Answered2 years ago
What steps should I take to successfully move to Thailand and apply for a Non-O visa after marrying my Thai girlfriend?
I need some advice regarding my plan to move to Thailand. I have a baby with my Thai girlfriend, and I’m planning to come to Thailand on a tourist visa to marry her. My goal is to extend my stay and eventually apply for a Non-Immigrant O visa based on marriage.
However, I’ve read that opening a bank account with a tourist visa can be an issue, and I understand that having a Thai bank account is usually required for the Non-O visa application.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? What’s the best way to go about this? Any advice on banks that might allow me to open an account, or alternative solutions for securing the visa?
However, I’ve read that opening a bank account with a tourist visa can be an issue, and I understand that having a Thai bank account is usually required for the Non-O visa application.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? What’s the best way to go about this? Any advice on banks that might allow me to open an account, or alternative solutions for securing the visa?
Answer summary
The user seeks advice on moving to Thailand on a tourist visa to marry their Thai girlfriend and later apply for a Non-Immigrant O visa based on marriage. Community members shared various approaches, including applying for visas before entering Thailand, utilizing agents for bank account openings, and the importance of legal recognition as a father through marriage and family court proceedings. Suggestions also included obtaining alternatives like a multi-entry tourist visa for more flexibility.
46 repliesnewest first
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Lennart **********
If it was me.
1 . Come here and get 60 days visa exempt.
2. get married.
3. after 35 days, go to immigration, and apply for a 90 days Non O visa . Reason marriage.
When that is approved ( takes between 14-22 days in Khon Kaen.
4. Go and Try to open a bank account.
Season the money and then after 3 months , go and apply for 12 months extension.
One way to do it.
Good luck
P.s Start the proceeding to legislate your status as a father, in the thai court.
1 . Come here and get 60 days visa exempt.
2. get married.
3. after 35 days, go to immigration, and apply for a 90 days Non O visa . Reason marriage.
When that is approved ( takes between 14-22 days in Khon Kaen.
4. Go and Try to open a bank account.
Season the money and then after 3 months , go and apply for 12 months extension.
One way to do it.
Good luck
P.s Start the proceeding to legislate your status as a father, in the thai court.
Roland *******
Ask your girlfriend to help she knows the law of the land
Daniele ***********
You can get in Thailand visa exempt, an agent will be able to convert your visa to non-o and extend for 1 year for a ~20k fee, without marriage papers or bank account
Nongnuch ********
Tommy West . .first things first!
*** enter Thailand visa-exempt, or BETTER: on a multi entry tourist visa (a METV will give you a lot of time to get your marriage done & dusted as it can be very time consuming to get all technicalities solved)
*** get all ducks in a row and get married to the mother of the child, get your marriage acknowledged in Thailand
*** exit Thailand, go back to your home country, and apply for the “90-days single entry Non-Imm-O family visa” in the e-visa online system of the Royal Thai Embassy London, by using a minimum of 400,000 THB equivalent in GBP in your U.K. bank account as financial proof
***enter Thailand, get stamped in for a 90-days stay permit, and immediately open a Thai bank account in your sole name. On a Non-Imm visaclass, it is absolutely no problem to get a bank account opened
***transfer a minimum of 400,000 THB onto your Thai bank account
*** from up to 30 days before the 90-days stay permit expires, and the money has seasoned in the account for two months, apply for the “1-year Extension of Stay Permit based on being Married to a Thai Wife”
***once issued the 12-months “marriage extension”, take the case of your wife and half Thai child to a Thai family court and apply for the achievement of the legal parentship
***(because your name on the birth certificate was written out of wedlock and doesn’t make you the legal father, only a court order can do this)
*** enter Thailand visa-exempt, or BETTER: on a multi entry tourist visa (a METV will give you a lot of time to get your marriage done & dusted as it can be very time consuming to get all technicalities solved)
*** get all ducks in a row and get married to the mother of the child, get your marriage acknowledged in Thailand
*** exit Thailand, go back to your home country, and apply for the “90-days single entry Non-Imm-O family visa” in the e-visa online system of the Royal Thai Embassy London, by using a minimum of 400,000 THB equivalent in GBP in your U.K. bank account as financial proof
***enter Thailand, get stamped in for a 90-days stay permit, and immediately open a Thai bank account in your sole name. On a Non-Imm visaclass, it is absolutely no problem to get a bank account opened
***transfer a minimum of 400,000 THB onto your Thai bank account
*** from up to 30 days before the 90-days stay permit expires, and the money has seasoned in the account for two months, apply for the “1-year Extension of Stay Permit based on being Married to a Thai Wife”
***once issued the 12-months “marriage extension”, take the case of your wife and half Thai child to a Thai family court and apply for the achievement of the legal parentship
***(because your name on the birth certificate was written out of wedlock and doesn’t make you the legal father, only a court order can do this)
David **********
Get the non o visa before you come
Greg ***********
@David *********
he doesn't have any proof of legal parentship and he is not married to the mother. So NO Non-Imm-O Family Visa for him, yet. His name on the birth certificate is worthless when not married to the motherDavid **********
@Greg **********
non o retirement visaGreg ***********
@David *********
to me he doesn't look like being over 50 years old, but hey, if he is, that's the way to go. Apply to a 90-days single-entry Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa in the e-visa system of the Royal Thai Embassy London. He would need a minimum of 800,000 THB or equivalent in GBP for that, as in Thailand the UK embassy does not issue income affidavits any more, he would need to use the deposit method for the application to the one-year Extension of Stay Permit
Steve ********
If you apply somewhere other than Thailand, you’ll have the health insurance issue. That’s why I usually tell people to come here on a 60 day TV and don’t hear via an agent. Right now banks are having a meltdown regarding the Thai government’s crackdown on money laundering. Find an agent in the area you plan on living and talk to them.
Brandon ************
@Steve *******
there's no health insurance issue. Just apply for the 90 day non-O visa which is what most people want anyways. It's only the OA visa that requires insurance.And since he's talking about marriage visa and not retirement, the OA isn't even on the table.
Greg ***********
@Brandon ***********
he doesn't have any proof of legal parentship and he is not married to the mother. So NO Non-Imm-O Family Visa for him, yet. Name on birth certificate is worthless when not married to the motherGreg ***********
since the baby was born out of wedlock, you have no parental rights. Your name on the birth certificate is not enough to grant you a Non-Imm-O support of half Thai child visa. You need to get married and get your fathership acknowledged by the family court. After getting married you can use the Thai marriage registry document to apply for the 90 days Non-Imm-O family visa and the subsequent 1-year Extension of Stay
Brian *********
@Gr**
and this can all be done in country I believeGreg ***********
@Brian ********
as long as he is not married to the mother, he has no parental rights over the child. So his only option would be an in-country application to a Non-Imm-O Retirement Visa. Are we sure he already is over 50 years old? Looking at the ongoing crackdown on tourists who want to open a Thai bank acount, that's just another stone in the path. The next stone is the 800,000 THB deposit commitment . . .I can't see much that he can do, other than going the classical route - get married, get parental rights from a Thai family court, apply for the correct visa based on the marrige or the support of the half Thai child
Paul ********
Use an agent
Phil ******
@Tommy *****
yep your correct but opening a bank account may be a short term issueUtube vids this week. Here's 2 sources
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Brian *********
@Ph**
god what an awful videoPhil ******
@Brian ********
there's 2. But yep content makes it really hard for new expansion to reside here
Divya **********
You can get a 90 days Non-O visa based on relative (i.e, your child) in your country. Visit Thailand on that visa, open a bank account, put 400K Baht in the account to season it. Then marry your girlfriend, and apply for 1 year extension based on marriage from within Thailand itself.
Greg ***********
@Divya *********
he has no parental rights, as the baby was born out of wedlock. His name on the birth certificate is not enough. He cannot get a Non-O visa based on the childDaniele ***********
@Greg **********
are you sure about that? I know a guy that is not married but still could get non-o visa based on the child and is now on 1 year extensionGreg ***********
@Daniele **********
I know the Immigration rules & regulations - I got my own visa-advice group and will post only 100% correct and confirmed info. You can tell the OP a thousand of times to apply for the Non-Imm-O family/support of child visa, using the birth certificate and proof of 400,000 THB in his bank account. HE WILL BE REJECTED !!Greg ***********
@Daniele **********
it is the Thai Civil Code! Immigration has absolutely NOTHING to do with issuance of parenthoodDaniele ***********
@Greg **********
do you understand the word "fact" right or I have to explain it? You not even citing any immigration lawGreg ***********
Although the registration of legitimation under Section 1548 had been made, if there has been a notification of the child and the mother under paragraph one, the child’s father will not be able to exercise partly or wholly such parental power as had been notified by the child or the mother until the court will pronounce a judgment effecting the child’s father to exercise partly or wholly the parental power, or a period of ninety days had elapsed since the registrar was notified by the Child or the mother of the unsuitability on the party of the applicant for registration of legitimation to be the person unsuitable for exercising a part of the whole of the parental power.
Daniele ***********
@Greg **********
I'm talking about facts not theories, doesn't matter what you think you knowGreg ***********
@Daniele **********
There is a lot you need to learn!FIRST: respect the law. What I am writing here IS THE THAI LAW !!
“Section 1546. A child born of a woman who is not married to a man is deemed to be the legitimate child of such woman.
Section 1547. A child born of the parents who are not married to each other is legitimate by the subsequent marriage of the parents, or by the registration made on application by the father, or by a judgment of the Court.
Section 1548. When legitimation is applied for by the father, the child and the mother must give consent to the applicant.
Section 1555. An action for legitimation may be entered only in the following cases:
4. Where it appears in the birth register that the child is a son or daughter of the man who notified of the birth, or such notification was made with the knowledge of the man
Section 1557. Legitimation under Section 1547 shall take effect:
From the day of marriage in case of subsequent marriage of the parents;
From the day of registration in case where the registration of legitimation is made by the father;
From the day of final judgment in case of legitimation pronounced by the court, provided that it may be set up to the prejudice of the rights of third persons acting in good faith, unless it has been registered according to the judgment.
***************************************************************************
Greg ***********
@Daniele **********
NO, he can't if he is not married to the mother - because he must show both the birth certificate AND the Kor Ror 2 or 22 marriage registry document. You are spreading fake news, false claimsDaniele ***********
@Greg **********
doesn't matter what you know. It's a fact that you can get that visa, both in Thailand or at a consulate, with just a birth certificateGreg ***********
@Daniele **********
do have this cleared by now ? Or are you still thinking that I don't know the law?Greg ***********
@Divya *********
"Even if your name is on the birth certificate as the biological father, you are not recognized as the legal father under Thai law. @Daniele **********
In Thailand, a child born out-of-wedlock is the legitimate child of the birth mother. The law does not consider the biological father to be the legitimate father. Therefore, he shall have no legal rights over the child" **********************************************************************************************************
%20if%20your%20name%20is,legal%20father%20under%20Thai%20law.Greg ***********
@Divya *********
you are COMPLETELY wrong. A mother could theoretically name anyone as the father and get him listed on the birth certificate. This is just NOT the legal way to give him parental rights. Only by court order can he be given parental rights. The name on the birth certificate out of wedlock is irrelevant, it would only be valid if the couple is marriedDivya **********
This is correct. You only need birth certificate. Birth certificate itself is the proof of who the legal father of the child is. What matters here is the "legal" father, not the "biological" father. Court document, DNA test, those are not required.
Daniele ***********
@Greg **********
why would need dna when both father and mother agrees on who is the father? I see many websites listing birth certificate as only proof needed plus the usual stuff house book id copy etcGreg ***********
@Daniele **********
the name on the birth certificate is irrelevant, as long as there has no DNA analysis being conducted or he is legally marriedGreg ***********
@Daniele **********
so the agent bribed the Immigration. This process is absolutely illegalDaniele ***********
@Greg **********
no court verdict, he entered on visa exempt, gave birth certificate to an agent and got non-o + 1 year extensionGreg ***********
@Daniele **********
if he has a Thai family court verdict that he is the legal father of the child, yes, he can apply for the Non-Imm-O support-of-half-Thai-child visa
Ian ********
Get the non o visa before you leave your country online, as you have a baby it should be no problem
Omar ******
You can enter with an ed visa then the school opens you a bank account... I just got one today
Brandon ************
@Omar *****
he's getting married and getting a visa for that. Spending the money for a class and going through the trouble of getting an education visa makes zero sense.Brandon ************
You're correct.
Generally you'll need to use an agent to help you get the account open. Right now it's a little up in the air since that's mostly done in Pattaya but some of the agents there are no longer able to open accounts. It's possible by the time you're ready, it will be business as normal again.
Worst case scenario, you go to Laos or Cambodia and apply for the non-O visa there, then return and open your bank account for the extension.
Generally you'll need to use an agent to help you get the account open. Right now it's a little up in the air since that's mostly done in Pattaya but some of the agents there are no longer able to open accounts. It's possible by the time you're ready, it will be business as normal again.
Worst case scenario, you go to Laos or Cambodia and apply for the non-O visa there, then return and open your bank account for the extension.
Tommy ******
OP@Brandon ***********
Thanks and if probably I choose to go to Laos and apply for the non 0 visa there, will I have to apply for tourist visa to go Laos from Thailand or I can use my valid Thailand tourist to go to LaosBrandon ************
@Tommy *****
I'm assuming you won't have any visa at all for Thailand, you'll likely be visa exempt. To enter Laos you can apply online for a visa through their e-visa system or you can apply at the border for visa on arrival.
The only difference is wait time and e-visa is only half a page of your passport while visa on arrival is a full page.
Brandon ************
@Brian ********
I used e-visa for a land crossing. The e-visa website is very clear about which borders you can use it for. If you try to go to a border not on the list then you'll be paying again and waiting in line. The website warns you 3 times during the application that you can only use it at certain borders. Only an idiot would miss it.Brian *********
@Bra****
don’t use the e- visa for land crossings I’ve seen many people not being accepted and having to do manual - just a point.Activity
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