guavagirl

I am looking to obtain a marriage visa.

Would it give me any benefits!

This depends on what visa you are already on.

Would I be able to work?

No. You need a work permit to work.

Could I get a credit card?

Not unless you have a work permit and can prove that you make 50,000 baht a month or have at least 50,000 in a Thai bank account.

Thanks evadgib, will definitely do that.

Also, heard back for the two places I emailed. One is trying to sell me on allowing them to organise my wedding but did also tell me to check a flower shop in Maenam. The other said they had no idea.

I will be on Samui on Thursday and will let you all know how it turns out.

Thanks everyone. Yup saw that article as well as another when I did a search for wedding decorations, but neither have an address and both are a couple of years old. Thought maybe one of the Samui expats had some clue as to where it was.

When I am there later this week I will look around. If not perhaps Tesco or Big C will have a few goodies for me

Give some of the ones listed on here a call...maybe someone in the industry will spill the beans

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=weddings+samui&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=weddings&hnear=0x3054584120e1c783:0xfb22f8c147e21855,Ko+Samui+District,+Surat+Thani,+Thailand&ei=kOqZUYTOO8rMrQe6ooDgAg&sqi=2&ved=0CMMBELYD

I just emailed a couple of them. Lets see if they will help me out.

Thanks everyone. Yup saw that article as well as another when I did a search for wedding decorations, but neither have an address and both are a couple of years old. Thought maybe one of the Samui expats had some clue as to where it was.

When I am there later this week I will look around. If not perhaps Tesco or Big C will have a few goodies for me

Thanks for that, but I am actually looking for decorations for a wedding, not a children's party. Paradise Shop was definitely the name of the shop.

I saw this too. According to a friend of mine only the signage and front decking were damaged. No one in The Wave was injured but the driver is in hospital.

Thanks so much for your help. I will be over from Koh Phangan later in the week and will try to find it.

Anyone know if this shop still exists and if so where it is? If not, does anyone know where I can get party supplies/decorations?

I believe an artist is a job that a foreigner as not allowed to legally do here unless it is something extremely specialised work that a Thai can not do.

To get a WP you must prove that you are more qualified for the job than a Thai. In some situations this may require a diploma or degree but it depends on the job and on what sort of business you will be opening.

I have a WP and no VAT registration and have never had a problem, but I think it depends on what sort of business it is.

Realistically who knows. But you most definitely need a WP to teach. A way to get around this is to register your business as a consulting company as well as a restaurant/guest house. This way you are covered for all.

You can stay on your current visa until the extension of stay runs out and then get a non-imm B based on your WP (if you renew it).

I believe that they changed the law to say that of you are not married to the mother of your child than you can not get a non-imm O, otherwise you can stay on this visa based on the fact that you have a Thai child.

Only other option I can think of would be to get a double entry tourist visa in Laos, unless of course you are old enough to apply for a retirement visa.

My husband, who owns 70% of our company, had to prove that he could afford to have a foreigner on his payroll and invest in a company with a foreigner when we set up our company 5+ years ago. His parents put money into his bank account and he was interviewed by the labour board and had to present his university degree to prove he was educated. So I don't think this is new news but perhaps they never really implemented it that much before.

If you are married to a Thai national than you are only required to have 2 Thai employees for you to have a work permit. Also, as an American you have different laws than the rest of us when it comes to opening up a business and buying land, Best to consult a lawyer about this or even the Thai Embassy in the US.

Not sure, as I never go to Haad Rin, but there is a lingerie shop in Thong Sala/Baan Tai near the girly bars. It is on the left hand side if you are coming from Thong Sala and heading into Baan Tai.

In most cases this is true, however I have in two occasions been asked to see my WP upon re-entering on a multiple entry Non-Imm B. Not sure what would have happened if I could not present it. That said, my old passport had a stamp in the back stating I had a WP, while my new passport does not and I have not been asked since having the new passport.

I think I may wait a couple of weeks and see what happens. I have heard that her second consecutive tourist visa is soon expired, which means she will have to go get a new one, which will be her third. She may not be able to get it or may get the red stamp that it is the last one. If this is not the case then I think we may just have to make that phone call or at least have someone else do it.

Thanks again for all of your input. I will be sure to let you know what the outcome is.

I am entirely legal, 100% and have been for years. I did not report her before because I thought she was legal. Just found out last week that she was not.

No, I do not like that some of my friends are illegal, as they always seem to have money to travel, buy land, build houses, by cars, etc. Things I can not afford because of the cost of running a legal business here. But I choose to do things the right way, so I can't complain. They choose not to, so yes one day they will problem get caught, or someone else will report them.

My original thought was to wait until she gets caught, and with the recent crackdowns perhaps she will. But my husband wants to report her.

I do appreciate all of the feedback and will let you know when and what I decide to do.

She has already been told that if she doesn't do it legally than she has to leave. Her response was a vulgar one.

If it was not causing my business financial harm I may not report her, but this is not the case. And no she definitely does not want to buy me out. When she decided she wanted to stay and work numerous people told her to come see me first and that maybe we could work together. She was not interested. Anyhow, no legal company so nothing to buy.

I do realise that I am the only one that can make this decision. I just thought that perhaps a few people on here had some thoughts on it. Like what would you do if this were you and your business?

Like I said before, if she was legal I would not care and for the first few months I thought that she was and didn't lose sleep over it. Competition can be healthy.

So here is my situation. I have been running a business legally with a WP for the past 5 years, paying all taxes, extension fees, visas, etc. I have a specialised business and do not take any business from locals, but actually bring business here.My husband (Thai) owns the business.

Recently a 'newbee' has come to my village and set up a business that is the same as mine, which has directly affected our business. The problem is that I have recently become aware that this is being done illegally, with no company set up and no WP. She actually has a tourist visa. I don't mind competition but do it the right way, paying the ridiculous amount that I have to pay to be here and work legally.

Since finding this out my husband wants to call immigration/labour board and report her. But if he does this other people in the village that are also working illegally and are our friends may also get into trouble. What would you do? Would you call the authorities and risk getting others in trouble as well? Or would you leave it alone, as eventually she may have to leave anyhow.

Taking a salary would mean that you are working so yes you would need as work permit. Not sure how policed this would be though.

If you are in Bangkok than Laos is the best place to go to get your visa.

I recently did this and we had to bring someone along to be interviewed to verify that they knew us and our marriage was legitimate.