Which Visa?

[ronw]

has anyone information on this?

I am a brit pensioner.....have a thai wife....and wish to remain living in thailand.....

when I got married I, applied for the married pensioners [extra] allowance....and was informed that , in order to receive the extra pension,my wife would need to be issued with a national insurance number ....which is only issued in person...in the uk....

I am uncertain whether the NI number would be issued to my wife if we went to the uk on a VISITORS visa.....or whether we would need to get a SETTLEMENT visa.

I have tried searching the government sites,but cannot find anything really relevant to my situation.

[GU22]

Your wife cannot apply for a NI number unless she has a need of one, e.g. because she is starting work in the UK. She certainly cannot apply for one if she is in the UK on a visit visa.

Whether, being a Thai national resident in Thailand, she would be given a NI number merely so that you, a UK national also resident in Thailand, could claim a bit of extra state pension, I don't know.

Some members of Thailand-UK are very clued up on social security matters, so it may be worth asking there.