MW72

IMA_FARANG, thanks for the advice. I am from the UK. I can easily enter Thailand just now on a 30 day tourist visa so no issues there. My job means that I won't need more than 30 days at a time but I am just planning for the future if things work out with my Thai girlfriend. I appreciate the advice on foreigners losing their money. I have read a few sad tales in different forums which is why I want to get the best advice on how I can ensure I am covered legally if I buy property. I know 2 guys in Thailand and one is happily married with kids and a beautiful house in the country. The other one spent all his life savings on a house in his girlfriend's name and once it was finished she ditched him and now he is back in the UK working at the age of 60 and he doesn't have a penny to his name.

Well I have a Thai wife and yes she costs me money. She was working but what she was earning was not worth the inconvenience it caused, Today we do and go as we please provided the money is always there. for the most part it has been.

When I came over the second time I went to the Thai Consulate in Vancouver B C Canada and got a 60 day multiple reentry. It allowed me to enter the country 3 times. I did not have Thai Visa to explain to me that on each 60 day I could go to immigration and get it extended by 30 days. Thereby having 270 days here with only having to walk across the border and come back into Thailand twice. The one time in Mai Sai took me 10 minutes.

As has been said several times here and you seem to think differently. You can not own land in Thailand. You can own a house but you can not own the land it is on.

If you were to set up a bussiness and have at least four Thai emploies you wouldd then be able to have the company own the house. You can how ever buy and own a condo.

You talk about one friend being happy here and another being taken to the cleaners. Yes that happens a lot. But look at the people being taken to the cleaners. Most of them are lonely and willing to try thijngs they would never try at home. Many of them meet there true love in the bar she is working in and several months later are married. Do they do that at home?

Don't get me wrong there are many marriages here as any where welse in the world that are started with all the right things going for them but the people tend to drift apart. That is a world wide phenomena. Not just a Thai thing. Also there are many happy ones such as your friend and I have. Remember it is the squeaky wheel that gets the greece. Most of them are well lubricated and don't make a lot of noise about it.

Many of them involve a big age difference. As the older one ages they slow down or change their priorites and the younger one is still in the active part of their life they were in when the older one met them and he was still in his active part. soon to change directions.

As you mentioned the age difference I thought I should say that the guy I know who got taken to the cleaners was at least 30 years older than his gf. My friend who is happily married is only 6 years older than his wife. They have their ups and down like any married couple but they work at it and are generally happy. I'm 41 and my gf is 34. We've been together for 2 years now and so far so good.

My Thai wife and I just had our12th anniversary. In February we will of been together for 15 years. She is the best thing that ever happened to me.

I hope I am as lucky as you but then I doubt it was luck that kept you together. Lots of hard work and compromise.

If you read enough of these posts here after a while you start to see a trend,,,

You can say there's one born every day (you take a number, it's your turn now)

If you read enough of these posts you will read that there are many of "you" but there

are many of "us" that are now looking to leave this country for many reasons, so i would

read very closely the posts and advice on this POST because i would agree with the

majority of them, they are mostly all correct in their advice, my version after 7 years

here is that if you are not cashed up or have a steady income stream then you will be

in serious trouble in the future, Thailand will drain you financially and emotionally and

eventually you will fall into a whirlpool of insecurity, you need someone or something

to fall back on should things go wrong,,, in the western world we call it insurance but in

Thailand, is it called love.

" Thailand will drain you financially and emotionally and

eventually you will fall into a whirlpool of insecurity ..."

Hardly anyone here wants to take responsibility for his own poor decisions. Far easier to blame everything on Thailand and those sophisticated Thai women who out-smarted them.

There do seem to be quite a few farang here who have married Thai women and who are quite happy with their lives together. I wonder what the difference is between them and the incessant whiners.

I like your point of view. I know plenty of guys in the UK whose wives have taken them to the cleaners so this is not just a trait with Thai women. The bottom line is if I spend my money and lose it all then that's my call. I just want to invest carefully and get advice from the guys who have previous experience both good and bad.

Here's good advice: Don't move to Thailand because of a woman. Move to Thailand because you really love it there and want to be in Thailand and can take even the downsides because of it.

Good advice. Even if I split with the gf tomorrow I would still be looking to live in Thailand. This is a long term plan for me. I loved the place before I met the gf and I don't fancy growing old in the UK. I have spent most of my time in Thailand out in the countryside and not in the cities. It is the countryside, the food and the people I like. The gf is a major bonus also

Thanks ubonjoe & 96tehtarp, I'll check out those links and Sunbelt. Much appreciated.

IMA_FARANG, thanks for the advice. I am from the UK. I can easily enter Thailand just now on a 30 day tourist visa so no issues there. My job means that I won't need more than 30 days at a time but I am just planning for the future if things work out with my Thai girlfriend. I appreciate the advice on foreigners losing their money. I have read a few sad tales in different forums which is why I want to get the best advice on how I can ensure I am covered legally if I buy property. I know 2 guys in Thailand and one is happily married with kids and a beautiful house in the country. The other one spent all his life savings on a house in his girlfriend's name and once it was finished she ditched him and now he is back in the UK working at the age of 60 and he doesn't have a penny to his name.

Hi folks. I am a newbie to Thai Visa and I am hoping some of the more experienced UK expats can give me some sound advice. I have been to Thailand a few times in the last 3 years and I intend to go back in April next year for Songkran. Yes, I have fallen for a lovely Thai woman and I am thinking about spending more time in the country. It seems to me that it is pretty hard to obtain a Thai visa and without one, buying property and opening up bank accounts seems almost impossible depending on who you talk to. Can anyone recommend a good English speaking lawyer in Bangkok that I can visit when I go out next and get advice on visas, property ownership, setting up a company etc. etc.

Your advice on this minefield is greatly appreciated.