Uk To Bkk Forever

[lumphini07]

Hi,

I'm 37 yr british lived in uk all my life, I have been engaged to my thai gf since 2007 whom I met in 2005, we have visited each other 2-4 times a year every year and the intention was always to live in the uk but now she is shooting up the career ladder twice as fast as is the norm and enjoying it and is set to be on very well off in a few years.

so we decided it makes more sense for me to live with her in bkk, how can this be done? We are ready to get married, I have about 40,000 pounds.

I will be wanting to work for a few years until we have kids at which point we want to adopt also, for the first year I want to volunteer full time in and around bkk. short term and long term adivce is welcome and will i spend the rest of my days doing visa runs and will I always be living in fear of the thai feds sending me home?

Kind Regards

[maprao]

Wish you luck.

First trip go there on a tourist visa double entry. While you are there get married in Thailand. Put 400,000 Baht in a bank account in Thailand. Keep the rest of your money in the UK.

Leave Thailand go back home and apply for a Non Immigrant O visa. Then apply for an extension of stay one year at a time when you are in Thailand. If you are lucky enough to get a job then you can get a work permit while you are on a Non Immigrant "O".

Failing that if you do not want to put 400, 000 Baht in a Thai account. When you go back home AFTER you get married in Thailand get a Non Imm "O" Multiple entry. With you will have to leave the country every 90 days. Road trip to a land crossing will do the trick. This will do you for 15 months if you time the exits and entries correctly.

Remember when you back to the UK for your Non Immigrant "O" Visa take your original Marriage Certificate and a copy of your new wife’s Thai ID card. Better still get her to change the name on it after you get married.

Best of luck... remember 40000 sterling will not last forever and you are only 37. Maybe you could start some sort of business when you are there (not entertainment). In any case you need to give some thought to long term income.

[steve187]

Wish you luck.

First trip go there on a tourist visa double entry. While you are there get married in Thailand. Put 400,000 Baht in a bank account in Thailand. Keep the rest of your money in the UK.

Leave Thailand go back home and apply for a Non Immigrant O visa. Then apply for an extension of stay one year at a time when you are in Thailand. If you are lucky enough to get a job then you can get a work permit while you are on a Non Immigrant "O".

Failing that if you do not want to put 400, 000 Baht in a Thai account. When you go back home AFTER you get married in Thailand get a Non Imm "O" Multiple entry. With you will have to leave the country every 90 days. Road trip to a land crossing will do the trick. This will do you for 15 months if you time the exits and entries correctly.

Remember when you back to the UK for your Non Immigrant "O" Visa take your original Marriage Certificate and a copy of your new wife’s Thai ID card. Better still get her to change the name on it after you get married.

Best of luck... remember 40000 sterling will not last forever and you are only 37. Maybe you could start some sort of business when you are there (not entertainment). In any case you need to give some thought to long term income.

why leave Thailand to obtain a non immigrant 'o' visa, after marriage a 60 day visit Thai wife extension could be obtained, that would give the 400,000baht time to season, then a one year extension of stay based on supporting Thai wife could be applied for.

a one year multi entry non immigrant 'o' visa could also be obtained in kuala lumper, with 100,000 baht in bank account, if that route is followed.

[maprao]

Wish you luck.

First trip go there on a tourist visa double entry. While you are there get married in Thailand. Put 400,000 Baht in a bank account in Thailand. Keep the rest of your money in the UK.

Leave Thailand go back home and apply for a Non Immigrant O visa. Then apply for an extension of stay one year at a time when you are in Thailand. If you are lucky enough to get a job then you can get a work permit while you are on a Non Immigrant "O".

Failing that if you do not want to put 400, 000 Baht in a Thai account. When you go back home AFTER you get married in Thailand get a Non Imm "O" Multiple entry. With you will have to leave the country every 90 days. Road trip to a land crossing will do the trick. This will do you for 15 months if you time the exits and entries correctly.

Remember when you back to the UK for your Non Immigrant "O" Visa take your original Marriage Certificate and a copy of your new wife’s Thai ID card. Better still get her to change the name on it after you get married.

Best of luck... remember 40000 sterling will not last forever and you are only 37. Maybe you could start some sort of business when you are there (not entertainment). In any case you need to give some thought to long term income.

why leave Thailand to obtain a non immigrant 'o' visa, after marriage a 60 day visit Thai wife extension could be obtained, that would give the 400,000baht time to season, then a one year extension of stay based on supporting Thai wife could be applied for.

a one year multi entry non immigrant 'o' visa could also be obtained in kuala lumper, with 100,000 baht in bank account, if that route is followed.

Spot on advice there from Steve!

[Maestro]

lumphini07, from your post I understand that you are in the UK at the moment. If you have not already done so, your first step should be to make arrangements with your bank for Internet banking.

Step 2: Get a non-immigrant visa category “O” and fly to Thailand. If you can’t get a non-O visa, get a tourist visa. Depending on how soon you plan to marry after your arrival in Thailand, make it a single-entry visa or a multiple-entry non-O visa or a tourist visa for one, two or three entries.

Step 3: Promptly after your arrival in Thailand, remit the equivalent of THB 400,000 from your UK account to a Thai bank account in your name. Be sure to instruct your UK bank to remit GBP, not THB, so that the conversion will be made in Thailand (better exchange rate)

Step 4: Get married.

Step 5: Within the last 30 days of your permission to stay, go to the local immigration office and apply for an annual extension of stay. If you arrived with a tourist visa, the immigration office will first give you a change of visa to non-immigrant.

Step 6: Repeat step 5 every year, with your bank balance at a minimum of THB 400,000 for at least three months before your application for extension.

Once you are on annual extensions of stay, get a re-entry permit from your immigration office before you travel abroad.

[lumphini07]

Thank you so much for your time and help everyone, you have really lifted my spirits, I don't want to get tooo soft on you, as my fiancee will see this lmao

APPRECIATED!

[Badbanker]

lumphini07 welcome to the Thai Marriage shuffle! It is not that complex and relatively painless.

Might I suggest you learn Thai intensively for a year to enable you to understand Thai culture and better integrate into Thai society. It also makes life a lot easier and improves your job prospects if you ever seek employment here.

BB

Edited February 6, 2011 by Badbanker

[probert]

Wish you luck.

First trip go there on a tourist visa double entry. While you are there get married in Thailand. Put 400,000 Baht in a bank account in Thailand. Keep the rest of your money in the UK.

Leave Thailand go back home and apply for a Non Immigrant O visa. Then apply for an extension of stay one year at a time when you are in Thailand. If you are lucky enough to get a job then you can get a work permit while you are on a Non Immigrant "O".

Failing that if you do not want to put 400, 000 Baht in a Thai account. When you go back home AFTER you get married in Thailand get a Non Imm "O" Multiple entry. With you will have to leave the country every 90 days. Road trip to a land crossing will do the trick. This will do you for 15 months if you time the exits and entries correctly.

Remember when you back to the UK for your Non Immigrant "O" Visa take your original Marriage Certificate and a copy of your new wife's Thai ID card. Better still get her to change the name on it after you get married.

Best of luck... remember 40000 sterling will not last forever and you are only 37. Maybe you could start some sort of business when you are there (not entertainment). In any case you need to give some thought to long term income.

Perfect response. Nice to see a 100% positive replies rather than some negative Expats questioning peoples motives and plans.

Good luck to you, the advice above seems perfect. Cant add much to it but I can confirm that you can get a work permit on a Non imm 'o' visa as I had one for a while. Also I can advise that by far the best Embassy/consulate in the UK for this visa is Hull. Marriage certificate, wife's ID card, application form, about 100 GBP and 20 minutes later you have a one year O visa. Or 2/3 days by post.

Edited February 6, 2011 by probert

[Tafia]

All good advice re above...as for getting married in Thailand there are a few things you need to do with the "affirmation for freedom to marry", check out the British Embassy (Thailand) website its all on there.

Good Luck to you both.

Edited February 6, 2011 by Tafia

[lumphini07]

hi than you everyone you have been unbeleivably helpful, i am just curious if i should have a return ticket when i go, wether or not a single one way would bring me to any unwanted attention if you follow me...

kind regards

[Lite Beer]

Providing you have a Visa a one way ticket will be no problem.

[Crossy]

hi than you everyone you have been unbeleivably helpful, i am just curious if i should have a return ticket when i go, wether or not a single one way would bring me to any unwanted attention if you follow me...

kind regards

No problem with a single ticket, I've been flying in and out for 6+ years always on singles or the second half of a return bought in Thailand, never an issue if you have a visa

[soihok]

Best of luck mate, you have the very best advice in the above posts.

I'm from Sheffield , South Yorkshire and been have been very, very happily married to my missus from Thailand for 10 years, have two kids.

I,ve just not found it so easy to make money in Thailand to be able to live a comforatble life, as well as provide for what is required to bring up children ( schools, insurances, etc ). Then again, I,m not a trailing spouse ( or am I ? ).

Saying that, there is the most effective and efficeint social security system known to man in full operation in Thailand....its called the family.

My wife doesn't want to live in England and neither do I........welcome !

[lumphini07]

this forum is just a god send, you are all so friendly its inbeleivable thank you to you all

i'm worried about making money too soihok, i dont have a degree and have been a marine electrician for the last 10 years in a factory making 80ft fully loaded leisure off shore cruisers i was thinking freelance english tuition or self employed electrician aiming mostly at the farangs but yes making money isnt going to be easy.

[lopburi3]

And it appears both would be illegal - you need a work permit to legally work in Thailand and that is job specific and for a Thai company rather than free lance or working for foreigners. Marriage alone does not provide any shortcut to work permits.

[lumphini07]

And it appears both would be illegal - you need a work permit to legally work in Thailand and that is job specific and for a Thai company rather than free lance or working for foreigners. Marriage alone does not provide any shortcut to work permits.

thanks lopburi, i was just thinking of ideas, i have no intention of doing anything illegal and i dont know much but i know i can set up all most any buisiness i wanted the problem would be start up costs and or if its a viable money maker not the process of making it legal, ty tho

kind regards

[lumphini07]

a question about the money?,, Maprao suggests putting the required 40,000bht into a thai account and leaving the rest in my uk account, is there a specific reason for this, is there a reason why I wouldnt transfer all of it to thailand ?

I hate ATm charges per withdrawl lol

[bifftastic]

a question about the money?,, Maprao suggests putting the required 40,000bht into a thai account and leaving the rest in my uk account, is there a specific reason for this, is there a reason why I wouldnt transfer all of it to thailand ?

I hate ATm charges per withdrawl lol

Hi,

It's 400,000 baht by the way

and i think the main reason people do that is to continue to get decent interest rates on your money. Also there's a belief, rightly or wrongly I'm not sure, that it may be safer to leave in in e bank in your 'home' country.

There's also the fact that whilst it's reasonably straightforward to bring money in to Thailand, it's not so easy to get it out again!

maybe it might be better to have a bit more than you might need in the bank in Thailand for monthly expenses and do a SWIFT transfer every month or every other month. Something like that would give you your interest rates in the UK bank and still avoid the ATM charges and other assorted difficulties dealing with UK banks via a machine stuck in the wall as opposed to online instructions via your computer.

If you make sure you've got internet banking on both your UK and Thai accounts you should be ok, but you need to remember that most UK current accounts are for UK residents and require a permanent UK address, which they will send letters to occasionally. Maybe a family member in the UK could take care of that for you?

All the best mate, hope it all goes well

[lumphini07]

a question about the money?,, Maprao suggests putting the required 40,000bht into a thai account and leaving the rest in my uk account, is there a specific reason for this, is there a reason why I wouldnt transfer all of it to thailand ?

I hate ATm charges per withdrawl lol

Hi,

It's 400,000 baht by the way

and i think the main reason people do that is to continue to get decent interest rates on your money. Also there's a belief, rightly or wrongly I'm not sure, that it may be safer to leave in in e bank in your 'home' country.

There's also the fact that whilst it's reasonably straightforward to bring money in to Thailand, it's not so easy to get it out again!

maybe it might be better to have a bit more than you might need in the bank in Thailand for monthly expenses and do a SWIFT transfer every month or every other month. Something like that would give you your interest rates in the UK bank and still avoid the ATM charges and other assorted difficulties dealing with UK banks via a machine stuck in the wall as opposed to online instructions via your computer.

If you make sure you've got internet banking on both your UK and Thai accounts you should be ok, but you need to remember that most UK current accounts are for UK residents and require a permanent UK address, which they will send letters to occasionally. Maybe a family member in the UK could take care of that for you?

All the best mate, hope it all goes well

yes 400,000 lol , thankyou for the info bifftastic, I almost asked why the transfer had to be quick, but then thought twice and googled swift transfer, got a very nice ehow page up so thank you for that too, I am so apprecoative for your and everyones help

take care

[lumphini07]

hi everyone, me again lol,

ok so i got my visa app pack from hull !

for non-imm 'o' application the only choices are

married to thai - certificate

visiting relatives - birth cert etc

living in thailand - house deeds

volunteer work - charity letter ( could make happen )

pensioner -

non of which seem to fit me , except volunteer as a fairly easy route

so is my best option choice to go on a tourist visa (double)?

in which case what would be my purpose of visit? simply tourism right?

does the fact i will be leaving my job a month before leaving for bkk, making me put unemployed

on the visa app form matter at all

it states that on a tourist visa i shouldnt be doing anything other than just that but obviously

it legit if u just happen to get married while on holiday lol!

thanks in advance everyone

[WeeGB]

Hi Lumphini07, I'd advise sorting out your banking before you come here for any length of time, as someone else said, internet banking is a must.

I use Nationwide in the Uk, you can transfer large sums of money from the Uk to Thailand for 25 pounds a time, using the "SWIFT" transfer system.

Probably worth looking on Thaivisa banking section for other Banks fees etc. Don't forget at most banks here you're charged 150 baht a withdrawal, plus UK bank fees, worth thinking about with a base capital of 40000 pounds, you'll want to pay as little to the banks a s possible to preserve your capital. Good luck, hope everything works out for you.

Edit ; Just noticed other post regarding British banks require UK address, Nationwide don't for one, I am registered with them using my permanent Thai address, though I did originally open account when I lived in England. Please check other UK banks for their home address requirements, as a lot of Uk banks won't send credit / debit cards to Thailand , they cite security concerns as the basis for this. Again have a read through ThaiVisa banking section for advice,

FORGET GOOGLE - THAIVISA IS YOUR FRIEND !! lol

Good Luck

Edited April 10, 2011 by WeeGB

[lumphini07]

Hi Lumphini07, I'd advise sorting out your banking before you come here for any length of time, as someone else said, internet banking is a must.

I use Nationwide in the Uk, you can transfer large sums of money from the Uk to Thailand for 25 pounds a time, using the "SWIFT" transfer system.

Probably worth looking on Thaivisa banking section for other Banks fees etc. Don't forget at most banks here you're charged 150 baht a withdrawal, plus UK bank fees, worth thinking about with a base capital of 40000 pounds, you'll want to pay as little to the banks a s possible to preserve your capital. Good luck, hope everything works out for you.

Edit ; Just noticed other post regarding British banks require UK address, Nationwide don't for one, I am registered with them using my permanent Thai address, though I did originally open account when I lived in England. Please check other UK banks for their home address requirements, as a lot of Uk banks won't send credit / debit cards to Thailand , they cite security concerns as the basis for this. Again have a read through ThaiVisa banking section for advice,

FORGET GOOGLE - THAIVISA IS YOUR FRIEND !! lol

Good Luck

Thanks WeeGB, i did check with the bank (halifax0 this saturday just gone and they did tell me its fine to give them my thai address and that was basically all that was required, had internet banking for many years so thats all good, i got to go back next weekend I i will ask about their situation on the swift transfers.

stay safe

[bifftastic]

Hi Lumphini,

I'm in a similar position to you regarding the visa.

I was going to get a non-imm o but they moved the goalposts on me

I'm heading out to Thailand in a couple of weeks to get married, Hull consulate told me "ok next time you can get a non-imm if you show the marriage cert but this time you can only get a tourist visa" Seeing as I live in London, I went to the Thai embassy rather than post my passport to Hull. I put 'tourism' as the reason for the visit, can't remember what I put for employment but I doubt they're able or willing to check.

So, if I were you, I'd put 'tourism' as that's the reason they want for that visa as for employment status, I don't think it matters much but I'd out 'employed' if I were you (can't remember where on the form it asks that to be honest).

As you rightly said, what you actually do, apart from employment in Thailand of course is, as they say 'up to you'!

Interested in what you said about Halifax as they're my bank too! Did they say you can make transfers while you're in Thailand? I think I read that their current accounts are for UK residents but I'll be happy to discover that I'll be able to transfer my salary to a Thai bank when it arrives, hate those ATM fees and the daily withdrawal limits!

[lumphini07]

Hi Lumphini,

I'm in a similar position to you regarding the visa.

I was going to get a non-imm o but they moved the goalposts on me

I'm heading out to Thailand in a couple of weeks to get married, Hull consulate told me "ok next time you can get a non-imm if you show the marriage cert but this time you can only get a tourist visa" Seeing as I live in London, I went to the Thai embassy rather than post my passport to Hull. I put 'tourism' as the reason for the visit, can't remember what I put for employment but I doubt they're able or willing to check.

So, if I were you, I'd put 'tourism' as that's the reason they want for that visa as for employment status, I don't think it matters much but I'd out 'employed' if I were you (can't remember where on the form it asks that to be honest).

As you rightly said, what you actually do, apart from employment in Thailand of course is, as they say 'up to you'!

Interested in what you said about Halifax as they're my bank too! Did they say you can make transfers while you're in Thailand? I think I read that their current accounts are for UK residents but I'll be happy to discover that I'll be able to transfer my salary to a Thai bank when it arrives, hate those ATM fees and the daily withdrawal limits!

hi biff

i will do that i will actually be emplyed still at time of applying and its only a tourist visa after all, i asked the halifax if i needed to be residing in uk to have the account with them, they said no i simply give them my adress abroad and its as simple as that, if they need to send paper they r happy to do it apparently, and i didnt go into detail but transfering 10k was no problem they just needed my thai bank account details after i got there and set one up, i am going back this weekend ,to ask more questions, about the swift transfer and more detail about the transfer process

i will post my questions i put to them and the answers i get, if you want me to ask anything on your behalf reply me here or message me , i dont mind doing that.

have a good week

[bifftastic]

Thanks for that, sounds like I'll be able to do my transfers online no problem then

As far as the SWIFT transfer set-up goes, all you need to do is add a new payment in the International transfers section, so you can put all your Thai bank details in there yourself I would imagine.

They do, from time to time, carry out security checks, which involve an automated call to the mobile or landline you have registered with that account. You then have to enter the code you see on the screen, into your phone. You might want to check with them if their automated system will call a Thai mobile number or not!

If you don't enter the code, or they can't get hold of you by phone, your internet banking access gets suspended while they carry out more checks, which usually means a person calls you on that same number.

Something that could be an expensive pain in the arse if you're in Thailand!

I'm going to put my UK SIM card in the phone when I do a transfer, just in case!

If you wouldn't mind me asking, what kind of account do you have with them? Mine's a reward account, minimum £1,000 a month deposit current account.

I'm not sure if the rules are different for different types of account.

Cheers,

Biff

[theoldgit]

Thanks WeeGB, i did check with the bank (halifax this saturday just gone and they did tell me its fine to give them my thai address and that was basically all that was required, had internet banking for many years so thats all good, i got to go back next weekend I i will ask about their situation on the swift transfers.

That's interesting, I had a current account, and a credit card, with HBOS before I moved to Thailand, I called them and asked about sending my new card to Thailand as I had no UK address, they told me that it was a condition of having an account with them that I maintained a UK address, they then promptly closed my accounts. They do have an International division however.

If you do manage to open an account with them you can transfer funds online, think it used to cost about £9.50 per transaction.

[lumphini07]

Thanks WeeGB, i did check with the bank (halifax this saturday just gone and they did tell me its fine to give them my thai address and that was basically all that was required, had internet banking for many years so thats all good, i got to go back next weekend I i will ask about their situation on the swift transfers.

That's interesting, I had a current account, and a credit card, with HBOS before I moved to Thailand, I called them and asked about sending my new card to Thailand as I had no UK address, they told me that it was a condition of having an account with them that I maintained a UK address, they then promptly closed my accounts. They do have an International division however.

If you do manage to open an account with them you can transfer funds online, think it used to cost about £9.50 per transaction.

yes i was suprised too, but my question was simple and the lady at the help desk was clear and replied quickly and concisely, it was just an enquiry i am going back to the bank this weekend to set everything up ready for me to leave at the end of june, i will post how it went this time, lol,

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

whats the deal with the price of 2nd hand cars OMG!!!

[lumphini07]

Ok so i'm in bkk on my tourist visa following Maestro's steps

it took me a week to get someone to give me a bank account

got turned down hundreds of times, in the end Kasikorn gave me

one, it was a branch out of town a little in pravet and this time I

took my fiancee (thai national) and she had to give a copy of her

I.D. card and sign it and basically they made her referee me alot,

and the letter from my uk bank confirming my change of address

helped too.

so I'm just curious after reading that the seasoning time for the 400,000

is 2 months for first applicatin and 3 for the susequent years...

so its taken me 2 weeks to get the account and get the money in it

but its done now finally and I beleive we should be married and

making the application at least a week before the end of the 60 day t/visa

which gives my 400,000 just 39 days seasoning....

has anyone had a similar situation and immigration didnt mind ? or they did ?

[Lite Beer]

You can always get a 60 day extension from Immigration when you are married. This will give a bit more time.

The money in the bank is 2 months seasoning every year.

[IMA_FARANG]

Before you do anything else you need to come to Thailand on a long term stay to see whetheryou like it or not living here.

Some foriegners just can't get used to the lifestyle here in Thailand. Just read any of the many "What is wrong with these Thais?" posts on this forum to see what I mean. It takes real mental adjustment to get rid of your cultural baggage as a lifelong U.K. resident...my god, the beer is COLD and served with ICE in it and there's no footy on the telly. And there are no decent chips.

Okay, so that's a bit over the top, maybe...but I just said it to shock you awake.

The fact is, living in Thailand on a long term basis as a foriegner...a farang...is NOT the same as a short visit as a tourist here.

Maybe you can make the adjustmrnt to living here on a long term basis, or maybe not, I can't say ahead of time which is the case.

But I strongly recommend you come here for a double entry tourist visa stay...it will give you 180 days to decide whether you can handle living in Thailand on a long term basis...or if you want to make that sacrifice for your girlfriend's happiness.

Usually about the 3rd or 4th month all the glamour of being in Thailand wears off...and you can see clearly what you are getting yourself into.

Then you can make your choice based on that experience. Based on that you can decide your future actions.

You can get a double entry tourist visa at the nearest Thai consulate. Each entry is good for 60 days and can be extended for 30 days in country...so it is a total of (60 entry plus 30 extension) plus (60 entry plus 30 extension) equals 180 days...on that double entry visa. By that time, you should know whether life in Thailand is really possible for you.

With that double entry visa you will also have to do a "border run" after the first 90 days to get your second entry. That will give you the experience of doing such a thing...because at 37 you will be doing it a lot since you can't retire until you are at least 50 years old here. It is possible to get married and get a marriage extension to your visa (or rather an extension of stay in country based on marriage to a Thai)...but I personally would see FIRST if I thought it was posssible for me to adapt to living in Thailand before I commited to marriage. But that's your choice to make.

Anyhow, bottom line, I would try out living in Thailand on a long term basis before I made any commitmant. Otherwise, you might end up broke and unhappy...and sorry you were here.

I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just telling you the truth. You have to make your decision yourself based on how you feel about what you experience here.

I did, and I'm stll here, and intend to stay for the rest of my life now.

Good luck.

Edited July 4, 2011 by IMA_FARANG