What are the requirements for a foreign wife applying for a marriage visa in Thailand?

Mar 5, 2024
10 months ago
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hello, sawat di ka πŸ™

The situation:

I am British and my husband is Thai. We are going to Thailand to get his Thai ID card (he came to the U.K. as a child so needs to go to Thailand for his first Thai ID card). We hope to stay in Thailand for a while.

We are thinking of entering Thailand either with 30 days on arrival or a tourist visa. Once he has his ID card, and if we choose to stay, I will apply for a marriage visa in Thailand.

My questions:

Am I right in thinking that I will need to take our British marriage certificate, legalised/certified by the FCO in Milton Keynes and the Thai embassy in London? Then stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok?

Am I right in thinking that as a foreign wife, I will not need to prove my income (I make 40,000 baht per month anyway though if needed).

Can this be done at his local Amphur office in Thailand?

Anything else we will need?

Thanks in advance!
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user, a British woman married to a Thai man, seeks advice on the process for obtaining her husband's Thai ID card and applying for a marriage visa in Thailand. Key points discussed include the need for the British marriage certificate to be legalized, the absence of income proof requirements for foreign wives married to Thai men, the process at the local Amphur office, and the potential need for translations and additional certifications. Community responses affirm that as a foreign wife, she does not need to prove income, provided her husband meets certain income thresholds.
Michael *******
Top of the list lives in Wimbledon Park & I recommend her - she has good contacts with the Embassy and will do the translations and then deal with the Embassy to get their Legalization Stamps on both the Marriage Cert AND the FCDO Apostille. Tell her I sent you! Hand carry those two documents (Marriage Cert+Apostille & their translations) to the Consular Dept of the MFA in BKK for their Legalization stamps. Your local Amphur will need those documents to issue the Kor Ror 22 - the registration of your (foreign) marriage at the Amphur - which leads to your Pink Thai ID Card & Yellow House Book (assuming the process is the same for a foreign wife as it is for a foreign husband) and then Immigration will require them (& the KR22) for your "marriage" visa & annual extensions.
Michael *******
Answer to Q1 re FCDO in Milton Keynes is "Yes". Others have posted the image of the FCDO process which is the first step. I assume your UK Marriage Cert is NOT laminated, if it is you have a slight admin problem, if not once you have the original back from FCDO with its attached Apostille, they need to be translated. RTE London have a list of "approved" translators in UK on their website here:
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Michael ***********
I'm working on these things now. I am authenticating my marriage license and birth certificate and then applying for a spousal visa. I am married to a Thai women here in the USA and will be retiring soon. It is a bit confusing but reading these threads is helping me sort things out.
Marcus *******
If you can leave 400,00 baht in a Thai bank account you don't need to show 40,000 income on a marriage visa.
Brandon ************
@Marcus ******
don't need any of it if you're a woman married to a Thai man. According to Thai society it's his responsibility to take care of her.
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brandon ***********
thanks so much for confirming :)
Lee ***********
@Beth ********
you lucky lady, now you have to tell your husband his bad news πŸ˜‚πŸ˜Š
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Lee **********
πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
Lee ***********
@Beth ********
he is also one lucky man in many ways 😊
Graham ******
My understanding is that you have done your homework and would answer yes to your three questions above.
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Graham *****
thanks Graham! I’ve done lots of research, but finding it difficult to pin down whether my thoughts are correct, hence always worth asking in these groups in case anyone else has experienced similar!
Graham ******
@Beth ********
That's the best way to use these groups, well done
To**
Maybe seek some local Thai legal advice
Peter **********
I think the income figure is now
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BHT
Graham ******
@Peter *********
That's for retirement and it is 40k if married to a Thai lady, zero if married to a Thai man
Kool *******
@Graham *****
it is zero for the foreign lady, but her Thai husband must be making at least bt30,000 a month for her to qualify.
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Graham *****
thanks so much for confirming πŸ™
Frazer ******
@Peter *********
For a marriage Visa, believe it's 40,000 THB per month or have 400,000 in your bank account at least 3 months prior to application.
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Peter *********
I’ve been told I wouldn’t need to prove my income as a foreign wife
Duncan **********
@Beth ********
you are correct. You don't need income or savings as a foreigner female married to a Thai man
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Duncan *********
thank you so much for confirming πŸ™
Kool *******
@Beth ********
be fully aware that you don't need any financial deposit, or wages, but your Thai husband needs to be making at least bt30,000 a month for you to get a marriage visa extension based on Thai husband. Also, everything about your marriage license is correct, except you also need it translated into Thai, and certified by the Thai embassy that it is an accurate translation. This translation is what you register at your local amphur in Thailand for it to be recognized, and legal in Thailand.
Chris *******
Will he be entering on a Thai passport?

If he enters on a a UK passport this will also have an effect on things.
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Chris ******
I guess he could enter on either. Do you know what the differences would be?
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Why is that?
Jim **********
@Beth ********
I would definitely recommend entering on his Thai passport.
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thanks, I thought that might be the case. He is over 30, so I don’t think this applies anymore (or so a lawyer told me anyway)
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Once he gets his Thai ID, he should be able to remain indefinitely, even if he enters on a British passports, isn’t that right? What I don’t know is whether he would need to do some sort of border run to reenter on his Thai passport. For context, his Thai passport is expired, but he will renew it in Thailand when he gets his Thai ID.
Chris *******
@Beth ********
If he enters on a UK passport he I considered a visitor.

And if he wanted to stay he'd have to get an extension, yes it's odd.

Better to enter on his Thai passport.
Michael ********
Go to Thai citizenship group the guy has website with all the correct info you require.

Your husband can apply for ancestry visa whilst he is sorting stuff out. Not sure if you can get dependents on that visa

.
Dca *****
@Beth ********
>
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Vernon *********
You did not take your husband's surname?

Is your husband under 30 years of age?

If he is under 30 and gets his Thai ID he may have to do 2 years National Service.
Vernon *********
Gordon *********
Vernon *********
@Gordon ********
Any Thai man under 30 may have to do National Service.
Dca *****
@Gordon ********
@Vernon ********
>
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Gordon *********
@Vernon ********
they are draw out of a hat lady boys in clouded and they have to go at children's day at army camp
Vernon *********
@Gordon ********
Children's Day, bullshit.
Gordon *********
@Vernon ********
take care little boy good luck in the army
Vernon *********
Gordon *********
@Vernon ********
thank you very much
Vernon *********
@Gordon ********
your welcome. Don't talk about stuff that you have no idea about.
Gordon *********
@Vernon ********
l have lived here for nearly 20 years my wife has 7 brothers only 1 has been in the army 1 nephew went 15 months ago 7 months to go g f u s
Summer **************
@Gordon ********
I think you mean *gfy since it's "yourself" with a Y and one word. But you also could have not said anything at all and in the end wouldn't be vulgar or embarrassed yourself w bad spelling
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Vernon ********
yes, I did take his surname, and he is over 30.
Vernon *********
@Beth ********
You will have to apply for your Non O marriage visa at the local immigration office.

Don't forget to do a TM30 online, this is the address where you will be living in Thailand.

Then do a TM47 every 90 days.
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Thanks. His uncle is sorting this out for him, so we will go to the local amphur with his uncle, dad and another witness
Vernon *********
@Beth ********
Your husband will be fined a small amount like 100 baht for applying for Thai ID card late!
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Vernon ********
ok, thank you so much for letting me know πŸ™
Vernon *********
@Beth ********
You can also get a pink Thai ID card for yourself at the local amphur, you get this when you apply for your yellow Tabien Baan address book.
Vernon *********
@Beth ********
Good, he will have to get his Thai ID card from his local amphur. Is his name in the blue Tabien Baan address book?
Brandon ************
Unfortunately I'm not versed in the way to get your marriage authenticated in Thailand, but I can tell you as a woman married to a Thai man, you do not have to prove funds to apply for the non-O visa conversion in Thailand or for the 1-year extension of stay.
Bethan ***************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Brandon ***********
thank you so much, I really appreciate the help πŸ™
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