Are Marriage Registration Services worth it???

[flyingsaucersarereal]

Hi there,

 

So I got married about 5 years ago but am now since divorced.

 

I remember going to a marriage registration agency (lawyer agency) and everything was DONE same day.

 

Now since I am wanting to get remarried to a new lady I am reading about the process and I am being told it will take 5 business days!!!

 

What has changed why did it go from taking 1 day to taking now 5 business days? Also I have been quoted 15000 baht all the way up to 25000 for some of these marriage registration services.

 

Are these worth it guys or can I do all this stuff myself after I get the documents from the Embassy?

 

Are there any good agencies you would recommend that don't cost so much?

 

I am looking to do everything in Bangkok but live in Isaan.

 

Thanks

Edited February 25, 2020 by flyingsaucersarereal

[henry2109]

Well, if you want it cheaper, then you can do it all by yourself - like 99 % of the people do.

 

The process for foreigners has become more complicated and bureaucratic, so it takes more time than in the past, and of course it is also dependend of your nationality. If you have time and strong nerves, do it by yourself, but give it some months.

[Emdog]

Like they say "Time is money"... embassy trips, going to inconveniently located MFA, waiting & waiting, translating, etc etc...was experience first time I got hitched (she was very smart, going to Chula grad school & did the translation).

Second time used a service.

Whinge warning:

I did have a conversation with folks at US Embassy, tilting at windmills regarding "freedom to marry" form only in English. Why is it not available in Thai, saving US citizens time & money, avoid translation service (only variation are names and dates)? Embassy should be there to serve citizens... naive. Some dude said "We'll take that up at one of our monthly meetings". Yeah, right.

[ICECOOL]

Took me 3 days. At the embassy 10.30 Monday. Out to translation service around the corner 11.15 am . Delivered to Hotel 3 pm . Down to Certification centre and lodged. Collected Wednesday morning 8.30 am. 

Had a choice of two translation services. Chose the cheaper one that did not get it certified. 

[WinterGael]

I don't know about 15,000? My wife and I registered our marriage in January. It took 2 days as the district offices worked not take my paperwork as approved my the Thai Embassy in Canada. I had to go to the Canadian embassy, get stuff translated, then have the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs approve it for fast track, 2 day service. This was all handled by the Translation Service next to the MoFA and cost me 8400 baht. 

[lanng khao]

I paid, 10,000 baht 5 years ago for a agency to do everything, for£200 it was well worth it.. 

[Orton Rd]

Did it ourselves in 24 hours from trip to embassy, unfortunately ???? cost next to nothing.

[Tarteso]

3 hours ago, ICECOOL said:

Had a choice of two translation services. Chose the cheaper one that did not get it certified. 

would you tell us where and how much for translation service per page, please? 

Thanks

[AgMech Cowboy]

3 hours ago, Emdog said:

Embassy should be there to serve citizens...

The Embassies, all embassies (i.e. every country), are there to represent their governments. Providing citizen services is just a sideline. Get over it. Once you do, you can approach them with a clearer appreciation.  I use to get upset about their attitudes, but then realized we're actually lucky they put up with us. ???? 

[recom273]

I thought the cost of all the messing around added up, the British embassy didn't even supply a form, you needed to type it up yourself (which we paid someone to do over the road).

 

Then there is the translation then the taxi to MFA to get certified along with the queues, we pleaded for the next day and paid for that privilege, the taxis back and forth the next day, that was 2 days before going to the registry office.

 

But even with the aggravation, it didn't add up to the cost of the service - if the cost was reasonable, I think more people would take that option, because I really didn't think it was an enjoyable experience. The third day was the "happy" day, and I had enough by then. That was back in the day when the witnesses could be the couple behind you in the queue.

 

I gather the price has gone up, along with the paperwork - You pay your money, take your choice.

[KhaoYai]

The only thing that will actually take up your time is getting your Affirmation of Freedom to Marry certified by the MFA - the same day service there is no longer available so you have to go back a couple of days later to collect the certified documents.

 

As you will know, the Affirmation has to be translated before taking it to the MFA and most translation agencies offer a service where they will take the translation to the MFA for you and collect it when its ready. That service, including the translation and MFA fee, should cost you around 3000 baht. In my opinion, that is the only service worth paying for. There is nothing else that an agency can do any better/faster than doing it yourself. With the correct documentation, all you have to do is go to the Amphur and register your marriage.

 

One thing that may have changed since your previous marriage is that some Amphurs may want a certified copy of your passport as well as the Affirmation. You should check with the Amphur you plan to register your marriage at - to find out exactly what documents they require. Your embassy will certify your passport at the same time as they do your Affirmation - if required. The certified documents are valid for 3 months.

Edited February 26, 2020 by KhaoYai

[KhaoYai]

5 hours ago, WinterGael said:

This was all handled by the Translation Service next to the MoFA and cost me 8400 baht. 

8400?? You were well ripped off. I paid 3000 for this service 4 weeks ago.

[Captor]

1500 close to the embassy...

 

[mrwebb8825]

What's the rush? Have a back-up waiting in case this 1 ends in divorce too? 

[roo860]

On 2/26/2020 at 2:34 PM, KhaoYai said:

8400?? You were well ripped off. I paid 3000 for this service 4 weeks ago.

I paid around 3,000bt 8 years ago, so a good deal IMO.

[Gumballl]

I did the US Consulate thing on my own. Then went to a Translation Service joint to handle everything else (from MFA to Amphur). A handful of beers later, and a fee (cannot remember how much, but mostly likely south of 4000 Baht), I was married. Sigh. Why was it too easy??

[FritsSikkink]

On ‎2‎/‎26‎/‎2020 at 7:38 AM, Emdog said:

Like they say "Time is money"... embassy trips, going to inconveniently located MFA, waiting & waiting, translating, etc etc...was experience first time I got hitched (she was very smart, going to Chula grad school & did the translation).

Second time used a service.

Whinge warning:

I did have a conversation with folks at US Embassy, tilting at windmills regarding "freedom to marry" form only in English. Why is it not available in Thai, saving US citizens time & money, avoid translation service (only variation are names and dates)? Embassy should be there to serve citizens... naive. Some dude said "We'll take that up at one of our monthly meetings". Yeah, right.

So you expect them to have them in all languages or only the one which is handy for you?

[Emdog]

On 3/13/2020 at 4:16 PM, FritsSikkink said:

So you expect them to have them in all languages or only the one which is handy for you?

English is language most often mangled in USA. Thai is language used in Thailand last time I checked. The form is for the Thai government: they don't want it in "a handy language": they want it in Thai. Duh. It's a boilerplate form, not an autobiography. Many state and local governments in US have forms and instructions in multiple languages, including Hmong (to cite a somewhat rare language). Why won't they extend similar service to US Citizens? Keeping local translation shops happy over serving Americans is my guess.

Dragon lady at desk gave some flack about "should have had an "a" in this part of your name". I tried reason: "It's been approved by MFA, that is all that should matter!". got a massive headache. Bride went in to see her, slipped her 500 baht (unknown to me at the time). Problem solved.