Monday, 16 August 2010

Travelling with your Thai Girlfriend

Travelling with your Thai girlfriend can be an interesting experience. Especially if she has never travelled outside of Thailand before. She will see everything through fresh eyes, and of course, she will either love or hate it the whole experience.

Most Thai people love to eat Thai food.

They generally don't like 'faring' food like pizza or burgers. So your Thai girl will generally be ok in Asian countries, where the food tends to be spicy and contain fish or rice, but anywhere outside of Asia and your Thai girlfriend might struggle to find something she likes to eat.

India is especially difficult, as is Japan.

If you are in a western country such as Australia or the UK, try to find a store that sells Thai ingredients, such as an Asian grocer, or Asian supermarket. As long as she can get a few familiar ingredients, such as lemon grass or Thai basil, she will no doubt be able to cook up food for herself that she likes to eat.

Your Thai girlfriend will need a passport and a visa.

The passport is generally not difficult to get, and can be obtained in a couple of days from Bangkok.

However, getting a visa for your Thai girlfriend can be difficult. Depending on where you want to go with her, the visa process can be long and complicated. You might need to show documentation and evidence that she will not overstay, and that she has strong and compelling reasons to return to Thailand.

Thailand tends to be considered a ‘high risk’ destination; therefore she will need to show evidence and documentation. It’s always advisable to start doing the necessary paperwork a good while in advance of your planned departure date.

Good Australian Visa Advice
A great website like ‘Australian Visa Advice for your Thai Girlfriend’ can help you with all the necessary paperwork. In effect you will do the visa yourself, but a migration agent will be constantly on hand to help you with the process. It’s not that expensive, and it can really take away the headache of doing a DIY visa application.

Remember, your Thai girl might find the culture shock quite overwhelming when you first arrive overseas. Try to understand that this is all new to her, and she will be struggling with a different language, different culture and possibly even different weather.

Make sure she is prepared for the cold if you are taking her to a temperate climate, as it's likely she will feel the cold much more than you. Even summer time in the UK can feel cold to Thai people who are used to tropical Thailand’s balmy climate, with its heat and humidity. So taking her to a winter destination would definitely be a shock to her system. Though imagine how cute it would be to be with her the first time she experiences snow and ice.

Above all else, enjoy travelling with your Thai girlfriend. It’s sure to be a memorable experience.


Some good links that may help you are:
thai tourism
thai People

Sunday, 15 August 2010

Visas for your Thai girlfriend

 You can opt for the Fiancee or Spouse Visa option which will allow your Thai fiancĂ© to stay until the wedding day comes.

The downside to the Fiancee or Spouse Visa is that you and your Thai girlfriend must go through a rigorous review and interview to provide proof and grounds in the legitimacy of your relationship. You have to lodge a Visa application at Bangkok. You can do this by getting yourself to the VFS office in Bangkok through skytrain via Surasak station or taxi.

Once unloaded on the train or taxi, you can walk your way through the VFS to the thirty-fourth floor. Once you have made it there, you will be greeted by security personnel and be asked of your purpose of visit. You will have to write these down on their log book and you will be issued a number as you are allowed to enter the premises. You can use the waiting and lag time to complete the requirements for your application.

Wrap up the photocopies of the important documents such as the completed application form, a letter from her employer, her personal bankbook with or without savings and a photocopy of it, a photocopy of her passport details page, a photocopy of the front and back parts of her valid ID cards, the letter of invitation that highlights the reasons of her application, the statutory declaration of her relationship with you, evidence of regular income, evidence of communication while apart, any evidence of financial support to her and your pictures together.

Once the originals have been copy-furnished, you will be called to the table of application. Your documents will be inspected to make sure that you have met the necessary requirements for application. You will have a higher chance at success in application if you are ready with your application requirements and if your documents are very well-prepared. The Embassy charges you 2600 Baht or so paid in cheque or money order. You could get an application form with a small fee of 35 Baht. The processing fee would be around 500 Baht which includes value-added tax. The processing of documents at the VFS office at Bangkok will take you several minutes. It would be faster when all the required submitted documents are complete. Use these application requirements to prevent problematic situations that could potentially ruin you and your Thai girlfriend’s future.

Here are some hints and tips to get you started on that application – and to have a chance at developing a relationship with the girl of your dreams.

Other Visa options could also be explored like the Work Visa, Student Visa and the Family Sponsored Visa.
Does this sound something like your situation? If you have decided on trying to get your Thai girlfriend to visit you in Australia, you now face the decision of how to get her a visa. To tell you frankly, getting a Visa for your Thai girlfriend would be a lot of work especially in terms of time and energy. You really have to be a hundred percent certain that the person you’re getting the Visa for is worth all of it. Chances are, it is.

The downside of a tourist visa is that it does not allow your Thai girlfriend the freedom to work or study in Australia. And you must show evidence that you can support her during her stay with you. While following the more lenient guidelines in this Australian Visa option. This does not mean though that you and your Thai girlfriend can do anything you want while she is staying in Australia. several guidelines to adhere to when applying for An Australian Tourist visa. Also remember that with a Tourist Visa, your Thai girlfriend cannot receive Australian-sponsored Medicare. This means that you are responsible for her health condition as she arrives and stays with you.