straybeanie

Putting this in this forum for exposure as one would most likely not be in the marriage/divorce forum unless they are actively going through such situation.

Thai separated over 10 years ago. Foreigner spouse left the country at that time and is mia. Is a lawyer required to file or can it be done without one? I'm seeing 40k+ fees for an easy case, which is ridiculous. Or are there reasonably priced ones I'm not seeing online?

6 hours ago, Elkski said:

Where were they married and did they file papers?

File papers? Divorce papers? No. In Thailand.

3 hours ago, NanLaew said:

If it was a local wedding ceremony with monks and family and no formal registration with any Amphur, there's no further action needed. In the eyes of the law, they were never married.

 

If the marriage was in Thailand and registered with a local Amphur, it should be relatively easy to get a divorce on the grounds of separation but 'years ago' needs to be defined. I did it some time last century and I retained a lawyer since efforts were required to contact the respondent such as last known address plus a 30-day (or maybe it was 60-day) public notice, before going to court. In my case, there had been no contact for over 18 months. I don't recall how much I paid the lawyer but it was around the same price as a decent night out to celebrate the final, legal parting of the ways.

 

I'm theorizing here but for an overseas-registered marriage, whatever formal and legal proceedings that are required by that 'home' country needs to be done first. The divorce papers issued would then need to be formalized either at the local Thai Embassy or Consulate in that 'home' country and/or translated and formalized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok.

 

Good luck.

Not just a local wedding. Registered.

Years ago = Over a decade.

When a Thai citizen is married to an American, and they seperated years ago, with the spouse having left Thailand and being mia...how can the Thai get divorced? How long would it take? How much would it cost?