How to register a US marriage to a Thai national with the Thai government officially?

[lowp]

My Thai partner and I were married in the US. I have a certified copy of the marriage license (embossed and stamped on the back per US law). What is precisely needed (steps & documents) to have this marriage recognized officially by the Thai government? She did some initial calls and some are saying she needs to travel back to the US and get some other stamp etc which sounds like a bunch of BS. I need some first hand information rather than armchair projections. Thanks. 

[BritTim]

I believe the US embassy in Bangkok will know the answer to your question, and would suggest talking with them. There is no harm, of course, in seeing whether anyone else here has been through the process of registering a US marriage.

[jonnit]

When I did this they would not accept our US marriage license with the notarized seal and judges signature. We were told to get the license certified by the Secretary of State. I first sent my document to the US Secretary of State. They sent it back and said I needed this done in my home state. We then had it certified in our state and received a cover letter with their seal that was supposedly acceptable in Thailand. When we took the documents in to complete the process, they started stalling and finally my wife said let's go, I know what they're doing and I'm not donating (again). I'm not sure if this is the case in all locations, but that was what we were told to do. I just googled "get documents certified by secretary of state (your state here)" and received the info I needed.

[ubonjoe]

If in the states you can find some info here on the Thai embassy website. https://thaiembdc.org/consular-services/legalization/

If here you can do a affidavit at the US embassy or consulate in Chiang Mai to do a self certification of you marriage certificate. You would make a statement it is true and correct and valid. See: https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/notaries-public/affidavit/

Then you would have to have the statement marriage translated to Thai and certified by Department of Consular affairs of the MFA in Bangkok. See: https://consular.mfa.go.th/th/publicservice/ขั้นตอนการรับรองเอกสาร

After all that is done you would then register foreign marriage at a Amphoe to get a Kor Ror 22 that immigration requires. Best to check with the Amphoe requires since it can vary,

 

Not visas or extensions related moved to the marriage and divorce forum. 

[Hanuman2547]

We did this through the Thai Consulate in Chicago.  We made an in person visit.  They registered the marriage and sent us copies through the mail.  Very easy.

Later we also applied in person for Thai passports for our two kids.  They arrived a few weeks later in the mail.  Much easier than doing any of this in Thailand.  This was also 30-35 years ago so it's definitely not current information.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Hanuman2547

[TimF]

I did my UK marriage cert. Mine had to be legalised in UK then sent to Thai embassy in London for a stamp then as per Ubonjoe above. The Amphoe also wanted my passport legalised which was a visit to British embassy in Bangkok then translate and stamped at MFA. Check what else is needed locally. I needed photos with family and friends too. Ps if you Google "how to legalise documents for thailand" you'll find a bunch of companies in the US that will handle the US part for you (that's what I did in the UK because I was already in Thailand so I sent them the marriag certificate by DHL and they sorted it and sent DHL back to me)

[livram]

What advantages are there in having foreign marriage REGISTERED in Thailand? I have been here 30 years and started off getting yearly MARRIAGE visa before switching to RETIREMENT and never had to get it registered or even translated, original English copy was OK.

[timendres]

On 6/18/2022 at 6:45 PM, livram said:

What advantages are there in having foreign marriage REGISTERED in Thailand? I have been here 30 years and started off getting yearly MARRIAGE visa before switching to RETIREMENT and never had to get it registered or even translated, original English copy was OK.

The reasons would be in regards to Thai laws related to marriage. Not necessarily about extensions.

[paulbrow]

49 minutes ago, timendres said:

On 6/18/2022 at 6:45 PM, livram said:

What advantages are there in having foreign marriage REGISTERED in Thailand? I have been here 30 years and started off getting yearly MARRIAGE visa before switching to RETIREMENT and never had to get it registered or even translated, original English copy was OK.

The reasons would be in regards to Thai laws related to marriage. Not necessarily about extensions.

I've asked this very question here before and would love at least one example of an advantage to registering your marriage in Thailand. I, like Livram, have been married over 25 years and we have never registered our marriage in Thailand and have never encountered any problems from not doing so. Thanks in advance for your input.

[timendres]

8 hours ago, paulbrow said:

I've asked this very question here before and would love at least one example of an advantage to registering your marriage in Thailand. I, like Livram, have been married over 25 years and we have never registered our marriage in Thailand and have never encountered any problems from not doing so. Thanks in advance for your input.

An actual example. When my second wife and I decided to divorce, I attempted to proceed with the divorce in the State of Michigan where we were married. Despite every attempt, it was impossible due to the State's residency requirements. However, due to the marriage being registred here in Thailand, we were able to complete the divorce here, which then has to be recognized by Michigan.

 

While a marriage certificate from another country would likely be accepted in other legal settings, such as property registration, etc., I suspect the Thai marriage certificate would be easier to work with.

[paulbrow]

On 6/20/2022 at 2:30 PM, timendres said:

An actual example. When my second wife and I decided to divorce, I attempted to proceed with the divorce in the State of Michigan where we were married. Despite every attempt, it was impossible due to the State's residency requirements. However, due to the marriage being registred here in Thailand, we were able to complete the divorce here, which then has to be recognized by Michigan.

 

While a marriage certificate from another country would likely be accepted in other legal settings, such as property registration, etc., I suspect the Thai marriage certificate would be easier to work with.

Thanks timendres.

[Hanuman2547]

On 6/20/2022 at 12:30 AM, timendres said:

An actual example. When my second wife and I decided to divorce, I attempted to proceed with the divorce in the State of Michigan where we were married. Despite every attempt, it was impossible due to the State's residency requirements. However, due to the marriage being registred here in Thailand, we were able to complete the divorce here, which then has to be recognized by Michigan.

 

While a marriage certificate from another country would likely be accepted in other legal settings, such as property registration, etc., I suspect the Thai marriage certificate would be easier to work with.

Seems like the US state of Michigan kind of has things backa$$wards.  They won't accept a US citizen to get divorced in Michigan despite being married there.  They will however recognize a foreign document stating that they are divorced.  

[timendres]

19 hours ago, Hanuman2547 said:

Seems like the US state of Michigan kind of has things backa$$wards.  They won't accept a US citizen to get divorced in Michigan despite being married there.  They will however recognize a foreign document stating that they are divorced.  

This is actually a side affect of the way the US divorce laws work. Marriage and divorce are State level actions. Each State has different laws, especially regarding divorce. So, many people will attempt to file for divorce in another State to get better treatment (e.g., laws favorable to them). Thus, each State will have a rule that you must reside in that State for X number of months before you can legally file for divorce there, to prevent these attempts to "game" the system. Of course, it makes no sense in cases like mine, but the majority of the time the rules reduce attempts to game the system.