I am currently residing in the USA with my family but am planning a move to Thailand in about 6 months, my wife is a Thai citizen, her mother recently passed away and left her a house some land and a small sand business and we are thinking of making the move to try to make the business work. I have several questions , what type of visa will I need and can I apply for it in the USA (chicago) or will I have to do that in Thailand?, I will need a work permit also, what are the requirements and where will I be able to obtain the work permit. Will I be able to get a Thai drivers licence and what are the requirements?, I think that will be all the questions for now , all answers will be appreciated, thank you.

A visa can only be applied for outside of Thailand. You can apply in Chicago and ask for a non-O visa, based on your marriage to a Thai national. In Thailand you can apply for yearly extensions of stay if you have 400,000 THB in a bankaccount in your name only in Thailand or have an income of 40,000 a month (can be from abroad).

A work permit is pplied for when you find a job. It is specific to the job and only allows you to work for the named company, at the named location in the named position. A new job means a new work permit.

The labour office checks if a foreigner is needed for the job, if a Thai can do the job it will be denied.(In practise it is not so strict). Some jobs are restricted to Thai nationals only

Yes, you can get a Thai drivers license.

You will need to get a single entry non immigrant O visa based upon your marriage to a Thai from the consulate first.

Then you can get a one year extension of stay based upon marriage at immigration here. You will need to prove having an income of 40 K baht or 400k baht in a Thai bank for 60 days. Account has to be in your name only.

You apply for a work permit at the provincial labor ministry office where you will be living. It requires that company be registered with 1 million registered capital to get it.

Info for getting drivers licence is here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?/topic/27462-Applying-For-1-&-5-Year-Thai-Driving-Licences

Edited November 6, 201312 yr by ubonjoe