If you are married in Thailand to a Thai citizen then you wish to live in Thailand with your Thai wife then you can apply for a marriage visa today. Note that if you are over the age of 50 then you can also apply for a retirement visa even though many prefer to apply for a Thai Marriage Visa as the requirements are lower.
In order to obtain a thai marriage visa you need to apply at a Thai embassy. Many expats either apply at the Thai embassy in Laos or at the Thai embassy in Cambodia. Note that you can apply for a work permit in Thailand if you have a Thai Marriage Visa. The documents needed at the embassy for this 90 day visa is:
- Copy of Thai marriage certificate (both versions)
- Copy of wife ID card;
- Copy of Tabian Baan of your Thai wife;
- Copy of birth certificates of any children you have together;
- Copy of your passport.
Once you hand these documents in then you need to wait between 1 and 4 days depending where you applied for this visa. Most embassies overseas will issue it overnight. In Asia it is normally overnight or 3-4 days. Once in Thailand you have 90 days to extend this visa. The following documents are needed and the process takes 3 weeks to complete. The documents you need are the same as those above plus the following:
- Copy of photos of you and Thai wife together;
- Copy of bank book showing 400,000THB or and income of 40,000THB monthly;
- Copy of map toy our house
The process gets complicated as there is an option of fixed income and deposit in your Thai bank account. You do not need a criminal record check or a health certificate unlike the retirement visa so many opt for this visa as it is much easier and less complicated.
