@Ruth ******

If you want to declare all your assets acquired prior to the marriage as off limits then I think you would be able to do that with a Thai prenup in Thailand. If you want to direct a portion of your foreign assets as off limits then no, I would not expect a Thai prenup to have any validity to direct distribution of assets in the US.

@Ruth ******

I think we are talking about a Thai marriage in Thailand and they are living in Thailand. If the prenup protects assets acquired prior to the marriage then does it matter where the assets are? If I want to get married to a Thai in Thailand and live in Thailand then I need a prenup in both countries?

@Ruth ******

Are you saying a Thai prenup in Thailand cannot protect assets you acquired prior to the marriage?

@Neil *****

It is a Thai law firm writing a Thai prenup covering a Thai marriage in Thailand. He was an American lawyer able to assist me in the process. He did what you said in your comment to this post. It was a Thai lawyer that accompanied us to the marriage registration.

@Neil *****

I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he is practicing legally and ethically in the context of his position in the Thai law firm.

@Neil *****

OK but the lawyer writing you prenup can assess your specific situation and explain it to you.

I used a law firm in Bangkok. One of the partners was an American lawyer. He, of course, explained whatever I needed to know but in fact my assets were pretty simple and there was nothing complicated about the prenup. My American assets and pension income were excluded. This is true in the US too. Assets you bring into the marriage are still your assets. What you acquire together while married are joint assets. The prenup was in Thai and English and the Thai lawyers explained the terms to my Thai fiancee. The law office insisted on assisting with the district office wedding to make sure the prenup was filed correctly. We are still married so we've never tested the document.

Of course, this will depend on your wife's education & skills but there is little chance they would even know where to start regarding looking for assets in a foreign country.

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

Fine. Then make sure you get pristine bank notes in your home country to exchange in Thailand.

Note regarding the 20,000 baht. You can order this from your home country bank or currency exchange if you plan ahead. Even though it is rare to be asked you are going to spend it here anyway. You’ve just saved an ATM fee.

Once they start processing your application the BOI staff are extremely pleasant to work with. I recommend applying in Thailand so you can work with them directly.