Thai Marriage Certificate

[beano2274]

As per the topic.

Married here a few years ago, last year used the Original Thai Wedding certificate to get my wife a Family Visa, but upon reading the requirements this time it says something about a certified translation, surely not required since the staff there are Thai as well.

Also to apply for a Schengen Visa (Swiss), and to get it free as am I am English, it is a requirement to have the Wedding Certificate certified by the Embassy, again is this real or what, surely the staff at the Embassy know what a Thai wedding certificate looks like. The cost of translation and the runaround will be more than just getting the Visa without using the EEC bit.

[InterestedObserver]

Thai marriage certificate needs to be translated and then certified by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

[7by7]

For the UK, although the information given by the UKBA says that all documents not in English should be accompanied by an English translation anecdotal evidence suggests that for official documents such as marriage certificates this is not strictly necessary. However, as a translation would be cheap and easy to obtain, you may as well get one. Particularly if at some stage you intend to settle in the UK as it will come in handy there; having it done in Thailand will be a lot cheaper than in the UK!

As far as the UK is concerned, there is absolutely no need to have the translation certified by the MFA! The UK will accept a simple certificate placed on the translation by the translation bureau.

I don't know about Switzerland, but if they are asking for it then it's best to supply it. I would check with them if having the translation certified by the MFA is necessary, but like the UK I suspect certification by the translation bureau is sufficient.

[bobrussell]

We were quoted over £100 for translation of a document for the bank in the UK so my advice would be to get translations of any documents you may require in the future done in Thailand. It will cost a fraction as much!

[InterestedObserver]

We were quoted over £100 for translation of a document for the bank in the UK so my advice would be to get translations of any documents you may require in the future done in Thailand. It will cost a fraction as much!

Also have the translation certified by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

[7by7]

As already said many times before, as far as the UK is concerned there is no need to have translations certified by the MFA.

Supporting documents in Thailand

Translated documents

You must also provide a translation of any supporting documents that are not in English. If you do not provide a translation of your supporting documents, it might be difficult for our officers to assess your application accurately, which may result in your application being delayed or refused. Each translated document must contain:

• confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document
  
• the date of the translation
  
• the translator's full name and signature
  
• the translator's contact details
  

"confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document" means confirmation by the translator.

Our wedding certificate, my wife's birth certificate and my step-daughter's birth certificate were just certified by the translation bureau; not by the MFA. These translations have been acceptable whenever we have needed them. By the embassy for their visa applications, the IND/UKBA for their ILR applications and their British citizenship applications. Also by the IPS for their British passport applications, the DWP for NI number applications, HMRC for tax credit and child benefit applications, DVLA for driving licence applications, etc., etc.

Other countries, though, may require MFA certification. So if you think at some stage you may be applying for a visa in the UK for another country, e.g. a Schengen state, then it may be worth having the MFA certify it before leaving Thailand. However, if you haven't done this and official certification is required then certification by the Thai embassy in London will suffice.

Of course, if applying for a visa in Thailand then you should check with the appropriate embassy in Bangkok to see if MFA certification of translations is required.

[bobrussell]

I would be tempted to go for MFA certification anyway.

The UKBA/ECO are not going to worry too much because they have staff to confirm the accuracy of documents if necessary but organisations in the UK will not necessarily have the same facilities.

Official government stamps on the translated copies will, I suspect make a certified marriage certificate translation more acceptable.

I have to say that when I applied for child benefit the Thai birth certificate did not require translation, presumably because it has already been accepted as valid during the visa application process.

[ThaiVisaExpress]

Email them to our office they are 500 baht each hardly expensive.

[cme]

I have read the above comments and they all differ from my experience.

After my marriage I wanted to register the marriage in the Uk to give my wife some protection (pension rights) should I die. The UK Pensions Office would NOT accept my MFA or any other translation, I had to send the original certificate which they then translated with their own Thai translators. It took 6 months!! I can only assume they sent it back to Bangkok and had someone in the Embassy do it.

[InterestedObserver]

I have read the above comments and they all differ from my experience.

After my marriage I wanted to register the marriage in the Uk to give my wife some protection (pension rights) should I die. The UK Pensions Office would NOT accept my MFA or any other translation, I had to send the original certificate which they then translated with their own Thai translators. It took 6 months!! I can only assume they sent it back to Bangkok and had someone in the Embassy do it.

The full document legalization (legalisation) process would require the UK Embassy in Bangkok certify the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) signatures. It's not that the MFA or translation agency was incorrect, just that the legalization process was not complete.

Edited January 8, 2012 by InterestedObserver

[cme]

I have read the above comments and they all differ from my experience.

After my marriage I wanted to register the marriage in the Uk to give my wife some protection (pension rights) should I die. The UK Pensions Office would NOT accept my MFA or any other translation, I had to send the original certificate which they then translated with their own Thai translators. It took 6 months!! I can only assume they sent it back to Bangkok and had someone in the Embassy do it.

The full document legalization (legalisation) process would require the UK Embassy in Bangkok certify the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) signatures. It's not that the MFA or translation agency was incorrect, just that the legalization process was not complete.

Do you have any idea why I had to go through this process when all other Posters seem to have had a much easier experience?

[InterestedObserver]

I have read the above comments and they all differ from my experience.

After my marriage I wanted to register the marriage in the Uk to give my wife some protection (pension rights) should I die. The UK Pensions Office would NOT accept my MFA or any other translation, I had to send the original certificate which they then translated with their own Thai translators. It took 6 months!! I can only assume they sent it back to Bangkok and had someone in the Embassy do it.

The full document legalization (legalisation) process would require the UK Embassy in Bangkok certify the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) signatures. It's not that the MFA or translation agency was incorrect, just that the legalization process was not complete.

Do you have any idea why I had to go through this process when all other Posters seem to have had a much easier experience?

Because the advise generally given in this Forum is that it is not necessary to get your Thai documents legalized to international standards when traveling to the UK. Occasionally somebody gets caught, you are not the first.

[Bagwan]

I have read the above comments and they all differ from my experience.

After my marriage I wanted to register the marriage in the Uk to give my wife some protection (pension rights) should I die. The UK Pensions Office would NOT accept my MFA or any other translation, I had to send the original certificate which they then translated with their own Thai translators. It took 6 months!! I can only assume they sent it back to Bangkok and had someone in the Embassy do it.

Same same me.

[7by7]

I have read the above comments and they all differ from my experience.

After my marriage I wanted to register the marriage in the Uk to give my wife some protection (pension rights) should I die. The UK Pensions Office would NOT accept my MFA or any other translation, I had to send the original certificate which they then translated with their own Thai translators. It took 6 months!! I can only assume they sent it back to Bangkok and had someone in the Embassy do it.

The full document legalization (legalisation) process would require the UK Embassy in Bangkok certify the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) signatures. It's not that the MFA or translation agency was incorrect, just that the legalization process was not complete.

Do you have any idea why I had to go through this process when all other Posters seem to have had a much easier experience?

Because the advise generally given in this Forum is that it is not necessary to get your Thai documents legalized to international standards when traveling to the UK. Occasionally somebody gets caught, you are not the first.

Read CME's post again. You will see that he says "The UK Pensions Office would NOT accept my MFA or any other translation" So he had done what you suggest, but for some reason the pensions office would not accept it.

CME, I don't know why they would not accept your translation, even though you had it MFA certified. As I have already said, our translations have not been 'legalized (sic) to international standards' yet have been accepted by every UK government department that we have had to submit them to; including the DWP.

This is not just our experience, but that of everyone we know and, until now, every post on this matter I can recall on this and other, similar forums.

Bagwan, when you say 'same same me' what problem did you have?

Incidentally, there is no need to register a Thai marriage again in the UK. If the marriage is legal in the country where it took place then it is also legal in the UK, and has been since 1899! Whether you can register your marriage again in the UK is a subject of some debate. Some registrars will do so, others refuse because the marriage is already registered in Thailand. Attempts to get a definitive ruling on this from the relevant authority have been unsuccessful; all they will say is that it is not necessary.

Although the British embassy does say "You are unable to register a Thai marriage in the UK.........."

[beano2274]

Am not really worried about the UKBA as I know they will accept the Thai Marriage certificate, but how about for a Schengen Visa using married to an EU Person, thus not paying any visa fee, just the admin fee, is it a requirement to get it certified at the MFA or by a well known translation service....