How long does it take to get a blue book and does it aid in opening a bank account as a foreign spouse in Thailand?

@John ********

what visa do you have? TR? Take a trip down to the Chang Arena and do it there. Nice immigration guy

I got my yellow house book and pink ID card recently and each Amphur differs in requirements so best to visit and find out what they need. I had a new passport and different from the one used to get married so had to get my passport verified at the British Embassy, translated and certified by the Thai MFA. There are also other local requirements like visits by the local headman(men), local witnesses, photographs at the house with headman, witnesses etc. and a visit to the Amphur with them to sign off papers. Once that is done you get finger printed and photographed then receive your yellow book and pink ID card. To simplify things it would be best to combine the incoming flight to Bangkok with an appointment at the embassy. I had to wait 16 days for an appointment so make it online in plenty of time so you get an appropriate time slot. Takes a bit of time but worth it in the long term in spite of what the naysayers claim. I use my ID card in place of a passport for checking in for internal flights.

Really depends on the Amphur you are dealing with. Some people seem to walk in with a note on the back of a fag packet and walk out 15 minutes later with yellow book and pink id. It took me weeks, lots of running around, several visits to the Amphur, Embassy letters and documents from Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I already had the documents from the land office including usefruct, showing I own the house etc. It's much more difficult than the visa process in my experience. Good luck.

Every amphur makes its own requirements, some are very easy and some give you the run around and some will just say no. I was lucky and didn’t need any embassy letter and it was really simple. Pink card the same. Both are extremely useful in smoothing out processes.

As far as I know The Amphur will want to see a long term visa Non-O retirement elite LTR etc for the issuance of the yellow book and pink id card

This was my experience in Bangkok so each Amphur might or will have different rules

Good luck

Yes you can get a yellow book and pink ID card. Advise getting at same time. Need paperwork from British embassy proving your passport it was same paperwork as needed for marriage so i used that one plus other stuff forgotten now exactly what i needed.

Blue house book is given when purchased. But believe she would need to transfer her main residence to that and not sure how that works. You really need to check in area your wife is purchasing house as with lots of things its different in different areas.

Have you tried to open a bank account with your Non-O, a Thai sim registered to your passport and a CofR from Immigration?

Depends on your local Tassaban so the house will be in your wife’s name meaning if things go belly up you have no claim !