Hi All,

First post on the forum, but have popped in to lurk over the last few weeks.

At the end of the month I am returning to Thailand to hopefully get my Thai girlfriend a fiance visa and to register our little girl who was born last year. I have most things sorted out, but have a few quick questions:

a) Do I have to book an appointment to get my daughters passport/birth certificate from the embassy? If I do, should I phone or email?

b ) What photos do I need for her passport? I have heard about biometric passports, but from what I have read all I need are 2 normal photos, one countersigned.

c) Do I have to book a wedding date with the registry office in the UK before we apply and include the document from them in the pile of stuff with her application, or can I leave that until we get the visa (fingers crossed) and return to the UK?

d) We will be handing in my girlfriends application in person, but I can't find where to hand it in. Can someone give me a link to a page on where to go with the application, and do we have to make an appointment to do this?

e) I have a lot of things to support her application, but does she have to provide any Thai documents apart from her birth certificate?

f) In Rob's pinned guide at the top of the forum it says to include certified copies of passport etc. Is this to be certified in Thailand, or in the UK?

Hope someone can answer these questions.

Cheers

C

a) Do I have to book an appointment to get my daughters passport/birth certificate from the embassy? If I do, should I phone or email?

I believe you can just turn up with the relevant paperwork, but perhaps give them a bell beforehand to clarify.

b ) What photos do I need for her passport? I have heard about biometric passports, but from what I have read all I need are 2 normal photos, one countersigned.

Just the normal ones - 45mm x 35mm on a light background.

c) Do I have to book a wedding date with the registry office in the UK before we apply and include the document from them in the pile of stuff with her application, or can I leave that until we get the visa (fingers crossed) and return to the UK?

No. In fact, you can't pre-book a date when one party to the marriage is not in the U.K. You should, however, be able to demonstrate what plans you have for the wedding.

d) We will be handing in my girlfriends application in person, but I can't find where to hand it in. Can someone give me a link to a page on where to go with the application, and do we have to make an appointment to do this?

http://www.vfs-uk-th.com/where.aspx

e) I have a lot of things to support her application, but does she have to provide any Thai documents apart from her birth certificate?

She should provide any documents which are relevant. She doesn't, in fact, need her birth certificate as her passport identifies her name, d.o.b. and nationality.

f) In Rob's pinned guide at the top of the forum it says to include certified copies of passport etc. Is this to be certified in Thailand, or in the UK?

In either country, but it's not a requirement of the Immigration Rules to have the passport certified.

Scouse.

Just to add a little to Scouse's excellent reply:

a. I believe that you can just turn up during opening hours. As Scouse advised, do phone up to check first. See also Consular Birth Registration.

b. See also Babies and young children.

c. See also 13.4 - Fiancé(e)s/proposed civil partners and how they qualify

Thanks very much for the replies, very helpful. Let's hope it all goes to plan now!