UK Tourist Visa for a Thai National

A UK tourist visa for a Thai wife or Thai girlfriend is also commonly referred to as a UK holiday visa. This visa is given to a Thai National to allow them to travel to the UK on holiday to experience the differences in culture between Thailand and the United Kingdom, meet your family and make sure that if you both wished, Your Thai girlfriend or Thai wife would be comfortable settling in the UK before you continue your marriage considerations.

We take care of all online and paper application forms and associated letters and are completely hands-on from start to finish whilst constantly communicating to update local and overseas customers on the application progress so you can relax and leave it to us

An English owned and managed company with bilingual English / Thai staff who will help your Thai partner through the entire process with no hassle and full support from the beginning of the process right up until you receive your visa

We are a well respected company and affiliated with the Pattaya Expats club. Our team go above and beyond to offer simply the best visa service in Thailand with additional benefits not offered by any other company such as an airport concierge for solo travellers.

I like to call the UK Tourist visa for a Thai the acid test, to make sure that you and your Thai partner are suited to living in your own country because it is a totally different experience than when you are on holiday in Thailand. A UK tourist visa is very sensible and the service I initially offer all my clients for their first application. A UK Tourist visa for a Thai is not designed to allow you to reside with your Thai partner in the UK. It is exactly what it says: A UK Tourist / UK holiday visa and many re-applications are not permitted. The British embassy in Bangkok will take notice if you apply too frequently.

A UK Tourist visa for a Thai is available as a 6 month, 1 year, 2 year and 5 year visa but please be aware that you can only spend a 6 months period in any one year in the UK. So if you are awarded a 6 months holiday for your Thai girlfriend or Thai wife then after 6 months in the UK together your Thai partner must then spend 6 months back in Thailand before reapplying or the British embassy will assume these visas are being used to reside in the UK illegally, “so be careful.” Just because you have had one visa does not mean you will get another.

Our UK tourist visa for your Thai partner service

Successful visa applications to the UK for a Thai national are predominantly about, presentation, documentation and impression. You must give the embassy officer the feeling that you are genuine applicants, not manufactured. The problem is that most Thai’s are fairly poor and don’t have an incentive to return to Thailand. Therefore the documents are so important to contribute to a positive decision.

At Key Visa, we have specialized in obtaining UK visas for Thai wife’s, Thai girlfriends and boyfriends and transsexuals for 18 years. Knowing how to present a visa application is the key factor to success. Taking care of your Thai partner in Thailand is a major part of our service offered to all clients because, most of the time, you are overseas not knowing what is going on and so we take it upon ourselves to babysit you both through the full process. Key Visa’s owner, Darren, is British and is the contact for the foreigner while the application is being processed.

Because the embassy tends to award visas on the merits of the documentation and presentation it is imperative that you and your Thai partner consider using professional services to complete and present your UK Tourist visa application, or the exercise can very easily end in tears. Do not be over confident: The clearing officer at the British embassy can, and will try to, find numerous reasons to refuse a UK tourist visa for a Thai.

View our information on how to prove your relationship is genuine.

Why is it so difficult? Because not every Thai national is going to the UK for the correct reasons or planning on returning.Below we have given the service offered and also the procedure we take when applying for a UK tourist visa or other associated visas.

If you are unable to come to Thailand to travel back with your partner, there is no need to worry about them travelling alone through strange airports and getting stressed when they arrive in your country alone. Our airport concierge service can meet your partner directly from their flight, escort them through the airport and through immigration to meet with you at a pre-arranged point in the airport.

We start by advising the sponsor and the Thai applicant of the documents required.
Our English staff deals with the sponsor and our Thai staff deals with your partner, which is important.
When the documents are received we collate and do the translations that are needed.
We advise if we feel any documents are missing or if there is anything that needs amending.
We prepare the online application for the client with no mistakes and register it.
We pay the fees online whilst doing the online application.
We write all associated letters for you and your Thai partner with the necessary wording.
We book the appointment to submit the visa application with your Thai partner.

We make sure that your Thai partner says the correct information to the officers, which is important.
We then track and check the status of the application every single day.
When the decision has been made on the visa application we then will collect the application and passport and visa on behalf of your Thai partner from the Embassy in Bangkok.
We then advise you when the visa has been issued and invoice you for the remaining balance.
We also train your lady how to be polite and say the correct information to the Immigration in the UK when the documents and passport have been collected
Or we can post this to your Thai partner’s home if they so wish if they do not wish to travel to Pattaya.

For a 6 months UK tourist visa our total fee for all of the above is ฿30,000. Included in our fee are all costs incurred during the visa application including embassy fees, translations, etc., at no increase in the quoted price.

Our company policy is you only pay a 10,000 baht deposit to start the process and then no more money until the visa has been awarded, meaning there is no financial risk to you or your partner just as stated on our home page. Only when the visa has been awarded do you pay the 20,000 baht remaining balance. No visa, no charge. The deposit that was originally paid we use to pay the Embassy so in reality we are not being paid anything until success is achieved.

If for any reason the visa was not given we would take it on the chin and redo the visa application, paying the embassy fee ourselves. When the visa is eventually awarded you still only pay 20,000 Thai baht.

Click on the questions below to read the answers

Can a UK Tourist visa be granted to a Thai lady who worked in a Bar?

The answer is yes of course a UK tourist visa for a Thai national is open to all applicants as long as they have the correct paperwork and guidance the meeting place e.g. a bar or night club is a small and unimportant part of a UK Tourist visa application the British Embassy is more interested in the ongoing relationship that the place the relationship began which is why using Key Visa to present the visa application to the UK is important.

If we have had one tourist visa to UK is it easier the second time?

When you have had one tourist visa to the UK and your Thai partner has returned on time then the second and third visa application to the UK will be looked upon more favorably as long as you have both kept withing the boundaries of the tourist visa to the UK. You must remember that when you apply the documents you supply have to be complete the same as your first application including photographs of you both in the UK on holiday, do not do as we have seen before where clients have presumed they can do themselves the second time and only produced half the documents required.

How long should we wait before applying for another UK tourist visa?

The unwritten rule is if your Thai partner spends the full six months in the UK on the tourist visa then they have to spend 6 months back in Thailand as the rule is one visa in a one year period, the reason is UK tourist visas should not be used for residing in the UK with your UK partner they are for visiting and holidays, so remember the rule unless it has mitigating circumstances one visa in a one year period. Visas to the UK can have many pitfalls.

How Do I Save Skype Messages & Record Calls?

As technology is improving, moire and more people are using the internet from all walks of life and ages. A popular choice of communication is Skype which we find most of our clients use to contact their Thai girlfriends from the UK, Australia or Ireland. But as we have seen, Skype is not easy to obtain records from so you can chat for hours and after months of great service, have no records to show. This does not help when applying for a visa. Please be aware that continuing using Skype is great but most people are not aware you can download a conversation log from Skype which is free. This logs all calls and chat in a printable form and allows you to keep all records. I am constantly being told in my office “We use Skype but we cannot get records”, now you have no excuse. Look up Skype Log View and download it. It allows you to keep all your records which is great because with all visa applications, the more contact information we have, the more chance we have of getting you a visa. Make sure before you download anything free you have virus checked it first.

Contact Us Now For More Information

A massive massive thank you to Darren worked wonders for my wife and I! Probably one of his hardest but so professional and confident. Strongly recommended using a reputable company like Key Visa.

5 / 5 stars

Neil Walker

I did a search of the internet, looked at quite a few sites but kept coming back to Key Visa. Asked a friend who lives in Pattaya and who attends the ExPats Club if he could recommend Darren? He instantly returned my email and said there wasn’t anyone better or more trustworthy in the visa business, so on his recommendation I contacted Key Visa and started the process to obtain a six month tourist visa for my Thai girlfriend to visit the UK.

5 / 5 stars

James Bremner

Would like to say thank you to Darren and his team at Key Visa he did a great job getting my partners visa first time to visit England, Cheers again Darren

5 / 5 stars

Bernie Mullen

My name is Mr. Darren McGarry and I am the owner and the main visa consultant of Key Visa Company. I have given you my procedures and inclusive costings for the UK Tourist Visa application and you will see there is no financial risk and that the fee is reasonable. I find that when the visa has been awarded most clients feel they are happy to have paid a professional company to obtain and present the visa application to get it correct first time.

18 years of visa experience, honesty and integrity for both our Thai national and expat clients.

Nationwide service across Thailand, no matter where you live in the country we can solve your visa problems

No visa, no professional fee. If you don’t get the visa we don’t get paid – No hassle, no heartbreak.

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Key Visa Thailand

4.3

Based on 233 reviews

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Robert P.

00:40 05 Jun 23

Very fast, simple smooth, efficient service.

Lewi L.

03:04 21 May 23

If you need assistance with any visa related this is the place in Pattaya.

Stephen A.

07:41 05 Mar 23

Key visa was the best. Sadly the owner, Darren, past away December 22.

danny W.

03:43 13 Feb 23

Absolutely fantastic service great staff totally stress free and professional services I highly recommend.

Bob C.

11:33 09 Feb 23

Dave C.

14:30 08 Feb 23

been using this company for years, great service.

04:01 26 Jan 23

23:04 21 Jan 23

10:17 18 Jan 23

06:47 17 Jan 23

Recently obtained a visa for myself and British passport for my partner..No hassle no immigration queueing. Great staff great service thank you Key Visa Thailand…..

Frank J.

10:43 01 Jan 23

Very helful and efficient.

Francisco M.

08:20 31 Dec 22

I went to key visa company for a consultation about marriage visa. it turned out they don't do that type of visa but there was another option and the lady was professional and courteous. but since my visa is not finalized I can't honestly give a full report on visa company.

tony L.

01:17 30 Dec 22

The service and support I received from Darren & his Team in relation to a recent Passport Application for my son was exemplary.The service & professional way in which they expedited the application & explained clearly each step of the process's involved, was faultless.All of which resulted in a speedy & positive result.Darren & TeamThank you very much & I wish you all,A Very Happy & Prosperous New Year 2023 ( post Covid)Tony

Kristijan C.

16:48 22 Dec 22

Great helpful staff

Sean T.

11:39 21 Dec 22

Job done, Thank you team and sorry to hear of the passing of Darren 🙏

Thomas K.

14:21 13 Dec 22

Thank you for your reply, but there is no ringtone or pickup when ringing your office and none of my mails and messages have been answered.

Michael S.

15:42 10 Dec 22

I read today that Darren suddenly has passed away - far too early in his life.It's never too late to write a review and his services on his company - named Key Visa Co. - so I will use this review to say that I have always been satisfied helping me by his large knowledge about the visa system in Thailand.Every time I met him I was surpriced to noticed his honest and friendly commitment, and over the years I was always convinced that he was not only helpful but also indicated in his way of recognizing his customers. You could always count on him and I was never disappointed.It pains me that he has passed away at such an early age, but I believe that his customers will always remember him as a businessman who only wanted to give his customers the best possible experience and service.He will be missed!R.I.P. Darren.

C B

15:54 09 Dec 22

Seems to know about visas in Thailand

Peter W.

07:23 08 Dec 22

The Key visa team led by Darren have 18 years of experience navigating the visa minefield.I am just one of Darren’s satisfied clients.

Chris T

13:24 03 Dec 22

Fast and friendly

Ross C.

16:28 30 Nov 22

Fantastic company. Darren & his team couldn’t of been better! Polite, responsive, knowledgeable and most importantly they know what they’re doing & get the job done!! Very pleased with the entire process start to finish, me & my GF will be using the company for all of our visa needs moving forward! Thank you Darren & the team!!UK tourist visa application for Thai national.

Leo T.

09:53 25 Nov 22

Fantastic service

Christopher W.

08:01 25 Nov 22

key Visa has a proven track record. They have got me a retirement visa for years and renewed my passport without me having to go to Bangkok. They also got my daughter, born in Thailand, an English passport.Use Key Visa to sort out your retirement visa problems and for getting passports renewed or being obtained for citizens of dual nationalityExceptionally efficient

finlay S.

10:06 24 Nov 22

Had to renew my uk passport and chose key visa to deal with my application as I am up country in Chaiyaphum province.Great service from Darren and staff always quick and friendly replies to emails.Passport back in 11 weeks time it takes for uk to process.Collected by Key visa and posted by ems to me with old passport and letter to transfer visa stamps to new passport.Great service.

Michael H.

07:31 20 Nov 22

Michael “Mick” N.

11:05 19 Nov 22

Polsky E.

01:56 11 Nov 22

After attempting for 2 days to get a retirement visa myself with my Thai girlfriends help to no avail and being left totally frustrated I eventually gave up and contacted Darren. After consultation with Darren he calmly brought me back down to earth, reassuring me that the visa would be procured with little effort by myself. I left feeling very confident and reassured at what Darren had said. Yesterday I collected my passport with said visa for 15 months. Many thanks to Darren and team, Key Visa did a great job.

Alan J.

00:20 08 Nov 22

Non imm "O" extension quick efficient no hassles service.

Bryan P.

02:53 06 Nov 22

Very pleased with the service I received here. Darren was very knowledgeable. Now my retirement Visa has been issued. I am delighted with Key Visa. Fantastic service. I am very grateful.

Tim M.

08:08 30 Oct 22

No wasting time

Martin William B.

09:43 27 Oct 22

Only go to the best !!!

Joe on the Go !

02:44 24 Oct 22

Maurice P.

10:51 21 Oct 22

Having had a difficult time renewing my UK passport I have to thank Key Visa service for their excellent help in difficult times in successfully getting my updated passport. Covid has played a big part in delays from the passport office along with increased demand and the Ukraine conflict but for those non UK residents this has caused many delays. Darren and his staff have been most helpful in ensuring this was completed as quickly as possible and I thoroughly recommend their service to anyone who are looking for this type of service. Many thanks for a five star service.

berny P.

06:23 20 Oct 22

Australian friend having problems with thai wife spouse visa, agency are being very helpful with a excellent customer service

Christopher B.

15:21 18 Oct 22

As always absolutely top class advise and speedy response - these guys have been looking after us for around twenty years and in my opinion the very best.

J T.

07:55 15 Sep 22

Thanks to Darren and his team for renewing my retirement visa and re-entry permit! I got it back in ONE DAY! Awesome service. I highly recommend Key Visa and will definitely be using them again in the future!

Brenda B.

03:16 12 Sep 22

Friendly and efficient service ...

Nicholas D.

22:35 19 Aug 22

In difficult times they got the job done. UK passport renewal in 2022. My only gripe is my emails and phone calls went unanswered during the process. I was rude to the lady in the office. Sorry about that. When we asked for my (old) passport to be sent back on short notice for the 90 day renewal they sent it back immediately. Thanks guys. Sorry for the trouble

Steve H.

06:47 12 Aug 22

Darren and his staff are friendly, helpful and most of all very knowledgeable. If you need real and accurate advice then look no further.

สาวLA.ร้อยเอ็ด C.

05:33 05 Aug 22

Pieter M.

14:23 31 Jul 22

perfect help to get a visa

Ian L.

04:53 08 Jul 22

Darren and his team are truly excellent offering an exemplary service. Was updated regularly as visa was processed and everything went smoothly. Darren took time to explain the process and was always available to answer questions. Highly recommended. Thank you

Wayne C

01:52 07 Jul 22

Great service from Darren and his Team, highly recommended! They get the job done courteously and professionally every time.

Dave N

06:32 06 Jul 22

Easy process to get my 15 month visa. I highly recommend Darren and his team. A+

Chris H.

04:22 06 Jul 22

Passport renewal

Travelling O.

01:43 05 Jul 22

Good and quick service, reliable staff that can handle all visa issues within reason.

Jason M.

15:16 02 Jul 22

Great staff very helpful. Highly recommend Key Visa.

Nicholas W.

00:38 02 Jul 22

Key Visa fantastic helpful staff you want your loved ones to go home with you this is the place that will make it happen.

William F.

12:03 01 Jul 22

I received the answers I wanted. Quickly and easily

Brian C.

03:58 15 Jun 22

I have used Key Visa since moving to Thailand over 3 years ago. Darren quickly helped sort out my VISA, back then and arranged for me to open a Bank Account with Bangkok Bank which is invaluable and a must for any long term stay or ex pat. Also directed me to some one who helped me get Motorbike and Driving Licence. 3 years later and on this occasion I asked them to arrange a new 50 page UK passport along with renew VISA etc. Highly recommend Darren and his staff of front office ladies to get you sorted. Thanks

Tim F

07:59 01 Jun 22

A big thank you to Darren and the staff at Key Visa. I received prompt, courteous and professional communications and service for the annual renewal of my extention of stay and multiple reentry permit. I will be back once again this time next year. Great job!

David H.

01:04 31 May 22

T A.

06:30 27 May 22

Great staff and excellent service.Both polite and prompt.

H A

12:05 24 May 22

Professional and honest man, he extended my tourist visa in one day and at a reasonable price, definitely recommend this office.Hassan,

andy W.

03:21 24 May 22

well Darren it had been 2 years since i last saw you ,i would like to thank you and your staff for an excellent service for my visa. I can highly recommend key visa for all services and i have used them for many years .Dont go anywhere else use Key Visa

Jay R.

15:19 02 May 22

Experienced & knowledge about all things immigration and visas

John A.

07:11 20 Apr 22

Rang them to update my tourist visa from 30 day to 60 day. Was advised I needed my passport plus another passport photo. I dropped them in the office, 5 mins paperwork. Email received day later job done✔️ Took the aggro of doing it myself as a first time visitor.Staff very helpful, I'm more than happy to give Darren and his staff a 5 star review

paul C.

19:04 04 Apr 22

Very helpful and courteous.

Charles C.

07:22 28 Mar 22

Great place for expats to get visa applications completed in record time. They have great immigration contacts so you don't have to wait nearly as long as others do. Also this is only for expat visas. They don't do tourist visas.The only reason the didn't get 5 stars is because the employees are difficult to understand so I had to go in a few times instead of being able to handle things over the phone. The owner is a Brit so for English speakers he's usually always available for questions.

Thinka B.

05:27 12 Mar 22

Excellent and prompt service, very professional.

Linda G.

12:46 11 Mar 22

Key visa staff were really helpful and knew exactly what to do for my request.My application was handled efficiently and quickly and my passport returned very quickly with the stamps required.I would definitely recommend Darren and his staff if you need any visa or passport assistance.

John - C.

13:55 07 Mar 22

Excellent service from Darren and Key Visa. My only complaint was with The Thai Post office who managed to lose an EMS envelope with my passport in it. The passport was wrongly delivered to another town 20 miles away because the postal workers could not read English which was very clearly printed on the envelope. It took a whole day for my wife and the postman to track down the missing passport. Darren was very patient with me and my rantings and very supportive. I would advise anyone that has to deal with The ThaI Postal system to write their address in Thai. In the sticks very few people understand English.

Scott Y.

11:51 26 Feb 22

I have known Darren many years and he has helped me with a range of visa processes during my time in Thailand over the past 15 years. Professional, honest, hardworking and a pleasure to do business with. His staff are friendly and welcoming and they will assist you every step of the way. I recently lost my job and thus had my work permit cancelled and Darren assured me he could help and that's exactly what he did. A pleasure to know. If you need any help and advice with visas, give him a visit - you won't be disappointed. Cheers for your help and kindness!

Jura K.

08:03 24 Feb 22

Very good service. Thanks.

andrey tkachev T.

10:44 16 Jan 22

Very efficient and fast service . Despite the expected slowdown due to the New Year holidays and Covid, Darren and his team did everything possible to solve my problem in a timely manner. I will definitely come here again.

nigel R.

07:50 15 Jan 22

Very good advice, fair prices.Best visa shop i have found in 20 years

Gal Z.

08:41 06 Jan 22

Pretty lovely

John S.

12:06 21 Dec 21

Great service and friendly staff which make it easier to get a visa

Robert H.

05:56 13 Dec 21

I recently renewed my UK Passport through Key Visa and found Darren and his staff to be extremely helpful and efficient. My Passport arrived as promised with zero drama and/or issues. And as such, I highly recommend this company and will definitely be using their services again.

j r

10:13 29 Nov 21

Excellent service will use again and recommend to all. Darren and his staff answered all my many questions quickly and efficiently . Even when all travel restrictions over I still think his professional service extremely good value, a great saving of my time and effort and great value JOHN C RAI

Martin C.

08:50 04 Nov 21

After experiencing problems with initial application for my son's passport Darren at Key visa resubmitted a second successful application at no extra cost. Very happy with the service I received.

Wichan P.

10:37 27 Oct 21

Good and fast service .

Colin C.

02:16 25 Oct 21

Does what it says on the tin. Excellent service.

Hasy H.

04:26 24 Oct 21

Great service friendly people specially great Darren

Joe W.

06:05 19 Oct 21

First time used but not the last excellent service can trust darren

justin M. C.

15:15 18 Oct 21

Darren and his team are always professional and on point.

Kim N.

09:25 16 Oct 21

William

12:35 15 Oct 21

Not my first dealings, they are excellent.

Cameron A.

05:17 23 Sep 21

Great service for getting a new UK passport during Covid restrictions around Bangkok. Thanks Darren!

Gary Z

02:44 08 Sep 21

Darren does a great job at reasonable cost for those who find navigating Thai immigration cumbersome or complicated.

ปลาปลา ค.

07:26 06 Sep 21

justin S.

16:46 28 Jul 21

In the last 16 months Darren has assisted me with getting a new uk passport whilst living in Thailand and just recently a tourist visa for my thai girlfriend, he is very knowledgeable and a pleasure to deal with, would highly recommend

carl E.

03:23 23 Jul 21

Fantastic service highly recommended

Lord Brett S.

05:12 07 Jul 21

I was dreading the prospect of going through the lengthy process of renewing my British passport so I decided to give Key Visa’s passport renewal service a try and I am so glad that I did.All I did was to provide two photographs and pay the all-inclusive fee of THB 12,000. This fee covers all the charges for Key Visa, British HMPO and two trips to Bangkok for Key Visa staff to submit the application and then collect the new passport. I was in and out of their offices within 10 minutes. All documentation was completed by Key Visa staff.After 20 days, I received an email from British HMPO that my passport was ready for collection.I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to Key Visa for their amazingly prompt and efficient service and would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending their British passport renewal service to anyone who wants a stress-free passport renewal.

scott C.

02:41 03 Jul 21

Excellent service, extremely efficient, UK passport renewal completed in 3 weeks.

Brian Y.

08:58 13 Jun 21

Oh dear,just another boring comment from a satisfied customer.But there's nothing boring about Key Visa.This guy Darren and his team are amazing.I applied to renew my British passport.Took heed of reading about issue delays,but my new passport came back in under 4 weeks.I live in Phuket and was worried about traveling to Bangkok during this covid time.But I needn't have,Key Visa took care of everything,and the service isn't expensive when you consider air fares,accomodation,hassle.So i'll make it brief,Thank you Key Visa,Thank you Darren,Thank you team.

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