Burmese Girlfriend Living In Thailand

[sgunn65]

Here's a slightly tricky situation.

I have a Burmese GF who has lived in Thailand most of her life. Her parents have Thai ID cards but her and her sister do not.

They do 90 day visa runs.

If I was to marry her would there be any difficulties regarding residency or do things just stay the same?

If we have a baby what would the legalities be regarding the nationality of the child? I am from the UK. The child would most likely be born in Thailand. I am assuming the child would automatically be entitled to British citizenship but what about Thai? Would he/she be denied an ID card like the mother?

[lopburi3]

If you are on a one year extension of stay she could obtain extension as your wife - after obtaining a non immigrant visa entry. You would also have an issue just getting married as she would need the same Embassy paperwork you would need and likely have a much harder time obtaining.

No child obtains Thai citizenship just by birth in Thailand.

[Lite Beer]

These kind of questions have come up in the past and the opinion is that it would be very difficult for you to get married.

As said She would need documentation from Burma to marry you. Almost impossible to obtain.

[Thongkorn]

She would have to return to her own Country to obtain a visa for the UK, That would bring many problems, You will have to be very carefully about approaching the Thai authority's because they are starting to send many Burmese home ,They where once a source of cheap labor but now Thailand is absolutely swamped with them , good look hope you find away, Maybe if you contacted a Solicitor who specialized in immigration he maybe could tell you better.As for the Child I don't think it would be classed as British, I do know that just because the child was Born in Thailand does not make it Thai, Because it is not from a Thai person.

[gotlost]

I hate to say this but your best options is to drop this idea before it goes any further. Unless your a billion era (usd) this is only going to end in heart break for her,you and a child.

[wolf5370]

A possibility perhaps? You say her parent's have Thai citizenship. I guess she is over 19, so can't ride their citizenship. If you had a child with her, she may be able to get the child Thai citizenship because of its Thai grandparents (obviously check this with a lawyer, I'm just thinking out loud of course). If this works, then she can apply for a Non-O based on having a Thai child.

What do the boffins think?

[lopburi3]

ID cards issued by Thailand do not necessarily mean Thai citizenship so best not too read too far into the crystal ball. I have seen a report that would seem to indicate paperwork can be obtained for a price to allow marriage so it may not be an impossible task.

[InterestedObserver]

1. As said, Thai ID cards can mean many things to people of Burmese decent, depends on what color the ID card is. Are you trying to saying that your GFs parents maybe Thai citizens?

2. "They do 90 day visa runs" would tend to indicate that your GF and her sister have some kind of passport (travel document) and are living in Thailand as non-immigrants. Were your GF and her sister born in Myanmar (Burma)? Please clarify.

3. Marriage to your GF in Thailand is highly problematic, there are several postings about this subject on ThaiVisa.

4. You can pass on UK citizenship to your children, but your GF is not a Thai citizen therefore cannot pass on Thai citizenship to her offspring.

[sgunn65]

Thanks for all the info. As a thought it could be a can of worms.

I have a non Imm B and a work permit. I live here full time.

To clarify she has a burmese passport and a permit which allows her to work but she has to do 90 day visa runs. Her parents have Thai ID cards but I am not sure about the colour. What do I need to ask her? I know they live here permanently but I don't think they are Thai Citizens.

If a child does appear I dont really care about Thai citizenship but i would want himn/her to have UK citizenship. also does a farnag child have to do 90 day visa runs as well??

I have heard that it can be very difficult to marry due to the Burmese authorities. Could we just do what the Thai's do and have a buddhist ceremony?

Giving up on this is not really an option. Love and all that get in the way!!!

[Lite Beer]

You can have a Thai Buddhist ceremony but you would not be legally married.

[Mario2008]

The buddhist ceremony is a ceremony and not a legal marriage. A legal wedding will be difficult, as the Burmese government doesn't allow its citizens to mary a foreigner. hence you will run into problems when you want to get a letter of aproval from her Embassy, which is needed to get marreid s a foreigner in Thailand. (Several posters have suggested that the Burmese embassy will help, if you pay enough).

You could consider contacting an NGO, like the Burmese Borde Consortium, maybe they can give you some more tips.

If you take the ceremony, be sure to legitimise your child when it is born, so you will be considered the father and it can recieve your nationality. In Thailand you legitimise a child by registering the birth of the child at the local amphur where the child is born. You as father have to register the birth, don't let anybody else register the child.

[thaiphoon]

You as father have to register the birth, don't let anybody else register the child.

Yes, and within 15 days of birth.

[Forkinhades]

You can register the birth with the British embassy, and it will have UK citizenship. If you put the kid into a Thai school, at the age of schooling, with both parents being aliens, that would allow one parent to get a visa based on the schooling situation. So that would apply to her, as long as you keep your Non B status, you dont have to worry about your visa. Would be interesting to see about citizenship for the baby, if it were to stay in Thailand for 16 years with schooling etc.

[InterestedObserver]

1. Farang children are subject to the same visa rules; however, the rules are not strictly enforced as children will not be fined for overstay.

2. Your GF is a citizen of Mynmar (Burma), her parents citizenship is not important to anything being discussed.

3. Since your GF has a passport and apparently permission to reenter Thailand on a regular basis, she can legally travel outside Thailand.

4. Marriage in Singapore, Malaysia or even the UK is a possibility; then register the marriage in Thailand. May not be appropriate due to cost and visa requirements.

Edited November 1, 2009 by InterestedObserver

[FaxKing]

I hate to say this but your best options is to drop this idea before it goes any further. Unless your a billion era (usd) this is only going to end in heart break for her,you and a child.

Cripes... Thats not very nice in my humble opinion. Your best advice to give the guy is to run for the hills, simply because there may be red tape issues further down the line?

I would have thought marraige in UK would be good option, and then build on that somehow. Or maybe research the possibility of a handsome back hander to a Burmese or Thai official through a decent lawyer. Cash is King.

[gotlost]

I hate to say this but your best options is to drop this idea before it goes any further. Unless your a billion era (usd) this is only going to end in heart break for her,you and a child.

Cripes... Thats not very nice in my humble opinion. Your best advice to give the guy is to run for the hills, simply because there may be red tape issues further down the line?

I would have thought marraige in UK would be good option, and then build on that somehow. Or maybe research the possibility of a handsome back hander to a Burmese or Thai official through a decent lawyer. Cash is King.

Stick around Thailand long enough and open your eyes and all you well see on this is heart break!

[thaiphoon]

I hate to say this but your best options is to drop this idea before it goes any further. Unless your a billion era (usd) this is only going to end in heart break for her,you and a child.

Got Lost: In this forum we try to constructively help each other and share information. I see you are a relatively new member. If this really is the best advice you can give, maybe you should stick to the pub forum.

Edited November 1, 2009 by thaiphoon

[sgunn65]

Thanks all.

Sounds like the best option is a Buddhist ceremony then registering the child in the British and Thai Embassies.

I am content to do the Buddhist ceremony as it seems many Thais only do this and get on quite well.

This is all down the road a bit so we will see.

THere may be only heartache down the road according to one poster but unless you go down the road you will never find out. I am willing to take the risk rather than end up bitter and angry at the real and perceived injustices here.

[Artamus]

Thanks all.

Sounds like the best option is a Buddhist ceremony then registering the child in the British and Thai Embassies.

I am content to do the Buddhist ceremony as it seems many Thais only do this and get on quite well.

This is all down the road a bit so we will see.

THere may be only heartache down the road according to one poster but unless you go down the road you will never find out. I am willing to take the risk rather than end up bitter and angry at the real and perceived injustices here.

That may be all well and OK while you are both in Thailand, but what happens if you lose your work permit and both want to move to another country? As you will not be legally married you will not be able to get any visa based on a marriage situation. If you want to do the religious ceremony that's OK, but it will not really be seen as a legal marriage elsewhere.

[lopburi3]

This would not make you married in Thailand or anywhere else however. Your 'wife' would still be subject to to visa rules (and perhaps lose what allows her entry now). If you ever extend your stay she would not be eligible to receive the normal extension of stay. But most importantly the child could be the one who ultimately pays the price.

If you are serious about this believe you should find a way for a legal marriage. Either in a third country or by having her discuss the possibility of paperwork with a member of her Embassy.

The Thai have a custom of Sin Sot to judge the financial ability of a spouse for marriage. As much as we may hate it there is a bit of logic involved. If you can not afford the marriage now perhaps it should wait until you can. In this case believe cutting red tape early may be much easier than trying to do so later; when it may have taken over your life.

[sgunn65]

This would not make you married in Thailand or anywhere else however. Your 'wife' would still be subject to to visa rules (and perhaps lose what allows her entry now). If you ever extend your stay she would not be eligible to receive the normal extension of stay. But most importantly the child could be the one who ultimately pays the price.

If you are serious about this believe you should find a way for a legal marriage. Either in a third country or by having her discuss the possibility of paperwork with a member of her Embassy.

The Thai have a custom of Sin Sot to judge the financial ability of a spouse for marriage. As much as we may hate it there is a bit of logic involved. If you can not afford the marriage now perhaps it should wait until you can. In this case believe cutting red tape early may be much easier than trying to do so later; when it may have taken over your life.

Good advice. i am fortunate that i am in a financial state that means i have no problems with sin sod or travel. I have a good business here and, all things being equal, intend to stay here. I have lived here for 2 years already.

I am in no hurry to do this but, having seen the problems others have had, am doing my research early to try to prevent problems later on.

It seems the worst case scenario is that a child would be eligible for a UK passport which is no bad thing, certainly better than a Burmese one!

[lopburi3]

Having some money should help cut through the red tape.

[Mario2008]

There is for instance this thread: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Marrying-Mya...nd-t203620.html

But do a search on thaivisa and get some more information about how much you would have to pay the embassy to get the papers from them.

[Shah Jahan]

I heard that the going rate for Thai citizenship for Burmese was around 70-80k baht

Ask around. I am sure someone can sort it out.

This is Thailand after all.

[Mario2008]

I heard that the going rate for Thai citizenship for Burmese was around 70-80k baht

Ask around. I am sure someone can sort it out.

This is Thailand after all.

I very much doubt that is possible. There are a lot of persons and ministries involved in the process of obtaining Thai nationality.