Process for US citizen getting married in Thailand (Ubon)

[craftyone]

Looked through this forum for any specific insight into what’s needed but thought I’d just start a thread.

Will be back in Thailand next week.

Marrying a girl in Ubon who I’ve dated for past 3 years.  
Divorced in US (2013) and I have my certified copies of divorce judgement to bring with me.

At some point I know I have to make a visit to the US Embassy too.

 

I guess my concern is centered around the entire process from start to finish as it relates to the pandemic and setting up of appointments with various government offices.  
 

is there a flowchart or outline somewhere I can use to make sure I am following the proper steps while in Thailand?

 

We are not concerned at this point of getting her set up to come to the US at present but rather just getting married in Thailand to make things official with her and her family and quite possibly make things easier on me with immigration and other government entities.  

Any advice specific to the topic or even specific to getting married in Ubon would be greatly appreciated 

 

[lopburi3]

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/getting-married-in-thailand/

[craftyone]

21 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/getting-married-in-thailand/

thanks....looks like two trips to Bangkok if my state (Louisiana) needs the certificate certified.

 

maybe with less tourist in country (less traffic at US embassy) at the moment, this might be the best time to get this done.  

[ThailandRyan]

20 minutes ago, craftyone said:

thanks....looks like two trips to Bangkok if my state (Louisiana) needs the certificate certified.

 

maybe with less tourist in country (less traffic at US embassy) at the moment, this might be the best time to get this done.  

You will need to make an appointment on the embassies website, they are about a month out. Then the document needs translation to Thai and certified at the MFA. Then once married at the Amphur the documents will need to be translated to English and once again certified at the MFA.  You don't have to register the marriage in the US, it is accepted as is.  You just need the documents done for her SS# and of course if your doing a visa. If she is already a resident of the US, it is a non issue. Your divorce documents will need to get translated to Thai as well and also certified at the MFA or the Amphur will send you packing. She can also do another document to change her last name into yours if she wants to have it, but she will have to change her ID and blue house book from her old name to the new one, all done at the Amphur.  If she has a passport she will need to change that as well but will need her documents from the Amphur to show the PP office 

[ThailandRyan]

Ensure you makes copies of your translated and original documents and request the copies of the documents to be certified by the MFA as well. You will need them in the future. Especially if your doing a CR1 visa.

[craftyone]

18 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Ensure you makes copies of your translated and original documents and request the copies of the documents to be certified by the MFA as well. You will need them in the future. Especially if your doing a CR1 visa.

Thanks!

 

glad I posted the thread! 

already tried to make an appointment on the embassy website link but keeps coming up as connection lost so I may have to try on another computer later or maybe at a diff time.  Would like to get the divorce paperwork n affidavit done straight out of ASQ next month but might be better just to plan the trip with her since I’ll be dealing with translators and MFA.  I’m coming in on a STV and there til mid-late August so I’ll have time to get as much done before I go back to work.  And I just realized how many US tourists are/were getting the covid extension letters so I’m sure the embassy is gonna be slammed.  It might be worth just going to the consulate in Chiang Mai.  

[ThailandRyan]

2 hours ago, craftyone said:

Thanks!

 

glad I posted the thread! 

already tried to make an appointment on the embassy website link but keeps coming up as connection lost so I may have to try on another computer later or maybe at a diff time.  Would like to get the divorce paperwork n affidavit done straight out of ASQ next month but might be better just to plan the trip with her since I’ll be dealing with translators and MFA.  I’m coming in on a STV and there til mid-late August so I’ll have time to get as much done before I go back to work.  And I just realized how many US tourists are/were getting the covid extension letters so I’m sure the embassy is gonna be slammed.  It might be worth just going to the consulate in Chiang Mai.  

I am not sure if the consulate will do the notarized affidavit you need to get married, so it would be best to check their website as well.  As far as the website, If your not running a VPN on your computer, the US embassy security program for the website, may be kicking you off or it's timing out as it may not be seeing the wifi network your using as safe or because it is the weekend.  The embassy wont certify the divorce paperwork for you just so you know, that has to be done in the US with the county and then the US Department of State certifying it as all good.  However, that should not keep you from getting married here as you will have the divorce paperwork from the US translated / and the translation notarized by the translation company after which you will take it to the MFA and get them to certify the translation of the US document is true and correct.  They will stamp the top left corner, fold the corner over if more than one page and tape it so you can not separate the pages.  That's why you want copies of the documents prior to the MFA certification so they can also be stamped and sealed as copies of the original as well as putting a seal on the rear of the document.  It wont be a one day trip to the MFA by the way as it will take them at least two days unless you can still pay the expedited fee and have a supervisor sign them in a back room like I had done.  You will also need your GF's Birth certificate translated to English and also certified by the MFA.  There are a few other documents you need translated from Thai to English and certified to put in the eventual CR-1 Visa packet.

 

Good luck.

[ubonjoe]

34 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

I am not sure if the consulate will do the notarized affidavit you need to get married, so it would be best to check their website as well. 

They can do the affidavit.

 

3 hours ago, craftyone said:

already tried to make an appointment on the embassy website link but keeps coming up as connection lost so I may have to try on another computer later or maybe at a diff time.

I got the same message that the site is down. Try later since it is a weekend in the states and they may be doing maintenance on the system.