Is it possible to get married to a Thai without the need to travel to Bangkok to arrange the paperwork? I’m currently in my home country and planning to travel back to Thailand in a few weeks through the Phuket sandbox.

Subsequently, can any immigration office change a tourist visa entry to a non-O after getting married, or is this only possible in Bangkok?

When I got officially married here in Pattaya I didn't go to Bangkok to change my visa, but I did go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Bangkok to have papers officially translated/stamped.  The MFA has a mail in service, saving you a trip.

 

http://m.mfa.go.th/main/th/services/1303/24762-Procedure-of-Document-Authentication-by-Mail.html

The thing you'll need to get in person is the "freedom to marry" document from your Embassy.  Unless your country has some kind of outreach service that can provide it.  Thereafter the translation and certification of it at the MFA in Bangkok can be done by the translation company you use, no need for you to go to MFA for that (they will charge of course).

I think the non-O conversion can be done anywhere, if this is not the case I'm sure somebody will correct me.

I was married in Phuket, no problem just need some papers you can get easy at your home country. Stuff like saying you are single and no criminal record or something (long time ago) then have those papers translated by a certified translator who will send them to BKK for confirmation. The one who did it for me is in the same road as the  Amphur office where you can marry. If my recoletion is right.

When applying for the Non Imm Visa and subsequent 12 month extension you have to use the Immigration Office that serves the area in which you are living.

Thanks everyone for the information. So in summary the below is possible?;

- Get paperwork in home country showing I can get married

- travel to Thailand on a 60 day tourist visa

- send paperwork by mail to the MFA for translation and verification

- get married in Thailand 

- apply for a 60-day extension to get everything sorted

- deposit 400k baht in a Thai bank account

- apply for a non-O at my local immigration office and a 1-year extension of stay. 
 

three questions;

- does the paperwork from abroad need to be translated into English first in my home country and certified at the Thai embassy?

- when is the 400k required to be in my account? 60 days prior to applying for the change to non-O or the 12-months extension, or already a certain time before my initial 60-day extension application?

- does the 400k has to come from abroad or can I use funds already in Thailand?

28 minutes ago, Gulfsailor said:

Get paperwork in home country showing I can get married

That would not be accepted by a Amphoe to register your marriage. It has to be done by your country's embassy in Bangkok.

You have to have a translation service to the translation of the affirmation of permit to marry and the translation would be certified by the Department of Consular Affairs of the MFA in Bangkok.

Where do you plan on registering your marriage? Best to check with the Amphoe as to what they require. Some also want a certified copy of your passport done at your embassy and then translated to Thai.

You should check your embassies website for info. Most have info about registering your marriage here.

 

40 minutes ago, Gulfsailor said:

when is the 400k required to be in my account? 60 days prior to applying for the change to non-O or the 12-months extension, or already a certain time before my initial 60-day extension application?

- does the 400k has to come from abroad or can I use funds already in Thailand?

The 400k baht only has to be in the bank on the day you apply for the non-o visa. No proof it came from abroad is needed.

When you apply for the one year extension it has to be in the bank for 2 months on the day your apply.

Before applying for a 60 day covid 19 extension you will have to apply for the standard 30 day extension of the 60 day entry you will get from your tourist visa.

24 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That would not be accepted by a Amphoe to register your marriage. It has to be done by your country's embassy in Bangkok.

You have to have a translation service to the translation of the affirmation of permit to marry and the translation would be certified by the Department of Consular Affairs of the MFA in Bangkok.

Where do you plan on registering your marriage? Best to check with the Amphoe as to what they require. Some also want a certified copy of your passport done at your embassy and then translated to Thai.

You should check your embassies website for info. Most have info about registering your marriage here.

 

The 400k baht only has to be in the bank on the day you apply for the non-o visa. No proof it came from abroad is needed.

When you apply for the one year extension it has to be in the bank for 2 months on the day your apply.

Before applying for a 60 day covid 19 extension you will have to apply for the standard 30 day extension of the 60 day entry you will get from your tourist visa.

Thank you Unonjoe. So you are saying it can’t be done without a trip to Bangkok?

10 minutes ago, Gulfsailor said:

Thank you Unonjoe. So you are saying it can’t be done without a trip to Bangkok?

Rather more than a trip to Bangkok needed if you're a Brit who got married in the UK since the Embassy won't verify your marriage certificate. Instead you would need to go through the cumbersome legalisation process described in the following link:-

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714089/Legalisation_info_June_2018.pdf

 

 

2 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Rather more than a trip to Bangkok needed if you're a Brit who got married in the UK since the Embassy won't verify your marriage certificate. Instead you would need to go through the cumbersome legalisation process described in the following link:-

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714089/Legalisation_info_June_2018.pdf

 

 

I’m not a Brit and not married yet. 

2 minutes ago, Gulfsailor said:

I’m not a Brit and not married yet. 

In the case of the former you can thank your lucky stars, then!

22 minutes ago, Gulfsailor said:

Thank you Unonjoe. So you are saying it can’t be done without a trip to Bangkok?

That is correct.

7 minutes ago, Gulfsailor said:

I’m not a Brit and not married yet. 

American?

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

31 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That is correct.

I have done it without going to BKK !

You should go to MFA in Bangkok together with your wife. It is impossible to get all the required documents without her presence.

9 minutes ago, friendofthai said:

You should go to MFA in Bangkok together with your wife. It is impossible to get all the required documents without her presence.

Oh, so it gets even worse. I’ll first have my better half check with local amphur…

There is no need to go to MFA in person but you probably will have to visit the Embassy.

Here is an easy option.

https://www.keyvisathailand.com/services/legal-marriage-service/

Check all the dates on the documents. "November" instead of "December" resulted in my additional trip to Bangkok. If you have a son or a daughter - make sure that her family name in Thai in her birth certificate is the same as yours in your marriage documents.

There are 2 separate MFA buildings in Bangkok. Only one can help you with marriage documents.

More or less the same as ubonjoe has advised you...............Not sure where you're from but British citizens can only can get an Affirmation of Freedom to Marry at the Consular Section of the British Embassy in Bangkok - they will also certify your passport (also a requirement) - I don't think its any different for any other nationalities. The translations etc. can be done anywhere as long as they are done by a certified translator and certified by the MFA in Bangkok. (I believe that there may also be an MFA office in Chiang Mai).

 

The format of the Affirmation has been agreed between the MFA and individual embassies and any variation will be rejected.

3 hours ago, bubblegum said:

I have done it without going to BKK !

Please explain how you got an Affirmation of Freedom to Marry without visiting your embassy.

How long ago did you get married?

3 hours ago, friendofthai said:

You should go to MFA in Bangkok together with your wife. It is impossible to get all the required documents without her presence.

That is totally incorrect - I've done it several times and never went with my partner. 

 

Basic Procedure for Documents Required by the MFA.

 

1. Visit your embassy, swear and Affirmation of Freedom to Marry and have your passport certified. (Every country will have its own requirements for providing the Affirmation and methods for making appointments etc.)

 

2. Have the Affirmation and passport certifications translated by certified agency (one that knows the MFA format).

 

2. Take the translations to the MFA for certification - most translation agencies offer this service at reasonable cost and I strongly recommend it. Doing it yourself is a real pain and can take 3 - 4 days requiring 2 visits.

 

That's it, no visit with your wife required - there is nothing that requires any input from your wife. Her paperwork is pretty basic and totally separate - she will normally have most of it in any case.  Anything else can be obtained from her local Amphur. Some Registration Offices require your intended to have her own form of Freedom to Marry and that comes from the Amphur, not the MFA.

59 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

That is totally incorrect - I've done it several times and never went with my partner. 

 

Agreed. Not necessary to have wife attend MFA. (I married last August 28th)

 

Keep any receipts from MFA for when you submit documents at district office where you'll be marrying. The district office that I married at wanted to send the documents back to the MFA to confirm everything. Luckily I had the receipt with me. Apparently the office had been getting a lot of forged documents being submitted.

 

2 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

That is totally incorrect - I've done it several times and never went with my partner. 

You are luckier than me. The Thai lady at the counter told me that I must come again with my wife.

3 hours ago, bobandyson said:

The district office that I married at wanted to send the documents back to the MFA to confirm everything.

Yes, a few Amphurs are making up their own rules as they go along - probably a hangover from a couple of years back when it was discovered that some Indians had been using fake Affirmations etc.  An Amphur manager was fired for accepting them and for a while afterwards some Amphurs refused to marry foreigners.  From what you post, its sounds like its been happening again.

 

The OP would do well to get his girlfriend to contact the Amphur they want to register their marriage at and find out their exact requirements.

1 hour ago, friendofthai said:

You are luckier than me. The Thai lady at the counter told me that I must come again with my wife.

She probably didn't know how to tell you something and I guess you don't speak much Thai - so she just said come with your wife.

 

I haven't been to the MFA for a while but it wasn't a complicated process, just the usual Thai bureaucracy involving plenty of photo copies, visits to several counters across a number of floors etc. etc. - which is why its well worth paying the translation agency a few extra baht to do the job for you.

14 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

She probably didn't know how to tell you something and I guess you don't speak much Thai - so she just said come with your wife.

 

I haven't been to the MFA for a while but it wasn't a complicated process, just the usual Thai bureaucracy involving plenty of photo copies, visits to several counters across a number of floors etc. etc. - which is why its well worth paying the translation agency a few extra baht to do the job for you.

I did all the process less than 2 months ago and I didn't feel that the wife must be here , but for me she was with me , so it's ok, I just waited

 

I have seen an agent doing the job for foreigners, but it's not complicated, just have the papers they need ; just three counters at the same floor, one to receipt papers , one to verify everything and one to pay , then wait ( a few hours, then they call your number and you have your papers certified ) 

3 minutes ago, Aforek said:

I have seen an agent doing the job for foreigners, but it's not complicated, just have the papers they need ; just three counters at the same floor, one to receipt papers , one to verify everything and one to pay , then wait ( a few hours, then they call your number and you have your papers certified ) 

They are probably very quiet at the moment due to the Covid situation - its normally 3 to 4 days.

3 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

They are probably very quiet at the moment due to the Covid situation - its normally 3 to 4 days.

3-4 days ? they sent documents  by mail ? for me, it was full ( due to Covid they stop at 150 people ) , but there were many people with us ; maybe they have improved their service

2 minutes ago, Aforek said:

3-4 days ? they sent documents  by mail ? for me, it was full ( due to Covid they stop at 150 people ) , but there were many people with us ; maybe they have improved their service

Its possible. Until a few years ago they offered a same day service.