I just need some confirmation and direction regarding this future marriage.

I am an American living on a retirement visa extension in Chiang Mai. I wanted to know if my fiance, who is a Chinese citizen, and I can get married in Thailand. Currently, she is here on a 60 day tourist visa.

What documents will we need to have besides the declaration of being single? She brought hers from China and I would get one from the US Consulate here in CM. I don't have plans to register the marriage at the US Consulate. After the marriage, I want her to get a visa extension as my dependent.

Thanks in advance for all helpful replies.

Should be no problem, especially so since the GF already has her "affirmation of being single" or what ever it's called. Altho you might have to convince the Thai amphur into accepting such a document from China. Might need to have it chopped off, certified, or some such thing, by the Chinese ConGen there in C. Mai:

http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjb/zwjg/2498/2499/t14534.htm

Chinese Consulate-General in Chiangmai (Thailand)

2005/05/27

Consul General: Zhu Weimin

Address: 111 Changloh Road, Haiya District, Chiang Mai, Thailand 50100

Tel: +66-5328-0380; +66-5327-6125; +66-5327-6457

Fax: +66-5327-4614

Website: http://chiangmai.chineseconsulate.org

http://chiangmai.china-consulate.org

E-mail: [email protected]

FYI, the U.S. Consulates do not "register" a local marriage.

Mac

The affirmation your fiance brought with her from China will not, unfortunately, be acceptable to the Thai authorities. Affirmations must be signed in front of and notarised by a consular official of the person's country in Thailand.

So you will need to do so at the American consulate/embassy and your fiance at the Chinese one. Although the documents you sign will be essentially the same (the wording is set out by the Thai government), different countries have different procedures, and fees, for doing this; so you should each contact your respective consulates/embassies to find out what they require.

Once you have signed the affirmations and had them notarised you must translate them into Thai and have the translation certified and consular signature authenticated by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There will be a fee for this, if memory serves about 800 baht each.

I think that you can only do this in Bangkok at

The Legalisation Division

Department of Consular Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

123 Chang Wattana Road,

Laksi District, Bangkok 10210

Tel : +66 (0) 2 575 1056–59, 0 2981 7171

Fax : +66 (0) 2 575 1054

Email :

[email protected]

(08:30 – 15:30 hrs)

but it may be worthwhile contacting them to ask if you can do this in Chiang Mai.

If your fiance has been married before and her previous marriage ended less than 310 days previously then she will also need to provide a medical certificate confirming that she is not pregnant, unless she has given birth in the intervening period.

Once you have done all this you can then register your marriage at any ampur in Thailand.

Thanks for the helpful information.

I did see that there is a MFA office in Chiang Mai and will drop by to see if they provide the same marriage document confirmation as does BKK. I really would prefer to do it in CM so I can avoid the trip to BKK.

Both The US and China have consulates in Chiang Mai. Legitimisation of the document can only be done in BKK. But you can use a translation agency in Chiang Mai, which can also take care of the legitimisation part for you. So you might not need to go to BKK.

The OP should contact the Chinese Embassy to find out exactly what documents are necessary. Every country is different.

For example a Filipino national cannot get married in Thailand with just an affirmation. They also need another form called a CLCCM and both need to be translated into Thai. To get this CLCCM a number of documents need to be procured from the Philippines.

Perhaps China has extra requirements.

Both The US and China have consulates in Chiang Mai. Legitimisation of the document can only be done in BKK. But you can use a translation agency in Chiang Mai, which can also take care of the legitimisation part for you. So you might not need to go to BKK.

Apparently there is an office here in CM. Please see this TV thread

Yes, I just found that one myself.