Steps To Get Thai Wife And Son To Uk ... In 9 Days

[DanRW]

Marks... Set ....

OK chaps and chapettes - need some quick advice from the collective brain of TVF!

I have a flight to the UK on October 10th 2010 - 9 days away. I have a Thai wife - married in the UK (British marriage certificate) - and we have a 2 month old son. Now she wants to come too ...

A. What are the steps I need to take in order to get them travel ready (her a visa - required? ... him a permit to travel, or passport even?)

B. Can we do it in time?

GO!

Surely this has been asked a million times in here but I can't seem to find just what I'm looking for.

Thanks everyone.

Dan

[richard_smith237]

It'll be close.

I guess the main thing is to ensure that you have a fully refundable ticket.

I can only really offer advise with regards to timing:

In the past it has only taken 2-3 days for my Thai GF (Now wife) to get her UK visa.

This July we were planning a trip back, but the situation changed and I wished for us to go back together in May.

We had only a week to get my Wife a Visa - She received a two year visa but only after 10 days.

This 3 day delay meant that is really wasn't worth while traveling for just a 5 day break.....

So, recent experience - its possible in 10 days if everything is in order and there are no outstanding issues. It depends upon how busy the consular section is.

I'm sure some posters will have had visas returned within the week, others a lot longer.

One thing against you is that its now Friday, so you'll get your application in on the 4th at the soonest - That gives you 5 days. Too close in my opinion.

With regards to steps... For children I'm not sure (he has a British passport already ?).

For your wife - there are a lot of hoops to jump through - there are clear guidelines on the British Embassy website (I don't really know as I never got involved with my wife's application other than a cover letter of guarantor)

[NanLaew]

"Close" only counts in horse-shoes and hand grenades!

Last month, my wife got her second UK visit visa 6-days after submitting the application.

Your son doesn't have ANY travel docs yet?

This is "Mission Impossible" and there's loads of reading on this forum on exactly what you need to do to get her and the boy 'street legal' for a later trip to the UK. Have a nice solo break in the UK and get it all sorted out well in advance when you get back.

I reckon the minimum amount of time you need to get a visa for the wife and a passport for the boy is 10 WORKING days which does NOT INCLUDE weekends. Where you are located in LOS also has an influence on how quick things can be done.

[garyh]

Ask the airline if you can delay your trip.

[Mario2008]

Your son can get a Thai passport in about 3 working days, not much too it. (Assuming the child was born in Thailand). Both parents have to sign the passport application. But the Thai passport will mean the child will need a visa for the UK. Getting a UK-passport will take at least 2 weeks.

Your questions about a visa for the UK are better asked in the section about visas for other countries.

Edit: Thai passport application

http://www.mfa.go.th/web/473.php?id=3167

[DanRW]

It'll be close.

I guess the main thing is to ensure that you have a fully refundable ticket.

I can only really offer advise with regards to timing:

In the past it has only taken 2-3 days for my Thai GF (Now wife) to get her UK visa.

This July we were planning a trip back, but the situation changed and I wished for us to go back together in May.

We had only a week to get my Wife a Visa - She received a two year visa but only after 10 days.

This 3 day delay meant that is really wasn't worth while traveling for just a 5 day break.....

So, recent experience - its possible in 10 days if everything is in order and there are no outstanding issues. It depends upon how busy the consular section is.

I'm sure some posters will have had visas returned within the week, others a lot longer.

One thing against you is that its now Friday, so you'll get your application in on the 4th at the soonest - That gives you 5 days. Too close in my opinion.

With regards to steps... For children I'm not sure (he has a British passport already ?).

For your wife - there are a lot of hoops to jump through - there are clear guidelines on the British Embassy website (I don't really know as I never got involved with my wife's application other than a cover letter of guarantor)

Thanks very much Richard. Hummm ... we have a school to run too which might interfere with things even more. All this needs to be done in Bangkok I suppose ..... I remember we had to go there for her study visa a few years back. She got her first approval right there on the spot as her English is so good. So go for it on Monday and see what happens .... haven't got her flight yet. Phew.

[DanRW]

"Close" only counts in horse-shoes and hand grenades!

Last month, my wife got her second UK visit visa 6-days after submitting the application.

Your son doesn't have ANY travel docs yet?

This is "Mission Impossible" and there's loads of reading on this forum on exactly what you need to do to get her and the boy 'street legal' for a later trip to the UK. Have a nice solo break in the UK and get it all sorted out well in advance when you get back.

I reckon the minimum amount of time you need to get a visa for the wife and a passport for the boy is 10 WORKING days which does NOT INCLUDE weekends. Where you are located in LOS also has an influence on how quick things can be done.

Hehe - right, so its closer than close.

None - We'd need a Thai passport for him ... then a visa. Sounds like a nightmare in itself.

Chiang Mai ... I think there's a postal service.

Thanks ... I'll get the flack-jacket.

[DanRW]

Ask the airline if you can delay your trip.

Not a bad idea actually ....

Cheers Gary

[DanRW]

Your son can get a Thai passport in about 3 working days, not much too it. (Assuming the child was born in Thailand). Both parents have to sign the passport application. But the Thai passport will mean the child will need a visa for the UK. Getting a UK-passport will take at least 2 weeks.

Your questions about a visa for the UK are better asked in the section about visas for other countries.

Edit: Thai passport application

http://www.mfa.go.th...473.php?id=3167

Thanks (again) Mario - will take a look

[SantiSuk]

"Close" only counts in horse-shoes and hand grenades!

Last month, my wife got her second UK visit visa 6-days after submitting the application.

Your son doesn't have ANY travel docs yet?

This is "Mission Impossible" and there's loads of reading on this forum on exactly what you need to do to get her and the boy 'street legal' for a later trip to the UK. Have a nice solo break in the UK and get it all sorted out well in advance when you get back.

I reckon the minimum amount of time you need to get a visa for the wife and a passport for the boy is 10 WORKING days which does NOT INCLUDE weekends. Where you are located in LOS also has an influence on how quick things can be done.

Hehe - right, so its closer than close.

None - We'd need a Thai passport for him ... then a visa. Sounds like a nightmare in itself.

Chiang Mai ... I think there's a postal service.

Thanks ... I'll get the flack-jacket.

You will probably need a Thai passport anyway, even if you do get a UK passport as well (and it certainly makes life easier to have both).

For the avoidance of doubt, if you have only a Thai passport then you will need a UK visa for the child (as said already). A UK visa will probably take longer than a Thai passport and a UK visa introduces another element of risk that is not there with a Thia passport (100% you will get the latter).

If you have a UK passport only, you can get the child out of Thailand on that but then the child will be a foreigner on return to Thailand and will need a visa for re-entry prior to getting a Thai passport when you get back to your home in Thailand. On second thoughts maybe it is possible to bring such a UK passport-equipped child back into Thailand on a visa waiver for 30 days then get the the Thai passport and let the visa waiver lapse - perhaps a Thai passport is not necessary after all; I would not take that route without other confirmation from experienced TV members.

You can get your Thai passport at a regional passport office (likely to be different from an immigration office), but they will send it to Bangkok for processing (at least that is what they do in Ubon), so it would probably be quicker to do it in Bangkok. Six months ago we got my baby's passport posted back in one week, having been to the local Ubon passport office. Remember to take baby (my wife insisted it was not necessary - like she is Thai so she knows everything about everything!!). The passport office will take the baby's picture for you and generally lead you through the process - it's the most efficient immigration/passport process I have seen in any country.

A UK passport for baby will take longer - it has to go via Hong Kong. Ours took about 12 days I recall (8 working days), although this might be shaved if you can pick up the passport at the British Embassy (not sure whether they offer that facility - most people use the Fedex to home route. You do need a passport photo (inter alia) for that and if your child has a Thai, rather than UK, birth certificate you will need to get an English translation, which means you will possibly need 2 days in Bangkok (almost definitely if you are going for a Thai baby passport and a UK adult visa also).

If you want to know the latest processing times, either post a new topic asking 'What is the current processing time for a UK visa for Thai person' in the title, or use a visa agent in Bangkok and phone them to ask the current time. Do not trust the indicative timings on the UK's Visa Sevice subcontractor's web-site. It is backward looking and invariably in my 3 times experience way too optimistic. My May application took about 21 days, but that is a busy time.

Erlier this year I got a Thai and UK passport for baby and a UK visa and Schengen visa for wife. Somewhere amongst that lot was a balls-aching requirement to get a Thai translation for my birth certificate. Have you got your British birth certificate with you in Thailand (a copy will not work). This also involved going first to the British Embassy to get a stamp that this was a valid British birth certificate (2,000 baht snort!), then getting the validated birth certificate translated.

The whole process required considerable planning to get right first time. Beware that the British embassy has restricted opening times for certain processes (taking stuff in often has different times than handing stuff back) and observes both UK and some Thai holidays. 2 days is the minimum time in Bangkok for most processes.

Good luck!

[Mario2008]

Thai passport can be applied for at the passport office in ChiangMai.

[DanRW]

"Close" only counts in horse-shoes and hand grenades!

Last month, my wife got her second UK visit visa 6-days after submitting the application.

Your son doesn't have ANY travel docs yet?

This is "Mission Impossible" and there's loads of reading on this forum on exactly what you need to do to get her and the boy 'street legal' for a later trip to the UK. Have a nice solo break in the UK and get it all sorted out well in advance when you get back.

I reckon the minimum amount of time you need to get a visa for the wife and a passport for the boy is 10 WORKING days which does NOT INCLUDE weekends. Where you are located in LOS also has an influence on how quick things can be done.

Hehe - right, so its closer than close.

None - We'd need a Thai passport for him ... then a visa. Sounds like a nightmare in itself.

Chiang Mai ... I think there's a postal service.

Thanks ... I'll get the flack-jacket.

You will probably need a Thai passport anyway, even if you do get a UK passport as well (and it certainly makes life easier to have both).

For the avoidance of doubt, if you have only a Thai passport then you will need a UK visa for the child (as said already). A UK visa will probably take longer than a Thai passport and a UK visa introduces another element of risk that is not there with a Thia passport (100% you will get the latter).

If you have a UK passport only, you can get the child out of Thailand on that but then the child will be a foreigner on return to Thailand and will need a visa for re-entry prior to getting a Thai passport when you get back to your home in Thailand. On second thoughts maybe it is possible to bring such a UK passport-equipped child back into Thailand on a visa waiver for 30 days then get the the Thai passport and let the visa waiver lapse - perhaps a Thai passport is not necessary after all; I would not take that route without other confirmation from experienced TV members.

You can get your Thai passport at a regional passport office (likely to be different from an immigration office), but they will send it to Bangkok for processing (at least that is what they do in Ubon), so it would probably be quicker to do it in Bangkok. Six months ago we got my baby's passport posted back in one week, having been to the local Ubon passport office. Remember to take baby (my wife insisted it was not necessary - like she is Thai so she knows everything about everything!!). The passport office will take the baby's picture for you and generally lead you through the process - it's the most efficient immigration/passport process I have seen in any country.

A UK passport for baby will take longer - it has to go via Hong Kong. Ours took about 12 days I recall (8 working days), although this might be shaved if you can pick up the passport at the British Embassy (not sure whether they offer that facility - most people use the Fedex to home route. You do need a passport photo (inter alia) for that and if your child has a Thai, rather than UK, birth certificate you will need to get an English translation, which means you will possibly need 2 days in Bangkok (almost definitely if you are going for a Thai baby passport and a UK adult visa also).

If you want to know the latest processing times, either post a new topic asking 'What is the current processing time for a UK visa for Thai person' in the title, or use a visa agent in Bangkok and phone them to ask the current time. Do not trust the indicative timings on the UK's Visa Sevice subcontractor's web-site. It is backward looking and invariably in my 3 times experience way too optimistic. My May application took about 21 days, but that is a busy time.

Erlier this year I got a Thai and UK passport for baby and a UK visa and Schengen visa for wife. Somewhere amongst that lot was a balls-aching requirement to get a Thai translation for my birth certificate. Have you got your British birth certificate with you in Thailand (a copy will not work). This also involved going first to the British Embassy to get a stamp that this was a valid British birth certificate (2,000 baht snort!), then getting the validated birth certificate translated.

The whole process required considerable planning to get right first time. Beware that the British embassy has restricted opening times for certain processes (taking stuff in often has different times than handing stuff back) and observes both UK and some Thai holidays. 2 days is the minimum time in Bangkok for most processes.

Good luck!

Thank you SantiSuk - a considerable effort made there! No, dont have my birth certificate with me. Will get it this time round.

I think the biggest problem is our sons passport THEN a visa ... and of course the turn around time of the travel visa for my wife. Usually not a problem with better planning but wont be able to do it by the 10th, I fear.

I think we're too late. I'm only going for about a week anyway ... I think my wife is just jealous that I'm going to get a decent cup of tea!!

:jap:

[DanRW]

Thank you all. Think I know what to do now.

All the best,

Dan

[Willeyeam]

If I was you I would go straight to The British Consul in CM, and explain the situation, as it sounds as if your wife has been to the UK before and if so, if you are applying for the same type of visitors visa, it is a formality, and CM may be able to help you out. There should be no need for her to appear in person even. (however with your time frame....)

Then you need to go City Hall in CM, the big building on the left on the way to Mae Rim, take all of your wifes documents your childs birth certificates, as much as you can possibly carry, they will process the entire thing there in about 2 hours, YOU WILL NOT GET THE PASSPORT, you must ask them for an express or same day if possible EMS turn around, I don't think there is any paperwork that goes to Bangkok for the initial application, it is a really great system.

So you may just have a couple odd days to get down to Bangkok to pick up your wifes visa, you need to enquire at CM BC, there must be certain circumstances where in an emergency a young child can be given an emergency stamp as a short term visa from the British Embassy, it is worth a try - the hold ups will be the UK, not the Thais, they have got it sussed on this one.

Good luck

[DanRW]

If I was you I would go straight to The British Consul in CM, and explain the situation, as it sounds as if your wife has been to the UK before and if so, if you are applying for the same type of visitors visa, it is a formality, and CM may be able to help you out. There should be no need for her to appear in person even. (however with your time frame....)

Then you need to go City Hall in CM, the big building on the left on the way to Mae Rim, take all of your wifes documents your childs birth certificates, as much as you can possibly carry, they will process the entire thing there in about 2 hours, YOU WILL NOT GET THE PASSPORT, you must ask them for an express or same day if possible EMS turn around, I don't think there is any paperwork that goes to Bangkok for the initial application, it is a really great system.

So you may just have a couple odd days to get down to Bangkok to pick up your wifes visa, you need to enquire at CM BC, there must be certain circumstances where in an emergency a young child can be given an emergency stamp as a short term visa from the British Embassy, it is worth a try - the hold ups will be the UK, not the Thais, they have got it sussed on this one.

Good luck

Yes! What a great post ... I feel inspired. I'll try it .... and post my results.

Thanks Willeyeam!

[asiawatcher]

You can of course get your son a British passport immediately then you have two plus a Thai and the odds are in your favour - I have dual nationality and an EU/Brit passport and two daughters to my Thai wife. I have three passports with each of the kids - the dual Nationality + the Thai. We use the Thai for exit and entry and the other passports as appropriate. It works a treat when we travel.

[mikedee]

Don't forget to check if children have to travel to Bangkok for the medical (TB) test.

My wife was about 6 days in BKK waiting for the incubation period etc - all OK

She then returned to Issan to wait for the postal notification

There was a delay waiting for the result of her UK application (6 weeks holiday - her first time out of Thailand)

She was turned down because of insufficient proof that she would return to Thailand at the end of the holiday

I contacted the Embassy for a reasonable explanation and was told they could not comment on individual cases but she was welcome to re-apply

Talking to other ex-pats I asked how these visa offices can guarantee a visa - I was told the fee (£1200) was to ensure a good wedge was available to sweeten the adjudicating officers who they deliver the application to.

Land of Smiles.