Marriage And Visa Information?

[zanzibard]

hi folks

ive only just found this forum and i'm hoping you guys could give me some information.

i recently spent 4 weeks in koh samui and met a fantastic thai lady who i spent the majority of my time with and we fell in-love with each other and if everything goes to plan i am looking at going back in june/july to marry her and hopefully bring her back to the uk with me.

i'm just trying to find out how long i would need to be in bangkok to sort everything out to do with the marriage and visa's and what costs i would be looking at to bring my new wife back to the uk with me.

ive looked at the visa sites but i'm not sure which visa she would need or the costs of the visa's.she would want to work once in the uk also.

also would she be able to come back with me say after 2/3 weeks or would she have to wait longer due to her visa application time?

ive e-mailed the british embassy in bangkok on a couple of occasions to try to find out some information but i have had no replys from them!

any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks

[Maestro]

I am moving this topic from the forum “Thai visas, residency and work permits” to the forum “Visas and migration to other countries”

--

Maestro

[mariner29]

You will need 2 days for marriage chest x ray and to submit the application etc that's what it takes generally takes our clients.

[zanzibard]

CHEST X-RAY? ive not heard anything about that before.

so i could get everything sorted in 2 days?

any info on costs or which visa she will need and how long it will be till she can join me?

im after as much info as you guys can tell me.ive been searching the internet for days but cant seem to find the answers im looking for.i thought the british embassy might have been more help.

thanks in advance

[benjamat]

CHEST X-RAY? ive not heard anything about that before.

so i could get everything sorted in 2 days?

any info on costs or which visa she will need and how long it will be till she can join me?

im after as much info as you guys can tell me.ive been searching the internet for days but cant seem to find the answers im looking for.i thought the british embassy might have been more help.

thanks in advance

You can forget 2 days.

The chest x ray is to check for TB, suggest that you search TB on this site and you will get the relevant information.

10 - 15 days to get visa processed after you have all documents including TB clear, certificate from IOM clinic.

Spouse visa was 32,000 baht last time I checked, you must also pay for all TB testing, not sure costs of all tests, total cost depends on what they find at xray and sputum test.

Edited December 18, 2008 by benjamat

[zanzibard]

CHEST X-RAY? ive not heard anything about that before.

so i could get everything sorted in 2 days?

any info on costs or which visa she will need and how long it will be till she can join me?

im after as much info as you guys can tell me.ive been searching the internet for days but cant seem to find the answers im looking for.i thought the british embassy might have been more help.

thanks in advance

You can forget 2 days.

The chest x ray is to check for TB, suggest that you search TB on this site and you will get the relevant information.

10 - 15 days to get visa processed after you have all documents including TB clear, certificate from IOM clinic.

Spouse visa was 32,000 baht last time I checked, you must also pay for all TB testing, not sure costs of all tests, total cost depends on what they find at xray and sputum test.

thanks benjamat.i didnt think it was possible in 2 days.ill have a good look around the site and especially for TB.

this is the first ive heard about any x-rays or tests.

[mariner29]

We was talking about getting married and submitting the application.

9 AM make an affirmation to marry.

10.30 attend chest x ray office, attend hospital for x ray return to the office tb cert issued.

Day 2

Collect affirmation get it translated into Thai,enter the ministry of foreign affairs get it stamped etc.

Enter an ampur get married attend the UK/Vac office submit the application.

3/15 days your visa should be processed.

Thats it !

[7by7]

For how to marry in Thailand see Guidance for British nationals wishing to marry in Thailand

For the visa, have a good read of the following to see what is required:-

Requirement for Tuberculosis testing for applicants visiting the UK for longer than 6 months

Chapter 9 - The maintenance and accommodation requirements

Chapter 13 - Settlement : Fiance(e)s, proposed civil partners, spouses, civil partners, unmarried and same-sex partners

Guidance - Husbands, wives and partners (INF 4)

and for how to apply, fees etc; UK Visa Application Centre in Bangkok

Edited December 18, 2008 by 7by7

[Farside]

hi folks

ive only just found this forum and i'm hoping you guys could give me some information.

i recently spent 4 weeks in koh samui and met a fantastic thai lady who i spent the majority of my time with and we fell in-love with each other and if everything goes to plan i am looking at going back in june/july to marry her and hopefully bring her back to the uk with me.

i'm just trying to find out how long i would need to be in bangkok to sort everything out to do with the marriage and visa's and what costs i would be looking at to bring my new wife back to the uk with me.

ive looked at the visa sites but i'm not sure which visa she would need or the costs of the visa's.she would want to work once in the uk also.

also would she be able to come back with me say after 2/3 weeks or would she have to wait longer due to her visa application time?

ive e-mailed the british embassy in bangkok on a couple of occasions to try to find out some information but i have had no replys from them!

any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks

You need lots of evidence to prove you know each other:

Photos of you together,

Flight itineries with both your names on,

Any documents that have both your names on,

Phone bills showing your calls to each other,

you need to aquire this over a period of time i think, You put all the evidence in your application and give it to the embassy. Or get a visa service to do it for you.

www.Thaivisaexpress.co.uk (mariner29) did my application with all my evidence, My wife didn't have to have the interviw at thew embassy either and we had the visa within 3 weeks.

[zanzibard]

thanks for all your replies folks.ive been reading quite a few threads tonight and its made me realise its not as easy as i thought it would be

[mariner29]

Good luck.

[bankha]

Hello all,

I am sorry to jump in on this. My situation is sort off the same but not. I am back in England at the moment working and then going home to Thailand end of Jan. Me and my wife have a daughter who is 2 years old. We are planning on getting married at the amphur when i get home. She has already had the tb checks done at the hospital in Bkk and all came back ok in the last few months. The question i have is will it still take 3 weeks for my wife to get a visa to come back with me ? our daughter already has a british passport.

Also what is the cost for spouse visa on its own without other companies help ?

Cheers for advice and answers,

Paul

[mariner29]

£515 is the fee .

[jelluk]

i just applied for the visa and it took 3 weeks before i heard my wife got her visa . that was a few weeks ago i suppose over xmas they will get more busy ..

[wattsy007]

Please can someone give me some advice on obtaining a settlement visa for my thai girlfriend.

We have been together 2 years, she came to the uk on a visitor visa from June 07 to November 07. I then left my job and returned to Thailand with her where we have been travelling together for the last year. My visa runs out soon and we will be returning to Bangkok to get married next week.

My parents who co-sponsored her visit last time are willing to support us indefinately in the uk until we find work. I currently rent my house out so we will be living with my parents.

I am concerned in the application that i have no savings or income at present. Will that make a difference to the ECO even if my parents prove they can and are willing to completely support us until we have work however long that is.

Thanks for any advice.

[7by7]

The immigration rules say that a married couple should be able to financialy support themselves without any help from friends or family. However Chapter 9 - The maintenance and accommodation requirements Para 9.7 - Assessing adequate means of maintenance for fiancé(e)s and spouses or civil partners allows the ECO discretion in this area, provided they are satisfied it is a temporary arrangement. You should show what efforts you have made to find employment once in the UK and what type of work you are looking for and what your chances of finding it are. Tell them that you have rental income from your house, and show how much it is.

You are allowed to live with family provided you have at least one room for your exclusive use.

Your parents should provide proof of their income to show that they can afford to support you and your wife. They should also provide details of the accomodation offered to you and if they own a copy of a mortgage statement or of the deeds to prove ownership or if they rent then a letter from their landlord agreeing to you living in the property.

[mariner29]

You may have a problem with third party support this may only be a very temporary measure. Your family may let you stay rent free etc but if they are providing a financial long term commitment this could cause you problems.

[gburns57au]

hi folks

ive only just found this forum and i'm hoping you guys could give me some information.

i recently spent 4 weeks in koh samui and met a fantastic thai lady who i spent the majority of my time with and we fell in-love with each other and if everything goes to plan i am looking at going back in june/july to marry her and hopefully bring her back to the uk with me.

i'm just trying to find out how long i would need to be in bangkok to sort everything out to do with the marriage and visa's and what costs i would be looking at to bring my new wife back to the uk with me.

ive looked at the visa sites but i'm not sure which visa she would need or the costs of the visa's.she would want to work once in the uk also.

also would she be able to come back with me say after 2/3 weeks or would she have to wait longer due to her visa application time?

ive e-mailed the british embassy in bangkok on a couple of occasions to try to find out some information but i have had no replys from them!

any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks

So you have known her for say 3.5 weeks.....and now you want to get married ??

Ask yourself a few questions.....like, what is her favourite food, what are her hobbies, what are the names of her father, mother, brothers, sisters, sons and or daughters, what is her favourite colour, What are her dress and shoe sizes.

Then ask yourself, just how well do I know this girl I plan to marry and take halfway around the world to spend the rest of my life with.

If you are honest with yourself you may see the need to slow down and take a bit of time to actually get to know the girl you plan to marry.

[nigelandjan]

CHEST X-RAY? ive not heard anything about that before.

so i could get everything sorted in 2 days?

any info on costs or which visa she will need and how long it will be till she can join me?

im after as much info as you guys can tell me.ive been searching the internet for days but cant seem to find the answers im looking for.i thought the british embassy might have been more help.

thanks in advance

[nigelandjan]

hi folks

ive only just found this forum and i'm hoping you guys could give me some information.

i recently spent 4 weeks in koh samui and met a fantastic thai lady who i spent the majority of my time with and we fell in-love with each other and if everything goes to plan i am looking at going back in june/july to marry her and hopefully bring her back to the uk with me.

i'm just trying to find out how long i would need to be in bangkok to sort everything out to do with the marriage and visa's and what costs i would be looking at to bring my new wife back to the uk with me.

ive looked at the visa sites but i'm not sure which visa she would need or the costs of the visa's.she would want to work once in the uk also.

also would she be able to come back with me say after 2/3 weeks or would she have to wait longer due to her visa application time?

ive e-mailed the british embassy in bangkok on a couple of occasions to try to find out some information but i have had no replys from them!

My dear friend,,,,,,,,,please calm down a little and step back a bit,,,,,,,,many of us have been there and done that,,,,,,believe me I put my hand up many times !!!! However I am now very happily married to a lovely Thai lady and live in the UK with her.

Having said all that if you are 100% sure your gonna go through with this ,,please read carefully as this IS very good information,,,,,,these are just SOME of the very important things you need to consider.

1. As she works in a tourist resort ,, try and find out as much as you can about her family background where she comes from etc ,,,,,,dig deep if you can ,,,,,,look for family debt,,,as you may well find yourself taking this on !!!!!

.

2.. Hoping the above is all in order,, get her bank detalis ie bank name ,, number ,, and thai bank ref it is a set of letters ,,ie ,KRTB krung thai bank,,,,,and begin EVERY month sending her some money,,,,suggest minimum £100 yes this is gonna cost you plus the fee about £25 but if you get an HSBC account you can do online £15 during working day,, this is very important to show you are buliding a relationship. When asked tell them it is Fiancee support this will show on the statements.

3,,,, Keep all letters post them EVERYWEEK no matter how trivial and keep with envelopes from her..

4,, Printed records of all email sent and recieved,,,,,,,best to do on a daily basis..

5,, You will also need plenty of pictures taken with you and her and her family together..

6,,, TB test HAS to be done at ONE of the 2 NAMED hospitals in BKK only any other will not count.... the test can take 1 test if you are EXTREMELY lucky more likely it will take a whole week of testing everyday ,, I am sure the UK embassy has told them to be as bloody awkward as they can !!!!!!

7,,,,Please also bear in mind you will have only known each other for a period of about 6 or 7 months when you apply for her visa ,so even though you will be UK legally married in BKK this will not gaurantee her a visa .. I would say you are very border line..

8,,,, You will also need to show a healthy current bank account from the UK for the last year,,original statements,,,, I allways keep a minimum of £2000 in mine ,, wages going in every month expenses going out etc,,,even if you could borrow from family to pay back later,it all strengthens your case.

9,,,,,, I am an individual like you my friend so I have no connection to the expensive visa agencies ,, but I would reccomend using one,dont forget every application is gonna cost you a minimum of £700 plus her costs to travel to BKK etc ,,, ( worth considering )

10 ,,, you will need to get an affirmation of freedom to marry in BKK ,, again it will need to be in Thai and English so it will need to be legally recognised,,,,,,,,,if you pay someone to do can be around another £250 it all adds up..and takes time.

11 Have you considered the practicallity of her flying home with you ?? it is ni on impossible to book that flight back together ,, realistically you will have to trust her with the money when you leave her in Thailand to book her own flight to the UK,,,,,,it hasnt happened to me but there are horror stories ,believe me of the girl and the money dissapearing.

I wish you all the luck in the world my friend ,,,,,,like when I went through all of this your gonna need it.. if you want to know what visa agencies I would reccomend and what I wouldnt please contact me ,or if you want any more tips ,,, believe me I have been to hel_l and back to get aThai wife and you must be prepared for the worst ,its not easy my friend but I wish you all the luck,cheers

any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks

[zanzibard]

hi folks.

thanks for all your replies,comments and opinions.you've certainly made me realise that its going to take a lot of time and a lot of money to eventually be together back in the uk.i niaveley(spelling) thought i could go back to bangkok.marry,get a visa for her and come back to england within a week or so.

its not something i ever thought i would be doing and dont know anyone that ever has so everything ive learnt upto now has been on the net and on this site.

i know a lot of you are thinking i must be mad to want to marry a thai lady after knowing her for such a short ammount of time but i think you just know if she is the one for you.it was pretty much love at first sight for the both of us and has been ever since.we spent nearly 4 solid weeks together and have spoke to each other at least once a day and sent numerous texts.

i never went to thailand looking for a women.i went to samui for a relaxing time on the beach and the cheap accomadation and to brush up on my diving skills.i have no trouble attracting women in the uk.i just happened to fall in love with a 31 yr old thai lady and would like to spend the rest of my life with her.

to be honest im more than a little worried now about this becoming a reality and could do with some help on a few of the points nigelandjan have brought up.

1. As she works in a tourist resort ,, try and find out as much as you can about her family background where she comes from etc ,,,,,,dig deep if you can ,,,,,,look for family debt,,,as you may well find yourself taking this on !!!!!

how would i be expected to take on there family debt? i know the size of her family,the names and there jobs and where they come from.

is there anything else i need to know?

2.. Hoping the above is all in order,, get her bank detalis ie bank name ,, number ,, and thai bank ref it is a set of letters ,,ie ,KRTB krung thai bank,,,,,and begin EVERY month sending her some money,,,,suggest minimum £100 yes this is gonna cost you plus the fee about £25 but if you get an HSBC account you can do online £15 during working day,, this is very important to show you are buliding a relationship. When asked tell them it is Fiancee support this will show on the statements.

is this something that would go against my visa application if not done? she has been working in bangkok for the last 2 weeks and will be self sufficent for money.when i left her i gave her the money to go back and see her mother and then from the uk i sent her the money to go to bangkok and then when in bangkok i sent her some money to see her through until her first wage packet.this was done by western union.she knows i dont have a lot of money and knows it is going to cost a lot for her to eventually come to the uk with me.

3,,,, Keep all letters post them EVERYWEEK no matter how trivial and keep with envelopes from her..

is this something we should be doing as all our contact has been over the phone or by e-mail and webcam.phone calls are over a land-line so i can show through my bills and i have been printing off all e-mails.

5,, You will also need plenty of pictures taken with you and her and her family together..

i have plenty of pictures of the 2 of us but none of her family.i wasnt intending going to see her family as i know its tradition to have a party and give money to her mother but she knows my financial status and this wouldnt be necessary as it could be done at a later date once we were married and she told me that she has since explained this to her mother and she said that it is not a problem and she just wants her to be happy.

are not having these pictures going to go against my application?

7,,,,Please also bear in mind you will have only known each other for a period of about 6 or 7 months when you apply for her visa ,so even though you will be UK legally married in BKK this will not gaurantee her a visa .. I would say you are very border line..

this is also one of my worries.do you think it will be better aplying for a visa say after about 12-18 months

and me visiting her again?i know it can only strengthen the relationship but i dont really want to wait that long but will do so if it means i have a better chance of the visa being granted.

8,,,, You will also need to show a healthy current bank account from the UK for the last year

i was hoping 6/7 months would be enough.would it be better showing 12 months or more?

9,,,,dont forget every application is gonna cost you a minimum of £700

is this just the cost of the visa or does this include an agency fee?

[zanzibard]

can anyone help me with some of the points brought up?

thanks in advance.

[Bob21]

...i know a lot of you are thinking i must be mad to want to marry a thai lady after knowing her for such a short ammount of time but i think you just know if she is the one for you.it was pretty much love at first sight for the both of us and has been ever since.we spent nearly 4 solid weeks together and have spoke to each other at least once a day and sent numerous texts.

No, I don't think you are mad at all. I also don't think the thousands of Westerners that have done the exact same as you want to do are mad. Sometimes their relationships actually work out in the long term.

My only question is, how do you two usually settle your arguments? You know, the kind where you are upset with each other for more than several hours.

Have you demonstrated that the two of you can make it through the perfect times (of which you have 4 weeks of experience) and more importantly, the terrible times?

Please don't confuse love with infatuation.

[7by7]

1) I think that what Nigelandjan is getting at is that some Thai girls view their Farang boyfriends as walking ATMs.

Only by getting to know her better will you find out what you need to know.

2) For visa purposes there is no need for you to be sending her any money at all. How much you send her and how often is a personal matter between you both.

If you are going to be sending her money then open a Nationwide account and send her the ATM card. Nationwide do not charge for using ATMs abroad. You simply pay money in at this end and she withdraws it at that end, total cost = zero.

3) To show that you are in a genuine relationship you will need to provide evidence of contact; phone bills, e-mails, letters etc. However, there is no need to write to each other regularly if you are also phoning and/or e-mailing each other. Unless you want to, of course.

5) Photos of you both taken together at different times and locations are evidence of the length of your relationship. However, you do not need photos of you with her family as well. Having these may help, but not having them wont hurt the application.

7) The visa officer needs to be satisfies that the marriage and relationship is genuine. Obviously the longer you have known each other and the more times you have visited her in Thailand the better. There is no minimum length of relationship in the rules, however, only that you have met.

8) You need to show that you can support yourselves in the UK without recourse to public funds. Bank statements and pay slips for the last 6 months are sufficient.

9) I don't know where this figure of £700 comes from. The current cost of a settlement visa is £515, paid in Baht. There are a few other costs, such as her TB certificate, but not another £200.

If you do decide to use an agency, beware.

There are many so-called visa agents in Thailand. Most of them are unqualified and unregulated. They are nothing more than glorified form fillers. However, they will charge you 25K Baht plus! This includes most agencies that are owned by or employ Brits. Avoid.

If you do decide to use an agency then make sure that they are qualified and regulated in the UK and registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, such as those who sponsor this forum.

Hav you read through the links I provided earlier? Doing so should answer most of your questions.

Edited January 1, 2009 by 7by7

[zanzibard]

thanks bob21 and 7by7 for your replies.

to be honest im not sure what to do for best now.we still want to get married and i want to bring her back to settle in the uk with me but i dont want to apply for the visa say june,july time to be refused because of the short time we have known each other or the fact we've only spent 4 weeks together.i cant really afford to loose £515 and dont want a refusal going down on record and would rather wait and perhaps visit her again at this time then look at applying for a visa and getting married 6-12 months after.

i know i can produce all the evidence needed in 6-7 months,phone statements,bank statements,wage slips,tennancy agreement,letters etc.

if i decided to give it more time would i be better marrying her when i visit her in 6/7 months then going back in 6/12 months after and applying for the visa or would it not matter that we get married then apply for a visa all at the same time?

i would like to use a reputable agency but could do without the extra cost.ive been able to find a good lot of information on this site about what to produce and how to produce it and wondered what benefits i would get from using one.

do they have a better chance of getting your visa granted than if i was to go it alone?

thanks in advance

[Mossfinn]

to be honest im not sure what to do for best now

It appears to me, that after putting your thoughts in writing and from the following three paragraphs.......

.we still want to get married and i want to bring her back to settle in the uk with me but i dont want to apply for the visa say june,july time to be refused because of the short time we have known each other or the fact we've only spent 4 weeks together

and would rather wait and perhaps visit her again at this time then look at applying for a visa and getting married 6-12 months after.

i know i can produce all the evidence needed in 6-7 months,phone statements,bank statements,wage slips,tennancy agreement,letters etc.

........... you are thinking in the right direction, although it is wholly your decision.

and wondered what benefits i would get from using one.

If they are reputable and effective, they can put a professional presentation to your application and head it up with a Covering Letter that may just swing it, in a lot of cases people proceed without one.

do they have a better chance of getting your visa granted than if i was to go it alone?

They can, if competent, interrogate your situation and help to put forward further information that you might not have found relevant, your question is a moot point, yes they can, or no they can't, it really depends on your application and how confident you are in submitting it and its content.

If you choose to use one, ensure it is an OISC registered company and my experience would lend towards DaviesKhan.

Good Luck

Moss

[7by7]

would i be better marrying her when i visit her in 6/7 months then going back in 6/12 months after and applying for the visa or would it not matter that we get married then apply for a visa all at the same time?

When you marry is a decision for the two of you. As far as the visa application is concerned it would make no difference.

i would like to use a reputable agency.......and wondered what benefits i would get from using one.

do they have a better chance of getting your visa granted than if i was to go it alone?

As Mossfin says, yes...or no.

The majority of visa applicants are successful without using the services of an agent. All you need to do is show the visa officer that on the balance of probabilities the criteria for the visa are met. You need to research what is needed and prepare properly; presenting your evidence in a neat and concise manner and writing a sponsor's letter précising all the relevant points and covering anything not already dealt with elsewhere in the application. If you feel the need to pay someone to help you do this then that is your choice.

[zanzibard]

ok.thanks for your advice and hopefully you'll help me with application when the time comes so i can apply without the need to use an agency.

would the general view be that after meeting her once and after 6/7 months of knowing her be too soon in the eyes of the officer to apply for a visa?

or should i visit her again then go back 6/12 months after this time then apply then?

like i said before,i would like to go back in 6/7 months and apply then but wouldnt want to get refused due to the lack of time we have known each other.

is this the way to present my application- http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Rob-s-Guide-...cat-t81148.html

also could someone give me an idea of what the covering letter should look like?

thankyou

[7by7]

I feel that you should wait. Keep up the contact and go and see her again when you can. Then decide if and when you should marry.

You should do this for two reasons:-

1) The longer the relationship and the more often you have visited her, the better for any visa application.

2) More importantly, the longer the relationship and the more often you have visited her the surer you will both be that marriage and a life together is what you both want. Remember the old saying? Marry in haste; repent at leisure!

Having said that, I am very much in favour of following the '6 P' principle. So start gathering your evidence of contact etc.

Having had a quick look at the post you linked to that does seem sound.

As for your sponsors letter, a good format is as follows.

Para 1. A brief introduction, saying who you are and who she is. Give contact details for both of you.

Para 2. A brief history of your relationship. How, where and when you met. How the relationship has developed. How you kept in contact and when and how often you have visited her. When you both decided to marry and when/where the marriage took place. If you only had the Ampur registration, the legal marriage, but no ceremonial wedding with family etc. then a brief explanation of why.

Para 4. List of supporting documents.

Para 5 Clarification/expansion, if required, of any answers on the application form. Any other points you feel may be relevent.

Keep it brief and to the point. The visa officer does not want to read several pages of waffle.

Present your evidence in a neat folder, make it easy for the visa officer to find the information s/he needs to see.

Having looked at the application the visa officer has 3 options open:

1) If all the paper evidence shows that, on the balance of probabilities, the criteria are met then the visa should be issued within 10 working days, possibly less. Although this may be longer at busy times.

2) If the paper evidence is basically fine, but does not answer all the questions the officer has then the applicant will be interviewed. This may be a few questions over the phone, or they may want a face to face interview. If a face to face one then the waiting time for one can be as long as three months.

3) If the paper evidence is lacking or does not show that the criteria are met then the application will be refused without an interview.

You obviously want the first option, so be thorough. The immigration rules state that the burden of proof is with the applicant. If something is missing or a question unanswered the officer has no obligation to chase after it.

BTW, the '6 P' principle

Proper

Preparation

Prevents

Piss

Poor

Performance.

[mariner29]

Believe it or not some people actually marry a girl after just one visit they do get entry clearance but this IMO is very foolish. A guy in my town did exactly that his marriage lasted 6 months only just take your time you have the rest of your lives together.