Moving to Thailand from Belgium with my thai wife

[Doktoor Decan]

Hi People,

 

 

I'm new here, apologies if my questions have been asked and answered already in another topic.

 

I'm currently in the process of finalizing my life in Belgium.

Business taken over and property sold.

I'm married to a thai woman for over 14 years now and we plan to move to Thailand by the end of July, so in about 7 weeks.

 

A friend and local thai expat advised me to register on this site and ask my questions concerning the move and the visa application.

So far I have learned that I will need an non immigrant O visa at first that in a later stade can be converted to another type of visa.

My plan is to start a new business in Bangkok, so I will need a work permit at some point as well.

 

What I don't know is if I can start with the visa application before entering Thailand or do I need to be physically present in the country.

Also, will a 30 days exemption be sufficient to get my visa or is it wise to get a 60 day tourist visa first?

Is having a fixed address necessary and do I need a bank account in my name with a certain amount of money in it?

 

I already asked quotes from a visa agent but their fees are outrageous and I was hoping somebody here can recommend me a trustworthy agency that works at acceptable rates. 

 

I have plenty of other questions but lets just start with this and see where it leads.

 

 

Thank you and have a good day.

 

 

 

 

[bubblegum]

Get your visa in Belgium ! After that it's just extension  of stay every year based on marriage. A new business depends on what you are planning. Lost of work is forbidden for us foreigners.

[DrJack54]

OP, you can obtain a non O based on marriage in Belgium.

 

Your OP is very clear and shows that you have done research.

 

Yes you can enter visa exempt or tourist visa and convert to non O marriage. 

The issue with that is will need to have a Thai bank account in your name only to apply for non O in Thailand.

400k baht on day of application.

 

The next step is 12 month extension and that requires 400k in your Thai bank for 2 months. 

 

Edit: just had second read of your OP. You do not have bank account. 

Entering on visa exempt not advised. 

The regulations changed recently.

Suggest non O in Belgium or tourist visa best option.

 

Which immigration office would you be dealing with. 

 

 

[BritTim]

You can run a business while on a visa/extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai.

 

Start with applying for a singe or multiple entry Non O based on Thai wife. You do this online through the e-visa system.

 

Is your marriage already registered in Thailand? If not, you will almost certainly want to do so, and it might be easier if you prepare the process before leaving Belgium. I believe you can get an endorsement from the Thai embassy in Brussels that your marriage certificate is valid, and (with a further endorsement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok) use this to register your marriage at an amphoe in Thailand.

 

Further steps can await your arrival in Thailand.

[OneMoreFarang]

5 hours ago, Doktoor Decan said:

My plan is to start a new business in Bangkok, so I will need a work permit at some point as well.

You have to register a Thai company (likely with >50 Thai owner), have an address with VAT registration (which can't be done in many residencies), you need Thai employees, and then it still takes time and there are lots of conditions.

And if you are new to Thailand then it's certainly a good idea to speak with more experienced people about your business ideas. Lots of farangs fail because they have ideas which just don't work in Thailand - at least not the way they thought they should work.

 

And my personal advice: Settle somewhere where you want to live. Not just a place where your wife wants to be and maybe where her family is. Don't buy property, especially in the name of your wife, if you are not 100% sure that this is where you want to live.

 

There are enough stories in this forum how not to do it. I suggest read a lot before you make the same mistake as others.

 

Good luck!

[Red Phoenix]

As mentioned already by other posters, the preferred option for you is to apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of marriage to a Thai national (it's an eVisa application and will be handled by the consulate section of the Thai Embassy in Belgium). 

The main reason for doing so is that without a Visa you will have big difficulties opening a personal Thai bank-account, and such a bank-account is required as you would need to show to Immigration when applying for the 1-year extension of that 90-day Visa that you have the required funds (+400.000 THB) on that bank-account. 

I did sent you a PM with more information.

[CecilM]

You should investigate whether your local business idea is even legal for a foreigner. The majority of jobs are prohibited for expats. Even a foreigner helping his Thai wife run her business can land him in trouble with immigration. 

[brianthainess]

Where did you marry?  is my first question, if it is not registered in Thailand it needs to be. Translation by your embassy will be needed then off to your local Amphur office (council office) to register it. 

[henry15]

Doktoor Decan, theire is a Facebook groep ,* Vlamingen in Thailand*. Most of the members living in Thailand. So a lot of experience at hand

[khunPer]

18 hours ago, Doktoor Decan said:

So far I have learned that I will need an non immigrant O visa at first that in a later stade can be converted to another type of visa.

My plan is to start a new business in Bangkok, so I will need a work permit at some point as well.

You can obtain a non-immigrant O-type visa either from Belgium, which will give 90 days of stay in Thailand, or you can enter visa exempt with a 30 days stay and after two weeks apply for changing from visa exempt to non-immigrant O-visa, either based on marriage to a Thai or based on retirement, if you are 50 years or older.

 

When apply for non immigrant O-visa in Thailand you need to have fund deposited in a Thai bank account, either 400,000 baht for marriage or 800,000 baht for retirement. If you apply for the visa from your home country, you will need to show financial status, but don't need a physical bank deposit in Thailand. However, you might need it later.

 

When entered on a non-immigrant O-visa you can get your stay extended for one year. That will be a repeating annual procedure.

 

If you wish to start a business in Thailand, you cannot use extension of stay based on retirement, but using marriage to a Thai, you are eligible for a work permit. Be aware of, that you need a Thai partner – who can be your wife – a minimum business capital, and 2-4 Thai employees for one work permit for a foreigner. Your annual extension of stay can be changed between retirement and marriage upon renewal, but the procedures are little different. In my opinion, retirement is the easy procedure – but requires a financial status of 800,000 baht either as income or in bank deposit – while extension of stay based on marriage requires more paperwork, but only 400,000 baht in financial status. You can be partner or shareholder in a business – including a board member director – without a work permit, but then you cannot do physical work, apart from board meetings and signing high level documents.

[Chongalulu]

Everyone keeps mentioning the 400 or 800k baht in the bank,but if not wanting to tie up that sort of capital at poor rates there is the income option. A letter from your embassy here in Thailand confirming you have an income (pension?) of 40k baht per month marriage,or 65k for the administratively easier retirement visa

[glegolo18]

Happy to notice that you are able to speak english, that is a very good start...

[Mr Dome]

Moving there isn't that hard but opening a business is on a whole different level. Research exhaustively while you're there and don't rush into things because you want it badly.

 

Chok dee krub

Edited June 10, 2023 by Mr Dome
Fixed typos

[Rosho]

@doctoor decan, Goedendag/Bonjour.

My company https://intertag.org is specialized in expat business services. I came myself to Thailand 8 months ago and created a BOI (Board of Investment) startup with a Smart visa. We can help with cost-effective long-term compliance solutions, see here: https://aseannow.com/topic/1292601-innovative-and-cost-effective-compliance-solutions-for-digital-nomads-freelancers-startups-entrepreneurs/

We can help to get you tax exemptions, 100% foreign-owned companies, no 4-Thai-for-1-foreign employment rule and a few more perks. All depends on your line of business and project. You are welcome to contact us for free consultation.

Rosho

 

[Chongalulu]

3 hours ago, glegolo18 said:

Happy to notice that you are able to speak english, that is a very good start...

Belgium, Holland and the Scandinavian countries all speak very good English.

[glegolo18]

4 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

Belgium, Holland and the Scandinavian countries all speak very good English.

Yes I know about Holland and Scandinavia, but fear that Belgium is way too close to France and their complete inability to speak, or even want to speak english...

[Chongalulu]

7 minutes ago, glegolo18 said:

Yes I know about Holland and Scandinavia, but fear that Belgium is way too close to France and their complete inability to speak, or even want to speak english...

Not my experience. The couple I met here (not young) had impeccable English and Dutch too. 

[LogicThai]

20 minutes ago, glegolo18 said:

Yes I know about Holland and Scandinavia, but fear that Belgium is way too close to France and their complete inability to speak, or even want to speak english...

That's a cliché, for the Belgians, that is. Regarding the French, it is quite accurate, I am afraid. Not everybody in Belgium is fluent in English, obviously, but the level of fluency (not just in English btw) is quite high. I am a native French-speaking Belgian, I lived and worked in 6 countries (including Thailand), I speak 5 languages and I work almost exclusively in English. And it is not just me; for example, my brother is accredited with the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

The Belgian ambassador to Thailand routinely publishes podcasts and webcasts in our national languages and in English, and everybody in the Belgian community finds that totally normal, even expected.

[Red Phoenix]

2 hours ago, glegolo18 said:

Yes I know about Holland and Scandinavia, but fear that Belgium is way too close to France and their complete inability to speak, or even want to speak english...

In Belgium there are 3 official languages: dutch, french and german. 

In the Flanders region - which has most inhabitants - people speak Dutch, in Wallony they speak French and in the small East-cantons region they speak German.

It is quite normal in Belgium to speak or at least understand 4 languages (the 3 national languages and English), especially in the Flanders region.  I for one am one of those than read and understand all 4, and I am fluent in 2 of them, while being able to have a non-specialized conversation in the other 2.

[KannikaP]

8 hours ago, nchuckle said:

Everyone keeps mentioning the 400 or 800k baht in the bank,but if not wanting to tie up that sort of capital at poor rates there is the income option. A letter from your embassy here in Thailand confirming you have an income (pension?) of 40k baht per month marriage,or 65k for the administratively easier retirement visa

Cannot work on a retirement extension.

[glegolo18]

On 6/10/2023 at 3:08 PM, nchuckle said:

Not my experience. The couple I met here (not young) had impeccable English and Dutch too. 

You are out of line here, if they spoke dutch, then they are from Holland not Belgium, not same country, maybe you know???

[glegolo18]

On 6/10/2023 at 5:14 PM, Red Phoenix said:

In Belgium there are 3 official languages: dutch, french and german. 

In the Flanders region - which has most inhabitants - people speak Dutch, in Wallony they speak French and in the small East-cantons region they speak German.

It is quite normal in Belgium to speak or at least understand 4 languages (the 3 national languages and English), especially in the Flanders region.  I for one am one of those than read and understand all 4, and I am fluent in 2 of them, while being able to have a non-specialized conversation in the other 2.

Hmmm. this goes against what I have learned about Belgium a little bit... At least when it comes to dutch as a language in Belgium. I think you are trying to mention Flamish (spelling??) language and NOT dutch....  BIG difference....

[Red Phoenix]

40 minutes ago, glegolo18 said:

Hmmm. this goes against what I have learned about Belgium a little bit... At least when it comes to dutch as a language in Belgium. I think you are trying to mention Flamish (spelling??) language and NOT dutch....  BIG difference....

You learned wrong.  In the Flanders region of Belgium the official language is dutch (the same language as Netherlands) and spelling/grammar of the written dutch is EXACTLY the same, although there are words/expressions which are typical for the Netherlands and for Flanders. 

The language spoke is often referred to as Flemish, because the pronunciation is clearly different than the dutch spoken in the Netherlands. And even within the Flanders region the dialects spoken in the 5 provinces of the region are different and easily distinguishable.