Depositing Thai Marriage Certificate In London

[ratcha1999]

Hi All,

I am in the process of deposting my thai marriage certifcate in UK.

In the requirement checklist it asks for British passport or A copy certified by a U.K. solicitor .

My question is : do they want all the pages of the passport to be copied and certtified or just the bio data page?

Thank you for your help.

[7by7]

Why do you need a certified copy of your passport? It doesn't say this in the guidance.

Why are you doing this anyway?

Depositing the certificate with the GRO does not confer any extra 'legality' on the marriage; if it's legal in Thailand then it's legal in the UK.

All it means is that a copy would be available for you in the UK were you to lose the original; if you feel that's worth the exorbitant fee, up to you.

[tebee]

He's depositing it in London not Thailand so different rules apply.

What it says on the application form is One British passport. A copy certified by a U.K. solicitor or notary public is acceptable + Plus two photocopies of bio data page - so I'd assume the copy needs to be of the whole passport.

Edited February 3, 2012 by tebee

[cardholder]

He's depositing it in London not Thailand so different rules apply.

What it says on the application form is One British passport. A copy certified by a U.K. solicitor or notary public is acceptable + Plus two photocopies of bio data page - so I'd assume the copy needs to be of the whole passport.

I still think the question- "Why is he doing this" is valid.

I can see no practical benefits whatsoever - I would be interested to hear of any that I may have over-looked.

[Upnotover]

He's depositing it in London not Thailand so different rules apply.

What it says on the application form is One British passport. A copy certified by a U.K. solicitor or notary public is acceptable + Plus two photocopies of bio data page - so I'd assume the copy needs to be of the whole passport.

I still think the question- "Why is he doing this" is valid.

I can see no practical benefits whatsoever - I would be interested to hear of any that I may have over-looked.

Their is a popular misconception amongst some ladies here that they somehow become "registered" in the UK and entitled to some future benefits. This may well have been true in the past but no longer. The UK Gov't website is at pains to stress that a Thai marriage cannot be registered in the UK and that the only benefit of depositing the documents is to be able to get a copy of them at some future point in time.

[tebee]

I still think the question- "Why is he doing this" is valid.

I can see no practical benefits whatsoever - I would be interested to hear of any that I may have over-looked.

Their is a popular misconception amongst some ladies here that they somehow become "registered" in the UK and entitled to some future benefits. This may well have been true in the past but no longer. The UK Gov't website is at pains to stress that a Thai marriage cannot be registered in the UK and that the only benefit of depositing the documents is to be able to get a copy of them at some future point in time.

It does provide an extra level validity to the certificate in that it authenticates that the British government recognizes the marriage and that you are the person who you say you are. As such it is probably not that much use in the UK but may be useful in other countries or in case of disputes.

If you take a piece of paper which you say is a marriage certificate to another country do you expect them to take your word that it is a valid marriage recognized by the British government?

Also consider if I was to get a forged copy of your passport with my photo and signature in it. I could then go and marry a Thai girl using that passport and would have marriage certificate with your name on it.

If that were to blindly accepted everywhere I could cause a lot of trouble for you. Luckily it won't be, this is why getting your certificate legalized either by the British embassy or by depositing with the GRO is worth doing. The reason they ask for a passport is so it can be checked with what is on file and your identity verified.

So the short answer is if you think you are going to have a cozy life together in the UK or Thailand there is probably no need to deposit a copy unless you are worried about future generations who want to trace their ancestors.

If you think you may want to live in another country in the future or want to insure against problems like inheritance or divorce disputes that may occur in the future then it's worth doing. It will cost a lot more to prove a certificate valid or invalid in court that the cost of depositing it now.

[tebee]

Just to add to the reason for doing this, went to the French Consulate's visa agent to get a short-stay Schengen Visa for my Thai wife and stepson today.

Two things they complained about, they had signed their names on the application in English but their passports where signed in Thai.

The other was relevant to this thread. They said the visa application might be delayed as the would have to check the validity of my Thai Marriage certificate as it was not one issued by the GRO in UK. Pointed out to them that in my case I'd had the document legalized by the British Embassy here so I had proof it was valid and recognized by the British Government, but otherwise depositing the certificate with the GRO and getting a copy from them would have convinced them of it's validity.

[RAZZELL]

Just to add to the reason for doing this, went to the French Consulate's visa agent to get a short-stay Schengen Visa for my Thai wife and stepson today.

Two things they complained about, they had signed their names on the application in English but their passports where signed in Thai.

The other was relevant to this thread. They said the visa application might be delayed as the would have to check the validity of my Thai Marriage certificate as it was not one issued by the GRO in UK. Pointed out to them that in my case I'd had the document legalized by the British Embassy here so I had proof it was valid and recognized by the British Government, but otherwise depositing the certificate with the GRO and getting a copy from them would have convinced them of it's validity.

I can see no real reason for doing this but here's a couple of links:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Registeringlifeevents/Marriagesandcivilpartnerships/DG_175716

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/births-deaths-marriages-civil/marriage-and-civil-partnerships/depositing

If you're legally married all you are doing is depositing a copy of your marriage certificate at the GRO.

RAZZ