Guemlum

Hi guys, have just a few questions regarding “affirmation of freedom to marry”.

Ok, so we go to the British Embassy in Bangkok to obtain “affirmation of freedom to marry” papers.

We cant make an appoinment for this service, so do we just turn up?

Can anyone recommend a translation bureau that they have used in order to get the affirmation translated into Thai, and how much this costs?

And do we just turn up or make an appoinment at the " Ministry of Foreign Affairs" in order to have the affirmation authenticated and translation certified. And also how much does the "express same day service" cost.

Thanks

Guemlum

Well done Mark and to the Mrs....I'm gonna be following your footsteps within the next few months and will be crapping it just as much.

Congrats again

Guemlum

Cheers guys, thanks for the reassuring posts.

Guemlum

u stole this from mr and mrs smith...

i am a German. we Germans invade, kill, rob, get drunk and rape. BUT WE DO NOT STEAL!

I thought "rob" and "steal" meant the same thing?

Hi Scouse, the settlement was just another option. Obviously we want to spend more time together, and being husband and wife makes this more important to do so.

It wouldnt be a sensible decision for me to even consider moving out there, based on financial reasons...job etc, so would therefore make more sense for me to take care of my wife back here, at no cost to public services.

Right now, we're just thinking about all the possible avenues, but more importantly, choosing the right one based on our situation.

Guemlum

Hi guys, its been a while since i last posted on here as things have been a bit busy.

My gf has since returned to Thailand after spending 1 month here in the UK, and she had a fantastic time meeting my friends and family as well as sightseeing. She had a strange fascination with Londons architecture, especially St Pauls Cathedral. Not sure what thats all about.

Anyway, I will be returning to Thailand in a couple of months time where we will be getting married. 2 years have passed by very quick, but have enjoyed every single minute of it.Now that we have survived the 1st visitors visa process, we are wondering what comes next.

At our next application, we will be husband and wife. I have thought about applying for the spouse visa enabling her to stay here in the UK with me for a period of two years.

She thinks it would be better applying for another tourist visa, this time staying for maybe 3-6 months, then applying for the spouse visa at a later date. We stuck to the terms agreed when we applied for the 1st tourist visa as we dont want to jeapordise any future applications.

Our job situations changed for both of us after we applied for the 1st visa and prior to her visiting. Mine for the better, and hers as a result of her boss falling ill, being hospitalised, and nearly dying around the time we made our first application.

She had the prospect of being promoted upon her return to Thailand, but due to this unforseen event, she found herself relieved of her position. Bit of a shock for us.

Her boss decided to take a step back from work, not go ahead with his original plans, downsize

and she now works with her sister in the family minimart.

So my question is, would it be wise to apply for the spouse visa once married, or go for another

visitors visa....and would her recent change of job make a difference.

We can get her previous employer to back up the above circumstances should this be required by

the embassy.

Thanks

Guemlum

Hi Marty, thats really strange about them not letting you cross?

Anyway, I'm in the UK right now and will be visiting Phon Phisai for the festival in October, as we are getting married in NK the week before, so I may take you up on that drink!!

Guemlum

Trevor, I used to travel from Phon Phisai to Laos every Wednesday where my friend would buy birds of prey. We never had any problems. However, if a visa run was neccesary then obviously NK would be the point of crossing. So as far as I know, Whiteys are still alowed to cross for the day, but you cant go outside of the village once in Laos. Its not particularly well known that this is possible, unless you are an expat in the area. On a few occasions, I only had to flash the passport but most of the time was just given a nod of the head as my companion was the son of the chief of our village.

Marty, you'll see for yourself just how "not busy" Phon Phisai will get on the day. Your Mrs is putting things lightly!! no offence meant, but you wont be able to move along the river front.

I lived in PP for almost 3 years and things never change. Gets busier and busier every year.

Enjoy everyone if you are going!!

Guemlum

Hi Chung Noi....I've been going to this event for the past 3 years now and have yet to see a fireball.

The most popular location to witness this phenomenon is supposedly Phon Phisai. Don't travel to Phon Phisai on the day of the event as you'll probably be queueing all the way back to Nongkhai in traffic.

The banks of the river are absoulutely full off people, TV crews, etc and there will probably be close to 200,000+ people. There's always an evening show of boats, highly decorated with lights that cruise up and down the river and are made by people from the surrounding villages; each boat representing each village.

My gf and I choose to witness this event at a location in the village of Pak Suai, just before you get to Phon Phisai. Its quiet, dark (so stand more chance of seeing something without the ambient light being around you) and even better, romantic. But unfortunately, I cant tell you whereabouts in Pak Suai,

As for activity on the Laos side, its usually too dark to see whats going on but I dont think they get as excited and take it as serious as the Thais. Maybe I'm wrong

The one thing you should experience, whether you hang around or not to see a fireball, is the atmosphere.

Guemlum

Lee, there's a massage shop in Nongkhai called "Healthy Garden", just by the Thasadej market. They are without a doubt the best masseurs/masseuses in NK, and I'm sure they could help out your GF with any questions she has.

From previous conversations I've had with them, most massage shops will give your GF on-site training but the real qualification "that matters", is from Wat Po in Bangkok.

Saying this, most Thais that I speak to about the subject of massage tell me that standards have slipped over the years at a certain well known school in Bangkok, ensuring that the true methods of teaching Thai massage will diminish in time. Its just a name, they tell me!!

Guemlum

My gf arrived at Heathrow yesterday evening and was through in 45 mins. In fact, I was still stuck in traffic on the M25 when she called to ask where I was.

She was asked minimal questions which were asked by an English lady IO who was very polite and helpful. These were:

1. Why she was visiting England.

2. Where she was staying in England

3. How long she was staying for

4. Was anybody waiting to greet her.

5. What her job in Thailand was.

All in all, for her first visit to England, I'd say she had a pleasant and hastle free arrival.

Guemlum

My sentiments as well as I'm a Man Utd supporter. Had we been playing the scousers, I'm sure we would have another piece of silverware for our cupboard

Guemlum

Just saw you post Giruz and wanted to congratulate you both. I know how you must feel as I felt the same when my gf was granted a tourist visa. I'm sure that scouse's help made for a smooth process.

Guemlum

Blimey, I thought it might have been "Thaicoon" for a moment, untill i scrolled further down and it revealed a name. He should have eaten the scorpion...it would have saved walking to that mango tree every so often. Shocking story if true though. It does happen.

Guemlum

The other thing I should have mentioned was budget. If you have a budget that you want to stick to and its got to be cheap then I would definately consider either Etihad or Qatar.

Various discussions on who is best and cheapest to fly with are always popping up on this forum.

I fly from the UK to Thailand on average 4 times per year and Etihad and Qatar have never been beaten on price. On average I pay about £400-£450 max for a return flight which does include a short (1hr 45 mins) stopover. When enquiring about flights with Eva or even Thai Airways, the price always comes up around the £600-£700 region (for a direct). Eva always advertise their prices on their website without the taxes, which looks great but then when you confirm and go to the next page it is added, bumping up the price. For the sake of saving a few hundred pounds, I dont mind the short stop-over in the middle east. The money saved is well spent in Thailand.

The recent flight I purchased for my gf to visit the uk cost me £430 and no other airline could beat this price at the time.

IMO, I also find the service, entertainment, food etc, with Etihad and Qatar, far better than that with Thai Airways or Eva.

One more thing, If your wife is nervous about flying or connecting with another flight, then Etihad can arrange a "meet and greet" service, FREE OF CHARGE. I have arranged this for my gf and she will be met at Suvarnabhumi airport and taken to her departure gate and then will be met in Abu Dhabi and taken to her conecting flight to the UK. She will also be met at Heathrow and taken to passport control. This service will also be used on her return flight to Thailand. If available, you can request a meet and greet using a Thai national.

Good luck Simba

Guemlum

Hi Simba, my GF is flying into Heathrow from Thailand next Friday 8th June and will be flying with Etihad. She will be stopping in Abu Dhabi and then connecting with another flight to Heathrow.

If it is just a case of connecting with another flight in either Doha using Qatar Airlines or Abu Dhabi using Etihad Airways then a transit visa isnt neccessary. In fact, correct me if I'm wrong but I dont think such a thing exists?. I understood that the whole idea of being in transit was that you were in the equivelent of "no mans land" , and that unless you were to stay for a period of time in that country, a visa was not required.

If she is in transit for 8hrs or more and will be put up in a hotel by the airline, then some kind of visa may be neccessary.

I had a stopover myself in Abu Dhabi recently and had to stay in a hotel. I was issued a stamp in my passport which entitled me to stay for a period of 30 days. I'm not sure if the same applies to Thai nationals, but I shouldnt see any reason why not.

I can only reply using my own personal experiences. I hope this helps.

Guemlum

Keep us posted as to the outcome giruz. Its a topic that I asked a question on a while back and am considering this visa at a later date should the gf's little holiday over here go according to plan, so I'd be interested as to the outcome and any advice or tips you can give on the process.

Alternatively, I could hire the services of the "scouse" as I heard he accepts payment in beer

Guemlum

I've flown a couple of time with Qatar and am now a frequent flyer with Etihad. I could go on forever about the plus points with Etihad, as they offer a truly superb service.

However Qatar slightly beat Etihad and are one of the five airlines given a 5 star rating by Skytrax. Visit this site if you want to know everything about these and other airlines...

www.airlinequality.com

Personally, I would fly Etihad every time. The last time I flew with them, I had an 8hr transit stop in Abu Dhabi. They put me up in a superb hotel and had personal Mercedes limo take me and pick me up from the hotel, and all paid for by Etihad.

Guemlum

Cheers eddie, I remember the post as I left a message of congratulations. We aslo found Robs post very helpful in putting together our application for a tourist visa, which we have since been sucessful with. The mrs will be coming to the UK in June.

I'm just trying to explore all the options available to us at the moment, should she decide that she likes the UK, and wants to come again. We may end up applying for another tourist visa, but we dont want to rock the boat just yet by going straight for the settlement. We also dont want to get married just to support a settlement application. In our eyes, this would be wrong. So I noticed that the unmarried partner visa was available, but after receiving several replys about having had to have spent 2 years together permanently, I dont see how this is possible.

Anyway, we'll get the holiday over with first come June, and then move onto the next step once she returns to Thailand. Thanks for your post.

Guemlum.

Hi scouser, thanks for that info. My g/f and I will have been in a relationship for 2 years come June. We can provide evidence of this as we have recently done so in order to obtain the recent succesful tourist visa. But we have not lived together for those two years. 6 months together at first followed by several visits. Is it vital for us to have lived together for those 2 years? or is maintaining a relationship in the way we do, considered? Thanks

Guemlum

Sorry cdnvic, I was assuming that a few of the regulars knew where I was from, however it does give a little clue under my username (Herts, UK), but just for the record, ENGLAND.

Guemlum

I've noticed that one of the available visa's incorporating the same entitlements as a settlement visa is that of an "unmarried partner visa".

Has anyone ever applied for one of these and been sucessfull, or know of the acceptance rate for this kind of visa over that of the settlement visa.

Guemlum

Thanks for the invite guys. I'd be more than happy to come, if someone would like to pay for my flight from Blighty . I'll even bring the missus.

PM the flight itinerary to me once booked.

Guemlum

Some of you regulars who know Thaicoon, both here and over in Thailand, might want to join me in wishing Thaicoon a very happy birthday.

So put on ur wellies, lock up the sheep and sing along in your best Tom Jones accent...

Cough, cough....

Penblwydd Hapus i Chi

Penblwydd Hapus i Chi

Penblwydd Hapus Thaicoon!!

Penblwydd Hapus i Chi

Hope you had a good day mate, and a few beers .

Guemlum

Well I dont know about you but I was enjoying those sweet little poems

Guemlum