When moving to a new country it is always best to ensure that you have a good law firm in Thailand where you can be assisted when you do not fully understand the law. This is good for family law, immigration law as well as property law. Most expats use expatriate law firms as they wish to speak to a foreigner in their naïve language be this French or English. Speak to a lawyer in Thailand for assistance.
Adoption over the years has become very difficult as can be seen by the wait time’s people experience. In China the wait time is not almost 10 years to complete the process and in Thailand it now takes about 2 years to complete the adoption procedures. If you are thinking of adopting in Thailand then speak to a lawyer about this. Note that there is no preference in adoptions between foreigners and locals. Everyone waits the same time and go through the same process. Always take legal advice first before you start the process.
Family Law:
If you are getting married in Thailand then you need to understand the laws of the land. You will need to know the marriage requirements in Thailand as well as how to register a marriage in the country. This can be difficult depending on your nationality as certain Embassies have long wait times to issue documents for marriage. This is mainly the Middle Eastern countries when they wish to have an Islamic marriage in Thailand. Take legal advice on this process as it does take a while to complete. Note that ‘village weddings’ are not binding and cannot be used for visa purposes.
Divorce in Thailand does have many issues. There are two options to getting divorced in Thailand. There is litigation which can drag on for a year or two or it can be by agreement which is very cost effective and fast as it does not need to go to court. The divorce requirements are important as well as the marital property rights. Speak to a lawyer in Thailand about this and what your options are.
Guardianship in Thailand is another issue with expats who are either not married to their Thai fiancée but have a child together. Being listed as the father on the birth certificate does not give you any rights. Should you wish to change this then you will need to take legal advice on this process.
Thai Visa:
Marriage normally comes with visa issues. If you wish to live in Thailand with your Thai wife then you need to obtain a Thai marriage visa. This is initially a 90 day visa that gets extended for 12 months if you meet the financial requirements of the visa. There is also a retirement visa if you wish to retire in Thailand. If you are taking your Thai wife home then you will need to obtain a US spouse visa for a Thai or an Australian visa for a Thai national if you are Australian. These visa types do take a while to complete so it is always best to take legal advice and start the process without any errors. These tend to be costly with visa denials in Thailand and do take time to correct.
Search this website for more information or contact a lawyer in Thailand for more assistance.
