KBTexas

Thanks...we'll go that route.

But I still would like to know why a small western style cafe/deli is a bad idea.

You can get the Retirement Visa in USA before you come if you wish.

Info here.

http://www2.thaiembdc.org/consular/visa/Non-ImgLong.aspx

Heheh, wow! Never mind! (in best Rosana Dana voice) We'll do the retirement thing. Do they have something against marriage in Thailand? Or just marriage between Thai nationals and Westerners? That is even crazier than here!

Retirement is much less paperwork (for everyone) and you can do it yourself in one visit - marriage will require spouse to be interviewed each year and two visits as it is not approved on day of application and may require police visits to home to check on your marriage status.

Thanks for the info. I guess we'll see when the time comes. I don't really see either as being an issue unless the dollar keeps tanking.

If it is the same deal on renewal and reporting, either will work I think, though the marriage deal might have other benefits. Is there any difference in the cost of the renewal?

The only benefit is less money needed. 40,000 Baht a month income. Letter from your Embassy needed to verify this. Or if it is your Wifes income ,she will need record of tax payments

You have to re apply every year, same as the retirement option. Also have to report your address to Immigration every 90 days.

To get one based on marriage (no problem with pictures, etc., and no problem with neighbors once I move there full time), is there any benefit? e.g. you do not need to register every year?

To get it based on Marriage you need a family of 40,000 Baht a month Plus interviews for you and your Wife, home visit, interview with neighbours, photos of you and your Wife in and around the house etc.

Heh, ok, I get the rest of it...when in Rome, etc., but why is this a bad idea? There are McDonalds and Burger Kings all over, as well as all the other "mall" type fast food places.

We would like to start a small cafe that caters to western tastes. One thing I miss a lot when I go to Thailand is western style deli sandwiches.

Bad idea! Bad Idea!!

Ah, thanks for the input lopburi. So, I guess our best bet is to just put the 800k in a Thai bank. Then it would not be a problem.

So, if we started a business together, I could not legally work in it? How strange. We would like to start a small cafe that caters to western tastes. One thing I miss a lot when I go to Thailand is western style deli sandwiches. ;-) My wife is a Thai English teacher, and I have no desire to teach English, though I might do adult volunteer classes if there is an interest, unless that is also illegal. I try hard to follow the rules, but many of the rules there seem contradictory.

Again, thanks for the input. I do read much of the site, but get confused at all the options. ;-)

It is much more involved that just income - you need Thai language, meet various conditions and pay 100,000 baht and it normally takes a few years under review. It provides little unless you go further and obtain citizenship in another process. And this is very seldom obtained by males. At age 60+ do not believe there will be much chance (they have not allowed anyone on retirement many years). And even with that you are under review every few years so for young people it is a benefit but for older much less so. If you read the pinned items at top of this forum you will get a good idea on what is what.

Income in letter from your Embassy at 65k per month, 800k in Thai bank account for 3 months prior to application or a combination is retirement extension of stay from a non immigrant O visa requirement.

You have to find an employer that can obtain for you (not easy) or you have to set up company/employment in a field a foreigner is allowed to work. Most employment for Americans seems to be English language teacher and many, perhaps most, even in this field are not able to obtain work permits and have one eye out for police.

40k (I assume you mean baht?) monthly income is not a problem. So basically, if we have income of 80k a month for 3 years, I can apply for permanent residency? What is the retirement 65k? I only know of the 800k in the bank.

How hard is it to get a work permit?

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it.

If you do not use retirement extensions of stay you will have to prove 40k per month family income to extend on a yearly basis. The next step would be permanent residence but that is not something automatic and without history of tax payment on 80k per month income over a three year period it is probably not likely. Most people will have to use the 40k family income or the retirement 65k or 800k in bank methods the remainder of there lives.

There is nothing like a green card.

You must have a work permit to work regardless of anything else.

Firearms are strictly controlled so it is likely to involve a great deal of paperwork/money to import.

I am a US citizen. My wife is a Thai citizen. The K3 is for her to come here until I retire. I will be ~63 and she will be ~50 when I move to Thailand.

What is your nationality? At one point you say your are an "old Marine", which would indicate that you are a US national. At another point you say you "will apply for the K3", which is a visa to enter the USA and thus indicates that you are not a US national.

Your wife-to-be is a Thai national, I understand from your topic title.

What will be your age and the age of your future wife at the time of your move to Thailand?

The answers to these questions will get you more specific replies to your post.

--

Maestro

Hi all,

I am not ready to retire and move to Thailand just yet, but have a few questions for the resident experts. Any insight/help you might offer on them would be very much appreciated.

I live in Texas in the US. I am in a long term relationship with a teacher who will retire from teaching in 2011. I will retire here in 2013. When she retires, she will move here for the 2.5 years until I retire, and we will then (probably) move back to Thailand. The last year before she retires, we will be legally married here before she returns to Thailand and I will apply for the K3 visa then. Her present visa is a tourist visa.

So, my first question is, is Thailand like the US in that you can apply for a permanent visa if your spouse is Thai? (like a green card) I see posts about visa runs and the like. Is this a fact of life there, and I will do this at least once a year, every year, when I move there?

Second question: If there is a not a green card equivilency, what visa is needed to move there? I read about retirement visas and the like, but was wondering if there was a marriage visa, without the need for an 800,000 baht bank account?

Thirdly: If there is a marriage visa, will I be allowed to open a business there? We are looking at opening a small cafe. It would not be a problem opening it in her name, but it would be a joint venture.

And finally, and this has nothing to do with visas, but with general law, what is the law about private ownership of firearms in Thailand? I am an old Marine, and own a few firearms. Is it legal for me to own them in Thailand if I am not a citizen of Thailand?

Thanks for any info or insight you may offer...

Ken, howdy from a fellow Texan I take it your wife is a teacher in Thailand. You are asking for what retails for $129 or $350 in Texas. But my Thai 'husband' tells me that if your wife will go to Tesco-Lotus, Big C, Carrefour, etc., and ask for heavy duty full-length rain suits, they sell for maybe 200 baht, no more than 500 baht. Different colors, sizes for Thai women, etc., one piece or two-piece. If you want to pay 10,000 baht, the local real BMW dealer probably has it, also. I saw a lady wearing a hooded, heavy-duty plastic raincoat yesterday, but the women's dresses probably prevent them from looking stylish in pants.

Hi Blondie,

Yes, she is a teacher in Udon Thani. Maybe the issue IS one of fashion. But I will pass this along to her and see if she can find something she will wear.

Thanks for the info...I appreciate it.

Ken B

Ok, as with many Thai's, my Thai teacher wife drives her motorcycle every day, rain or shine. Unfortunately, she thinks a poncho is appropriate wet weather attire, and gets soaked to the bone when it rains. I have asked her many times to go find a rainsuit. Whether she does not understand the meaning of rainsuit, doesn't know where to look, or thinks her Farang husband is crazy, I don't know. (probably a bit of all three) She catches a lot of colds because of this, and to me, it is silly to ride around in the rain without at least a decent rainsuit.

I looked online for somewhere in Thailand I could buy the rainsuit and have it delivered to her in Udon Thani, but Thailand seems to be quite far behind in e-commerce. I could not find anything except cheap plastic suits, and most of those stores would not allow online ordering.

So, does anyone here know where you can get all-weather motorcycle gear in Udon Thani? Or a place that does e-commerce that I can order from and have it delivered to her? I am speaking of American/English type of all-weather gear. Heavy, waterproof Nylon and/or leather, zip pants legs, high closeable collar and the like. If anyone can point me to specific stores or sites, I would appreciate it very much.

Many Thanks,

Ken B - Dallas, TX

I am going through the exact same pita process. I never realized the face our government shows to people of other countries until I started dealing with this. My gf is a teacher in Thailand and has been for 21 years. She has a Masters Degree and teaches English. It would seem to me that her visit could be construed as educational, but the stories such as the one above, make me believe that our government does abroad exactly what it does at home; talks a lot of platitudes and bs, and basically is uninterested in anyone who wants to do things legally. If she flew to Mexico and walked across the boarder, she would be eligible for education, food stamps, and all the other free government programs provided for illegal immigrants. But because we are both educated and wish to do things legally, we are singled out for government harrassment, or so it would seem.

She would like to visit here during the school break in 2008, but with all of the horror stories of trying to get a Tourist/K1/K3 visa, I decided I would ask a specialist in immigration law. Basically, we just want her to be able to visit here once a year for a couple of months, and I will visit there once a year, until such time as she retires. At that time, we would like to live together here until I retire, when we will move to Thailand. Simple, right? If you answered yes, you obviously have not tried to figure out the morass of government bs surrounding this issue in the US. I will let others here know what advise I get on this. But at this point, I am not sure if our hopes will come to more than just wishes, thanks to our governments"enlightened" immigration laws.

On a personal note, I WILL start paying more attention to what elected officials say and think about our immigration laws. It would seem that the way they are written now, there are stiff penalties for wanting to do things above board and legally.

Good luck to all in the same situation!