Affirmation of marriage non Thai.

[Thailand]

Married in HK, wife dependent. We now both have British passports. The original Affirmation was lost by immigration in 2010 when doing an extension of stay. 

Got a replacement from Chiang Mai consulate,  which is no more, in 2011.

 

The Affirmation is required by immigration for extension of stay with wife as dependent. Now been advised that they will not accept the "Affirmation" issued in 2011 as it is "too old" so told to get another one or no extension. 

Read the relevant blurb but seems to relate to a Affirmation relating to marriage to a Thai, not a foreigner.

Thought I had struck lucky with a  new Beta  online facility to ask questions direct to the British Embassy but simply referred me back to the blurb I had already seen.

 

Anyway, anyone know where I can get the "Affirmation" done now that the Chiang Mai consulate is no more and it it does not appear that the Embassy in Bangkok can do it either. Perhaps a consular official could give me the answer? I did see that they were replying to some threads in the past.

Thanks

[alextrat1966]

As far as I know BNO passport holders must request this to the HK authorities and not the UK ones. 

 

You are a BNO passport holder and married in HK (probably after 1997). That's a bit different to being married in the UK.

[Thailand]

2 hours ago, alextrat1966 said:

 

 

2 hours ago, alextrat1966 said:

As far as I know BNO passport holders must request this to the HK authorities and not the UK ones. 

 

You are a BNO passport holder and married in HK (probably after 1997). That's a bit different to being married in the UK.

As I said in the original post we have had the Affirmation twice issued in Chiang Mai in the past so there is no problem with the validity of the marriage/certificate, and married before 1997. And as I said, we are now both British passport holders. HK is irrelevant.

Simply want to know how /where we get another "Affirmation" to satisfy the ongoing quirks of Thai immigration.

If anybody actually knows please let me know.

 

Thanks

Edited January 25, 2022 by Thailand

[ubonjoe]

What needs to be done is to have your marriage certificate legalized.

If I recall correctly the Chinese embassy can do it for a marriage certificate issued in Hong Kong.

The UK embassy will not legalize any document.

[Thailand]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

What needs to be done is to have your marriage certificate legalized.

If I recall correctly the Chinese embassy can do it for a marriage certificate issued in Hong Kong.

The UK embassy will not legalize any document.

.

Nothing to do with the Chinese embassy.

 

As I pointed out the Affirmation has already been issued twice by the Chiang Mai British consulate so they have done it in the past. 

I simply want to know how, where to do it now. 

[Thailand]

To clarify we were married in HK prior to 1997 under British law.

 

I am going to to make a wild guess that nowadays we will have to jump through hoops and pay the British gov in the UK lots of money to resolve this.

[alextrat1966]

14 minutes ago, Thailand said:

To clarify we were married in HK prior to 1997 under British law.

 

I am going to to make a wild guess that nowadays we will have to jump through hoops and pay the British gov in the UK lots of money to resolve this.

Once again, the British embassy will not legalize anything, it's their policy nowadays (in the past they used to do it, but not now). So forget about it. 

 

But if your marriage certificate is issued by the HK government, then yes, the Chinese embassy will legalize it, and you will save a lot of trouble! (otherwise you will have to travel to the UK to have it legalized there)

Edited January 25, 2022 by alextrat1966

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, Thailand said:

As I pointed out the Affirmation has already been issued twice by the Chiang Mai British consulate so they have done it in the past. 

A affirmation of permit to marry is only issued to register a marriage at a Amphoe.

I think you mixing up a affirmation and legalization/certification.

In the past the UK embassy would legalize some documents but they do not do it now. See this on the UK embassy website. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-for-thailand#services-provided-elsewhere

 

6 minutes ago, Thailand said:

To clarify we were married in HK prior to 1997 under British law.

Then it might be done in the UK. Look at the page I posted a link to for the embassy website.

[Thailand]

5 minutes ago, alextrat1966 said:

Once again, the British embassy will not legalize anything, it's their policy nowadays (in the past they may have done it, but now now). So forget about it. 

 

But if your marriage certificate is issued by the HK government, then yes, the Chinese embassy will legalize it, and you will save a lot of trouble!

If that is actually the case then we will have a lot of trouble as my HK born wife will have nothing to do with anything associated with the Chinese govt. I tend to think the solution lies with the UK but getting any real information from them nowadays is next to impossible.

Two other solutions, one is to simply have separate extensions of stay, but too expensive. All down to the belligerence of immigration! 

[Thailand]

11 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

A affirmation of permit to marry is only issued to register a marriage at a Amphoe.

I think you mixing up a affirmation and legalization/certification.

In the past the UK embassy would legalize some documents but they do not do it now. See this on the UK embassy website. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-for-thailand#services-provided-elsewhere

 

Then it might be done in the UK. Look at the page I posted a link to for the embassy website.

Great big bold letters at the head of the document issued by Chiang Mai British Consulate "Affirmation"

 

And yes, I have read this and it is possible hence vainly attempting to get sense from a UK govt website. And it is where I was redirected back to when asking for help from the super new Beta site

[alextrat1966]

6 minutes ago, Thailand said:

If that is actually the case then we will have a lot of trouble as my HK born wife will have nothing to do with anything associated with the Chinese govt.

Oh boy, you're stubborn... 

 

Forget about politics here, if you have a HK issued marriage certificate (even if under British law), it's your right to go to the HK embassy to have it legalized there. Obviously there is no HK embassy because the Chinese embassy handles HK's affairs, so you have to go to the Chinese embassy.

 

If the UK provided legalization services at their embassies, you could also do it there. But it just so happens that the UK DOES NOT at the moment.

 

The UK will not certify/legalize any marriage certificate in either of their embassies. Only a court in the UK can do so, so if you insist in having it legalized only by the Brits, then you need to board a plane, travel to the UK, and have it legalized by a court there.

Edited January 25, 2022 by alextrat1966
Spelling

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, Thailand said:

Great big bold letters at the head of the document issued by Chiang Mai British Consulate "Affirmation"

That was probably what they were calling it way back then.

[Thailand]

3 minutes ago, alextrat1966 said:

Oh boy, you're stubborn... 

 

Forget about politics here, if you have a HK issued marriage certificate (even if under British law), it's your right to go to the HK embassy to have it legalized there. Obviously there is no HK embassy because the Chinese embassy handles HK's affairs, so you have to go to the Chinese embassy.

 

If the UK provided legalization services at their embassies, you could also do it there. But it just so happens that the UK DOES NOT at the moment.

 

The UK will not certify/legalize any marriage certificate in either of their embassies. Only a court in the UK can do so, so if you insist in having it legalized only by the Brits, then you need to board a plane, travel to the UK, and have it legalized by a court there.

Yep, the British embassy's have dropped responsibility for just about everything, wonder what will be next.

[Thailand]

5 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

That was probably what they were calling it way back then.

 

 

No that long ago. ????

[alextrat1966]

2 minutes ago, Thailand said:

Yep, the British embassy's have dropped responsibility for just about everything, wonder what will be next.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that a lot of people were bringing Photoshopped documents to the British embassy for legalization? Specially those related to income statements, often times photoshopped and provided by visa agents themselves... 

[brewsterbudgen]

My UK marriage certificate was legalised by the UK Legalisation Office in Milton Keynes, and then certified by the Thai Embassy in London, as required by Thai Immigration for a dependent extension.  I doubt they can do that for a marriage certificate issued in Hong Kong.

[Thailand]

22 hours ago, alextrat1966 said:

Maybe it has to do with the fact that a lot of people were bringing Photoshopped documents to the British embassy for legalization? Specially those related to income statements, often times photoshopped and provided by visa agents themselves... 

I think you will find it was mainly the Americans simply swearing a fake income and a few other embassies decided they could also drop their responsibilities on the back of that.

But whatever, nothing to do with my situation which is now resolved thanks to another member.