Marriage certificate for the sake of non-o visa.. Any drawbacks?

[fitfalang]

Hey guys,

I'm living in Thailand with my girlfriend of + 1 year whilst studying on a DL course for a European university (Cannot get the ED for this.) I'm now considering what are my best options and I've been looking at the new 6 month tourist visa, as well as the 1 year education visa. The tourist visa gets costly as you have to keep going out of the country and so does the ED visa since I've understood you have to extend it for 1900 baht at Chanengwattana every 2 months now.

However, my girlfriend keeps telling me we should just get the "marriage paper" and apply for a non-O visa based on marriage, so that I won't need to exit the country or extend the visa.

My question is, that are there any drawbacks for doing this for the sake of the visa? I mean I am 100% serious with my girlfriend and trust her, but still too young to actually get married and I would wait at least 5 - 10 years before. Any opinions? I have no problem getting the required 400,000 baht to my Thai Bank account for proof of funds.

[elviajero]

You answered your own question. "I mean I am 100% serious with my girlfriend and trust her, but still too young to actually get married and I would wait at least 5 - 10 years before."

• Technically getting married to obtain a visa is illegal.
• Your new wife would have legal rights that you might want to research before relying on trust.

[oncearugge]

NEVER, NEVER get married as a means of securing a visa.

There are no 12 month education visas available anywhere in the region.

The best you can hope for is a single entry (90) day ED visa which can be extended with supporting school paperwork for 90 days/time for a max of one year.

If you intend studying at a Thai university a 12 month extension of stay is available with paperwork supplied by the university.

[elviajero]

You could buy a 5 year Thailand Elite visa for 500k baht. That would allow you to live here for up to 6 years.

[JackThompson]

You answered your own question. "I mean I am 100% serious with my girlfriend and trust her, but still too young to actually get married and I would wait at least 5 - 10 years before."

• Technically getting married to obtain a visa is illegal.
• Your new wife would have legal rights that you might want to research before relying on trust.

It is not just "trust" of the new wife, it is the family. Your gf may absolutely adore you, but her family sees you differently, and they installed a powerful guilt-based control system in her mind. Unlike in the West, this control does not diminish rapidly after adulthood.

If you get married, the power-dynamics swing heavily. They may cause her great emotional pain to "get to" you, because they know you love her. I have not married my gf for this reason. It is more about not wanting to see her get hurt, than any other factor.

Talk to some who have "been there and done that." That said, if you are going to have children soon, then you should get married, imo, for the sake of the children. But be fully aware of all the legal ramifications, as well as the emotional ones.

[PattayaPhom]

Once married you cant marry again without a divorce which may prove either difficult or costly if separating on bad terms

[Sutty]

Or go with your feelings your the one who will marry her or not. No point in asking a question like yours on here unless of course it was a wind up (ha ha). Just do as you feel right there is no right or wrong just man up.

[fitfalang]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The plan was not by any means to actually get publicly married, except officially on paper as suggested by the gf and not tell anyone about it, just for the ease of the visa. I don't want to get married until at least like 5-10 years, way too young for that.

But for the legal ramifications as some of you suggest, it may be best to go for another visa option for now!

[elgordo38]

You answered your own question. "I mean I am 100% serious with my girlfriend and trust her, but still too young to actually get married and I would wait at least 5 - 10 years before."

• Technically getting married to obtain a visa is illegal.
• Your new wife would have legal rights that you might want to research before relying on trust.

It is not just "trust" of the new wife, it is the family. Your gf may absolutely adore you, but her family sees you differently, and they installed a powerful guilt-based control system in her mind. Unlike in the West, this control does not diminish rapidly after adulthood.

If you get married, the power-dynamics swing heavily. They may cause her great emotional pain to "get to" you, because they know you love her. I have not married my gf for this reason. It is more about not wanting to see her get hurt, than any other factor.

Talk to some who have "been there and done that." That said, if you are going to have children soon, then you should get married, imo, for the sake of the children. But be fully aware of all the legal ramifications, as well as the emotional ones.

The above is about the best advice your going to get for free. Children in turn are a big obligation and also give their future a lot of thought on this for the rich only planet. Not every child becomes an Albert Einstein or Bill Gates. Try and look down the road and judge what their/your quality of life will be 20 to 50 years from now. Water, pollution, jobs, personal safety, richness of life. I know its nice to be a father but do you want a child that will have it rough sledding so to speak. Life is a long road that requires many paychecks and frankly my quality of life as a child and pre retirement adult was much better than what today offers IMHO. Also we all change as we age and the love your g/f has for you now could change as well. Love and hate walk a pretty thin line. This comes from a guy that has had 3 wives and numerous g/f's including one now. (God never meant me to live alone)

[oncearugge]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The plan was not by any means to actually get publicly married, except officially on paper as suggested by the gf and not tell anyone about it, just for the ease of the visa. I don't want to get married until at least like 5-10 years, way too young for that.

But for the legal ramifications as some of you suggest, it may be best to go for another visa option for now!

Getting married "officially on paper" in Thailand results in your achieving a state of Marriage which is formally recogised as a Legal marriage in the whole of the Western world.

By marrying your girl friend would gain Legal rights and you would have Legal obligations.

A marriage is "public" in that it is done in an Amphur (registry office) and Legally recorded.

Me?

Yes, I am happily married to a Thai lady and have been for many years.

My marriage was celebrated (and still is) for the right reasons

[Pib]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The plan was not by any means to actually get publicly married, except officially on paper as suggested by the gf and not tell anyone about it, just for the ease of the visa. I don't want to get married until at least like 5-10 years, way too young for that.

But for the legal ramifications as some of you suggest, it may be best to go for another visa option for now!

Getting married on paper "is officially getting married" in the eyes of Thailand and other countries!

Do you think "getting married on paper in Thailand" is not worth the paper it's written on? It's not a game.

[hrjay]

Actually getting publicly married and your actions changing after marriage is what Immigration wants to see, based on recent threads on this blog. Read as many threads on this website as possible. Is there increased activity in your Immigration office to come out and interview the neighbors and ask them about you? Have you told the neighbors that you are married may be one of Immigration's questions to the neighbors, I don't know for sure but it seems logical that they do. Based on the threads Immigration may also want to know how much money every month you are giving to your new wife in order to verify if it's a real marriage. It's the same elsewhere. In the US the presumption under the law is that it is a fake "green card" marriage and you have to prove otherwise.

[roblgs]

The piece of paper required by immigration to support a Non-O visa application REQUIRES that you are legally married, and brings with it all the legal responsibilities and ramifications that entails... There is no 'married but not really' document that would have any legal standing that might support a visa application and subsequent extensions.

As you've said, you don't wish or plan to get married for a considerable amount of time, so if you were to go ahead with this it's marriage of convenience for the purposes of going a visa... As others have said, that's illegal here, as it likely is in your home country.

If your GF means going through a temple ceremony and getting whatever piece of paper they provide, as many Thais do without registering the union at the district office, then that is not going to provide you the necessary paperwork to PROVE marriage to support the Non-O visa application.

i.e. you have to be able to PROVE an actual marriage.

[timendres]

Look into the possibility of obtaining a job and a work permit. Not easy, but another alternative.

[LukKrueng]

You answered your own question. "I mean I am 100% serious with my girlfriend and trust her, but still too young to actually get married and I would wait at least 5 - 10 years before."

• Technically getting married to obtain a visa is illegal.
• Your new wife would have legal rights that you might want to research before relying on trust.

It is not just "trust" of the new wife, it is the family. Your gf may absolutely adore you, but her family sees you differently, and they installed a powerful guilt-based control system in her mind. Unlike in the West, this control does not diminish rapidly after adulthood.

If you get married, the power-dynamics swing heavily. They may cause her great emotional pain to "get to" you, because they know you love her. I have not married my gf for this reason. It is more about not wanting to see her get hurt, than any other factor.

Talk to some who have "been there and done that." That said, if you are going to have children soon, then you should get married, imo, for the sake of the children. But be fully aware of all the legal ramifications, as well as the emotional ones.

So what you are saying is that the girls are OK, it's <all> the families that put pressure on all them gals that take advantage of unsuspecting farangs? Like there is an actual system to this??

[mikecat]

I don't quite understand what you are thinking with the marriage thing. Once you sign on the dotted line you will get your marriage certificate and accompanying other bits of paper which you will need for your visa. You are officially married, not telling anyone doesn't absolve you from the obligations that marriage and if unfortunate, divorce brings. These forums are full of tales of woe of people who married in Thailand so read and think carefully.