Hi, I would like to introduce myself. I am a 31 year old male from the USA. My girlfriend is 38 and from Thailand. She has 2 children. We are tossing around the idea of marriage. I am not sure I am posting in the right forum but here goes. I have known my girlfriend for almost a year now. I met her during my travels through Thailand. She is not a bar girl. She has a job working at her brother in law's noodle business. She does not make very much money though, so she does not have much in terms of assets. I have been to see her in Thailand twice since meeeting. Right now the only way I get to see her is when I fly over from the States to see her. I plan on moving there to teach when I finish college. I work full time while attending school so I am running short on time to come visit her. I probobly have upwards of two years of school left. She wants to come see me here in the States and I want her to come but she cannot get a visa. We love eachother very much and plan on getting married one day anyway. I am traveling to meet her in Bangkok this thursday. I was wondering what exactly we would have to do if we were to get married during my stay. I will only be staying for nine days. We are not a hurry to get anything done. I will return alone and I was just wondering if we can complete the process with her there and me here or if anyone has any better ideas I'm game.

Red: The timeline is much better (faster) getting a K1 visa (fiance) it seems lately...maybe some couples dealing with Thailand can help you out there regarding the embassy & how long it takes to get an interview there. Good luck to you!

jen

There's a thread in the Asia/Pacific Forum called Sawadee or something like that. It contains lots of useful information. A quick search will bring it up. I don't have time to dig for it, but, I know it's there.

There are lots of things to consider but to find out what is required to marry in Thailand, go to the Thai Embassy to the USA website or just google, "marriage in Thailand".

Welcome to VJ. I'm not an expert on this issue but may be others could help you in Thailand thread under SAWASDEE 2. Good luck and best wishes.

For the logistics of getting married, the embassies website is a good place to start (see link below). If you marry in Thailand, the K1 is out, you would have to either apply for a K3 visa (non-immigrant) or a CR-1 (immigrant). I married in Thailand in October 2006 and Rin received her K3 visa 6 months to the day after we sent in the I-130 petition. Now K3's are taking substantially longer, so a CR-1 might be a better option.

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service/marriage.html

Step 1 is at the embassy, step 2 (translation) can be done on the same street. We talked to one that wanted 9,000 baht to handle everything (way too much). I just wanted the translation, so I could do step 3 myself, but one offered to translate and get the stamp (step 3) for an additional 1500 baht, so I let them. Just returned to their office two days later and picked up the form.

If you need more information, just let me know.

Goodluck!

John

Did you use any legal services? Also were you in Thailand with her during the whole process? I have to be here in the states so I was considering using legal assistance. Upon further investigation it just seems to me it may worth it for me to enlist the help of one of the law firms in Bangkok. Any suggestions? Also It may be more feasable and timely to go for a K1 visa and her and I can then marry in the US.

I did all the paperwork myself; most people find a lawyer to be a waste of money. But I can understand how your fiance could be overwhelmed by the process. I was able to travel to Asia on business, so timed one of my trips to be in Thailand when she got the packet 3. I was actually planning to return to the USA shortly after that, but her interview was scheduled sooner than expected so I just stayed two more weeks. So it will really depend on your fiance as to whether or not help is warranted.

The K1 would be quicker than either the K3 or CR-1.

Thanks a lot John. You have been extremely helpful. I have requested a consultation with Siam Legal in Bangkok. I just have a feeling that some of the tasks on her end could be a bit overwhelming for her. I would like to have a professional handle the situation and guide her since I cannot be there to help. I will update you on our stuation after I return from this visit. You know the K1 would be the best option, because at least we will get to spend a significant amount of time together during her visit to the States to see if our relationship will actually work!

I guess I need to start keeping hotel reciepts and such for proof of our relationship, huh?

It would be a good idea to keep records,, pictures etc for proof of relationship (We really weren't asked for anything, I guess a marriage certificate and my 100+ days spent visitiing Thailand in the previous year and a half were sufficient).

You might want to check on the Sawadee forum about legal help. Many there have used legal services in Bangkok with both good and bad experiences.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...=78&st=2440


Best of luck,
John

It is very easy to get married in Thailand. That's where my husband and I got married and neither of us are Thai. If you check out the website for the US Embassy in Thailand, they provide all the information you need to get married. However, as someone said, it might be better for you to file a K-1 visa for her. That way she could come stay with you while you finish school, and then the two of you could move to Thailand when you are ready. Even if you get married, it will be about a year before she can move to the US filing a K-3.

Just a cautionary note. While the fiance visa does allow the foreign fiance(e) to come to the US before the marriage takes place, the key word is "fiance(e)", not "girlfriend" as you called her in your opening post. It's not just semantics. You'll both be signing letters of intent to marry in the US within 90 days of her arrival here and if you do not, she'll need to return to Thailand before the 90 days is up.

While nothing prevents her from returning to Thailand unmarried any time within that 90 days, for any reason including changing her mind or you changing yours, the 90 days is not intended as a trial period. Surely you wouldn't want her to endure a months long visa process, leave behind her whole life and that of her children to move to the USA, unless you were already certain of your marriage decision.

Hi, we were married on the third day after my husband arrived to Thailand on the second trip. Every step was done in one day. we did the same thing as John said. But the 3rd step at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , we waited for about an hour or two and we paid extra. It was about 400 baht. then we went to the local government office and got marriage certificate.
Good luck
......................
10/07/2005 - met on line
01/21/2007 - first trip to Thailand
06/30/2007 - second trip to Thailand
07/02/2007 - got married in Bangkok
07/28/2007 - sent I-130
09/11/2007 - I-130 reached USCIS
09/13/2007 - status on line update
09/18/2007 - NOA1 received by mail
03/06/2008 - Touched
03/07/2008 – Touched

She and I are going to consult with Siam Legal about trying to get her a tourist visa(fat chance) or perhaps a K1. The thing is I want her to come see me but the kids need to stay in Thailand for school. I just do not want her to have to wait here for a green card for up to 8 months without seeing her girls. My boss is a tough customer when it comes to time off and I have my schooling. Maybe we will just have to wait until I finsh school. We will see. She and I will talk things over this week while I'm in Thailand. Thank you for the information. I am very happy for you!