At the moment I have a non-imm O based on marriage. 1 yr extension. I am from the UK, aged 44. We have one daughter, aged 5. I am based here in BKK, but work around the region. Not in BKK. I rent a house here.

My wife and I are having a terrible time. Separation has been on the table for several months, and as I write this on Saturday evening, it looks inevitable. I am very sad.

But I need to work in this region and I want to stay in Thailand. What is the best way? If we separate what happens to my visa? What is the best way forward? Any help would be really appreciated.

Thank you

C

If I understand you correctly you are not talking about divorce, but about separation at this stage, ie remaining married for the time being but living separately from your wife. Nevertheless, this means that you cannot continue with extensions of stay for living with your Thai wife.

With whom will your five-year-old daughter live? As your work requires you to travel around the region she will probably live with the mother, not with you. This excludes the possibility of your getting extensions of stay for living with your child of Thai nationality.

The last possibility I see, therefore, is the multiple-entry non-O visa for the purpose of visiting your daughter. Savannakhet will probably be the nearest consulate for this, but let's wait for others with more knowledge or with experience about this to pipe in.

Per above, you will not get a new extension of stay based on your wife and can only get one based on your child if she is living with you and you have custody over her after the divorce. I am not sure how they deal with the child part of the time living with you.

They will normally do extension if divorce decree gives joint custody.

If you are working you should be able to get a non-immigrant B. That is if you have a work permit.

Is you name on your child's birth certificate? (assuming that your child already has applied Thai citizenship).

If you have 400,000 Baht in a Thai bank no less than 2 months (or equivalent in pension) on the date of application, then you are entitled to apply for child support visa. Another option would be applying for educational visa. PM me and I can refer you to the service that I use.

Is you name on your child's birth certificate? (assuming that your child already has applied Thai citizenship).

If you have 400,000 Baht in a Thai bank no less than 2 months (or equivalent in pension) on the date of application, then you are entitled to apply for child support visa. Another option would be applying for educational visa. PM me and I can refer you to the service that I use.

You are talking about an extension of stay, not a visa and as he is married to the mother he automatically is the legal father of the child (of which the birth certificate itself is NOT proof).

Thanks all for the above. I don't work in Thailand (in and around Asia mostly) so a work permit here is not really an option. The legal stuff might be quite difficult seeing my wife is extremely unlikely to be reasonable about anything of that ilk. I can only foresee problems in that regard. But I'll have to try. What a bloody mess!! Thanks again.