The Thai FDA and Customs sites are a bit challenging to navigate, but generally speaking, sealed and made for retail sales packaged foods are fine to import if the total value of all goods you are bringing in to Thailand is less than 20,000 baht and not intended for resale. I literally bring a full suitcase full of food and snacks from the states every trip I make... You run in to issues with raw meat, plants, fruits, vegetables, and live animals that are not declared or without the proper import licensing and paper work... So... You know... as long as it is not homemade bathtub cheese in a baggie, you should be ok... Also, you can get cheddar here.

This is the breakdown I had in my notes... There were additional costs, such as having to go to the Embassy in Chiang Mai because the Bangkok Embassy had a two month waitlist at that time, and the Amphur boss was doing a holiday fund raiser, but those expenses are not part of the normal process for most people... probably...

With an agent in the US

Texas Secretary of State: 1-2 business days, $90

US Department of State: Approximately 8 weeks, $145 (including agency fees, USDoS fees, and FedEx of documents to and from)

Embassy Legalization: Approximately 2 weeks, $175 (including agency fees, Thai Embassy fees, and FedEx of documents to and from)

International Priority shipment to Thailand of documents via DHL: 5 business days, $95

No agent

US Embassy passport certified copy (by appointment at the embassy, $50)

With an agent in Bangkok

Translation and MFA Certification of marriage certificate and copy of certified passport (1-4 weeks after appointment is set dependent on agency or in person processing, ฿6500 baht)

No agent

Amphur registration (by appointment in my area (about 1 week, ฿300 baht)

And expensive, too... :)

The process to register a foreign marriage in Thailand took around 6 months for us... We got married in the US, and started the process immediately with an agent to cover all of the work in the US. Getting the documents authenticated by the local county registrar where we were married, and then the State, and then the State Department, and then the Thai Embassy was about 4 months... Then once we had the documents sent to Thailand, I had to get a certified copy of my passport picture page at the US Embassy, then the wedding certificate and passport had to be translated and authenticated at the MFA before the local amphur would register the marriage and provide my wife with the change of status and name change. That was around 2 months. Anyways, it may take longer than a tourist visa allows if you try to do it all from Thailand, especially if you didn't already get the Thai Embassy that covers wherever you married to authenticate your marriage certificate yet...

@Bagsida ********

If you can't donate, advocate... Even commenting on a post (like you have done here) will extend it's reach. If you share the post to your expat friends and communities, that will also do a lot. If you can contribute to the education of others about the challenges our community faces regarding rare blood types in this region, and can help to convert even one person in to a regular donor, you are saving lives.

Not always... In my wife's first interview, they started talking to her in English and she just responded in English not knowing that Thai was an option. It resulted in her answering a question incorrectly because she didn't understand the subtlety of a question about the differences between "partner" "wife" and "defacto" and which one she qualified as... Her second interview started in Thai and the IO wanted to switch to English because he felt she should know enough to have a basic conversation.

@Robert **********

This is not how B2 visa interviews go. You might get 2 or 3 total questions. They have reviewed the file prior to the interview and likely have already made their decision. The questions are obligatory to some degree, but there is an opportunity to turn a no in to a yes with the right preparation and a little confidence. If the first thing you do when you walk up is smile and give a nice greeting and ask if they can review the best part of your prepared documents or ask a real specific question about the interview or if you can ask or say something in Thai, it can interrupt the no flow long enough to maybe turn the tide.

Important to note that some of the IOs will ask gotcha questions about things that may have been off on the application and that can be confusing for a non-native English speaker... so confidence in English or even being careful and requesting clarification instead of just saying yes reflexively can go a long way.

Those are the US reported statistics for Thailand.

@Brandon ***********

This is not accurate. A girlfriend, partner, or wife can get a tourist visa. It is more challenging to demonstrate sufficient ties to Thailand if that particular American they are with does not also have sufficient ties to Thailand, so that is a thing... But it is not a hard no if there is a strong enough case that they will return. My wife (then unemployed girlfriend) was able to get a 10 year B2 visa on her second attempt. I know of at least three other Thai women in similar situations as her that also got the B2 on the first or second try. As long as it is not obviously a backdoor way to get her in to the country to change status or try to work illegally, you have a decent shot at an approval, all other things being equal.

There is no magic formula for approval. No amount of money in the bank or property or job type that makes it a slam dunk. Just provide the facts and make a compelling case.

It helps a lot if the American partner has a significant job in Thailand or is on a Thai Elite visa or has some other clear motivation for being in Thailand full time. I am sure there are many members in this community that were successful and would happily share some personal experiences or best practices... anyways, it is possible. The reported approval rate for B2 visas out of Thailand averages somewhere in the range of 70-75%. Anecdotal evidence not withstanding, Thai people get visas from the US (and Europe, and the UK, and Australia)... It might just take a couple of tries to dial in the application and find the right IO. Anyways, good luck to the OP... it only costs 185 USD to give it a shot... :)