anyone in her locality for 2 years who would qualify . It does say a letter explaining why this is the case would be ok , i just wondered if anyone has done this already .

I have had some great info on Thaivisa over the last year it has helped me gain a visitor visa for my then girlfriend and then lots of info helped me jump through all the legal hoops and we are now married .has anyone got any links to comprehensive check lists needed for new born baby and legal requirements for travel to the uk or other countries as its probably all similar I have been piecing stuff together myself, But just wondered if something was already out there ?

I have lots of other questions regarding health care, and benefits in uk for Thai/UK baby and also about pre schooling availability for a 3 year old Thai Stepdaughter here in the uk . Maybe start some new topics re this ?

All help welcome

Q.1: That might be best, if it is not too much trouble. Some immigraiton offices want to see (a copy of) the embassy confirmation letter for an extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai.

Q.2: That depends on your situation. You might want to inform the tax office in your home country and think about pensions etc. pension fonds might also want to know if you are married (and have kids).

There is an option to register the marriage in the UK so you can get evidence of your marriage from the UK registar. But most times it is enough to show a copy of the Thai marriage certifcate, legalised by your embassy.

Q3: The baby will have both Thai and UK nationality. You should apply for both passports, so the child doesn't need a visa for either country.

First you register the birth at the local amphur where the child is born and also put it on a household registration book. Now you can apply for a Thai passport for a price of 1,000 baht (for 35 baht they wil send the passport to your home a few days later).

With the Thai birth certificate you can apply for a UK-birth certificate (if needed) and UK-passport. The embassy website has detailed information on what to do.

Unless you expect a complicated birth, a local hospital will be fine. Local government hopsitals will also have private rooms, for a price. It is normal that the family stays with the expecting mother and takes care of her.

Thanks for the replys guys , All great info .

I managed to get a copy of the affirmation and all the other documents the local Amphur handed the lot over and pointed us in the direction of the nearest copy shop . Amazing you wouldn't see that in the UK .

I think i have not fully understood my responsibility's regarding the marriage documentation though . Should i now have a translation done of the certificates and Khoro song and then do i need to visit the British embassy , and if so when ??

I had a look at the British embassy first passport link . the one problem i see is the fact they i ask for a proffesional counter signature . I dont know anyone in her locality for 2 years who would qualify . It does say a letter explaining why this is the case would be ok , i just wondered if anyone has done this already .

I will check lots of your posts Mario as you seem to very clued up on all this stiuff , I will be away from the computer a lot over the next few weeks though ,so please don't think i am being rude by not commenting on your reply's .

I appreciate all the other comments , I am aware the school situation is far from perfect here in Thailand . but my view of British kids is not great. they seem to have little respect for anyone and the level of there education also leaves a lot to be desired . So its not a simple decision .

I have looked into the UK settlement situation and that is not an option at the moment with the new rules as of June last year .

.

Hi all , I have just got married here in Thailand 3 days ago , we have 2 flowery marriage certs and a( Khor hor 2) document . I foolishly forgot to take copies of the affirmation to marry original and the translated certified document from Bangkok Office . I have a copy of the translated affermation but from before it was authenticated .

Q1 Will i require this for the future and if so is it worth rushing back to the local Amphur to see if they can dig it out to photocopy ???.

Q2 do i need to do anything else re my marriage either in Thailand or UK ?? for legal purpose or to make life easier with future visas settlement, baby pasport etc etc .

My Wife is expecting my first and her second child in 3 months time , she will have it here in Thailand (not sure where yet I have seen the local free hospital and was shocked and a little concerned , A private hospital may be a better option but will ask for advise on another thread !!).

Q3 we hope to get a 6 month visitor visa ( already had a 6 month last year thanks to all the help on this Forum !!) but this time will be taking new born and maybe her 3 year old MIL permitting ). So we need a pasport for the baby as soon as possible after the birth .what do i need for this documents ,visits to Bangkok Embassy's Etc etc,

Q4 what is a reasonable turn around for all this at the moment ??

In my mind i had imagined the baby born mid April when we would apply for a 6 month visitor visa for my Thai wife , and at the same visit to Bangkok we would do the baby passport and anything else we need to do e.g get passport for her 3 year old , after the wait for the visa ( visa's ) we could then start to plan the trip to the UK i think this would be around 6 weeks .

hopefully all fly to UK for 6 months Where i can get back to work , before returning to Thailand at the end of the year . where i would join her for extended holiday . and hope to do the same again the year after .

We hope to spend at least 8 months of the year together this way for the next few years , until a more permanent solution either here in Thailand or in the uk .

Any one with good info will be greatly appreciated and even opinions will be happily received .

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts, sorry to post and then dissapear I have had some realy heavy stuff to deal with since i posted and i have not been on TV since , Ironicaly its regarding a large property insurance claim , and them trying to get out of paying up via the small print !! .. I am having to get lawyers in to get through it all ..

So I will be using my IDL that i picked up from the PO for £5.50 took 5 mins all i needed was a pasport photo and my photo licence including Paper counterpart !!!!. will be getting my Thai licence also the first chance i get , on a tourist visa this visit , but may try it on that if i have a spare half a day . I know some people say it needs to be a non tourist visa ,and others not ? .... and i have already asked the Fiancee to check with insurance company ....How rediculouse was the post "I have driven thousands of miles in LOS and never had a problem , but never been stopped or had an accident though "?.......I hope it was a joke .....

My current situation just shows the insurance companys will use any discrepencie to get out of any claim , they are totaly ruthless , Its a simple calculation to them

1 how much is the claim ?

2 How much time and cost is it to investigate the claim ?

3 is it worth the difference to investigate ?

simple the worse your accident the less likely they are to pay if you have not crossed all your t's and dottted the I's then you could end up realy screwed

It Happened to a good friend some years back , he Killed a guy , (Jumped out in front of him) and insurance tried to get out of paying because he had not declared the wheels where not original ,(any modifications clause ). He had bought the car from a main dealer and didnt know any thing about the slight difference in wheels !

It was hard enough coming to terms with someone splattered over the front of the car ! but then the lousey insurance nearly ruining his financial life . They paid up in the end , but it was a fight !

Hi all I wonder if anyone has got information relating to driving in thailand on UK full license ?

I will be driving my girlfriends car in thailand , she tells me its the car that is insured and not the person driving it , Its not the case in the uk , is this legal ?? , and will we have full cover for accident's etc. also will i require the international driving license that i apply to the AA in the uk for ??

I would apreciate any informed input ,thanks in advance ..

Really Glad its been dealt with so quickly ,I spend months at a time in Ao nang, I have heard lots of stories about muggings , bag snatching , and random violence around the place , but I have never witnessed it or had first hand knowledge of it happening to anyone i know . It is Horrific to anyone that is effected by it and I hope that the fast and rigorous justice that seems to have been served here will have a positive affect and put other criminals off and make them think !! Also I hope that the police presence in and around the whole area is stepped up And not just for people riding motor bikes without helmets! It is quite rare to see any police around in the evenings so a few more around asking a few questions of local and tourists hanging out in gangs or acting suspicious , or causing a nuisance will only help ..

I hope these stories do not put people off visiting what to me is a beautiful and very friendly place .these incidents are isolated , 10's of thousands of people visit the area from all over the world with only good experience's . but good news rarely makes the headlines .

Don't miss understand me this was a an awful attack on what seems to be an Innocent couple who will be scarred mentally and physically for life , When you put that against the three years the 17 year old got , It still seems they got away lightly .

I just hope the Tourist trade does not suffer too badly , Its been tough enough over the last few years as it is .

Well done to the OP for all his input and rescuing of the man involved and his reporting on here . and good luck to the couple and there family I hopethey recover quickly and don't hold the experience against the whole of Thailand ...as for the cowardly criminals , I hope they have lots of time to think about what they have done ,sometimes prison doesn't seem to be enough of a punishment.

Sorry I cant help about the drive I only flew down there , I have driven from Krabi to the peir for Samui , but it was a no stop drive , so got no info except it was a good road .

I hope someone can give some advice , there must be some good stop overs along the way .

Hi , some great things to do around Krabi for family's , take the 5 island trip from aonang beach ,its a long tail trip if there are a few of you , take a boat for yourself's .the captain of the boat will be your private guide for the day, make sure he takes you around chicken island so you can see the chickens head . with your own boat you can stop on every island for as long as you like .i think for around 2500 for whole day . (take your own food and drink as not much choice on islands and poor quality .)

the hot springs and emerald pool is another nice day out ( be carefull on your way you dont go to the wrong hot springs !!!, about 5 km before the free ones is a posh hot spring therapy place this i have not visited and cannot coment on them . the ones i have been to are free to visit except the national park fee and are quite close to the emerald pool take your own car and its a great cheap day out .lots of food places near the hot springs , but not so many at emerald pools.

on the way to the pools you could visit tiger temple near Krabi town , but unless you are all young and fit , I would go to temple for a morning and just chill on the beach in afternoon , Its a great place to see the sunrise , fantastic views 1237 steps to top!!!, do it early in the day if you want to get to the top without passing out ( go slow and its not so hard !!).

Rock climbing lessons on Railey Beach for the total beginer is fun ! also some great snorkling off local islands ie (Koh Poda ,Koh chicken, Koh Ha and many more ) . lots of the local dive operators will also take you out diving or snorkling on a choice of boats and budgets.

There are 3 beaches at ao nang , Monkey beach ( the most popular, but still pretty quiet compared to Pattaya) Centara beach where ther is a private hotel behind ( but beach is open to public ) and the beach i enjoyed was Npharatara its a long long beach that all the local Thais use great for picnic on a weekend under the trees watching the locals cooking eating and enjoying themselves .

Ps I would love to here how the trip goes , I plan to drive down from Udon to Krabi later this year ,and would love to here of any interesting or unusual things along the way !

Just wondering what i can and cannot post to to Thailand from uk . My Thai fiancees family all loved the chocolate she recently took back home with her . I would like to post some but wondered if its likely to get there , and is it likely to be edible or just a melted blob ?? I planned to send it in a foil jifi bag ?

And does anyone know of a website with whats allowed to bring in or post , most Thais like to bring or have posted in there own food stuffs , I once saw a lady with more chilli powders ,dried frogs etc in her suit case ,she was flying to sweeden , but i would love clarification of what i and she can and cannot post or bring between uk and Thailand ?

Im sure lots of you have storys to tell about this . thanks

Some good points 7 by 7 .Lawyers getting rich now thats a surprise .

I am very Nieve , It wasnt until speaking about this at the weekend ,i realised .foreign visitors have the option of throwing there pasport away and refusing to tell the authorities where they are from , or claiming asylum for some bogus reason !. So my simplistic view above is irelevent anyway .

You seem very knowledgable about all this stuff, Could you point me in the direction of some information regarding the Labour government starting this ball rolling , As i hope to visit my local MP (Labour) ,and set out my case , But I am sure they will blame the current government ,so it wiould be nice to be able to hit back with some print outs of there guilt !.

I dont expect my moaning to my MP to make any difference for my case , but its all i can do to make my voice heard !

I will find a way around my situation .It may be messy and take longer than i would like , But i will be succsesfull. (posetive thinking here !!)

But i am in a much better situation than lots of others I am sure ,dont get me wrong it will be bloody difficult. but i will get there. I just hope as the goal post seem to change I can continue to qualify ,

Hi

I am self employed and have been for 27 years in the service industry. Recently though in the last two years I have suffered in the recession but things are now starting to pick up. My last financial year showed income of under £13000, and a very small private pension.

I have been selling some of my assets which include pictures, antiques and the like to support my Thai wife and our two children who are British.

.

I own my house and have been letting a room for which I receive Housing benefit.

Its not clear in any of the Fnancial Requirement Form or Notes whether this is a "permitted benefit" or not .

Please help as only seems to mention Maternity and Bereavement benefits.

So am hoping I can use earnings from self employment, non-employement income and permitted benefits to make the financial requirement.

Have been watching these blogs for ages and its the only way to get any sense of things.

Excellent. Please help.

Hi ToHugh, I agree the ukba website is terrible ,anyone would think they dont want foreigners to enter the country the way its set out . I had to laugh (through gritted teeth )when i was applying for the visitor visa for my fiancee before the olympics , the hoops you have to jump through just to holliday in the uk its a joke . and they where spending billions to get more people to visit the UK .

They need to sort that website out .

I dont know if you just miss typed your reply above ,"Previous to the last two years my turnover was in excess of the financial requirement of £18600" but as a self employed person i understand they are not interested in your turnover , only your net profit !!! .

Its a stupid way to decide things I agree , we have to get it to the attention of the powers that be , how long it will take before they change it i dont know . I cant understand why they cannot just say anyone is welcome to come to uk if you can support yourself and dont want to rely on public funds.Tthe first time you do , you will have to come in for a chat , and a decision made as to weather you are likely to continue to be a drain on public funds or not , if so , sorry but back to your original country .if its jusa tempory ilness a bit of bad luck or whatever ,maybe come back in a few months and a new decision will be made .

Maybe thats a bit symplistic buit I would love to here everyone elses opinion ! maybe i am off topic , I am not so sure about the forum rules .

This is certainly on topic , What happens to anyone going through the 5 year probation period who finds themselves ill or loooses there job , do they instantly seperate you from your loved ones and deport them ??. and would you then have to start the whole proccess again ?