Moving to Udon Thani bureaucracy and regulations

@paulwiddowson1

Hello and welcome Paul !

Are you looking for infos on mariage or visa ?

Regards

Bhavna

Thank you  for replying Bhavana.

I am referring to both marriage and visa.

Kind regards, Paul

hello Paul,

Thank you for the precision.

I invite you to start by reading our guide > Living in Thailand: the ultimate expat guide, to learn more about visas here:

https://www.expat.com/en/guide/asia/tha … n-thailand

You can also find more information on getting married in Thailand here:

https://www.expat.com/en/guide/asia/tha … iland.html

All the best,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

Hi Paul, there are two separate tracks here, and it helps to keep them apart.

The marriage. A Thai marriage only exists once it is registered at a district office (amphur). A ceremony in the village is lovely but has no legal effect on its own. For the registration you need:

1. A document from your embassy confirming you are free to marry. Each embassy has its own form and process, so check yours first.
2. A Thai translation of it, legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Bangkok counter is at Chaeng Wattana, and the Ministry's passport office in Udon Thani (Central Plaza, 3rd floor) also legalises documents, so you may not need the trip. Book a queue online first.
3. Your passport, her ID card and house book, and any divorce papers either of you has from an earlier marriage.

You then register together at any district office, which can be Mueang Udon Thani if that is where you will live. Both of you sign in person.

One detail that catches people out: if your fiancée was married before and that divorce is less than 310 days old, the district office will normally refuse to register a new marriage for her unless one of the legal exceptions applies, such as a medical certificate that she is not pregnant. Worth checking now if it applies.

If either of you wants a prenuptial agreement, it has to be made before the registration and lodged with it. It cannot be added afterwards.

The visa. As a retiree you have a choice for the yearly extension, and many people overlook that it is a choice:

1. Retirement (age 50 or over): 800,000 THB in a Thai bank held for at least 2 months before you apply and kept there afterwards, or a monthly income of 65,000 THB, or a mix of both.
2. Marriage: 400,000 THB in a Thai bank, or a monthly income of 40,000 THB. The money figure is lower, but your wife has to come with you to immigration, they ask for photos of you together at home and the officers may visit the hous

Either way you start from a Non Immigrant O visa and then apply for the one year extension at Udon Thani immigration before your permission to stay runs out. After that come the 90 day address reports and a yearly renewal.

Full disclosure: I run ThaiLawOnline, so marriage and prenup paperwork is my daily work. All of the above can be done by the two of you without help if you are organised.

Good luck with the wedding and the move.

Sébastien, ThaiLawOnline

@paulwiddowson1

Hi Paul,

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage and your plans to settle in Udon Thani.

Since you've already spent time there, you're probably familiar with the lifestyle. The administrative side is a different matter, though, and it's worth planning ahead.

I would suggest looking at a few areas separately: marriage registration, the appropriate long-term visa or extension of stay, banking arrangements, and practical matters once you're living in Udon Thani.

It's also important to confirm the latest requirements with the relevant Thai authorities, as these can depend on your personal circumstances.

Are you planning to register your marriage in Thailand or in the UK? That might be a useful starting point.

Best wishes,

Goh