my thai girlfriend believes that if she marries me through a buddist ceromony and also register the marriage , and changes her surname to mine, then she will no longer be able to purchase land or a house in thailand in her name. her sister told her this, and also her sister's farang husband told her. now i know, from reading these forums , that was the case before, that was the law, but the law has been changed, and if a thai girl marries a westerner she can still buy land even if she changes her name to the western name.

can someone please confirm this. is this change in law recognised everywhere in thailand? ( i know some areas may interpret the law differently ). can someone please provide me with a link to this information. this is important for me.

this is worrying my gf, and because of this she doesnt want my surname. unless i can show her some written proof

thanks for replies

its aload of rubbish what they are telling you...

as long as she remains a Thai National , she can always buy Land...

its aload of rubbish what they are telling you...

as long as she remains a Thai National , she can always buy Land...

i agree, but can anyone show me some written evidence somewhere pls

theres been another thread on this subject...do a search on the forum, maybe try key word as: thai national+ land?

also search for the Thai nationality act on google. that act will confirm to you that your GF will retain her thai citizenship, even after marrying a foriegn national.

cheers

On a similar topic your wife to be (and yourself) might want to note that if she buys property now (before she is married) then you will not be able to claim half of it in the advent of divorce!

So better for her to spend her well earned Baht now!

thanks did a search and came up with these results

and here ( sorry cant seem to reduce thse links

My wife and i have been married for years and its never stopped her buying land ,in fact we baught some more only last year ,so tell her not to worry.

Just have to sign that you will put no claim on the land - get a Usufruct to protect yourself if you are going to build a house and live there (and add in a third party - can be anyone)

1 post containing incorrect information deleted.

Just have to sign that you will put no claim on the land

???

She can buy land and has nothing to sign or justify (or you).

And having your name or not does not change anything as long as she remains a Thai citizen.

But well, it was not the case quite some time ago, so I guess it is the reason this story comes up from time to time...

Edited August 11, 201015 yr by eurasianthai

Hi kunash,

I quoted your post below:-

and changes her surname to mine,

Why would/should that be? Your future wife could still use her maiden name btw.

Indeed, although it is irrelevant as fas as buying land is concerned...

Hi kunash,

I quoted your post below:-

and changes her surname to mine,

Why would/should that be? Your future wife could still use her maiden name btw.

hi, i was thinking of the western way once married, for the lady to change her name to the man's, but maybe this is not relevant in thailand? i know thai women do not have to take the man's name. for example my gf's sister is married to a farang but keeps her thai name ( i was told she did this because of this land rule - which she is incorrect about ). we might move to the UK, we might stay in Thai. I have told my gf that i do not mind what name she keeps. it is completely up to her. she has thought about taking my name but is worried about this land rule. she has don a bit of googling and i think her mind is now at rest about this matter.

Since you are thinking of marriage and possibly moving to the UK, look at the long term. Just think of any legal issues that might come up which will be eased by having the same surname. Think down the line 20-30 years and consider what might happen (death of either one of you, for example). Sure, most of your married life will pose no problem with different surnames. But I know of absolutely no one that has had any problem occur simply because they do have the same surname. My circle of friends includes many, many married expats whose Thai wives use their surname and still own and buy property; the house they live in, houses they let, and farm land.

If she keeps her Thai name none of the land officials will ask for the form. If something comes up later, sign the form.