my thai gf will be giving birth to our child in august. she phoned immigration to ask about what visa i will be entitled to, they said i can get some kind of 1 year renewable child support visa. i have to show 500,000 baht in my thai bank account and pay a fee for the visa too.

does this sound correct? or can anybody shed any light on what visa i can get and what i have to do? i just don't want to get to the time and then find out what information i have been given is wrong.

thank you

Moved to visa section.

Based on your child you can get a non-O visa and yearly extension of stay if you can show an income of 400,00 baht a month or have 400,000 in a bankaccount in your name in Thailand. Incoem can be from abroad.

The catch is that you will need to be the legal father of the child and live together with the child. Since you are not marreid, you will neeed to go to court to legitimize the child first (or marry the mother).More information here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/381917-how-to-gain-parental-rights-as-a-father/

With only the birth certificate naming you as the father and not having legitimized the child you can still get the non-O visa, but not extensions of stay from immigration.

thank you for your help marlo

From Police Order 777/2551 that deals with extensions of stay.

2.18 In the case of a family

member of a Thai(applicable only to parents, spouse, child, adopted child or child

of his/her spouse):

Permission will be

granted for a period of

not more than 1 year at a time.

(5) In the case of a parent, one of parents must have an average annual income of not less than 40,000 baht per month or a money deposit of not less than 400,000 baht for expenses within a year.

From Police Order 777/2551 that deals with extensions of stay.

2.18 In the case of a family

member of a Thai(applicable only to parents, spouse, child, adopted child or child

of his/her spouse):

Permission will be

granted for a period of

not more than 1 year at a time.

(5) In the case of a parent, one of parents must have an average annual income of not less than 40,000 baht per month or a money deposit of not less than 400,000 baht for expenses within a year.

I thought you had to be fifty years old or more.

No. That was a provision allowing stay under one previous Police Order without financial requirements. That was removed in 2551 order. Fifty is now only a requirement for retirement extension of stay.