Working/Investing/Living In Thailand !

[ucomservices]

I plan to move to Thailand next month with my wife and two kids who are Thai Citizens.

I should be having approx. 3-4 million baht with me when I move.

Kindly suggest me the ways to go about it regarding my taking a 1 year Visa and later on changing my nationality to Thai.

Also advice whether I should put the money in the bank or invest in property or start a company with my wife or otherwise ??????

All ur replies are sincerely appreciated in advance....

[CharlieH]

Your first step would be to obtain a Non O visa based on having a Thai wife, that can then be extended by 1 year on the same basis. You will still need to report to immigration each 90 days. (by post or in person)

You will never obtain Thai Nationality, the best you can hope for is permenent residence which takes a long time alot of money and alot of patience as it is a very long process. There is a pinned thread on this at the top of the Visa forum for more precise information.

As for property, unless its a condo you can never own any land or property, only your Thai wife can, if you are happy with that then you need to make your own choices as to what and where etc.

You dont state your age or Nationality but if you can give a little more info I am sure there are many here that will contribute.

[TerryLH]

"You will never obtain Thai Nationality, the best you can hope for is permenent residence..."

Can you explain why you think that is?

I thought I read here somewhere that persons married to Thai now have a way to skip PR. Still not easy, but doable.

There is a current topic about this subject.

[moe666]

You can open a Thai brokerage account may stocks on the Thai market are paying a dividend of 7 percent or more.

[tombkk]

"You will never obtain Thai Nationality, the best you can hope for is permenent residence..."

Can you explain why you think that is?

I thought I read here somewhere that persons married to Thai now have a way to skip PR. Still not easy, but doable.

There is a current topic about this subject.

I'm not sure why CharlieH said that, he is most likely wrong.

The correct answer is to put the money in the bank. If you are bringing it in cash, make sure you declare it when you arrive (as it is over US$ 20,000). You'll need THB 800,000 in a thai bank account to get your extension of stay based on marriage.

[digitalchromakey]

The correct answer is to put the money in the bank. If you are bringing it in cash, make sure you declare it when you arrive (as it is over US$ 20,000). You'll need THB 800,000 in a thai bank account to get your extension of stay based on marriage.

Currently 400,000 THB in the bank, or an income equivalent dependant on your nationality, is required for an extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai.

[dustyniche]

Hey ucomservices;

I believe you need to check with a Thai Embassy or Consulate - or at least check the visa requirements on their website - http://www.thaiembdc...sa/Non-Img.aspx and even visit them in person to get proper forms etc. I would first go for the Non-Immigrant "O" visa (Non-O (Thai Wife) because it's good for a year and can be renewed and upgraded after you get to Thailand. I might even go so far as to say that you might want to hire an immigration law firm to get you through the process.

Your money should go in a bank in your country. Sit down and talk with a bank manager and tell them you intend on moving to Thailand and want the money available to transfer to a Thai bank after you establish a Thai account. Perhaps the bank in your country could issue you a letter of credit to help the Thai bank establish your account and help facilitate the transfer. They can also advise you of the rules of moving money out of your country so you can set up a schedule for transferring amounts just under the limit. (As sort of a back-up plan, you may want to take a trusted friend to the bank when you go, introduce him/her to the bank manager and work out something with the manager in case you need a person to represent you at your local bank - just a thought. BTW, this may require some sort of paperwork, and I would NOT put the person on the account with you.)

Caution - If you are a US citizen you need to check the limitations on the amount of cash you can physically carry with you and/or transfer at a later date (get your local bank to help with this). If you are over the limit you may be setting yourself up for penalties, taxes and even arrest. (Can you say Drug Dealer or money mule?) Physically carrying 3-4 million Baht to Thailand is risky -- loss, theft, confiscation - I don't think you want any part of those choices. Take some pocket money (cash) a debit card connected to an account that has a fairly high balance and leave the 3-4 million Baht in a bank as mentioned above and in other posts.

Just keep in mind that you can't do this all in one go. As a matter of fact you probably won't be able to accomplish what you are trying to do for a least a year. So plan on it taking some time and if you get done earlier then you win.

[MJo]

Wow, only few posts and lot of wrong information....

1. Get non-immigrant O visa from thai embassy in you home country based on marriage to thai, will get you permission to stay for 90 days

2. Once in thailand open bank account and transfer your money over. Do this first thing as you need to have the money for visa extension couple of months before application.

3. If you have more than 400k baht in your account you can apply for one year extension of stay based on marriage. Read the forums, it's all there for the requirements and process

For what to do with your money part you better figure out something before it runs out. If your considering any advice you get here your nuts. Just give it to me, saves you lot of trouble. Seriously, you most likely have PM's already from "businessmen" who can help you.

Once you have a job or business that brings in min 40k a month for few years and you have learned the language you can start thinking PR or nationality. Once you qualify, expect another 3 to 5 years for the process.

Chok dee...

[dustyniche]

Just keep in mind that you can't do this all in one go. As a matter of fact you probably won't be able to accomplish what you are trying to do for a least a year. So plan on it taking some time and if you get done earlier then you win.

Updating myself after looking around this forum

This is a pretty good post on the subject and recent also Nov. 2011

Posted 2011-09-11 02:17:52

By: Arkady - a reply to:

Thai Citizenship For Men Married To Thais

http://www.thaivisa...._1#entry4690530

In reference the 1 year Non IM "O" Multiple entry. It's good for a year, 90 days at a time. Scroll down until you get to the post by jayenram. BTW. it may seem old but I see the same info on the Thai Embassy site at the link at the top of my post.

Posted 2006-04-27 22:59:07

Nomenclature for types of visa and permission to stay for Thailand.

By jayenram

http://www.thaivisa....a-descriptions/

And finally this URL. I forgot to captrue the details, but this is a .pdf document on this site about Naturalization. So ucomservices, according to this .pdf you can plan on at least 5 years of living in Thailand before you can even try for citizenship. Meanwhile this gives you plenty of time to learn how to sing the Thai National Anthem and King's Anthem.

http://www.thaivisa....ttach_id=102367 (I had to use FireFox and try it several times before the .pdf would open without a 404 error).

[SantiSuk]

.........Your money should go in a bank in your country .......

I disagree. The OP has Thai family and intends to settle in Thailand. This advice exposes him to exchange risk (deteriorating dollar against the Thai baht over time). A more balanced approach would be to keep money evenly in 2 or three territories (Thailand plus home country plus say Singapore).