i have some questions regarding divorce, visa to transition to, lawyers and child parental rights.
- i am legally married in Thailand to the Thai mother before our child was born. Last month, she left our house in Chiang Mai with the child to the parents house in the rural province, 6 hrs away by car. This was not the first time and marriage problems have been brewing for over a year. At this point, i would like to divorce the mother. My goal would to gain rights to my daughter to determine where the child lives, who the child lives with and where the child goes to school. Can this be done based on my income level, better city and better school that i can provide? Or do i need to provide additional factors for a stronger case? Has this ever been successfully done through the courts?
- she is refusing to allow me to take my child away from the house in the province to spend time alone with my child. I would assume i have equal rights as her and the police could not prosecute me. However, I don’t want to cause a huge disturbance. Given the mother is unwilling to agree to let me take my child away, what are my options given Thai laws that apply to me.
- the child is registered in Bangkok in the condo she owns. It is my understanding the court filing for child custody must be done in Bangkok due to this. Can anybody recommend a Thai family lawyer with a good track record in Bangkok? I do not need an English speaking lawyer.
- after the divorce is completed. What is the process i need to go through for my visa. Currently it is a visa based on marriage. I think i have the option of a retirement visa or child dependency option. I can meet the bank deposit requirements for either. Is one a better or easier option than the other? What do most people do? How long do i have before i have to change this visa?
- i assume there are many others who have gone through this same circumstance. Is there any advice you can give me or recommendations to help get me through this and ideally with a successful outcome. It’s been a little rough with the prospect of loosing my child.
Thanks in advance for any help, advice and recommendations.
