Visit visa advice - am I overcomplicating things and worrying unnecessarily ?

[CraigBruce]

Hi,

just discovered this site in trying to understand how I can support my Thai girlfriend's application for a visit visa, where I will be providing the financial support, i.e. a place to stay, paying for flights etc. etc.

Searching the forum I have found fragments of advice from others who have (in some cases repeatedly) gone through the visit visa process, and I'm concerned that from what I have read so far a lot of people giving advice are married to their Thai partner and yet still need to compile reams of paperwork!

It seems clear that a sensible course of action is to avoid paying a Thai agency 25k THB+ to process the application and to simply man up, fill it in online, pay and arrange an appointment, so that my girlfriend can then simply turn up with a pre-arranged mass of paperwork...some questions I would like advice on:

• Is there a definitive list of all required paperwork in the case of a supported/sponsored visa application (I have used the search function and looked on the VFS website, but not seen anything complete/specific enough to feel confident)
• From what I have read, others have only translated marriage certificates - house/land/car ownership, birth certificate, passport etc. can be submitted in Thai only. Is this correct ? Is it worth getting anything else translated just in case ? (as first application)
• For a visit visa, how relevant is establishing our relationship, other than that I am willing and able to support her during her visit ? e.g. we originally met in Hong Kong, have stayed together in Bangkok, holidayed together in Phuket for 2 weeks and she obtained an Indian visa and stayed with me in India for 3 weeks whilst I was working there (amusingly enough next door to the local VFS office, which would only deal with Indian applicants!)
• I'd ideally like to get a multiple entry/flexible visa...is there such a thing, or do we need to formalise travel dates and book a flight before requesting a visa ?
• Any recommendations as to what my supporting/sponsoring letter needs to include ??
• Finally, my girlfriend is half Chinese, half Thai, and moved to Thailand at a young age with her Thai mum. She has a Thai passport and nationality, but due to the circumstances of her move to Thailand I believe there were questions over her birth certificate. Her Thai passport therefore only has a year of birth and not day/month. This raised an eyebrow when she entered Indian immigration....anyone heard of this before and could it cause us issues in getting a UK visa?

Frustratingly my girlfriends friend who prepared her Indian visa (and who has prepared other visas for her to visit other countries for work) went silent when I started asking her similar guidance questions...I only know she wants 20k+ THB to handle the application.

I'm hoping to get sufficient confidence up to arrange this all ASAP - she is keen to see snow, which I am hopeful I could find thru March at least on a mountain someplace in the UK...though this may be the point to think about a Schengen (sp?) visa!

Hoping it should all be easy, as I can easily show I can support her visit...and her house, car, family and (most importantly) 7yr old daughter should be sufficient reason for her to return to Thailand...coupled with her history of travel to HK, China, Taiwan and India within the last year.

Craig

[-Keith-]

I'm afraid that her 7yr old will carry no weight at all as far as a reason to return is concerned. It's very common for Thai parents to work away from the family home and leave parenting to the Grandparents.

Reasons to return should be physical assets, such as Land, Property a business etc Also a Job or University place. You should certainly mention her travel history and also put emphasis on your relationship as a main reason that she will return.

[Linne]

Please read some of the many posts on the subject. I echo the comments from Kieth.
What are you trying to achieve ? a visit visa as in coming here for a holiday ? Many thai folk can afford the flight and accommodation. They get a visa because they have a reason to go home afterwards. You will I guess sponsor the visit and will do this because you are in a relationship which will need to be explained in a covering letter.
Save your money and forget the agencies.
You will need to demonstrate that you have accommodation and funds to pay for the trip.

[ian1208]

Every visa is taken on face value. Your G/F's frequent visits overseas will help in the decision making (providing she returned within any visa expiry dates)
But unfortunately thats it! Tick the boxes correctly and follow the guidelines and instructions.
There is very little need to use agents as they simply do what you can do.

[CraigBruce]

Thanks for the responses. As they say, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing - so I think my next step will be to take that first pass at completing an application online and see whether anything remains unclear after that. Laziness/nervousness has kept me away from the site to date and considering an agency, but reading this forum I' m determined to DIY it.

As noted in one response, all I'm trying to do is help facilitate a tourist visa which my girlfiend may well me able to gain for herself without my assistance - it would likely just take much longer (due to language confusions) and cost her more to do it alone.

[Linne]

Most visit visas are granted without too much fuss.

[colin244]

As no one else has said it Good Luck (you will no doubt have questions about the application and the forum is the place to ask)

colin 244