Best Amphur to register marriage?

[IvorBiggun2]

On 1/13/2023 at 3:08 PM, jnp73 said:

I'm getting married soon and want to know the best Amphur to use to register it.

All amphurs do registration . No way there is a best. How do you judge? You're registering your marriage. What differences are there in doing that? I registered mine in BKK but my wife's local office is up NE.

[flexomike]

On 1/14/2023 at 8:43 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

The Thai government bank where my wife was taking out a loan in her name on a house she was buying for her parents' use.  If we were married when she took out the loan, the bank was going to require me to be a signer on the loan -- even though I'd have no actual or legal rights to the house/land.

 

so it was easier to get divorced and re married than too just sign your name on a bank paper? Don't understand that one

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 hours ago, flexomike said:

so it was easier to get divorced and re married than too just sign your name on a bank paper? Don't understand that one

 

Why would anyone want to sign on as legally responsible for a multi-million baht loan for a house that they won't own, won't live in and won't have any legal rights to?

 

[flexomike]

39 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Why would anyone want to sign on as legally responsible for a multi-million baht loan for a house that they won't own, won't live in and won't have any legal rights to?

 

why would you want to get remarried then?

[Dogmatix]

Some years ago I went to Phyathai and they were totally obnoxious and insulting and asked for documents that were clearly not necessary.  I was a permanent resident and the head of registrations said my alien book was fake because, in his ignorant opinion, they were only issued to Chinese not farangs.  Having wasted out time with that brain dead idiot we bid adieu made a dash for the Sathorn office before closing time and they were all smiles and couldn't have been more helpful. They made a big effort to get it all done for us before closing time, including providing the two witnesses for us for a couple of hundred baht extra.  If nothing has changed, I would recommend Sathorn over Bang Rak as the latter must get swamped with marriage registrations because of its name.

[proton]

we just walked into Laksi 5 mins before closing time, unfortunately it all went well????

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 hours ago, proton said:

we just walked into Laksi 5 mins before closing time, unfortunately it all went well????

 You didn't say WHEN you had that experience... But either way, it seems to be quite at odds with the recent Laksi experience cited by the OP here.

 

Quote

I'm getting married soon and want to know the best Amphur to use to register it. I tried Laksi and they say submit paperwork, wait two months and get called in for the registration.

 

That described by the OP was the same kind of answer my wife got back in November when talking in person to the counter staff at the Bangrak district office.

 

Through a series of recent interactions here, I've gotten the feeling that the whole COVID pandemic ordeal has resulted in Thai government offices becoming much more focused about far ahead scheduled appointments and much less receptive to walk-in transactions that might have been more normal in the past.

 

[proton]

6 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 You didn't say WHEN you had that experience... But either way, it seems to be quite at odds with the recent Laksi experience cited by the OP here.

 

 

That described by the OP was the same kind of answer my wife got back in November when talking in person to the counter staff at the Bangrak district office.

 

Through a series of recent interactions here, I've gotten the feeling that the whole COVID pandemic ordeal has resulted in Thai government offices becoming much more focused about far ahead scheduled appointments and much less receptive to walk-in transactions that might have been more normal in the past.

 

January 2006, a day that will live in infamy ☺️ we did the whole process in 25 hours, I only agreed as I thought there would not be enough time before I left. Did everything just in time, including the embassy letting us back in when they had closed, terrible luck. All seems pointless now, she kept her original name and I lost the certificate.

Edited January 17, 2023 by proton

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

12 minutes ago, proton said:

January 2006, a day that will live in infamy ☺️ we did the whole process in 25 hours, I only agreed as I thought there would not be enough time before I left. Did everything just in time, including the embassy letting us back in when they had closed, terrible luck. All seems pointless now, she kept her original name and I lost the certificate.

And as far as likely relevance to the OP's question, all these years later, ancient history....

 

[proton]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

And as far as likely relevance to the OP's question, all these years later, ancient history....

 

Seems like yesterday though ????

[jnp73]

Hi. My fiancé has called Sathorn and they're saying there will be a wait before an appointment is made but won't specify how long......

Seems like we'll have to wait for a scheduled appointment, wherever we go.

Thanks, everyone for your input.

J.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

FWIW, got my new affidavit of freedom to marry from the US Embassy/Consulate in BKK today -- $50 USD for the affidavit, and another $50 to certify a copy of my US passport, which is being required by the khet (amphur office) we're dealing with in Bangkok.

 

No witnesses required at the U.S. Embassy/Consulate, as reported above, just me. Entire process once inside took about a half hour, no problems.

 

A couple added points:

 

1. In the past, they used to have one type of affidavit form if you were marrying for the first time, and then a second, added form if you previously had been divorced somewhere/anywhere.

 

Nowadays, they've combined those previously two forms into a single affidavit that covers both first-timers and repeat marryers. Also, the Embassy/Consulate doesn't ask to see any legal documentation of any prior divorce, although the amphur/khet office might ask when you go to register the new marriage.

 

2. The BKK Embassy/Consulate these days seems to have a somewhat peculiar scheduling system for notarial services.... I first started looking online just before mid-Jan., and wasn't able to book ANY appointment for ANY date for almost two week until a couple days ago, when I was finally able to get one for Jan. 31/today.

 

So in essence, they seem (and confirmed this over the phone) to only be making a new set of appointments available at the very end of each month for the following month... And once those are booked up (which this past month occurred before mid-January), they apparently won't make any more available until the next month's cycle.

 

Thus, from mid January to almost the end of the month, it was impossible to book ANY notarial services appointment for ANY data via their online system -- even though during the same period there were numerous passport-related appointments still open and available. But they don't seem willing to repurpose those, when the notarial appointment slots run out....

 

Just fyi.... so if you know you'll need a notarial services appointment upcoming, start looking especially toward the end of the month for appointments listed for the ensuing month. Their notarial appointments system right now doesn't go any further out that one month at a time.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 1/19/2023 at 9:16 AM, jnp73 said:

Hi. My fiancé has called Sathorn and they're saying there will be a wait before an appointment is made but won't specify how long......

Seems like we'll have to wait for a scheduled appointment, wherever we go.

Thanks, everyone for your input.

J.

I ran into the same "wait wait wait" answer at the couple of Bangkok khet offices we checked with lately, including Bangrak.

 

So we ended up going thru a visa/translation service agency here in BKK, for a fee of course, that will handle the required translations, MFA certifications and then arrange and facilitate the trip to their chosen khet (amphur) for registering the marriage.

 

When we did our divorce late last year, we went on our own to Bangrak and were told completing the process with them likely would take some weeks. Then with the agent, we went to a different khet office and were in and out on the same day we first inquired of the agent and presented them with our various documents.

 

So if getting the marriage done sooner is a higher priority than spending some added cash, then there's certainly ways to get that done more quickly -- although our agent told us that MFA for translations also these days is requiring advance appointments and their turnaround might run a week or so.

 

[jnp73]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm waiting for my divorce paperwork from UK, so can't make appointment at UK Embassy yet. We'll try to get things registered ourselves first and only use an agent if things drag out too long - I really need it fixed by August, so I can get a marriage visa, changing from retirement extension.

[Damrongsak]

Interesting thread, though I can't help as we got married in Loei 44 years ago.  I don't even remember what she looked like unless I dig out the old photo album.

 

Do they still require a character reference/witness or some such?  I  had to drag my old, infirm landlord to the office in a samlor to tell them I was a nice guy.  We walked in and they started cow-towing and apologizing for disturbing the old guy. The rubber stamps were smoking.  (He had been the superintendent of education for the province of Loei.)  No doubt he was related to someone in there. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

For Americans registering a marriage here, the Embassy/Consulate form still requires the person to list BOTH a U.S. address and the names and addresses (not phones) of two references in the U.S.

 

I think the references can be almost anyone, but you do have to list two "someones".  Obviously, they don't contact them prior to issuing the freedom of marriage affidavit, since they issue those on the spot. So I have no idea what practical purpose listing those is supposed to serve.

 

Nor for that matter, the sense of requiring a U.S. address for an American citizen applicants who may have been making their full-time home in Thailand for many years, even decades, and perhaps not even traveled back to the U.S. for many many years.

 

[aluc]

Hello,

Maybe someone knows amphur where certified copy of passport is not required?

I jumped through so many hoops in my home country, to get all the paperwork done.

Even in email from MFA Thailand was nothing said about this certified copy of passport.

If I can`t find an amphur without this requirement then I guess my only option is go back to my home country and get one there, since in Thailand there are no Latvian embassy nor honorary consulate ????

Edited March 28, 2023 by aluc
spelling

[lopburi3]

8 minutes ago, aluc said:

Hello,

Maybe someone knows amphur where certified copy of passport is not required?

I jumped through so many hoops in my home country, to get all the paperwork done.

Even in email from MFA Thailand was nothing said about this certified copy of passport.

If I can`t find an amphur without this requirement then I guess my only option is go back to my home country and get one there, since in Thailand there are no Latvian embassy nor honorary councilate ????

LATVIA

The Consulate of the Republic of Latvia

Chancery:    113/13 Surawong Road, Bangkok 10500    Tel: 0 2266 5931
0 2634 0140-2
Fax: 0 2266 4565
E-mail: -
Office Hours:    09.00 - 12.00 ( Monday - Friday )

[aluc]

That consulate was closed more than year ago.

[lopburi3]

3 minutes ago, aluc said:

That consulate was closed more than year ago.

The Thai MFA says it was valid as of 29 Nov 2022 update to 2012 information.  Sorry about that.

 

Have you tried using a marriage service?  They might be able to get local certification for their fee.

Edited March 28, 2023 by lopburi3

[brianthainess]

On 1/13/2023 at 3:53 PM, jnp73 said:

ps. I asked an agent and they wanted 37,000 baht for the whole process! 

Did that include a ring, I'll do it for 30k free confetti.  

[Cricky]

On 1/13/2023 at 3:08 PM, jnp73 said:

best Amphur to use to register it. I tried Laksi and they say submit paperwork, wait two months and get called in for the registration

You'll find that they are all being difficult these days.

 

Back in the day it was a breeze.

 

I reckon they're fed up with the foreigners abusing the system, just getting married for an easy visa.

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by Cricky

[jnp73]

We finalised our Marriage Registration at Laksi District Office yesterday. We went there at the end of Feb and they offered a date of 12th April to do the registration. They only carry out a few foreigner/Thai marriages and hence the time between booking and registration. A very simple procedure and done by very helpful and kind people (including the car park attendants). So, if a wait isn't a problem, Laksi gets the thumbs-up from me. 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, jnp73 said:

We finalised our Marriage Registration at Laksi District Office yesterday. We went there at the end of Feb and they offered a date of 12th April to do the registration. They only carry out a few foreigner/Thai marriages and hence the time between booking and registration. A very simple procedure and done by very helpful and kind people (including the car park attendants). So, if a wait isn't a problem, Laksi gets the thumbs-up from me. 

 

 

I wouldn't be so happy about a six-week scheduling wait for "a very simple procedure".... when Thais can walk in and get married the same day on demand, AFAIK.

 

Also, did Laksi require you to have witnesses and/or a translator?  And an Embassy certified copy of your passport?

 

 

 

[jnp73]

They needed witnesses and a certified copy of the passport.

[aluc]

On 3/28/2023 at 4:55 PM, aluc said:

Hello,

Maybe someone knows amphur where certified copy of passport is not required?

I jumped through so many hoops in my home country, to get all the paperwork done.

Even in email from MFA Thailand was nothing said about this certified copy of passport.

If I can`t find an amphur without this requirement then I guess my only option is go back to my home country and get one there, since in Thailand there are no Latvian embassy nor honorary consulate ????

Just in case someone else can not get certified copy of passport.

 

I got married in Phimai amphur, Korat province.

Staff there was very kind and helpful.

All they needed from me was Certificate that I`m single with all the stamps from embassy and MFA and a copy of my passport translated to Thai without stamps.

No appointment needed, it took about one hour for all the process including my wife changing her last name and getting new Thai ID card.

We had 2 witnesses, but in case some one cant find them, staff will sign it for you.

[onthedarkside]

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