Change Surname Of Thai Wife

[ZZZ]

My wife kept her last name. I figured it would be best in the long run because I don't intend to live in the states ever again.

So are you going to take your wife's name then

Seriousely, is it possible to take your wife's name when you get married in Thailand??

I know this is possible in most western countries but not as common as the wife taking the husbands name.

[Gary A]

My wife took my last name and changed her house papers, land papers and ID card. She has had no problems with anything. She also feels a lot better when she checks us into hotels.

[thai_narak]

My wife took my last name and changed her house papers, land papers and ID card. She has had no problems with anything. She also feels a lot better when she checks us into hotels.

This is very true. When my wife was still my girlfriend, checking into hotels was horrible they looked at her like a wh@r%. Now that we are married and using my last name those episodes are over.

[pastyman]

My wife has recently had conversations about this with friends of hers who are also married to foreigners. One has a solicitor as a friend (also married to a foreigner). The solicitor's advise was to have the maiden name on the ID card as a middle name. Her rights are not changed by marrying a foreigner, but apparently the addition of a few extra letters greases the path in some areas. TIT!

[jimrea]

Does not exactly support the genuineness or authenticity of the marriage having different surnames on major documents - JUST MY OPINION (I have NO experience)

Thats very 'old fashioned' in 2007 It's not only the famous who retain their maiden name these days.

I accept what you say and of course the rich and famous do not come under suspicion by Immigration.

I was referring mainly to the possibility of trying getting a Resident Visa for a new Thai wife, if you have courted her mostly indirectly (e.g. over the Internet), her English may not be good (your Thai nil) and you have not lived with her for long (if at at all) at the time of marriage. These are ALL signs the EU Immigration are looking at for a "suspect marriage". I am NOT saying the marriage is not Bona Fide, just that these are grounds for reasonable suspicion (especially if several apply). The Thai wife ALSO not committing to changing her name adds to Immigrations nervousness and suspicion. I was not attempting to pass judgement and I agree with what you are saying (why should a wife automatically have to give up her name - although my understanding it is common in Thailand as it is in the UK) I WAS trying to give an example of a possible practical problem (fair, prejudiced or not).

I am sorry if I appear "old Fashioned". I was trying to recognise in the Modern age MANY Foreigners meet their wives over the Internet, marry after one or only a few "in person" contacts and then try to get "marriage Visa's or Residency for their new wives in their country. I am merely pointing out that not changing the surname to that of the husband change does not add to an EU/US etc. Immigration Office confidence.

I am told Immigration are NOT usually querying the marriage genuineness of THEIR citizen, but the motives of the foreign wife from a poor country coming into their country. They fear (as often happens) the wife"disappears and overstays as an illegal" once in their country OR "holds out" with the marriage for a minimum time before "not needing their husband" to be able to stay in their own right.

I in the past tried to bring my first Thai wife into Spain. I was advised ALL the above examples INCLUDING the surname not being the same would be unhelpful.

The surname in my case was not an issue as my first wife bore my Surname. My first wife did however turn out to be a major Gold Digger with considerable deception, lying and planning to initially cover up that fact. She only wanted a great time, holidays, clothes and GOLD whilst I was married to her and IN Thailand, and then she tried to get me to go back to Spain ALONE (whilst I tried to get her VISA -which she never intended taking up) and keep sending money to her so she could stay in Thailand and keep her University Thai boyfriend. I only found out about him after I went back to Spain (having already finished with my wife).

Several people regretfully felt unable to interfere and tell me what was going on behind my back even though some had become my friends. HOWEVER, thankfully ONE did feel uncomfortable with the deceptions of my first wife (which she found out late herself) and made several BIG HINTS as best she could to try and protect me. Long story, but that Lady is now my wonderful and kind second wife and I have chosen to live in Thailand with her not take her to Spain.)[/i]

Regards, Dave

I found daves advice most helpful.

we wish to obtain a Uk visa soon for my wife.

she certainly was of the view that a change of surname was appropiate for her for hotels,respectabilityand to show marriage

On that basis ,I think I will arrange ,with my wife, to change her I.D card

Does she have to go back to her original province/issuing authority?

She also wishes to change her passport and I assume that can only help our visa application.

In passing i would add that we do not find the visa section in BKK very proffessional.

they seem to work in the assumption that you are telling a pack of lies,and also assume that every Thai should work for a REGISTERED business as opposed to helping out the family in ad hoc trade

also even if your wife has a job they opine that she will not have time for a prolonged visit!!!

Catch 22,if there ever was one!

queries by my M.P produced a pile of bile from them!!

jim

[jackr]

She doesn't need to apply for the 30 baht health system, she is Thai and just presents her ID card at the hospital, no problems.

Thais have to be registered at their home town hospital to be eligible for the 30-baht scheme or at least transfer elsewhere with the appropriate paperwork... just a Thai ID card alone won't cut it to get treatment anywhere unless it's an emergency and they present their hospital original card.

Perhaps it's all changed

[samran]

What happened: On applying to renew a Thai passport over 4 years ago at the Sydney Thai Consulate the officers there refused to do it. She had all proper documents but the excuse they used was "your married name is on your Australian Passport, you can't get a Thai Passport with your maiden name". "You can not have 2 names."

Names miss matching can cause problems, but I still think it is better for her to keep her maiden name in Thailand.

While as I said above this wouldn't happen to my wife as her name is the same on her British passport as her Thai passport (her maiden name) so she only has one identity. It is odd the experience you had at the Thai Embassy in Oz, why did she produce her Australian passport at the Thai embassy? In London they dont even ask if the applicant has a British passport all they require besides the completed application form is her Thai ID. Indeed many applicants dont have another passport.

The Thai passport had expired by about 10 years. She was using her Aussie one for travel. The Consular Officials wanted to know how she travelled so asked to view it, that is where the problems started. The Sydney Consulate is run by bureaucratic old Thai men, they are not helpful and just didn't seem interested. There were some staffers there willing to help but the senior older man stood over them. They could have given better advice than "go to Bangkok get it done there they won't check".

My mother had the problem of getting her Thai passport in her married name. What happened was that her old Thai ID still had her maiden name on it, so the embassy in Canberra fudged it a bit for her. They processed the passport putting her Thai madien name on it. When the passport was sent to the embassy from the processing centre in Bangkok, on the observations page they put a stamp in it saying that she was now married and traveled using my fathers surname.

In my experience, I'd go via the embassy who have the authority to do most things. They know their stuff, while the consulates are run by people who got the (cushy) consular gigs back in the late 70's or early 80's, the most they can do is issue visa's and write letters to state government departments in their juristictions.

[bmanly]

Thanks samran, always nice to hear from you.

I got a question to anyone who can answer with certainty. I know a Thai person can hold dual citizenship with dual passports and dual rights.

Q. Can a Thai person such as my wife keep the 2 surnames? Australian citizenship/passport with my surname in Australia and Thai citizenship/passport with her maiden name in Thailand? Is this legal? (Our marriage is not officially registered in Thailand). I don't know and it hasn't been an issue for 17 years?

[lopburi3]

17 years ago she could not. Today she can keep maiden name but ID card/home register should be changed to reflect marriage status. If she is married there she is married here; regardless of where the marriage was registered.

With new airline reporting (first of what will probably be much closer ID requirements) this might become an issue if she is using two passports in two names and may not be legal if she were to buy land and husband was not Thai but paperwork was not signed because there was no indication of the need.

[Neeranam]

I got a question to anyone who can answer with certainty. I know a Thai person can hold dual citizenship with dual passports and dual rights.

Really? Can my daughter legally keep both her passports(Thai UK) when she is 18?

[The Dan Sai Kid]

She will not be able to apply for the "30 Baht" (no free) health system.

WCA

A WP qualifies you for the 30 baht treatment - why you would want it is another question...

[bmanly]

I got a question to anyone who can answer with certainty. I know a Thai person can hold dual citizenship with dual passports and dual rights.

Really? Can my daughter legally keep both her passports(Thai UK) when she is 18?

My wife has both passports, both obtained legally, can't see why not as she is a citizen of both countries, cheers.

[samran]

Thanks samran, always nice to hear from you.

I got a question to anyone who can answer with certainty. I know a Thai person can hold dual citizenship with dual passports and dual rights.

Q. Can a Thai person such as my wife keep the 2 surnames? Australian citizenship/passport with my surname in Australia and Thai citizenship/passport with her maiden name in Thailand? Is this legal? (Our marriage is not officially registered in Thailand). I don't know and it hasn't been an issue for 17 years?

I can only explain the mechanics, but not the law unfortunately. I suspect there isn't a law against it though.

My mothers experience wasn't that she wasn't allowed to have two names in different juristictions. Just that her Thai PP name had to reflect what ever she was known as in Thailand. Problem was though, her Thai name hadn't been changed on the house registration books in Thailand. She was married in the early 70's in OZ, but the wedding was not registered in Thailand. She applied for her latest Thai PP in Canberra maybe 4 years ago. So even though the Thai surname was invalid in her case (she hadn't used it in 30 years), it still had to be used on the passport cover page.

The reason is, when producing the passports these days, the Passport Office pulls the data from the House Registration central database, so whatever is on the central database, goes on the passport, regardless if it is actually right. Once that was done, the embassy had the power to rubber stamp a name change on the observation/endoresements page, but it doesn't change the database back in BKK.

I actually had issues re-applying for my Thai e-passport in Oct 2006, as one of my middle names (I have two), were imputed into the surname line back at the Ampur. The passport office picked this up and there was a bit of hacking of databases to rectify the problem so that my passport only had one name on the surname line.

If it works though it is great, as the Thai PP application form is about three lines plus your ID card. Compare this to the Aussie PP application, and it is a breeze...

[Mahout Angrit]

Really? Can my daughter legally keep both her passports(Thai UK) when she is 18?

It is perfectly legal for a Thai to hold dual citizenship and to use whichever passport she finds convenient when travelling. See this recent article in the Phuket Gazette (the story is not relevant but the answer from the immigration police is)

Phuket Gazette

As has been discussed earlier in this thread it would make sense and save a lot of hassel for both passports to show the same identity as ID is checked against air ticket name

[drummer]

If take her back home then you might need the name change documents. You will have to change all the documents (including her passport).

No, she does not lose any rights if she uses your name. My wife uses my name on her ID and passport and has had no problems buying land, buying condos, buying cars, or registering my private plane in her name. Many years ago it was a problem but no worries now. I wondered also if she would be treated differently because she has a farang last name and happily she is treated with respect just as before.

FYI - Hi-So Thais don't really have to worry much about losing their status. Its one of the reasons they smoke at a MUCH higher rate than middle class Thais.

In my (my wives, that is) experience, it is no problem, technically speaking, but sometimes she runs into the same problem of the poor woman who had the pills thrown at her ... some Thais do not like farang, and they like mia farang even less. A farang name can get her treated VERY badly on occaision.

Mostly it is no problem, and I do kind of like having the same last name. her choice, btw ... she didn't change her name for the first year. Before the name change, she never got that kind of blatant disrespect. Its pretty rare, but it happens.

Of course, if she's got money to throw around, then everyone will defer to her - thats just the nature of having money, especially in Thailand.

[rainman]

This is very true. When my wife was still my girlfriend, checking into hotels was horrible they looked at her like a wh@r%. Now that we are married and using my last name those episodes are over.

my wife has my last name and we haven't had any problems at all, except for the "a-one hotel" in pattaya. we used to go quite often a few years back and didn't have any problems, even when we were not married yet. but early last year, when we were already married, they suddenly asked for a "security deposit" for her during check-in. i kindly pointed out on our ID cards that she was my wife, even pointed out the same last name. the manager then thought "yes, but she's thai, we need a security deposit of 2,000 baht". i turned around, walked out of the hotel and never went back there. that was while they were renovating, though. maybe the manager changed or something. too bad, it was a very nice hotel.

but other than that, no problems

[jackmuu]

My wife has had my name on her ID for some time, does anyone know how and where we would get her passport changed? Cheers.

[lopburi3]

Assume you are somewhere in Thailand? Has the home register been changed?

The Passport office should be able to change but may suggest wife obtain a new passport using the new name as that is much clearer and passports only cost about 1,000 baht.

[gummy]

Assume you are somewhere in Thailand? Has the home register been changed?

The Passport office should be able to change but may suggest wife obtain a new passport using the new name as that is much clearer and passports only cost about 1,000 baht.

Yes Lopburi is correct. No problem but you should take copy of marriage certificate. If not married in Thailand you will need a translation of the certificate that is notarized

Other question by ANO is was dual nationality legal, again L is correct although it is only in recent years that it was actually legal for a married Thai lady to maintain dual citizenship.

Edited February 5, 2007 by gummy

[jackmuu]

Cheers guys', yeah, married here and living here and having dealt with so much red tape with other things I can see how a new passport might be the easier option. Thanks again.