@Cassius *********

. I agree, I think there is a lot scare mongering locally and on social media making it sound difficult and have more chance with an agent. But the reality is it’s a nice little earner for not doing a great deal, easy money. And I think if you’ve got your head screwed on you can do a better job yourself for cheaper, a no brainer really. Having said that it didn’t stop us sweating for a week on the passport returning to find out if it had the visa in it or not 🤣

If you’re not scared of a bit of work you can do all this without the need of an agent. They basically do nothing for xxxx Baht 30k? and they aren’t allowed into the centre on the day of the appointment, so it’s money for nothing. I did it all myself through the UK immigration website and got her a 2 year visa. You can declare you are filling this out on her behalf and just provide as much info as possible, the more the better with photos etc of your time together. Provide a covering letter explaining why she is visiting and that you accept full financial responsibility for her and they will focus mainly on your financial situation. She didn’t have to provide any financial information at her appointment in Bangkok, she was in and out in 15 minutes with no drama.

@Dominic ********

. I go to Udon Thani in the north east

On the weather front. I come to Thailand several times a year and if you are looking for the cooler months I would avoid March and April which is the middle of the summer 40+. I’d probably look at September to February which is just coming out of the rainy season and into the more bearable weather. November to February is my favourite time.

@John *******

. Yes it’s all about a bit of work and being comprehensive. It’s better to overkill with the supporting docs than not to have enough. I sent pictures of my passport with stamps from my visits and uploaded pictures from my visit with my girlfriend and her family and friends etc. There’s a lot of scare mongering to encourage people to use agencies because it’s money for nothing. On the day of the appointment at the embassy the agency staff aren’t allowed in there to assist with this. When my girlfriend went for her appointment there were plenty of foreign/thai couples getting turned away because of poor planning. Her appointment not including the wait took about 15 minutes.

@John *******

. I’ve just done this for my girlfriend for a 2 year visa which was approx £430 direct to UK immigration via the website. If you’re not scared of a bit of work yourself it’s easy to do everything online where you can upload all your docs so no need to involve an agency who pretty much do nothing you can’t do yourself for thousands of Baht. There are no extra costs when your girlfriend goes to the embassy for biometrics and photographs if you’ve done everything correct but I did pay £10 to get her passport couriered back to her house. She didn’t have to prove she had a returning flight, I just uploaded a covering letter with all my details, address etc and excepting financial responsibility for her during her stay and saying she will always have a return flight. As you are sponsoring her the focus is on your situation and finances. The waiting period after the embassy appointment was weeks. Everything went smooth for us.