How Easy (or Not) For Thai Wife To Get Oz Tourist Visa?

[Farang0tang]

I am UK citizen living in Thailand, with Thai wife and our young child. Child has dual Thai/UK nationality.

We are thinking about a genuine short 2 or 3 week family holiday to Oz for the 3 of us.

I imagine the main problems will be getting a tourist visa for the wife.

If its too much of a headache, then I will sack the idea and look elsewhere for a family holiday.

Appreciate any advice or info on similar experiences.

Cheers

[bualoi]

Being an Aussy myself,i cannot see the appeal of wanting to go to Australia.Epensive Taxis,Hotels.Food, sanitized nightlife,Ignorant people and they young ones out of control on Drugs.Doesn't feel like a very nice place anymore..

As far as the visa goes,a friend of mine {aussy}just married a thai ,and bought her to Australia on a tourist visa .It took 5 working days to get.So i dont think it is that hard.

I'd say a waste of money ,unless you want to bludge off friends or relatives.

[Farang0tang]

bualoi:

I dont doubt all you have said is very true.

Main reason for selecting Oz is that the wife wants to visit a farang country - and being honest, I'd rather take her to a country I havent been to before rather than boring old UK.

Your friend is aussy, so I wonder if visa processing is looked at differently if a UK/Thai couple apply?

Dont know if that makes it easier/harder/same same?

Anybody have any idea?

[Marley]

Agree with "ignorant and expensive", but need to add "racist" to get the whole picture. We are here in Oz now, both citizens, and know the place fairly well as immigrants.

Being an Aussy myself,i cannot see the appeal of wanting to go to Australia.Epensive Taxis,Hotels.Food, sanitized nightlife,Ignorant people and they young ones out of control on Drugs.Doesn't feel like a very nice place anymore..

As far as the visa goes,a friend of mine {aussy}just married a thai ,and bought her to Australia on a tourist visa .It took 5 working days to get.So i dont think it is that hard.

I'd say a waste of money ,unless you want to bludge off friends or relatives.

[kangeroo]

hello otang ,

If your looking for a holiday in Australia i would say go for it, providing you have the money to show that you can take care of yourself and have a ticket back you will have no problems coming in the country . Just a bit of advice it would be handy if you had a address here in aus to go to . I don't think your wife will have a problem if both of you are coming for a holiday , all i can say is enjoy , just to add to that my gf has been to Australia 4 times and never had a problem .

cheers

[Farang0tang]

Hi kangeroo

Good point about the address bit.

Maybe I can put down the intended hotel address? Obviously I wouldnt pay for any hotel bookings until the visas were confirmed.

I'm now thinking it might be worth the expense arranging a travel agent or similar to sort things out - less hassle me thinks.

Another thought - wife does have a friend (Thai) married and living there now. Maybe we can sort something there.

Thanks

[gburns57au]

Bualoi is an Aussie and cant even spell it.......

You and the child will be fine and can get an E visa online......

Your wife will have to go through the Oz Embassy track.....You will need to show proof of sufficient funds for the length of the holiday. Supply a letter outlining your situation and stating that you will be travelling as a family unit. If she has a long term UK visa then show that as a reason to return to the UK. Some photos of the two of you together in the UK.....Any letters in envelopes addressed to her in the UK. Certainly a confirmed hotel booking would assist.

For those who are saying that Oz is expensive, full of druggies etc etc.....the OP is from England......I am sure that he would find Oz to be tame compared to the streets of any major city in the UK.

Dont mention the friend in Oz, it is not relevent unless they are providing accomadation

Edited March 21, 2010 by gburns57au

[Old Croc]

Don't know what the agenda is for those one post, Australian bashing idiots Bualoi and Marly, but they are best ignored.

My GF has had three visas in the last three years without any problems.

Follow Burnsie's advice you can't go wrong.

[Farang0tang]

gburns57au - thanks for the info

Wife and child have never visited UK, we are all living in Thailand.

Do you know if I would be able to accompany my wife to Oz Embassy?

Good idea about supplying a letter with various details, but does this mean we have to make copies of house book, marriage/birth certificates, photos of the gang, car and dog etc? This is what I mean about a headache - when a simple innocent straight forward holiday turns into the third degree. Nothing to hide but it certainly puts me off.

Cheers

[Old Croc]

gburns57au - thanks for the info

Wife and child have never visited UK, we are all living in Thailand.

Do you know if I would be able to accompany my wife to Oz Embassy?

Good idea about supplying a letter with various details, but does this mean we have to make copies of house book, marriage/birth certificates, photos of the gang, car and dog etc? This is what I mean about a headache - when a simple innocent straight forward holiday turns into the third degree. Nothing to hide but it certainly puts me off.

Cheers

Australian authorities don't want to throw hurdles in the way of genuine family tourists coming to Oz.

Unfortunately, sex slavery is a huge world wide problem and Australia has had it's share of attempted entry of girls destined for brothels. Thai girls are particularly susceptable to this trade.

I have close personal knowledge of one attempted entry of a Thai girl where the "escort", a British citizen, falsely pretended to be in a family relationship with the girl, and they were only visiting as tourists. If they had succeeded with that entry the girl's situation could have been dire.

There are good reasons for close scrutiny before visa issue in some cases.

[Farang0tang]

Old Croc - fair point

Will probably make copies of what I listed before, and cart a few photo albums along to the Oz Emabassy.

If that fails - Stuff them. Will go to Montenegro!

[hunglikea]

Same situation as OP - a Brit, Thai wife, living in Thailand and interested in the procedure for getting a visa for Oz to visit friends in Brisbane.

"E visa online......

Your wife will have to go through the Oz Embassy track"

...was mentioned but with no explanation what it is, how to do it or cost?

[BlueScouse]

Go to the Australian Embassy website. There you can down load the application form for your wife.

Plus guidance notes.For yourself and the child,as British citizens you can get an e-visa.Takes a couple of

minutes,well that's all it took for me and two children.Given one year multi entry visas.

The Aussies are like the Brits,visa application has been outsourced.The place for the Aussies

is easy to find,and we went in a lunchtime,doesn't close.In and out in a few minutes.Took similar documents that the British Embasy require,

plus a covering letter from me.

5 days later returned to pick up the passport,she also given a one year multi entry.Cost 100 dollars,can

pay in the office.

This was almost a year ago,but shouldn't have changed much.

Just get all the info off the website.

[Eureka]

Go to the Australian Embassy website. There you can down load the application form for your wife.

Plus guidance notes.For yourself and the child,as British citizens you can get an e-visa.Takes a couple of

minutes,well that's all it took for me and two children.Given one year multi entry visas.

The Aussies are like the Brits,visa application has been outsourced.The place for the Aussies

is easy to find,and we went in a lunchtime,doesn't close.In and out in a few minutes.Took similar documents that the British Embasy require,

plus a covering letter from me.

5 days later returned to pick up the passport,she also given a one year multi entry.Cost 100 dollars,can

pay in the office.

This was almost a year ago,but shouldn't have changed much.

Just get all the info off the website.

Best advise so far but I will add a couple of points as I have just been to the Embassy for a personal interview with immigration and also the Visa Office within the last week.

Basically the more information you can provide to show that the relationship, reason for travel to Oz and reason to leave as planned are genuine the easier the application process.

On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons between 14:00-16:00 there are Immigration Case Officers at the Visa Office ready to assist you with answers and suggestions regarding your application. http://www.vfs-au.net/

[gburns57au]

To the Op and hunglikea.....

The 651 E visitor is free, this is the e visa for EU passport holders

The 676 visa for the missus will set you back $105 AUD Plus the VFS charge of 500 baht plus VAT 7%

The VFS Office is floor 34 of the CC Towers......it is next to the Surasak BTS station and clearly visible from the station.

The VFS office will collect all your papers and send them to the Embassy....about 5 working days later you should have a result.

Farangotang.....yep thats the sort of stuff you need to provide....anything that you think will support the application.

[OZEMADE]

You will need to fill in Form 48R to take your wife to Australia.

[peter000]

"Agree with "ignorant and expensive", but need to add "racist" to get the whole picture. We are here in Oz now, both citizens, and know the place fairly well as immigrants."

In view of all these negatives, it's interesting that you bothered to stay in Oz and become citizens!?

Edited March 22, 2010 by peter000

[Farang0tang]

Thanks for all your helpful replies.

Much appreciated.

[Robby nz]

Sounds a lot easier than getting a tourist visa for a Thai to visit NZ.

Took a pile of paper almost an inch thick and almost 3 months before it was granted

[bridge]

Agree with "ignorant and expensive", but need to add "racist" to get the whole picture. We are here in Oz now, both citizens, and know the place fairly well as immigrants.

You are always welcome to leave.

Being an Aussy myself,i cannot see the appeal of wanting to go to Australia.Epensive Taxis,Hotels.Food, sanitized nightlife,Ignorant people and they young ones out of control on Drugs.Doesn't feel like a very nice place anymore..

As far as the visa goes,a friend of mine {aussy}just married a thai ,and bought her to Australia on a tourist visa .It took 5 working days to get.So i dont think it is that hard.

I'd say a waste of money ,unless you want to bludge off friends or relatives.

[traderjm]

I am UK citizen living in Thailand, with Thai wife and our young child. Child has dual Thai/UK nationality.

We are thinking about a genuine short 2 or 3 week family holiday to Oz for the 3 of us.

I imagine the main problems will be getting a tourist visa for the wife.

If its too much of a headache, then I will sack the idea and look elsewhere for a family holiday.

Appreciate any advice or info on similar experiences.

Cheers

We are in much the same boat as you, only real difference is I am Canadian and our child has dual Thai/Canadian documents. My son and I got the online ETF in about 15 minutes as we both carry a Canadian passport and my wife's visitors Visa took about 4 days. We are told now it is taking about 6 days due to the rush to get out of the country during Songkhran which is why we applied in Feb we make sure to be OUT of Thailand for the insanity that is Songkran.

We did not use an agent and we went to the VFS centre NOT the Oz embassy. Had our flights and rooms booked in advance in OZ and of course included my wife's bank statements and bank book and all in all it was a very very painless process. It is our second trip to Oz but the first time the Visa was just as simple to get for her. I can't imagine you having a hard time good luck...

To those Aussies commenting I have to tell you I hope things have not gotten as bad as some of you portray it as my wife and I had a great trip back in 2008 when we went to Sydney. Taking along the in laws and a cousin this time and really looking forward to going back. Fingers crossed.

[bridge]

I am UK citizen living in Thailand, with Thai wife and our young child. Child has dual Thai/UK nationality.

We are thinking about a genuine short 2 or 3 week family holiday to Oz for the 3 of us.

I imagine the main problems will be getting a tourist visa for the wife.

If its too much of a headache, then I will sack the idea and look elsewhere for a family holiday.

Appreciate any advice or info on similar experiences.

Cheers

We are in much the same boat as you, only real difference is I am Canadian and our child has dual Thai/Canadian documents. My son and I got the online ETF in about 15 minutes as we both carry a Canadian passport and my wife's visitors Visa took about 4 days. We are told now it is taking about 6 days due to the rush to get out of the country during Songkhran which is why we applied in Feb we make sure to be OUT of Thailand for the insanity that is Songkran.

We did not use an agent and we went to the VFS centre NOT the Oz embassy. Had our flights and rooms booked in advance in OZ and of course included my wife's bank statements and bank book and all in all it was a very very painless process. It is our second trip to Oz but the first time the Visa was just as simple to get for her. I can't imagine you having a hard time good luck...

To those Aussies commenting I have to tell you I hope things have not gotten as bad as some of you portray it as my wife and I had a great trip back in 2008 when we went to Sydney. Taking along the in laws and a cousin this time and really looking forward to going back. Fingers crossed.

Have a great trip. Sydney is a great city, but my god it is expensive now.

[traderjm]

Have a great trip. Sydney is a great city, but my god it is expensive now.

We really enjoyed it last time and we are very easy to please. Doing the Zoo, a beach, Opera House, Botanical Gardens, Luna Park... very very tourist like but like I said we had a blast, much different than Thailand and the people without fail that we ran into in and around Darling Harbor were polite helpful and I can't say enough good things about the trip, looking forward to a repeat performance.

It is the In Laws first time out of Thailand and they are very very excited.

[Farang0tang]

Thanks for the info traderjm - maybe its not so painful as i thought

And that is another thing - not sure which city to visit in Oz.

So any recommendations greatfully received.

I suppose I also need to find out which cities have direct connections with swampy if any - I think Perth does, but what about Sydney and others?

[traderjm]

Thanks for the info traderjm - maybe its not so painful as i thought

And that is another thing - not sure which city to visit in Oz.

So any recommendations greatfully received.

I suppose I also need to find out which cities have direct connections with swampy if any - I think Perth does, but what about Sydney and others?

It is NOT painful at all as long as you follow the check list they give you at VFS as to what they require.

We are flying Thai Air direct from BKK to Sydney so I know they fly direct...

[tropo]

Thanks for the info traderjm - maybe its not so painful as i thought

And that is another thing - not sure which city to visit in Oz.

So any recommendations greatfully received.

I suppose I also need to find out which cities have direct connections with swampy if any - I think Perth does, but what about Sydney and others?

It's very difficult to visit Australia in a few weeks. It's just too big. You should perhaps consider doing a tour of the South Island of New Zealand. Far more scenic than Australia and you can do it in a reasonably short time frame. A good idea is to hire a campervan for the trip...it's a trip you'll never forget. I just came back from my own trip there last week.

[saameetommy]

you can fly directly into brisbane and drive about an hour south to the gold coast.

tons of things for the tourist, beaches, theme parks, great restaraunts, beautifull hinterland,

re: visa, you will need to complete the form 48r available at the immigration webseite.

www.immi.com.gov.au

Thanks for the info traderjm - maybe its not so painful as i thought

And that is another thing - not sure which city to visit in Oz.

So any recommendations greatfully received.

I suppose I also need to find out which cities have direct connections with swampy if any - I think Perth does, but what about Sydney and others?

[Eureka]

Thanks for the info traderjm - maybe its not so painful as i thought

And that is another thing - not sure which city to visit in Oz.

So any recommendations greatfully received.

I suppose I also need to find out which cities have direct connections with swampy if any - I think Perth does, but what about Sydney and others?

Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane all have direct flights.

Check Qantas and Thai Airways as they both have at least one direct flight daily to Melbourne and to Sydney but I do not know about Perth and Brisbane.

Each of these cities offer a differing experience due to the climate and distance separation.

[Farang0tang]

Yeah, as it will be our first trip to Oz, we will be doing all the tourist things.

I fancy Sydney, but the wife has a close gf in Brisbane.

Thanks for all your info guys - appreciated.

[true blue]

Yeah, as it will be our first trip to Oz, we will be doing all the tourist things.

I fancy Sydney, but the wife has a close gf in Brisbane.

Thanks for all your info guys - appreciated.

hi farangotang,how sucsessful was your visa app,for yourself and family as im thinking of doing the same,sydney for 2 weeks me and missus,(thai) do you need lots of paperwork,and can you do on line,as live up country,cheers