I communicated a lot with Thai women about topics that many people would probably find not very interesting. Thai women were often surprised: why do you need this?
I was interested in events, family relationships, and traditions in Thailand. I asked a lot about the political situation and attitudes toward the King.
One day I started a conversation about marriage, and the Thai woman immediately smiled — finally, her star moment had come 🙂
I immediately clarified that my interest was purely casual and related to my blog. That is exactly why I was curious to hear the story about Thai weddings and sinsot — the bride price.
The Thai woman was very surprised that I even knew the meaning of the word “sinsot”.
Sinsot is money, gold, and other gifts given to the bride’s parents for the right to marry their daughter. As a rule, the amount ranges from 50,000 to 300,000 baht. If the woman comes from a good family, the amount can be significantly higher.
The Thai woman said that the amount of the payment depends heavily on the family. If the groom comes from a poor family, the sinsot may be reduced. It can also be lowered if the parents want to marry their daughter off as soon as possible (if, as they say, she has “stayed single too long”).
In the photo, the bride is displaying the gold given by the groom:
That is exactly why gold is so popular in Thailand.
Out of curiosity, I ask how much sinsot would be requested for her. She replies that this is decided by the parents. But as a rule, if a Thai woman marries a farang, they ask for anywhere from 500,000 to 1 million baht.
As an example, she talks about Frenchmen and Americans who paid more than 1 million baht.
I question what I hear, but the Thai woman insists that such amounts are quite realistic, especially for Isan.
I ask her an uncomfortable question: what about the fact that you are a bar girl and not a virgin? I know that in the past sinsot was required only for innocent girls 🙂
She answers that the requirement of virginity existed more than 50 years ago, when morals were different. It was important for grandparents, but now this factor no longer plays a role.
As for working as a “carrot,” parents usually give a certain “discount,” but only if there are no other suitors. This is by no means a guarantee that the sinsot amount will be reduced.
Gold remains an almost mandatory gift. It is purchased for the bride just as necessarily as wedding rings.
The wedding itself costs another $3,000 to $10,000. As a rule, all these expenses fall on the groom, not the bride’s family. It is also worth considering gifts for relatives and the expectation of regular financial support.
In addition, you will almost certainly be encouraged to buy a house (from 1 million baht in Isan) or to take out a loan if you do not have enough personal funds.
What privileges does a man receive after marriage? A residence permit and the right to work. Personally, I find them questionable — similar opportunities can be obtained through a business visa.
Marrying just for these bonuses is definitely not worth it 🙂
It is important to remember that under Thai law, a Thai citizen must own at least 51% of any property. Therefore, the house will have to be registered in the wife’s name or in the name of her family (especially if a loan is used).
Divorce statistics between farangs and Thai women are comparable to ours — over 70%. In the event of a divorce, you risk losing very large sums of money. Many Thai women try to marry foreigners precisely for this chance.
The Thai woman herself does not deny it: yes, many women marry for money, but, as always, she is the exception 🙂 Usually the conversation follows the pattern “everyone is bad, but I’m not like that.”
I ask: is it even necessary to get married at all? What prevents people from just living together? According to her, nothing prevents it, but the parents will be offended, demand money, and apply moral pressure.
When I reply that I frankly do not care about the opinion of parents I am not going to live with, the Thai woman smiles. This is exactly how about 99% of those who simply live with Thai women without marriage behave.
The result of cohabitation without a wedding and documents is simple: you lose nothing and gain nothing, but at any moment you can become free as a bird 🙂
The conclusion is simple: marrying a Thai woman is a local money-extraction scheme in the format “if you love — pay.”
