will???

[limbo]

Will my wife be able to get money out of my account if it's not a joint bank account?

[New Petchburi Pete]

Yes, if it's an account that comes with an ATM card.

 

However, some have found out the hard way, that funds may be withdrawn without your knowlede before your are deceased!

::

[dinkas]

New Petchburi Pete said:

File a copy of a will with your Embassy (and don't forget to include me!).

 

Also, leave instructions with the Embassy as to what your wishes are with respect to your final remains. It can be very expensive to have your remains shipped to your country of origin - make sure you avoid this if not so wanted.

 

I think you will find most Embassies don't offer such a service. Although you could always ask.

 

Each country is different and I don't know anything specific about the law in Belgium and what the Belgium Embassy in Bangkok does.

 

As a general guide, I can state if you were to die in Thailand, the Embassy will be contacted to arrange your death certificate from the District Office. The Embassy would then likely try to make contact through police channels with your Next of Kin (NOK). If you were not legally married to your Thai partner, I doubt very much that she would be considered by the Belgium Embassy as your NOK, it is more likely it will be your parents/children who will be considered NOk and have the authority to make the decision on what happens with your body. Therefore, you should make sure they know what you want. I am not sure if there is a legal process for Belgium where you can state your wishes in advance, but you might want to do an internet search as there might be some information out there. If you sign some document make sure your partner has a copy or if you give it to some lawyer make sure people who the lawyer is in advance.

 

Regarding a will, you might want to look at this page from the Belgium Foreign Ministry (the joys of google!).

 

If you have enough assets in Thailand you should look at a local will as well, that would make things much easier with the Thai banks.

[New Petchburi Pete]

American Citizen Services at the U.S. Embassy accomodated me on this request. I'm not familiar with policies of other Embassies.

 

BTW, they prepare a certified death certificate, along with up to twenty copies upon request, free of charge. So, despite exorbitant fees for some of their other services, they show some heart when the death of a U.S. citizen is reported.