Marriage To Thai Girlfriend - Whats Required

[robio7]

Hi Guys,

Looking for you help again.

My Girlfriend and I want to get married in Thailand in January.

She's Thai and I'm Irish.

Neither of us have been married before but I believe we need to get some sort of paper to prove we are not currently married.

What is required from me and from her in order for us to be married in January?

Do we need to visit Irish embassy in BKK and where can we get married?

Thanks,

Rob

Edited September 1, 2011 by robio7

[duncanb]

Sorry, I can't help, but I will be watching this topic with interest as we (British & Thai) also plan to Marry in Jan. Good luck

[Lite Beer]

You need to get an Afirmation To Marry document from the Irish Consulate.

Get it translated to Thai and take it to The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok to be stamped.

You can then get married at any Amphur.

Irish Consulate

4th Floor, Room 407, Thaniya Building, 62, Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Thailand.

Tel: (662) 632-6720

Fax: (662) 632-6721

[lopburi3]

You visit your Embassy to get a letter of being eligible for marriage and then have it translated into Thai and registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a legal document. Normally Embassy has detailed instructions step by step on websites. Can take a day to much longer depending on country and what they require but most are done same day plus a day or two for translation/registration. Once that is in hand you and spouse visit any District Office to register marriage. You need this paper and passport and wife her ID/home register. They may want someone to translate for you so you know what you sign (not required to be official translator) and two witness to sign (can be people in office).

[Gumbo]

You need to get an Afirmation To Marry document from the Irish Consulate.

Get it translated to Thai and take it to The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok to be stamped.

You can then get married at any Amphur.

Unless it has changed in the last few years you need to take both the original and the translation. If they are happy they join them and add a nice big green eagle stamp. As I remember it was around 200 Baht for the express 2 hour service or 80 for 24 hour. I'm from the UK, it was overnight to get the afirmation before using a very local translation service as they have the translated afirmation on file so they only need to put in the personal details, taxi to the MFA then airport to fly down to Samui. One night in BKK for me.

If you bung the head cheese a couple of thousand he will come and marry you on the beach at dusk which is quite nice.

[robio7]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the info, very helpful escepially 200 Baht for the express 2 hour service

That will definitely be used. I'd be delighted if I got everything done in BKK in 24hrs!

I'd also pay the few 1000 baht to have the dusk beach option too.

Did you have to make appointment in the Amphur office long in advance?

Thanks again,

Rob

Edited September 2, 2011 by robio7

[Lite Beer]

As far as I know you just turn up. We did in Bangkok.

[7by7]

I'd be delighted if I got everything done in BKK in 24hrs!

I don't want to rain on your parade, but from Guidance for Irish nationals wishing to marry in Thailand:

An appointment to swear the affidavit before the Irish Consul MUST be made in advance.

You should prepare the affidavit yourself in typewritten form on one page. On completion we recommend that you e-mail or fax the same to the consulate for review. This should be done at least 4 weeks before the date of which you are to swear the Affidavitt

You will also be required to complete an MP1 questionnaire form.

Our hours of opening are 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Monday to Friday excluding public holidays.

We charge Baht 840 per declaration and we can provide this service to Irish nationals only.

Please bring with you to the Consulate your passport and long form birth certificate as proof of identity, and evidence that any previous marriages have been terminated (death certificate or divorce certificate(s) as appropriate) together with a copy of your intended spouses passport or birth certificate with certified true copy of English translation from a registered translator. ORIGINALS ARE REQUIRED ; copies will not be accepted under any circumstances.

[robio7]

I'd be delighted if I got everything done in BKK in 24hrs!

I don't want to rain on your parade, but from Guidance for Irish nationals wishing to marry in Thailand:

An appointment to swear the affidavit before the Irish Consul MUST be made in advance.

You should prepare the affidavit yourself in typewritten form on one page. On completion we recommend that you e-mail or fax the same to the consulate for review. This should be done at least 4 weeks before the date of which you are to swear the Affidavitt

You will also be required to complete an MP1 questionnaire form.

Our hours of opening are 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Monday to Friday excluding public holidays.

We charge Baht 840 per declaration and we can provide this service to Irish nationals only.

Please bring with you to the Consulate your passport and long form birth certificate as proof of identity, and evidence that any previous marriages have been terminated (death certificate or divorce certificate(s) as appropriate) together with a copy of your intended spouses passport or birth certificate with certified true copy of English translation from a registered translator. ORIGINALS ARE REQUIRED ; copies will not be accepted under any circumstances.

Thanks for that and dont worry you arent raining on my parade, it just would have been the idea situation

I'll make an appointment with the consulate and hopefully everything works out for us.

I sent an email of my draft affidavitt to the consulate so I'll see what they come back with. The sample they provide on that site is great.

Thanks again and anymore info anyone has would be appreciated

Rob

[PoorSucker]

The translation company will offer you to care of the registration at MFA for a fee.

Take the offer, if you don't like long lines.

I waited 3 ½ hours at MFA.

Edited September 3, 2011 by PoorSucker

[Gumbo]

The translation company will offer you to care of the registration at MFA for a fee.

Take the offer, if you don't like long lines.

I waited 3 ½ hours at MFA.

How much?

There were 2 rip off tickets colours. One for fast track which most people did not use.

[PoorSucker]

The translation company will offer you to care of the registration at MFA for a fee.

Take the offer, if you don't like long lines.

I waited 3 ½ hours at MFA.

How much?

There were 2 rip off tickets colours. One for fast track which most people did not use.

I was offered the service for 800 baht, including the MFA fee.

[Gandalf8353]

There is Thai custom and then there are those few who are looking for a mark. Sometimes fools and their money are soon parted. It didn't cost me a nickel.

The biggest expense I had was the notary fee charged by the US Embassy.

Edited September 4, 2011 by Lite Beer
Deleted quote removed

[oneday]

I was pretty sure I recently read where some guy had to pay 800 baht for the express service at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I think he saw a sign that said 200 baht normal and double for express, but for some reason his final bill was 800 baht. He also had trouble finding the right building as we all know taxi drivers don't know crap about their own town. So if I were offered a reasonable fee by the translation service to register the document at MFA I'd take it.

[fredlaw]

i see a lot of comments about all thai women cheating and wanting money. in my case we have been married since dec 1974 and im sure her family has given my our children and myself much more money that i ever gave to them. maybe some will cheat but not all> if you love, go for it thank you

[backnamullagh]

Sorry, I can't help, but I will be watching this topic with interest as we (British & Thai) also plan to Marry in Jan. Good luck

look no further than this utube video it tells all in 3 minute its easy good luck im fron Ireland also

Harry

[shiatsuman]

I was pretty sure I recently read where some guy had to pay 800 baht for the express service at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I think he saw a sign that said 200 baht normal and double for express, but for some reason his final bill was 800 baht. He also had trouble finding the right building as we all know taxi drivers don't know crap about their own town. So if I were offered a reasonable fee by the translation service to register the document at MFA I'd take it.

much the same thing happend to me when i leagalised the marriage. I think the double charge relates to the legalisation of the thai origonal and then the translation.

If you go by taxi the Consulate office is the big building at the front of the complex, Immigration is at the back and that is where the taxi will probably think you want to go, hence the confusion.

for the freedom to marry document we used an agent they charged 2,000 to collect the doc from the UK consulate translate , legalise at the thai consulate section and send the docs by post to chiangmai, we only spent a day in BKK.

[Lite Beer]

Off Topic and Derogatory Posts have been removed.

[daiwill60]

Hi

We just turned up at our Amphur in Mahasarakham in April 2011.

We did not use any services offered to speed things up at MFA in Bangkok, but it was a fairly long wait when we were there, ( must admit my missus is a government worker and that does kind of help when we deal with various Gov't Dept's, and she knows how to speak to them in order to get straight answers to questions).

We did use a guy who approached us outside the UK embassy offering a translation service, cost about 200bht ( also must admit my reluctance toward this when approached by him, as he lead us away from embassy down Sukhumvit for a 10 min walk, but fair do's they did the job in about an hour and were not extortionate).

All in all we provided everything we were asked for and got all the dealings in BKK done in just over 24 hrs, 1 day to do embassy and translation stuff and next day to MFA. As a result the costs were a fraction of what friends of mine say they have paid agencies they have previously used.

We didn't immediately go to Amphur on returning to Mahasarakham but when we did we justwalked in and did what was needed here. ONE THING TO MENTION, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF PHOTOCOPIES OF PASSPORT AND VISA, RIGHT TO MARRY AFFIRMATION (english and thai versions) AND LICENCE TO MARRY FROM MFA.

Edited September 4, 2011 by daiwill60

[lopburi3]

What you get from MFA is simply a bound Embassy letter/translation with stamp/number that has been registered with the MFA as a legal document. That is the requirement the local district office must have from a foreigner to marry them but is not a license in the western sense. Marriage does not require a license.

[thongsuknork]

just marry in your home country and it will be easy to get registered in Thailand after u get married in u r home country just get the certificate get legalized in bangkok and go to your wife's Amphur office and submit the translated English copies with legalized document it will be easy to get registered

"Happy married life

Sorry, I can't help, but I will be watching this topic with interest as we (British & Thai) also plan to Marry in Jan. Good luck

[lopburi3]

Flame removed.

[Yodrak]

I don't know about Ireland, but it can be very difficult for many Thai women to get a visa to some western countries, especially for a Thai woman who has a fiancé from that country and who wants the visa to go there to get married. Seems to me that the time, expense, and effort of taking her back to your home country to get married is a whole lot more than is required to marry in Thailand.

That being said, once married outside of Thailand what is the point of registering the marriage in Thailand?

just marry in your home country and it will be easy to get registered in Thailand after u get married in u r home country just get the certificate get legalized in bangkok and go to your wife's Amphur office and submit the translated English copies with legalized document it will be easy to get registered

"Happy married life

[MilesCh]

Have not seen anything relative to the Thai wife-to-be submitting paper attesting to the fact that she is not currently married or is divorced, etc. Shouldn't that necessary as well, for the government or perhaps for the future husband?

[jsflynn603]

In one word: Don't

No, it's not what you think I mean.

What I mean is that it is, in my opinion, dangerous to get married to a Thai woman, in Thailand.  

Realize that I am talking about registering the marriage.  To be married with a celebration and monks, but to not register is fine.  

Why would I say this?    Because once a Thai woman officially marries she loses significant property rights. In addition, in-laws gain significant property rights.  She can inherit land, but cannot purchase, once married.  Even if she manages to purchase, or is given land or property, upon her death, the in-laws are free to come and legally take anything that belongs to her.  (Consider that some things may really belong to you, now consider your Thai skills, along with your farang status, in both explaining and gaining your legal rights.)  

It is far, far better that you marry her in your country and once married do NOT register the marriage with the Amphur.  Again, if you want to marry in your country, and then come to Thailand to have a ceremony with family/monks, good, but do NOT register the marriage.  

The net result is that she is married to you in the eyes of your country and gains all the rights therein.  Yet she is still considered single in Thailand.  In this status she gains all rights inherent in your country, and loses nothing, holding onto significant rights, and you are far, far more protected should she die before you.  If you don't think you need such protection, with all due respect, you know very, very little about Thai culture, in which case I suggest that you start researching it.  

Probably the biggest mistake any farang ever makes is to try to superimpose Western cultural views upon a culture that in the case of comparing it to America is ten times older.  It is imperative to understand how Thai culture works.  The underpinnings of the ways Thai people think, and often act is based upon their history--one CANNOT superimpose Western cultural values upon Thailand.  

I strongly suggest that you buy Benjawan Poomsan Becker's book Thai Law for Foreigners and read it.  It can be purchased on Amazon.com or through your local bookstore.  Be warned: It stinks.  Really, they used the foulest ink, it reeks of rubber.  I kept it on a hot radiator for months before the stench dissipated. But it is a good book and well written, and regardless of what naysayers might respond to about what I write here, there is the authority along with references for what I say above.  

Check out visajourney.com to see the K1 American process, your country must have a similar process wherein you can bring her there and marry.  

Congratulations, but move carefully so that you two can have a lifetime of enjoyment.

Edited September 4, 2011 by jsflynn603

[robio7]

Have not seen anything relative to the Thai wife-to-be submitting paper attesting to the fact that she is not currently married or is divorced, etc. Shouldn't that necessary as well, for the government or perhaps for the future husband?

After receiving some info from the Irish Consulate in BKK they seem to suggest she doesnt need anything like this as they can get all that info from her ID card/passport/house registration book.

[robio7]

In one word: Don't

No, it's not what you think I mean.

What I mean is that it is, in my opinion, dangerous to get married to a Thai woman, in Thailand.

Realize that I am talking about registering the marriage. To be married with a celebration and monks, but to not register is fine.

Why would I say this? Because once a Thai woman officially marries she loses significant property rights. In addition, in-laws gain significant property rights. She can inherit land, but cannot purchase, once married. Even if she manages to purchase, or is given land or property, upon her death, the in-laws are free to come and legally take anything that belongs to her. (Consider that some things may really belong to you, now consider your Thai skills, along with your farang status, in both explaining and gaining your legal rights.)

It is far, far better that you marry her in your country and once married do NOT register the marriage with the Amphur. Again, if you want to marry in your country, and then come to Thailand to have a ceremony with family/monks, good, but do NOT register the marriage.

The net result is that she is married to you in the eyes of your country and gains all the rights therein. Yet she is still considered single in Thailand. In this status she gains all rights inherent in your country, and loses nothing, holding onto significant rights, and you are far, far more protected should she die before you. If you don't think you need such protection, with all due respect, you know very, very little about Thai culture, in which case I suggest that you start researching it.

Probably the biggest mistake any farang ever makes is to try to superimpose Western cultural views upon a culture that in the case of comparing it to America is ten times older. It is imperative to understand how Thai culture works. The underpinnings of the ways Thai people think, and often act is based upon their history--one CANNOT superimpose Western cultural values upon Thailand.

I strongly suggest that you buy Benjawan Poomsan Becker's book Thai Law for Foreigners and read it. It can be purchased on Amazon.com or through your local bookstore. Be warned: It stinks. Really, they used the foulest ink, it reeks of rubber. I kept it on a hot radiator for months before the stench dissipated. But it is a good book and well written, and regardless of what naysayers might respond to about what I write here, there is the authority along with references for what I say above.

Check out visajourney.com to see the K1 American process, your country must have a similar process wherein you can bring her there and marry.

Congratulations, but move carefully so that you two can have a lifetime of enjoyment.

Hi Thanks for the info. I didnt realise that she would lose the right to buy land! which eventually we would like to do but not for a long time.

[sfbandung]

I'm not sure about the property issues but it was far more important to me (us) that our marriage be recognised in Australia (where I'm from). Various reasons for this but primarily for her Australian Permanent Residency Visa. We intend to live in Thailand when I retire but freedom of movement between Thailand and Australia is important to us too.

After lots of investigating it was far, far simpler for us to marry in Australia. We had already done the Australian Visa thing, which was a pain, but I wanted her to meet my family before we got married anyway. I'm assuming you're not being silly and rushing into this, take your time!

Good luck anyway mate, I'm sure you've had a good read around this site where you'll find a wide range of opinions regarding taking care of yourself in the Land of Smiles.

[lopburi3]

.......Why would I say this? Because once a Thai woman officially marries she loses significant property rights. In addition, in-laws gain significant property rights. She can inherit land, but cannot purchase, once married......

Totally false information. There never was any such law and the local procedures that prevented land registration in some cases were changed more than a decade ago. The only restriction is that funds must not be from a foreign spouse due to land ownership laws but she as Thai has full rights to ownership and ability to purchase.

[lopburi3]

....That being said, once married outside of Thailand what is the point of registering the marriage in Thailand?

It is a requirement to extend stay for one year on basis of marriage. Overseas marriage certificate translated/visit embassy to verify/register at MFA as legal document/record at local district office.