Foreign Marriage Certificate In English And Certified. Not Valid For Non-o?

[Paddleshifter]

Its soon visa time again and last year I remember one mid level officer who is doing the 1 year visas at Phuket immigration was making a lot of fuss.

I have a foreign marriage certificate from Europa in english which is certified by both the courts in my country and also the ministry of foreign affairs.

When I made my 1 year NON O in Bangkok the immigration there was all fine about it. When I the next year made the 1 year NON O in Phuket I where first refused and told it must be registered in Thailand.

I didnt think it could be right and argued with him over this. He then gave me a 2 week extension. I took the marriage certificate back up to Bangkok and had my embassy there also certifying it. I dont think there can be more ceritifictions, stamps and signatures on this one now.

After this when back down in Phuket again he refused me one more time over some PND91 issues in which should not have been needed and gave me just another 2 weeks of extension.

I solved out the PND91 issues and went back to immigration. He then accepted it but made it clear that for the next year he would not accept this marriage certificate.

I have no intensions of registering my marriage in Thailand as of now.

What is up with this guy and is it really not valid for a NON O?

Edited August 12, 2009 by Paddleshifter

[lopburi3]

You must provide a registration copy from a district office regardless of it being a foreign certificate or a Thai certificate now. This is a change for everyone. If they do not have the registration in file you will have to provide. To obtain that on a foreign certificate you have to have a Thai translation made and registered with MFA and then just take to a District Office and register the marriage - they do not marry you but enter the information and provide you a copy of the ledger page which you then can provide Immigration for an extension of stay.

[Paddleshifter]

To any District Office or DO of my wife?

Registered but not married in Thailand.. What is the difference then?

[Richard W]

To any District Office or DO of my wife?

Registered but not married in Thailand.. What is the difference then?

When your marital status changed. I suppose though, that if your original marriage were actually invalid, this registration might actually create a valid marriage, assuming that you were otherwise legally capable of contracting a marriage.

I wish we could do the same in England.

Edited August 12, 2009 by Richard W

[mmcsusnret]

The big difference is that it will probably satisfy the immigtration officer who has the approval stamp that you are after. It doesn't have to make sense, you just need to do it.

Edited August 12, 2009 by mmcsusnret

[lopburi3]

It is a double check on the validity of the marriage documents being presented to Immigration. Just as most Thai have always been asked for both an ID card and a home register document for ID. Just as most western countries now require two (or more) forms of photo ID. Too easy to photo-shop documents in this age of computers.

[Paddleshifter]

To any District Office or DO of my wife?

Registered but not married in Thailand.. What is the difference then?

When your marital status changed. I suppose though, that if your original marriage were actually invalid, this registration might actually create a valid marriage, assuming that you were otherwise legally capable of contracting a marriage.

I wish we could do the same in England.

The big difference is that it will probably satisfy the immigtration officer who has the approval stamp that you are after. It doesn't have to make sense, you just need to do it.

These two answers does not contribute or give answers to what was asked in the above post.

Of course a marriage is valid only because its not registered in Thailand. Thailand is for sure not some superior country or a state which determines validity or not.

There are several reasons for why one would not want to register a marriage in both countries. These are finally personal reasons and will depend on how your life is organized etc.

One reason you will find here;

Phuket Gazette

Are Thais marrying foreigners abroad required to register upon return

Is it legal for a Thai citizen to marry a non-Thai while out of the Kingdom and upon returning to Thailand to continue to live in the country without officially registering her marriage? If this is illegal, what would be the fine or punishment for such an offense?

Bja### Pet### Mukdahan Tuesday, April 7, 2009

“It is perfectly legal for a Thai citizen to get married to a non-Thai national abroad and upon returning to the Kingdom to continue living in Thailand without officially registering his or her marriage. However, should any problems arise she would not be covered by any marital laws that apply within Thailand, but she would be subject to the laws of the country where the marriage was registered.”

Tuesday, April 7, 2009 Mr Surin Puangpakdee, Managing Director of NSP & Laws on Koh Samui

Link Phuket Gazette:

http://www.phuketgazette.net/issuesanswers...ils.asp?id=1065

Edited August 12, 2009 by Paddleshifter

[fvw53]

There seems to be confusion about "registration" and "legalisation" of the marriage certificate (or any other foreign document needed under Thai Law)

Legalisation means that a competent authority certifies that a signature on that document is authentic and gives no opinion about what is written in the document although the authority can refuse to certify a signature on a document which has objectionable content.

First you get of course a copy of the marriage certificate from the city hall in the country where the marriage was registered (Or still have a copy of the old certificate) and get is legalised by the "legal department" of the Foreign Ministry in the home country.

I read that some documents made in countries where English is the official language are directly acceptable but normally you get it translated in Thai language by a person or company which will be recommended as acceptable by the Thai Embassy or Consulate in the home country.

Then you get it legalised at the Thai Embassy in the home country (the Thai consul has a copy of the signature of the person in charge at the local Foreign Ministry and also the signature of the translator)

Next the document has still to be legalised at the Foreign Ministry in Thailand (where the legal department has copies of the signatures of all Thai consuls worldwide which are empowered to legalise documents)

Now this your document is ready to be used under Thai Law: in this case irrefutable evidence that a marriage took place abroad.

------------------------------------

What if you are already in Thailand and you have a copy of your marriage certificate.

You ask your embassy who are their authorised persons or companies to translate it into Thai language.

You ask you consul to legalise the signature of the translator

You go the to Foreign Ministry legal department where the signature of your consul will legalised.

Now again this document is ready under Thai Law

[Mario2008]

If English is accepted depends on who the certificate is for. Immigration accepts documents in English, but if you want to register the mariage at an Ampjur the document should be translated to Thai.

The translation can be done by anybody. You first go to the embassy for legalisation and after that have it translated by a translation agency. You don't legalise the signature of the translater, but the translation should state who translated it.