Marriage Visa

If a Marriage Visa is the reason that you are on this page, then like me, you may have fallen in love with a beautiful Thai lady and would like to know how you can get married here in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. There is nothing quite like the charm and warmth of the Thai people. Oh! and what fantastic weather.

Now that you've been here, done that and would like to settle down to a beautiful life with a beautiful wife in a beautiful place. The first requirement would be to visit your embassy in Thailand to verify that you are single, divorced or widowed. Your embassy will be able to verify your status should you not be married. In the case of a divorce, you will need to provide a divorce decree and again, if widowed, a death certificate.

Once the embassy has approved your documentation, you will then be required to have your affidavit translated into Thai by a licensed legal translator. Many of these translators can be found close to the embassies. Ask the embassy to point out the nearest one for you. Once this has been completed you must then proceed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 123 Chaeng Wattana Road, Laksi District, Bangkok, where the translated affidavit will be stamped by the Legalization and Naturalization Division.

The documentation can be processed on the same day for a fee of 800 baht per document or the same process can take up to two days for 400 baht per document. If you should want to do all this yourself and you are not residing in Bangkok, then perhaps you can stay over for a couple of days. If not, the translator can take care of this for you for a small fee, after which he would mail the stamped documents to you. Personally I would do all this myself to be absolutely sure.



You can go to www.mfa.go.th - to download a visa application form

And now the fun starts!! As soon as the documentation is approved, you can run off and get married at any district office in Thailand. After which you can apply for your marriage visa. Please note that once you are married, everything that you acquire during the marriage will be in the joint property of the marriage except land. The land issue, i shall discuss on my real estate page. Before I get carried away, everything that you acquired before your marriage, you are allowed to keep. Nice one!!

Pretty standard I'm sure, but you may require professional legal advise when it comes to pre-nuptial agreements and wills prior to your marriage. One of these days i might just be doing exactly this myself as i have yet to get married to my Thai girlfriend. Sounds like a bit of a rush to me but I am sure you will find it very exciting.

One other thing that you need to be aware of and that is the question of the dowry. Those of you who are aware of this knows that there is a cost like in any marriage, only with this one you are required to pay up front. Prices vary from 20,000 baht to 100,000 baht for a girl from the village with little education or you can expect to pay up to 2,000,000 baht for a college educated girl from a middle to upper-class family.

Not only will you have an extended family but you will almost certainly be attracting the families neighbours, including their pets as well. Just be aware of this. Good luck and if you need any help, I will point you in the right direction. Don't hesitate to ask. I'll save you a lot of money.

One other very important message is please, please, please do not be tempted or even lured into settling close to your wife's family hometown or village as this will only mean trouble for you later. It is best to stay far apart from the family. You can always go for a visit every now and then. Remember I have already told you on a previous page that the Thai people are notorious for recognizing us as ATM machines.

Marriage Visa - Non-Immigrant "O" category visas.

A similar procedure would be required should you, as a woman want to marry a Thai man. So far I have had no inquiries as to this one. And don't even ask me who pays the bills.

Well good things don't always come easy, so if you are prepared to go through with all the paper work and the timeless running around, you should be well rewarded for your efforts provided, of course, that you made the right choice. Did I say that it was going to be easy!! Nevertheless I wish you all the very best in obtaining your marriage visa and from me, a happy wonderful life together.

Things you need to require for a Marriage Visa.

2) Passport which must be valid for at least 18 months.

3) Two recent passport size photos

4) Marriage certificate

5) 1,900 baht for marriage visa fees

6) Identification Card of wife or husband

7) Proof of 400,000 baht in a Thai bank account, alternatively proof of an income of not less than 40,000 baht per month. Remember there are always little things that one forgets in situations like this. So you need to always pay close attention to all of the details in order to speed up the process, so that you can obtain your marriage visa in the quickest and easiest way possible.

Please do not spend all your money in your Thai bank account after your visa has been approved, because you will need to show proof again when your visa is extended 12 months down the line. Always better to have more than less. More consideration will be given if you have more, but then again I needn't have to tell you that. In other words you need to leave the money there permanently. Or a least while you reside in Thailand. Entirely different if ever you should leave Thailand. Now that could be difficult, leaving Thailand that is. I never want to leave.

I hope that you find the information on this page useful and if there is anything more you require, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be more than willing to help, as believe it or not, I am learning about these situations all the time myself.

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