Better Option Than Retirement Visa?

[dclaryjr]

I've tried to research this and I'm still a bit confused. First my situation. My wife is Thai and became a U.S. citizen some 20 years ago. Our marraige is registered in Thailand. She has never formally renounced her Thai citizenship assuming that that isn't part and parcel of becoming a citizen of the U.S.

We plan on retiring in Thailand (actually already buidling a house) but it's at least five years out. By then I will have the age and income to qualify for a retirement visa. Is there a better route that would include my wife reacquiring her Thai passport? Is it still something that would require one-year renewals. For the record, I have no intention of trying to work (other than working on my golf game).

Thanks,

Dave Clary

Corpus Christi, Tx

[lopburi3]

You have the retirement or marriage support options. Currently the marriage requires much less in the bank/a little less paperwork and seems to be safer if you plan to request PR later. The downside is that your wife will always have to help at each visa extension and it would end on her death (although you could then obtain a new visa for retirement if you could meet requirements and want to stay).

I believe your wife should contact Thai Embassy or Consulate with her plans and get paperwork going for passport etc. This will also allow her to have home in her name here once she gets paperwork done. Am sure she would want to stay in Thailand if you should die first so think the marriage support visa would be your best bet. You can easily obtain the class O visa in the USA and then you would be able to extend it here on a yearly basis (like the retirement type). But she will need to get her citizenship re-established with ID card/passport etc.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

You can get a visa based on marriage to a Thai. Age is not an issue. Does your wife still hold a current Thai passport ? When do you think you might make the move ?

[dclaryjr]

Lopburi3: Thanks...sounds like good advice--especially the home ownership part. Her brother put up his home as collateral to build the house, but it would be nice to eventually put it in her name. And if she were to die before me, I doubt I would stay but you never know.

Dr. P: As I stated in the original post, I'm looking at least five years out. We still have her old passport but I assume it's well past the expiration date. I guess it would be a good idea to go ahead and work on getting her a new one. As I understand it, she could use here Thai passport for entry in Thailand but still use her U.S. passport for entry here when we visit.

Thanks.

dc

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Apply for a new passport for her. I guess she hasn't got a current Thai ID either. You can only get the ID in Thailand . As it stands now, you'd need a Non-Imm O visa from a Thai Consulate in the US, and a bank account with 200,000 baht in it with a bank in Thailand. Then you'd apply for a one year extension of stay. You do that extension for 3 years, then you are eligible to apply for residency. Start on th passport first. Good luck.

[dclaryjr]

Thanks again!

Dave

[JimGant]

As I understand it, she could use here Thai passport for entry in Thailand but still use her U.S. passport for entry here when we visit.

Dave,

This might be tricky.

My wife has both Thai and US passports -- completely legal, as both countries recognize dual citizenship. And entering and leaving Thailand on her Thai passport would preclude any visa requirements for staying in Thailand, at least for her. However, we haven't tried this on our many Thailand-US roundtrips because of uncertainty on what would happen if one or the other immigration authorities discovered multiple passport usage. Instead, she uses her US passport exclusively. As a Thai national, she initially obtained a multiple entry one-year visa upon arrival at Don Muang immigration, and every year since has easily renewed it at Chiang Mai immigration (for 1000 baht, but this may have changed since Aug -- we'll soon find out). Anyway, it would be interesting if someone on this forum has the real skinny on multiple passport usage(?). But for now, the potential for having her US passport confiscated keeps us trudging to immigration once a year.

As usual, sound advice from Dr. Pat Pong and Lopburi3. Getting your wife's passport renewed, even if she never uses it, could help things when she applies for a new id card and home registration. I don't know how hard this id/home registration will be, as my wife, although a US citizen for 25 years, kept up her id and registry, I guess knowing she'd head back there someday. But I can't imagine it being too difficult -- and certainly something your wife will need to do.

As an aside, and assuming you don't have one already, you might be able to get your non-immigrant 'O' visa using your wife's expired passport. "Once a Thai, always a Thai" seems to be the prevailing theme at most embassies and consulates, so her expired passport and your marriage license probably would do the trick. Being from Corpus Christi, you have El Paso, Dallas, and Houston consulates to choose from. Dr. Pat Pong seems to endorse Houston, so that would be my first choice.

Looking at your original question, whether your wife renews her Thai passport or not, you, like me, will be heading to Thai immigration once a year to extend our visas. But I'm not fulltime yet -- and you're 5 years away. And a lot can -- and most certainly will -- change by the time we retire. Stay tuned.

Jim Gant

Alexandria, VA

[Nam Kao]

If my wife dies when I am on a non-imm O how long do I have to marry another one?

Thanks

Nam

[dr_Pat_Pong]

If my wife dies when I am on a non-imm O how long do I have to marry another one?

Thanks

Nam

You can then convert to a retirement visa. ( Unless you want to re-marry )

[taxexile]

marry the second one before the first one dies.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

marry the second one before the first one dies.

Then he won't need a visa. When you are banged up in the can, you are exempted from visa requirements. .

[lopburi3]

If my wife dies when I am on a non-imm O how long do I have to marry another one?

It may just be hearsay but believe they may not register a new marriage here for something like 9 months. But have not really checked into that.

As said; if you have the age and money you could change to retirement type.

[dclaryjr]

Thanks, Jim. Some interesting stuff to consider. Like you said, a lot can change before I make the move, but it's good to know I have some options.

Dave

[Thetyim]

If my wife dies when I am on a non-imm O how long do I have to marry another one?

Thanks

Nam

My friends wife died two years ago.

It takes him 15 minutes to get a one year extension each year.

They seem to look kindly on you when you are a widow.

My friend says he has a widows visa but I have never heard of this before.

Maybe Dr. can expand on this.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

They don't have to do that, but quite often they do. I bet he is polite and nice to the officers. Good to hear something nice about them for a change.

[Nam Kao]

Good news on the Widow visa, I'll bring the family down and with her picture.

I am 38 and shes 24 but I am checking all the angles