Sawatdeekrap,

I'm 30 years old, french, I've been living in Thailand for more than 2 years now, and I have questions about marriage.

So far, I have been staying in Thailand thank's to 3 back-to-back double-entry tourist visas, and then one student visa. My student visa will end soon (first one), and I will take a new one at the same school.

I don't work here illegaly, and never broke any laws about visas and staying here, and like a lot of people in my situation (let's say : long terme non-working tourists), I'm a bit worried about the recent crackdown stories we all read about all over the forums.

I'm not yet in an urge, because I still have some student visas in front of me (except future student visa crackdown, but noone knows the future), but as I'm REALY wanting to stay in Thailand, I've been recently searching for more sustainable solutions for my concern. Because I guess the old loop : "3 back-to-back tourist visa / new passport" will end soon -- which I don't blame.

And I have some questions about marriage.

Here it is :

As I have no income, is it possible to marry a thai woman and to get a visa allowing me to stay in Thailand 12 months in a year ? And is it possible de extend it year after year ? or to renew it ?

I read a lot of contradictive informations about this.

About incomes mainly : needed or not ?

somewhere I could read that you have to have a 40k monthly income to get this kind of visas, somewhere I could read you need 400kB in a thai bank account, and somewhere I could read you need both. Sometimes it was 400k OR 40k/month, sometimes it was 400k AND 40k/month.

I'm sorry to ask this question, because I'm sure the correct information is already somewhere on this forum. But I could not find it (only very old threads, from 2007).

I have money in my home country, but I don't have any revenue in Thailand as I don't work. I could get 400kB in a thai account, but I don't want any income -- feeling not ready to open any business, or to move out to get a teacher job.

Short question would be : is it possible to marry my thai GF, and get visas allowing me to stay in Thailand based on this marriage, with only 400+KB on a thai bank account and no revenue ?

Thank you for your answers, and sorry for my bad english.

for instance on this website they talk about "40k income" as a needed requirement

http://www.siam-legal.com/thailand-visa/Thailand-Marriage-Visa.php

Edited May 17, 201412 yr by ritoyenne

The simple answer is yes.I have been living in Thailand for the last 3 years on a marriage visa. You need to show that you have a minimum of 400k baht in a Thai bank account and that it has been in that account for at least 3 months prior to your application for a visa.After you are granted a visa you can spend the said 400k,but you will need to show that amount again when you want to re-new your visa next year.

Cheers

Thank's for that quick answer.

No such thing as a Marriage Visa.

You could get a Multi Entry Non Imm O Visa from Savanahket Laos.

No income needed.

This would give you up to 15 months stay but would need a border run every 90 days.

You could get a 12 month extension from Immigration. It is not a Visa.

400,000 Baht in a Thai bank for 2 months needed. Or 40,000 Baht monthly income.

Moved to Visas.

The 12 month extension is based on marriage to a Thai.You will need proof of marriage and of co-habiting together.

Cheers

Someone could tell me if I understood this whole thing correctly ? :

Before the end of my third student visa, If I would like to stay in Thailand in the long term without working, one good solution would be to :

1/ Marry my girlfriend I'm living with.

2/ Then get a "Non-Immigrant Visa 'O' , accompanying spouse", as described here:

http://www.thaiembassy.org/hochiminh/en/services/2886/34923-Non-Immigrant-Visa-%22O%22---Accompanying-sp.html

This would allow me to stay 1 year (if I took the multiple entries option for instance), with a border run every 90 days.

It would not need any special other recquirement than living in thailand with my wife and prooving it's not a fake marriage, right ? No such things as incomes, or money in the bank, etc.

3/ And then, before the end of this visa, I could get an extension of 12 months.

As described here : http://www.thaivisa.com/non-imm-o-marriage.html

And as described here also : http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/642693-getting-ready-for-the-1-year-extension-based-on-marriage/

This 3rd step would be renewable every 12 months, and would need me to show I have 400kB in my bank account (or an income, but I don't have any).

Do I get it correctly, or am I missing some important point somewhere ?

Kop khun krap.

Edited May 18, 201412 yr by ritoyenne

On a related but completely separate note, I would just like to warn you in general against the idea of marrying to get a visa even if you love her and and you have been dating for quite some time.

Visa is not the best reason in the world for getting married and you might want to consider finding another way to stay in Thailand, rather than having to deal with a potential messy and more costly divorce (emotionally and maybe financially) later.

Think it through well, research your options and best of luck!

Edited May 18, 201412 yr by Stanley78

On a related but completely separate note, I would just like to warn you in general against the idea of marrying to get a visa even if you love her and and you have been dating for quite some time.

Visa is not the best reason in the world for getting married and you might want to consider finding another way to stay in Thailand, rather than having to deal with a potential messy and more costly divorce (emotionally and maybe financially) later.

Think it through well, research your options and best of luck!

Yeah good advice thank you, it would not happen before years from now anyway. I plan on keep on learning thai with wallen school right now.

I agree with you.

But I just want to understand the whole thing about the marriage visa non-O visa based upon mariage & extensions now.

Edited May 18, 201412 yr by ritoyenne

Someone could tell me if I understood this whole thing correctly ? :

Before the end of my third student visa, If I would like to stay in Thailand in the long term without working, one good solution would be to :

1/ Marry my girlfriend I'm living with.

2/ Then get a "Non-Immigrant Visa 'O' , accompanying spouse", as described here:

http://www.thaiembassy.org/hochiminh/en/services/2886/34923-Non-Immigrant-Visa-%22O%22---Accompanying-sp.html

This would allow me to stay 1 year (if I took the multiple entries option for instance), with a border run every 90 days.

It would not need any special other recquirement than living in thailand with my wife and prooving it's not a fake marriage, right ? No such things as incomes, or money in the bank, etc.

3/ And then, before the end of this visa, I could get an extension of 12 months.

As described here : http://www.thaivisa.com/non-imm-o-marriage.html

And as described here also : http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/642693-getting-ready-for-the-1-year-extension-based-on-marriage/

This 3rd step would be renewable every 12 months, and would need me to show I have 400kB in my bank account (or an income, but I don't have any).

Do I get it correctly, or am I missing some important point somewhere ?

Kop khun krap.

You can do the extension of stay based upon marriage with a single entry non-o visa entry.

If you get a multiple entry visa you do not have to wait for the visa to expire. You can do the extension during the last 30 days of any of the 90 day entries you get from the visa.