Marriage Affidavit Requirements

[afm171]

So I'm trying to get married here in Thailand.  Apparently Thailand requires an Affidavit from my home country consulate guaranteeing that I am okay to get married.  So I travel to Bangkok, go to my consulate (Canada) and tell them what I need.  They give me a document titled "Marriage Affidavit," stamp it, and send me on my way.  I then go to a lawyer, get the document translated, and approved by the Thai immigration office.  The law office gives me back a stack of papers and we're good to go, or so I think.

Now we drive 10 hours up to my girlfriend's home province, where the bureacrat in charge informs me that I need to get a document from my consulate saying its okay for me to get married.  I tell her I already went. I already have one.  She says, "No."

I point to the document that reads Marriage Affidavit across the stop, I point to where it says I'm divorced, I point to the official stamp at the bottom and... she still says "No, you have to go consulate your country. Need document to say you okay to marry."

 

I say, "That IS the document from MY consulate."

 

She says, 'Not.'

??? She shows me a document from the Iceland consulate and says document same like this.  It is formatted differently, but from what I can see, serves the same function.  I say, "I'm not from Iceland." That doesn't help.  I am getting angry and that obviously doesn't help either.

We are sent away.

So what in the heck does she want?  What do I need to do to get married in this  place?  Must we register marriage in my wife's home province, or can go anywhere in country? (Where perhaps they are more familiar with dealing with foreigners).  I really do not want to make a 20 hour round trip to Bangkok and back, and then another 10 hour drive back home.

Just a few guesses as to what the problem was... the Iceland doc had a logo on top, Canada's didn't.  I think the Iceland doc named the Thai woman, the Canada one doesn't.  I had the document translated into Thai, but in my discussion with the bureacrat I was pointing to the English doc, which maybe she couldn't understand?  But these are just guesses.

Does anyone know?
 

[ubonjoe]

Moved to the Marriage and Divorce forum.

[Upnotover]

You can get married, and divorced, anywhere, does not need to be in your girlfriend's home province. 

 

Presumably you had the translation approved at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, would probably have been a good idea to show her that, there must be some stamp/signature on it to impress her.

[Gerard052]

When I got married in Thailand in 2011, I went to the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok, fill out a few papers, the lady asked me a few questions then sent me to a translation office nearby.  The lady at the translation office was very nice, asked me a few questions, filled out more paperwork, she sent the paperwork to a legal office.  When everything was done they sent it to my address in Pattaya.  After I got it, I went to the Amphur in Banglamung to sign the final papers.  They gave me two Marriage Certificates, one in English and one in Thai, my wife got one in Thai.  Everything cost me about $ 300.00 Cdn, if I remember correctly.  My wife is from Nakhon Phanom and I was never married before.  Everything went pretty smoothly. 

[easydoor]

 I am getting angry and that obviously doesn't help either.
Getting angry is the best thing you can do to be sure you will have no cooperation at all anymore and will be send away. Go on like this and you risk to be send away, next time you go, again. Don't forget: They are the boss and not you.

[Wavel]

You will need to get the translation verified at the Ministry of Foreign Affaires in Chen Watthana So that the people in officialdom know what they’re reading is correct 

[Psychic]

Yes, it sounds like you missed a step in getting it certified by the MFA in Chaeng Wattana.

 

Although, maybe that's what you meant by "approved from the Thai Immigration office"

 

If not, then it might be possible to have it done by mail.

 

My local immigration office is one of the few that requires income verification letters from the Canadian Embassy endorsed at CW.

 

I used to do that in person till I found out I could mail it in and get it returned.

 

But I got told multiple times it was impossible till a lady at CW said "sure, can do".

 

So good luck finding out.

 

Might just be easier to go to Bangkok and get married there since you can do it anywhere.

As I did.

 

Also a thing.

 

They said I needed witnesses.

 

I said I had no witnesses but that was resolved by a private conversation outside.

????????????????

[recom273]

2 hours ago, Psychic said:

Yes, it sounds like you missed a step in getting it certified by the MFA in Chaeng Wattana.

 

Although, maybe that's what you meant by "approved from the Thai Immigration office"

 

If not, then it might be possible to have it done by mail.

 

My local immigration office is one of the few that requires income verification letters from the Canadian Embassy endorsed at CW.

 

I used to do that in person till I found out I could mail it in and get it returned.

 

But I got told multiple times it was impossible till a lady at CW said "sure, can do".

 

So good luck finding out.

 

Might just be easier to go to Bangkok and get married there since you can do it anywhere.

As I did.

 

Also a thing.

 

They said I needed witnesses.

 

I said I had no witnesses but that was resolved by a private conversation outside.

????????????????

 
Back in the day, it was always the person behind you in the queue and some random Thai office worker. 
 

I refused to pay the ridiculous fee asked by the agent, and blundered about Bangkok in taxis for a couple of days. In the case of the OP may save a lot of stress by paying them to do the legwork, you only need to the embassy visit and turn up at the registry office.

[afm171]

Okay, an update...

After visiting a neighboring Amphur office (in Loei Province) having much the same problem, and then calling the Canadian Consulate for assistance, here is the situation...

• The documents I have are correct (verified by speaking to the boss at Canadian consulate)

 

• The translated and certified document is also correct.

• These two documents state on them that I am "divorced."

The problem is that the boss in Loei told the minions at the desk that I must have a document guaranteeing that I am "Single."  Literally "Single." My document says "Divorced" so therefore it is the wrong document (at least to the clerks at the desk). They are either incapable of equating the terms "Single," and "Divorced," as a legal status to marry, or unwilling to ask anyone higher up the chain.

Advice given by Canadian Consulate was to travel either to Bangkok or Pattaya, where the staff are accustomed to dealing with foreigners.  Not exactly music to my ears, since we had just driven 10 hours up there for the express purpose of getting married.  

But... made the long drive. Went to the Banglamung Amphur Office, and... no problem whatsoever!

Sign here. Sign here. Done.