Thank you very much UbonJoe for your response. Can you specify where this info is in the Thai immigration laws? Or I guess it is just implicit since the PR Book is good for life. I received my PR Book in May 1996. So, just curious.

I don't think you will find any provision in the immigration act that says you loose it.

Download: Immigration Act B.E. 2522 English translation

What do you think would happen if the bereaved man just went ahead and applied for another extension of stay based on marriage, as if nothing was amiss? In my experience the different departments of Thailand rarely talk to each other, so maybe if he just submitted the usual pile of absurd documents (not forgetting "map to house" of course) perhaps nobody in immigration would even notice that his wife was deceased! I think if it was me I'd give it a shot.

One Thai wife is punishment enough! Actually, my Thai wife has been bed ridden at home from a bad stroke since 2003. So that is why I am asking...

At the time we bought our two houses in 1985 and in 1995, Thai female spouses with a farang last name could not own land so our two houses are in my wife's children's names. We were married in 1971 and the Thai laws about land ownership then really sucked! I guess it was back in 2003 when the house and land ownership laws were changed. Anyway, thanks for all the replies to my post. Cheers...

Edited August 26, 201411 yr by johnh869

What do you think would happen if the bereaved man just went ahead and applied for another extension of stay based on marriage, as if nothing was amiss? In my experience the different departments of Thailand rarely talk to each other, so maybe if he just submitted the usual pile of absurd documents (not forgetting "map to house" of course) perhaps nobody in immigration would even notice that his wife was deceased! I think if it was me I'd give it a shot.

That would not be possible, The wife must be present when the extension application is done to do a statement and sign it.

As I have already posted on this forum, if your Thai spouse predeceases you, you immediately revert to 'Tourist' status. If you do not have the requisite finance to hand to apply for a 'retirement extension' you are obliged to dispose of your marital home within ONE year. IF you have chldren together, you may apply for a 'Dependant's' visa. If not, you have absolutly no rights and must sell your marital home, even though you are going through bereavement. Nice country eh?

Sorry you are wrong. You have no requirement to sell your home.

Yes you do have to sell the land the home is on within one year. But if you have a lifetime Usufruct then you can continue to use the land as if it had not been sold.

This is one good reason to get an Usufruct on the land your house is on even after you marry.

What do you think would happen if the bereaved man just went ahead and applied for another extension of stay based on marriage, as if nothing was amiss? In my experience the different departments of Thailand rarely talk to each other, so maybe if he just submitted the usual pile of absurd documents (not forgetting "map to house" of course) perhaps nobody in immigration would even notice that his wife was deceased! I think if it was me I'd give it a shot.

That would not be possible, The wife must be present when the extension application is done to do a statement and sign it.

Are you sure? I have done 4 extensions of visa based on marriage and the wife has never been present and never done anything except sign some copies of her ID card (which she did without ever leaving the house). The most recent time she didn't even need to do that as I had kept extra copies from the previous year.

What is the rate of older men outliving their Thai brides ?

Very slim I would imagine. The normal 40-50 age gap being the reason.

I don't see a lot of farangs married to 10 year old girls here

No, Jerry Lee Lewis is well past it now.

One Thai wife is punishment enough! Actually, my Thai wife has been bed ridden at home from a bad stroke since 2003. So that is why I am asking...

At the time we bought our two houses in 1985 and in 1995, Thai female spouses with a farang last name could not own land so our two houses are in my wife's children's names. We were married in 1971 and the Thai laws about land ownership then really sucked! I guess it was back in 2003 when the house and land ownership laws were changed. Anyway, thanks for all the replies to my post. Cheers...

get an Usufruct on the land now. The children continue to own the land and you continue to have the right to live on it until you die. You may be advised to have the house / houses in your name but for that I would get legal advice.

What do you think would happen if the bereaved man just went ahead and applied for another extension of stay based on marriage, as if nothing was amiss? In my experience the different departments of Thailand rarely talk to each other, so maybe if he just submitted the usual pile of absurd documents (not forgetting "map to house" of course) perhaps nobody in immigration would even notice that his wife was deceased! I think if it was me I'd give it a shot.

That would not be possible, The wife must be present when the extension application is done to do a statement and sign it.

Are you sure? I have done 4 extensions of visa based on marriage and the wife has never been present and never done anything except sign some copies of her ID card (which she did without ever leaving the house). The most recent time she didn't even need to do that as I had kept extra copies from the previous year.

I just did my 7th and my wife has had to be with me every time. She has to do the statement and then both of us have to sign it.

Are you sure you are not getting extensions based upon retirement.

There are people who live in Thailand because they are married to a Thai. Then there are people who are married to a Thai so they can live in Thailand.

Immigration don't provide any flexibilty for the second type of person. Why does that seem harsh?

And just how does Thailand immigration differentiate between the two?

What is the rate of older men outliving their Thai brides ?

Very slim I would imagine. The normal 40-50 age gap being the reason.

Hahaha .. I liked that .. nice to some wit on here for a change

What do you think would happen if the bereaved man just went ahead and applied for another extension of stay based on marriage, as if nothing was amiss? In my experience the different departments of Thailand rarely talk to each other, so maybe if he just submitted the usual pile of absurd documents (not forgetting "map to house" of course) perhaps nobody in immigration would even notice that his wife was deceased! I think if it was me I'd give it a shot.

That would not be possible, The wife must be present when the extension application is done to do a statement and sign it.

Are you sure? I have done 4 extensions of visa based on marriage and the wife has never been present and never done anything except sign some copies of her ID card (which she did without ever leaving the house). The most recent time she didn't even need to do that as I had kept extra copies from the previous year.

Which immigration office???

One Thai wife is punishment enough! Actually, my Thai wife has been bed ridden at home from a bad stroke since 2003. So that is why I am asking...

At the time we bought our two houses in 1985 and in 1995, Thai female spouses with a farang last name could not own land so our two houses are in my wife's children's names. We were married in 1971 and the Thai laws about land ownership then really sucked! I guess it was back in 2003 when the house and land ownership laws were changed. Anyway, thanks for all the replies to my post. Cheers...

get an Usufruct on the land now. The children continue to own the land and you continue to have the right to live on it until you die. You may be advised to have the house / houses in your name but for that I would get legal advice.

Thanks for the info! I have been on one of the Thai house registrations (The old B3 paper size type and then the smaller current blue book type with my own 13 digit Thai ID number) since May of 1996. So, I'm not sure if this is good enough protection to remain staying at one of the two houses that we purchased in her children's names. I have a good relationship with my two Thai stepsons so I don't expect them to give me the boot if their mother passes away before me. If worse came to worse I could always move but then I would have to update my PR Book. I don't want to do that because I received my Thai lifetime drivers license in 1996 as well. I have heard that I can add my name to the chanote if I had a PR book. Not sure about that either? Anyways, cheers...

Edited August 26, 201411 yr by johnh869

OP, get your drift. There will be a swelling population of 70+ farangs in Thailand, who settled here in the eighties/nineties or even before that, when they were mostly already not so young anymore. Apart from the problem you mentioned, imagine having to go through visa extension procedures (?appear in person) when you are 87.

Seen a lot of 87 year olds locked up in IDC or being bundled on airplanes in forced deportation, have you?

It seems Thai Visa members successfully spot about 10 out of every 2 real problems.

At Jomtien they fast track people with physical issues, sometimes let the farang stay outside in the car that brought him and if someone is bedridden I'm sure there are workarounds. There's no evidence that Immigrations makes a big deal out of incapacitated people, including some of these who are living rough because of destitution or mental problems. They can't be expected to run a hospice for such people, but they don't appear to ever harass them.

If your Thai spouse dies you could become a dependent of one of your older children or go the retirement extension route or hook up with another Thai partner. The apparent prevalent farang-husband-Thai-wife age discrepancy makes it more likely that the surviving spouse won't be the farang and that many a Thai widow will find herself in desperate straits too. Both potential financial situations should be taken into consideration early on whether you're in Thailand or Farang Utopia, although it seems people here can only see the side of the problem that might affect themselves. The more likely and frequent issue of the Thai spouse being left destitute at the death of the farang partner merits some early planning considerations as well.

Edited August 26, 201411 yr by Suradit69

Well I know a Guy who us 74 and has 4 wives O he Thai

What is the rate of older men outliving their Thai brides ?

Very slim I would imagine. The normal 40-50 age gap being the reason.

Are you mental or just plain crazy???

You actual believe the normal age gap is 40-50 years????

So a guy retires at 55 here, his gf is 5 or 15,

Go away please you iritate me.

I know a guy who was 74 and his GF was 29.... gap = 45

That's hardly the norm.

One Thai wife is punishment enough! Actually, my Thai wife has been bed ridden at home from a bad stroke since 2003. So that is why I am asking...

At the time we bought our two houses in 1985 and in 1995, Thai female spouses with a farang last name could not own land so our two houses are in my wife's children's names. We were married in 1971 and the Thai laws about land ownership then really sucked! I guess it was back in 2003 when the house and land ownership laws were changed. Anyway, thanks for all the replies to my post. Cheers...

get an Usufruct on the land now. The children continue to own the land and you continue to have the right to live on it until you die. You may be advised to have the house / houses in your name but for that I would get legal advice.

Thanks for the info! I have been on one of the Thai house registrations (The old B3 paper size type and then the smaller current blue book type with my own 13 digit Thai ID number) since May of 1996. So, I'm not sure if this is good enough protection to remain staying at one of the two houses that we purchased in her children's names. I have a good relationship with my two Thai stepsons so I don't expect them to give me the boot if their mother passes away before me. If worse came to worse I could always move but then I would have to update my PR Book. I don't want to do that because I received my Thai lifetime drivers license in 1996 as well. I have heard that I can add my name to the chanote if I had a PR book. Not sure about that either? Anyways, cheers...

My point of view is that I want to be as sure as I can be. Time can change attitudes and I don't want to rely on good intentions. With an Usufruct you can still be "persuaded" to move if local people really get to hate you but it will make things very clear to that you keep the right to live in the house, I assume you only need one, until you die. This is correct and clear in Thai law.

The reason you might want to become the owner of the house is that if you are the owner you can do anything you like to the house. If you are not the owner only the Usufruct holder you need to consult with the owner if you want to make changes.

AFIK only Thais can be named on the Chanote, though I think the Usufruct is added to the Chanote

This is the reason many of us marry women 30 years younger than ourselves.

What do you think would happen if the bereaved man just went ahead and applied for another extension of stay based on marriage, as if nothing was amiss? In my experience the different departments of Thailand rarely talk to each other, so maybe if he just submitted the usual pile of absurd documents (not forgetting "map to house" of course) perhaps nobody in immigration would even notice that his wife was deceased! I think if it was me I'd give it a shot.

That would not be possible, The wife must be present when the extension application is done to do a statement and sign it.

Are you sure? I have done 4 extensions of visa based on marriage and the wife has never been present and never done anything except sign some copies of her ID card (which she did without ever leaving the house). The most recent time she didn't even need to do that as I had kept extra copies from the previous year.

I just did my 7th and my wife has had to be with me every time. She has to do the statement and then both of us have to sign it.

Are you sure you are not getting extensions based upon retirement.

Yes thank you I am quite confident I know what kind of visa I have! Maybe the difference is that I used an agent. To answer another poster, I used the office in Jomtien / Pattaya, although I believe these extensions are all forwarded to Bangkok for consideration.

In any case I am certain that the wife was never present for any of these extensions and I reckon if she was dead I would still be able to do it!!!

(Nothing wrong with dreaming is there? ;-) )

Edited August 27, 201411 yr by Gutterboy

I just did my 7th and my wife has had to be with me every time. She has to do the statement and then both of us have to sign it.

Are you sure you are not getting extensions based upon retirement.

Yes thank you I am quite confident I know what kind of visa I have! Maybe the difference is that I used an agent. To answer another poster, I used the office in Jomtien / Pattaya, although I believe these extensions are all forwarded to Bangkok for consideration.

In any case I am certain that the wife was never present for any of these extensions and I reckon if she was dead I would still be able to do it!!!

The agent part is why she has not gone to immigration or yourself probably. To me that means your extensions (it is not a visa) have not been done legitimately

Only those that are done within immigration region 3 are sent to Bangkok for approval. Mine are approved in Korat at immigration region 4.

What do you think would happen if the bereaved man just went ahead and applied for another extension of stay based on marriage, as if nothing was amiss? In my experience the different departments of Thailand rarely talk to each other, so maybe if he just submitted the usual pile of absurd documents (not forgetting "map to house" of course) perhaps nobody in immigration would even notice that his wife was deceased! I think if it was me I'd give it a shot.

IIRC for the Thai wife renewal your wife has to go with you.

It has been a long while since I last did one though and the rules may have changed.