Getting Married...visa Requirements?

[winger]

hi everybody

i am planning to get married to my thai girlfriend of 2 years (been living together in thailand for this period of time) in the coming months and i was wondering about the visa requirements for myself. right now, i've been on 30 day and triple entry tourist visas. i dont work in thailand but i get approximately 80,000 baht every month from my offshore companies. when i contacted immigration, they told me i needed 400k (i believe) thai baht on a bank account here ...the issue is however i usually have around 100k to 150k here every month, not the full amount. is it possible to apply on the marriage visa based on my income instead of the 400k? i can show my bank statements that i've had at least 80k coming to my thai bank account for the past two years, each and every month.

thanks for any advice

[lopburi3]

You have already been told by immigration what they want to see - I really don't believe we are going to be able to change there mind.

You should be able to save for a few months to meet that requirement I would think. People with a whole lot less seem to be able to do it.

[Maestro]

i contacted immigration, they told me i needed 400k (i believe) thai baht on a bank account here ...the issue is however i usually have around 100k to 150k here every month, not the full amount.

If you don’t mind paying income taxes in Thailand on your monthly income, by all means go ahead and apply for your annual extension on the basis of you monthly income of 80K Baht.

Ah, yes, they may want to see a work permit, too.

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Maestro

[rishi]

Winger - it appears to me that the two replies above are talking about requirements with respect to a "one year extension of a non-imm o entry stamp". However, from your current tourist visa approach the next step will be to obtain a non-imm o spouse-support visa. This you can get e.g. in Penang and all you need is a marriage license and wife's ID/house reg. - no money requirements at this stage.

Edited January 17, 2006 by rishi

[lopburi3]

a non-imm o spouse-support visa

Sorry but there is no such thing. What he may be able to obtain at Penang is a non immigrant O visa to visit that would allow a 90 day stay, between 60-90 days it could be extended at immigration with the requirements met.

If he has a real tourist visa entry and was prepared to extend his stay he could change to non immigrant without a trip by a change of visa class at a cost of 2,000 baht. I suspect that this was explained when he contacted immigration.

[Maestro]

…However, from your current tourist visa approach the next step will be to obtain a non-imm o spouse-support visa. This you can get e.g. in Penang and all you need is a marriage license and wife's ID/house reg. - no money requirements at this stage.

To the best of my knowledge and according to the information on the website of the Immigration Bureau, a change in visa status – in this case from Tourist to Non-immigrant O – can be applied for at Immigration. Fee THB 2000.

But then, why do something the easy way if there is a complicated alternative?

Unless, of course, the good fellow is absolutely against holding 400K Baht in a Thai bank and instead wants to do quarterly visa runs on a multiple-entry non O visa and roughly every 15 months go to Penang or some other Thai consulate for a new visa. But that was not his question, was it?

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Maestro

[เพลง]

Ok

Hang on a minute

I'm not sure I've grasped this thread.

Do I have to hav 400,000bt in a bank account before I can marry?!!

[Jersey_UK]

Ok

Hang on a minute

I'm not sure I've grasped this thread.

Do I have to hav 400,000bt in a bank account before I can marry?!!

I hope not! - if it is then the first I have heard about it

As far as I am aware Mr Farang does not need any special VISA to marry a Thai woman in Thailand. (Various bits of paper, but not a special VISA - Tourist is OK)

I think the folks are "discussing" what sort of visa you COULD get ONCE you are married to a Thai Lady.

Would also appreciate confirmation of the above!!!

Although I have no plans to live in Thailand it MIGHT be conveniant for me to be able to stay for 6 months without doing any visa runs (as I do at present on the Tourist visas) - my reading of this is that I COULD manage this with a "Non-immigrant O – can be applied for at Immigration. Fee THB 2000" if I was willing to have (keep?) 400k Baht in Thailand.

[Maestro]

Do I have to hav 400,000bt in a bank account before I can marry?!!

No.

After your wedding, if and when you chose to apply for an annual extension of your permission to stay, that’s when you have to show Immigration proof of those 400K. When you want to do that is entirely up to you.

You can chose to do it immediately after your wedding, before your stay based on your Tourist visa expires. This would involve two steps, applied for at the same time at your local Immigration office:

1. Change of visa status from Tourist to non-O for support of Thai wife (THB 2,000)

2. Annual extension of stay for support of Thai wife (THB 1,900)

Or you can, once married, go to a Thai embassy some place and get a multiple-entry non-O visa for “visiting family and friends” with 90-day visa runs. In this case, any time you and your bank balance feel like it you can, during the last 30 days of any 90-day stay, apply for an annual extension (THB 1,900)

The choice is yours.

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Maestro

[Maestro]

Although I have no plans to live in Thailand it MIGHT be conveniant for me to be able to stay for 6 months without doing any visa runs (as I do at present on the Tourist visas) - my reading of this is that I COULD manage this with a "Non-immigrant O – can be applied for at Immigration. Fee THB 2000" if I was willing to have (keep?) 400k Baht in Thailand.

Yes, if you’re married to a Thai. You don’t say if you are.

If you are outside Thailand at the moment, you apply for your non-O visa at a Thai consulate.

If you are already in Thailand, on a Tourist visa, you apply at Immigration for a change in your visa status from Tourist to non-O and extension of your permission to stay based on “support Thai wife”.

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Maestro

[เพลง]

Do I have to hav 400,000bt in a bank account before I can marry?!!

No.

After your wedding, if and when you chose to apply for an annual extension of your permission to stay, that’s when you have to show Immigration proof of those 400K. When you want to do that is entirely up to you.

You can chose to do it immediately after your wedding, before your stay based on your Tourist visa expires. This would involve two steps, applied for at the same time at your local Immigration office:

1. Change of visa status from Tourist to non-O for support of Thai wife (THB 2,000)

2. Annual extension of stay for support of Thai wife (THB 1,900)

Or you can, once married, go to a Thai embassy some place and get a multiple-entry non-O visa for “visiting family and friends” with 90-day visa runs. In this case, any time you and your bank balance feel like it you can, during the last 30 days of any 90-day stay, apply for an annual extension (THB 1,900)

The choice is yours.

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Maestro

Ah thanks for the info. I suppose I'm jumping the gun a bit, I should really ask her and wait for her response before jumping into the VISA issue!

[Maestro]

Ah thanks for the info. I suppose I'm jumping the gun a bit, I should really ask her and wait for her response before jumping into the VISA issue!

Oh, that’s how it is. Take your time about it! In the meantime, continue your border runs, or get your multiple Tourist visas and do your visa runs.

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Maestro

[เพลง]

Ah thanks for the info. I suppose I'm jumping the gun a bit, I should really ask her and wait for her response before jumping into the VISA issue!

Oh, that’s how it is. Take your time about it! In the meantime, continue your border runs, or get your multiple Tourist visas and do your visa runs.

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Maestro

Haha I'm still in England at the moment so no need for VISA runs right now I'm leaving for Thailand on Feb 28th and expect to have popped the question within a week or so...

[Jersey_UK]

Cheers folks for clarifying all that (apologies to OP for "jumping in" )

Just to say......not yet married, due around March.........although it is the plan that she head over to Farangland with me, their may be a few complications on her visa.....she has NOT been a good girl - and has the paperwork to prove it ..........so it may be that I will be continuing with the longish holidays in Thailand, so any help / options on reducing the Visa runs / costs is always helpful.

[scotsman]

I have seen many threads on this subject and a lot of them say that you can have 400,000 baht in a thai bank or 40,000baht a month income. You have to get your employer to give you a letter of proof or the embassy if its a pension. I dont understand why the immigration dont know there own rules as that is what it says for being married and supporting a thai wife on there web site.

[desmond]

I have seen many threads on this subject and a lot of them say that you can have 400,000 baht in a thai bank or 40,000baht a month income. You have to get your employer to give you a letter of proof or the embassy if its a pension. I dont understand why the immigration dont know there own rules as that is what it says for being married and supporting a thai wife on there web site.

Don't get mixed up, it is as follows :

1. To support thai spouse , you need 400,000 Baht, no bargain, no exception

2. To apply for Work Permit , you need a monthly income of at least 40,000 Baht

Edited February 11, 2006 by desmond

[rainman]

actually i think its 400k total (either bank or income) for marriage visa. but i'm wondering as well what if the income is from *your own* offshore company? will thai immigration accept a letter issued by you?

[scotsman]

I have seen many threads on this subject and a lot of them say that you can have 400,000 baht in a thai bank or 40,000baht a month income. You have to get your employer to give you a letter of proof or the embassy if its a pension. I dont understand why the immigration dont know there own rules as that is what it says for being married and supporting a thai wife on there web site.

Don't get mixed up, it is as follows :

1. To support thai spouse , you need 400,000 Baht, no bargain, no exception

2. To apply for Work Permit , you need a monthly income of at least 40,000 Baht

The immagration web site I have seen says you can have 400,000 baht in thai bank or income of 40,000baht a month or a mixture of them both that adds up to 400,000. I would think that if you can show proof of income then you would meet the requirements for a marrage visa.