Moving to Thailand with Lao girlfriend and 1 year old daughter

[martinjakobsen]

Distinguished members,

I am moving to Thailand in May with my Lao girlfriend (soon to be registred as wife in Laos) and our daughter, aged 1 year and 2 months. I have a job waiting for me, but my girlfriend does not. My daughter is getting a Danish passport - so I assume that she will travel with me and not need any special type of visa?

Anyhow, my girlfriend is the pressing matter. We are trying to figure out how she can stay with us without the visa hassle. We would like to avoid her leaving the country to make visa runs once so often. Does anyone have any experience regarding how a Lao national can stay in Thailand? Would it be better if we got her a job? Are there any visa exemptions when nationals from an ASEAN country apply to live in Thailand?

We have talked to people in Laos, but noone semm to know anything. I will contact the Thai embassy in Vientiane, Laos tomorrow and the Lao consulate in bangkok as well. But the information they give us might lack certain parts.

I hope to hear from someone with experience.

Thank you all!

[Eclipse]

Your girlfriend would have to do border runs every 30 days.

She could also get a 30 day extension at immigration 1,900 Baht.

If you could get married it would make life a lot easier.

Edited March 24, 2016 by Eclipse

[elviajero]

• You need a single entry non 'B' visa that will give you a 90 day entry to the country and allow you to get a work permit. Depending on your employer that may be arranged before you come, or you can enter with a tourist visa/visa exempt entry and apply to convert to a non 'B' visa/entry in Bangkok. Better to get it before arriving if possible.
• During the 90 days you can apply for a 1 year extension of stay on the basis of your work.
• Once you have the extension of stay your wife (legal) and child can both apply for visas and extensions of stay on the back of your extension.
• Once you all have extensions of stay no border runs will be necessary. You will all need to report to immigration every 90 days.
• The extensions of stay can be extended each year all the time you are working.
• Initially your wife and child can enter with a tourist visa giving them 60 days. That can be extended by 30 days if necessary. Once your extension of stay is granted they will need to go to the Thai Embassy in Vientiane to get a Non Immigrant 'O' visa based on your extension of stay/work. They will enter and be granted 90 days. During the 90 days they will apply for the extensions of stay that will be synced with yours.

p.s. Note that your daughter would need a visa/visa exempt to enter the country but children cannot be charged or banned for overstay.

Edited March 24, 2016 by elviajero

[BritTim]

If you are legally married, and you have a work permit and one year extension of stay based on that, your wife can get an extension of stay as your spouse.

[anotheruser]

I could be wrong but a couple that rents land from me in Laos has a business visa and his wife is here on a stay visa. I am not sure the formal wording of the "stay" visa but this is how it was done. If you are married and can prove it then I think it is no problem. If not she does visa runs like everybody else but the cost for Thai people is lower.

[Blackfish64]

Why are you staying in Thailand? What's the allure? Why not stay in her country or yours?

[martinjakobsen]

• You need a single entry non 'B' visa that will give you a 90 day entry to the country and allow you to get a work permit. Depending on your employer that may be arranged before you come, or you can enter with a tourist visa/visa exempt entry and apply to convert to a non 'B' visa/entry in Bangkok. Better to get it before arriving if possible.
• During the 90 days you can apply for a 1 year extension of stay on the basis of your work.
• Once you have the extension of stay your wife (legal) and child can both apply for visas and extensions of stay on the back of your extension.
• Once you all have extensions of stay no border runs will be necessary. You will all need to report to immigration every 90 days.
• The extensions of stay can be extended each year all the time you are working.
• Initially your wife and child can enter with a tourist visa giving them 60 days. That can be extended by 30 days if necessary. Once your extension of stay is granted they will need to go to the Thai Embassy in Vientiane to get a Non Immigrant 'O' visa based on your extension of stay/work. They will enter and be granted 90 days. During the 90 days they will apply for the extensions of stay that will be synced with yours.

p.s. Note that your daughter would need a visa/visa exempt to enter the country but children cannot be charged or banned for overstay.

It takes a long time to get married in Laos. They do not recognize foreign mariages here. We have just begun the process, and the lawyers are positive to have the mariage certificate in 6 - 8 months from now. We will not be legally married until then.

• Once you have the extension of stay your wife (legal) and child can both apply for visas and extensions of stay on the back of your extension. - Won't I be able to bring my daughter from the beginning on a Danish passport?

[martinjakobsen]

Why are you staying in Thailand? What's the allure? Why not stay in her country or yours?

Not relevant at all, but nice of you to ask

We both prefer to stay in thailand and used to stay there together. It is more convenient, cleaner and in Laos a foreigner can not stay with a Lao national except if the are married. It might be hard for anyone to picture, but in my opinion traffic is scarier here. I like Thai food way better than Lao food. I do love Isan food, but up here it's more the prototype of Isan food than the dishes we are used to in Thailand Now you know!

Oh, and i am from Denmark. Enough said...

Edited March 24, 2016 by martinjakobsen

[elviajero]

It takes a long time to get married in Laos. They do not recognize foreign mariages here. We have just begun the process, and the lawyers are positive to have the mariage certificate in 6 - 8 months from now. We will not be legally married until then.

• Once you have the extension of stay your wife (legal) and child can both apply for visas and extensions of stay on the back of your extension. - Won't I be able to bring my daughter from the beginning on a Danish passport?

• Yes your daughter will be able to stay without any problem.
• You're future wife will have to do border runs every 30 days or use tourist visas and exit every 60 days. She can extend 60 day stays by 30 days at an immigration office for 1,900 baht.

Edited March 24, 2016 by elviajero

[Blackfish64]

Why are you staying in Thailand? What's the allure? Why not stay in her country or yours?

Not relevant at all, but nice of you to ask

We both prefer to stay in thailand and used to stay there together. It is more convenient, cleaner and in Laos a foreigner can not stay with a Lao national except if the are married. It might be hard for anyone to picture, but in my opinion traffic is scarier here. I like Thai food way better than Lao food. I do love Isan food, but up here it's more the prototype of Isan food than the dishes we are used to in Thailand No you know!

Well, good fortune to you both, and also to the little one.

I lived in Thailand for well over two years. Cannot say I liked it much at all. There are a myriad of much better places to live. So, naturally I get curious when people say they actually want to go live there. I immediately feel the need to ask, what for?

Thanks, for your reply.

[martinjakobsen]

It takes a long time to get married in Laos. They do not recognize foreign mariages here. We have just begun the process, and the lawyers are positive to have the mariage certificate in 6 - 8 months from now. We will not be legally married until then.

• Once you have the extension of stay your wife (legal) and child can both apply for visas and extensions of stay on the back of your extension. - Won't I be able to bring my daughter from the beginning on a Danish passport?

• Yes your daughter will be able to stay without any problem.
• You're future wife will have to do border runs every 30 days or use tourist visas and exit every 60 days. She can extend 60 day stays by 30 days at an immigration office for 1,900 baht.

Alright, so my soon to be wife should get a 60 days tourist visa from the Thai embassy in Vientiane, extend it with 30 at the immigration office - and then go to laos after 90 days and do it all again. By then we hope to have the marriage certificate ready and from there, she will jump on my visa and stay with me. That sounds like a plan

Thank you very much!

[martinjakobsen]

Why are you staying in Thailand? What's the allure? Why not stay in her country or yours?

Not relevant at all, but nice of you to ask

We both prefer to stay in thailand and used to stay there together. It is more convenient, cleaner and in Laos a foreigner can not stay with a Lao national except if the are married. It might be hard for anyone to picture, but in my opinion traffic is scarier here. I like Thai food way better than Lao food. I do love Isan food, but up here it's more the prototype of Isan food than the dishes we are used to in Thailand No you know!

Well, good fortune to you both, and also to the little one.

I lived in Thailand for well over two years. Cannot say I liked it much at all. There are a myriad of much better places to live. So, naturally I get curious when people say they actually want to go live there. I immediately feel the need to ask, what for?

Thanks, for your reply.

We stayed there for 6 years before, had enough and went to laos - and are now heading back

[Blackfish64]

It takes a long time to get married in Laos. They do not recognize foreign mariages here. We have just begun the process, and the lawyers are positive to have the mariage certificate in 6 - 8 months from now. We will not be legally married until then.

• Once you have the extension of stay your wife (legal) and child can both apply for visas and extensions of stay on the back of your extension. - Won't I be able to bring my daughter from the beginning on a Danish passport?

• Yes your daughter will be able to stay without any problem.
• You're future wife will have to do border runs every 30 days or use tourist visas and exit every 60 days. She can extend 60 day stays by 30 days at an immigration office for 1,900 baht.

Alright, so my soon to be wife should get a 60 days tourist visa from the Thai embassy in Vientiane, extend it with 30 at the immigration office - and then go to laos after 90 days and do it all again. By then we hope to have the marriage certificate ready and from there, she will jump on my visa and stay with me. That sounds like a plan

Thank you very much!

Yes, but you won't be able to flip-flop to and fro borders too many times. Eventually immigration will catch onto it and nab your wife and probably send her back to Laos.

I did this very thing for my first year in Thailand and they caught on and pulled me aside. Fortunately for me brother-in-law is a big-shot in the Thai Royal Police and a simple phone call got me off the hook, stamped, and re-entered in minutes. Your wife likely will not have that luxury. So be careful. Think of her safety and well being and yours.

[elviajero]

It takes a long time to get married in Laos. They do not recognize foreign mariages here. We have just begun the process, and the lawyers are positive to have the mariage certificate in 6 - 8 months from now. We will not be legally married until then.

• Once you have the extension of stay your wife (legal) and child can both apply for visas and extensions of stay on the back of your extension. - Won't I be able to bring my daughter from the beginning on a Danish passport?

• Yes your daughter will be able to stay without any problem.
• You're future wife will have to do border runs every 30 days or use tourist visas and exit every 60 days. She can extend 60 day stays by 30 days at an immigration office for 1,900 baht.

Alright, so my soon to be wife should get a 60 days tourist visa from the Thai embassy in Vientiane, extend it with 30 at the immigration office - and then go to laos after 90 days and do it all again. By then we hope to have the marriage certificate ready and from there, she will jump on my visa and stay with me. That sounds like a plan

Thank you very much!

Yep. She will just need to cover the time until you are married

Laotians can enter (30 days) without a visa under a bilateral agreement. I don't think there is any limit to how often they can enter, but the 30 days cannot be extended. A Tourist Visa will mean less border hops.

[bkkflyer]

I think this has been discussed before - but could she in theory get the migrant worker permit - and formally work for OP?

[ubonjoe]

Your girlfriend would have to do border runs every 30 days.

She could also get a 30 day extension at immigration 1,900 Baht.

If you could get married it would make life a lot easier.

She would not be able to get the 30 day extension since her entry would be from a bi lateral agreement. Only those on normal visa exempt entries can get the extension.

[phuketrichard]

Why are you staying in Thailand? What's the allure? Why not stay in her country or yours?

Not relevant at all, but nice of you to ask

We both prefer to stay in thailand and used to stay there together. It is more convenient, cleaner and in Laos a foreigner can not stay with a Lao national except if the are married. It might be hard for anyone to picture, but in my opinion traffic is scarier here. I like Thai food way better than Lao food. I do love Isan food, but up here it's more the prototype of Isan food than the dishes we are used to in Thailand No you know!

Well, good fortune to you both, and also to the little one.

I lived in Thailand for well over two years. Cannot say I liked it much at all. There are a myriad of much better places to live. So, naturally I get curious when people say they actually want to go live there. I immediately feel the need to ask, what for?

Thanks, for your reply.

well than why did u not like it? I have been living here over 30 years and raised a daughter here and she attended international schools

where did u find better?

to the op

Does your daughter have ur last name and is your name on the Birth certificate. it has to be for her to be attached to your visa.

There is an EXCELLENT thread on k440 concerning marrying a Cambodian outside Cambodia ( and so it could apply for you to marry ur Laos gf outside laos

Read thru it. http://www.khmer440.com/chat_forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=53999

If the link is taken off here, do a search for it, on k440 dot .com forum marrying a Cambodian in Singapore

Getting a Migrant ( L-A visa) is not that easy but it can be done, do some research on the MOU between Thailand and Laos

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/277986-registration-for-illegal-burmese-lao-and-cambodian-migrant-workers/

http://wp.doe.go.th/wp/index.php/en/mou

[phuketrichard]

It takes a long time to get married in Laos. They do not recognize foreign mariages here. We have just begun the process, and the lawyers are positive to have the mariage certificate in 6 - 8 months from now. We will not be legally married until then.

• Once you have the extension of stay your wife (legal) and child can both apply for visas and extensions of stay on the back of your extension. - Won't I be able to bring my daughter from the beginning on a Danish passport?

• Yes your daughter will be able to stay without any problem.
• You're future wife will have to do border runs every 30 days or use tourist visas and exit every 60 days. She can extend 60 day stays by 30 days at an immigration office for 1,900 baht.

Alright, so my soon to be wife should get a 60 days tourist visa from the Thai embassy in Vientiane, extend it with 30 at the immigration office - and then go to laos after 90 days and do it all again. By then we hope to have the marriage certificate ready and from there, she will jump on my visa and stay with me. That sounds like a plan

Thank you very much!

Yes, but you won't be able to flip-flop to and fro borders too many times. Eventually immigration will catch onto it and nab your wife and probably send her back to Laos.

I did this very thing for my first year in Thailand and they caught on and pulled me aside. Fortunately for me brother-in-law is a big-shot in the Thai Royal Police and a simple phone call got me off the hook, stamped, and re-entered in minutes. Your wife likely will not have that luxury. So be careful. Think of her safety and well being and yours.

this is not true;

she will be able to get lots of tourist visas as she is returning to her home country to get them, ( unlike you who i am sure are not Laotian)

my Cambodian gf travels back to Cambodia every 3 months to get a tourist visa, i also send a letter stating she is staying with me and i am covering all her bills while she is here and i am on a retirement extension,

If ur gf does apply write up a letter to the thai embassy stating ur covering all her bills

[Blackfish64]

It takes a long time to get married in Laos. They do not recognize foreign mariages here. We have just begun the process, and the lawyers are positive to have the mariage certificate in 6 - 8 months from now. We will not be legally married until then.

• Once you have the extension of stay your wife (legal) and child can both apply for visas and extensions of stay on the back of your extension. - Won't I be able to bring my daughter from the beginning on a Danish passport?

• Yes your daughter will be able to stay without any problem.
• You're future wife will have to do border runs every 30 days or use tourist visas and exit every 60 days. She can extend 60 day stays by 30 days at an immigration office for 1,900 baht.

Alright, so my soon to be wife should get a 60 days tourist visa from the Thai embassy in Vientiane, extend it with 30 at the immigration office - and then go to laos after 90 days and do it all again. By then we hope to have the marriage certificate ready and from there, she will jump on my visa and stay with me. That sounds like a plan

Thank you very much!

Yes, but you won't be able to flip-flop to and fro borders too many times. Eventually immigration will catch onto it and nab your wife and probably send her back to Laos.

I did this very thing for my first year in Thailand and they caught on and pulled me aside. Fortunately for me brother-in-law is a big-shot in the Thai Royal Police and a simple phone call got me off the hook, stamped, and re-entered in minutes. Your wife likely will not have that luxury. So be careful. Think of her safety and well being and yours.

this is not true;

she will be able to get lots of tourist visas as she is returning to her home country to get them, ( unlike you who i am sure are not Laotian)

my Cambodian gf travels back to Cambodia every 3 months to get a tourist visa, i also send a letter stating she is staying with me and i am covering all her bills while she is here and i am on a retirement extension,

If ur gf does apply write up a letter to the thai embassy stating ur covering all her bills

You could be right, for all I know. I was hopping around Asia to get my visas, taking every advantage, taking all for granted because my connections ensured a smooth passage for me in just about anything I did in Thailand. And in my last eighteen months in Thailand I finally met the right corrupt "officials" and didn't need do squat anymore.

But again, I would check things out, and check 'em kinda close. I sure would not be taking advice from anyone on this board especially. Triple check it. Especially with a little one to think about.

[phuketrichard]

good for you, paying off corrupt officials to stay here,

great idea, why didn't i think of that LOL

[Blackfish64]

good for you, paying off corrupt officials to stay here,

great idea, why didn't i think of that LOL

Happily, I don't stay there any longer. As for corruption, well, what can I say? Thai-land is rife with it. One can make just about anything happen in the land of frowns if you got the cash.

[Tomtomtom69]

Alright, so my soon to be wife should get a 60 days tourist visa from the Thai embassy in Vientiane, extend it with 30 at the immigration office - and then go to laos after 90 days and do it all again. By then we hope to have the marriage certificate ready and from there, she will jump on my visa and stay with me. That sounds like a plan

Thank you very much!

Yes, but you won't be able to flip-flop to and fro borders too many times. Eventually immigration will catch onto it and nab your wife and probably send her back to Laos.

I did this very thing for my first year in Thailand and they caught on and pulled me aside. Fortunately for me brother-in-law is a big-shot in the Thai Royal Police and a simple phone call got me off the hook, stamped, and re-entered in minutes. Your wife likely will not have that luxury. So be careful. Think of her safety and well being and yours.

this is not true;

she will be able to get lots of tourist visas as she is returning to her home country to get them, ( unlike you who i am sure are not Laotian)

my Cambodian gf travels back to Cambodia every 3 months to get a tourist visa, i also send a letter stating she is staying with me and i am covering all her bills while she is here and i am on a retirement extension,

If ur gf does apply write up a letter to the thai embassy stating ur covering all her bills

Actually, eventually there will come a time when a passport is "red stamped" for having too many tourist visas in it. Just as 30 day visa waivers can not be used to endlessly enter Thailand and come back the same day, tourist visas are not designed for the purpose of living here. It may be possible to get a few and stay for up to a year or so (with border runs) but eventually Vientiane in particular will red stamp her passport and won't allow her to get another tourist visa. I'm sure Phnom Penh is not all that different.

2 or 3 tourist visas in a row should be OK, maybe even 4 but after a while she will be asked to get a dependent visa or be denied altogether. Not a good way to start a life together.

[Blackfish64]

Alright, so my soon to be wife should get a 60 days tourist visa from the Thai embassy in Vientiane, extend it with 30 at the immigration office - and then go to laos after 90 days and do it all again. By then we hope to have the marriage certificate ready and from there, she will jump on my visa and stay with me. That sounds like a plan

Thank you very much!

Yes, but you won't be able to flip-flop to and fro borders too many times. Eventually immigration will catch onto it and nab your wife and probably send her back to Laos.

I did this very thing for my first year in Thailand and they caught on and pulled me aside. Fortunately for me brother-in-law is a big-shot in the Thai Royal Police and a simple phone call got me off the hook, stamped, and re-entered in minutes. Your wife likely will not have that luxury. So be careful. Think of her safety and well being and yours.

this is not true;

she will be able to get lots of tourist visas as she is returning to her home country to get them, ( unlike you who i am sure are not Laotian)

my Cambodian gf travels back to Cambodia every 3 months to get a tourist visa, i also send a letter stating she is staying with me and i am covering all her bills while she is here and i am on a retirement extension,

If ur gf does apply write up a letter to the thai embassy stating ur covering all her bills

Actually, eventually there will come a time when a passport is "red stamped" for having too many tourist visas in it. Just as 30 day visa waivers can not be used to endlessly enter Thailand and come back the same day, tourist visas are not designed for the purpose of living here. It may be possible to get a few and stay for up to a year or so (with border runs) but eventually Vientiane in particular will red stamp her passport and won't allow her to get another tourist visa. I'm sure Phnom Penh is not all that different.

2 or 3 tourist visas in a row should be OK, maybe even 4 but after a while she will be asked to get a dependent visa or be denied altogether. Not a good way to start a life together.

This has definitely been my experience. When they nabbed me, they wrote a notice in my passport and asked me to sign it before getting back in.

After a bit I had to return to the United States for an emergency. While I was in country I got a new passport with fresh, clean pages, then applied for a visa from the US. I got the visa and breezed on through upon my return.

[phuketrichard]

Actually, eventually there will come a time when a passport is "red stamped" for having too many tourist visas in it.

True if your getting visas for Thailand in Neighboring countries BUT

there is NO problem getting unlimited tourists visas in YOUR OWN country, as least as far as i have ever read or seen anywhere.

any experience Farangs ave getting tourist visas in se asia does not apply to any Asian getting a proper visa for proper reasons in their own country (plus Cambodians can ONLY get any kind of Thai visa in Cambodia)

Changing passport or getting new one means jack shit in the computer

its all there for them to read.

[martinjakobsen]

It takes a long time to get married in Laos. They do not recognize foreign mariages here. We have just begun the process, and the lawyers are positive to have the mariage certificate in 6 - 8 months from now. We will not be legally married until then.

• Once you have the extension of stay your wife (legal) and child can both apply for visas and extensions of stay on the back of your extension. - Won't I be able to bring my daughter from the beginning on a Danish passport?

• Yes your daughter will be able to stay without any problem.
• You're future wife will have to do border runs every 30 days or use tourist visas and exit every 60 days. She can extend 60 day stays by 30 days at an immigration office for 1,900 baht.

Alright, so my soon to be wife should get a 60 days tourist visa from the Thai embassy in Vientiane, extend it with 30 at the immigration office - and then go to laos after 90 days and do it all again. By then we hope to have the marriage certificate ready and from there, she will jump on my visa and stay with me. That sounds like a plan

Thank you very much!

Yes, but you won't be able to flip-flop to and fro borders too many times. Eventually immigration will catch onto it and nab your wife and probably send her back to Laos.

I did this very thing for my first year in Thailand and they caught on and pulled me aside. Fortunately for me brother-in-law is a big-shot in the Thai Royal Police and a simple phone call got me off the hook, stamped, and re-entered in minutes. Your wife likely will not have that luxury. So be careful. Think of her safety and well being and yours.

I know all this. If you read my initial post, this is what we want to avoid.

[martinjakobsen]

I think this has been discussed before - but could she in theory get the migrant worker permit - and formally work for OP?

I am currently checking up on this matter. Thank you

[martinjakobsen]

Why are you staying in Thailand? What's the allure? Why not stay in her country or yours?

Not relevant at all, but nice of you to ask

We both prefer to stay in thailand and used to stay there together. It is more convenient, cleaner and in Laos a foreigner can not stay with a Lao national except if the are married. It might be hard for anyone to picture, but in my opinion traffic is scarier here. I like Thai food way better than Lao food. I do love Isan food, but up here it's more the prototype of Isan food than the dishes we are used to in Thailand No you know!

Well, good fortune to you both, and also to the little one.

I lived in Thailand for well over two years. Cannot say I liked it much at all. There are a myriad of much better places to live. So, naturally I get curious when people say they actually want to go live there. I immediately feel the need to ask, what for?

Thanks, for your reply.

well than why did u not like it? I have been living here over 30 years and raised a daughter here and she attended international schools

where did u find better?

to the op

Does your daughter have ur last name and is your name on the Birth certificate. it has to be for her to be attached to your visa.

There is an EXCELLENT thread on k440 concerning marrying a Cambodian outside Cambodia ( and so it could apply for you to marry ur Laos gf outside laos

Read thru it. http://www.khmer440.com/chat_forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=53999

If the link is taken off here, do a search for it, on k440 dot .com forum marrying a Cambodian in Singapore

Getting a Migrant ( L-A visa) is not that easy but it can be done, do some research on the MOU between Thailand and Laos

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/277986-registration-for-illegal-burmese-lao-and-cambodian-migrant-workers/

http://wp.doe.go.th/wp/index.php/en/mou

She has my last name and my name is on the birth certificate. Thank you for advice.

[uthaithanirules]

Can I ask what work you were doing in laos to support yourself.

Just curious, as mine is thai/lao/cambodian

Pondered about moving to laos or cambodia, as its even cheaper, but cant imagine any work that would be worth it

[martinjakobsen]

Can I ask what work you were doing in laos to support yourself.

Just curious, as mine is thai/lao/cambodian

Pondered about moving to laos or cambodia, as its even cheaper, but cant imagine any work that would be worth it

Sure. I do online entrepreneurship, working with content/traffic marketing and affiliate marketing worldwide.

Laos is in no way cheaper than Thailand. Only thing cheaper here is beer and cigarettes.

Edited March 25, 2016 by martinjakobsen

[brewsterbudgen]

I have a Lao girlfriend (soon to be wife, although we're having to do that in the UK) and son. She has lived in Thailand for 6+ years and does a border run to Cambodia every 30 days for a visa exempt stamp. This seems to be unlimited although in the current climate I am keen to get her added to my Extension which I will hopefully do once we are married.

The border run from Pattaya is fairly easy - leave at 6am and back by 2pm for 1,000 baht.