Getting Married April

[joe3180]

ok i will go to bangkok in march to get married to my long term gf. im just not sure about what documents im going to need to bring with me when i go. im from USA. now the one thing im havin a prob with is on the US embassy site for bangkok they say nothing about bring bank statements or anything. but i read other places that i need to show that stuff. anyone know for sure? as far as i know from the website is i just need my passport and fill out somepapers at the embassy and they will sign it. then i go to get the papers translated and then bring those to a place to get the signature verified. then i go to the government office and register with them that we are married. then back to the us embassy to register my marriage in the US. no place does it say what "supporting documents" are needed....but it says that. im not sure if i forgot any important information but feel free to ask me for anything that will help anwser my question. oh and i will not be filing for her to come to the US until may when i join the army and can show the embassy i can support my new wife. since my income is pretty bad right now spending so much time with her in bkk not working. any help will be great. thanks!!

jason

[tavarich]

here is my thumbnail sketch as I don't have the actual documents at hand: I had to go to the embassy and get a paper signed, make that notorized. that was $30 stand in line for that. Then we had to get that paper translated to Thai. I'm guessin now but it was $ 10 We then headed over to very large ministry building on the other side of town $6 for taxi. Stand in line wait see the window lady go sit and wait have lunch. Go wait we got to sit this time very crowded the day I was there. I can't remember how much that window transaction was not much. After that we went and found the local justice of the peace. (amphur) The last one is the actual marriage registration you get a certificate, pay the man. MARRIED woohoo

Make sure you have pictures and your passport and her ID and here passport if she has one.

I have just boiled it down as the details are fadeing... fadein... fadei... fade... fad... fa...f........

[joe3180]

when you say pictures you mean? like passport photos? and did the embassy ask you for any documents? or was it just like here fill this out and turn it in for them to sign? but thanks for writing back

[sierra01]

Tararich's account is very similar to the Uk set up. Download a freedom to marry statement from the Embassy website, using MS word change whatever personal bits you need to change; name, address etc, print it out. DON'T write anything, type it. Take the paper and any divorce papers that show you're divorced and free to marry (decree absolute in the UK) to the Embassy and pay a silly amount of money to have it signed and stamped. Have the paper translated at one of the many places next to the Ministry on Chaeng Wattana road (200bt), take both bits to the Ministry, pay 800bt and wait an hour....hey presto you're free to marry, did it all last month.

[tavarich]

yes passport size photos. The U.S. embassy will give you an intent to marry type document. You get that at the first window you see when you get into the building. Thats the one you get notorized. When you get to the front of the embassy try going past the line of thais and telling the guard your going to ACS depending on his mood you might have to go to the back of the line (that sux) or you might get to go right in. once inside just stay to the right of the mob and push your way to the ACS. Good luck.

[lopburi3]

I assume from your apparent age you have not been married so it will be simple and as said on the US Embassy web site. As you do not seem to have employment not sure how much notice that will create but suspect you will not be the first.

1. Visit ACSU to fill out marriage form which gives general bio data, job, references, income type information - pay for notary - obtain notarized copy and leave.

2. Proceed to translation service - translate to Thai - pay - leave (or have them do step 3)

3. Proceed to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (near airport) to register translation/embassy document - pay - receive document with a registry number on it and stamps. Probably be some photo copies made in this transaction and often takes a day or two I believe.

4. Proceed to any District Office with the woman to register you marriage - you will need your passport and the paperwork from 3 and they may call to check it. There is a requirement for two witness but usually you just buy lunch for a couple of people in the office. They could ask for you to have a translator (only someone who can understand Thai and speak English) to make sure you understand what you are signing but often this is not required or office can speak English good enough.

[sierra01]

I assume from your apparent age you have not been married so it will be simple and as said on the US Embassy web site. As you do not seem to have employment not sure how much notice that will create but suspect you will not be the first.

1. Visit ACSU to fill out marriage form which gives general bio data, job, references, income type information - pay for notary - obtain notarized copy and leave.

2. Proceed to translation service - translate to Thai - pay - leave (or have them do step 3)

3. Proceed to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (near airport) to register translation/embassy document - pay - receive document with a registry number on it and stamps. Probably be some photo copies made in this transaction and often takes a day or two I believe.

4. Proceed to any District Office with the woman to register you marriage - you will need your passport and the paperwork from 3 and they may call to check it. There is a requirement for two witness but usually you just buy lunch for a couple of people in the office. They could ask for you to have a translator (only someone who can understand Thai and speak English) to make sure you understand what you are signing but often this is not required or office can speak English good enough.

Just want to say a couple of things Lopburi.

Translation at one of the shops next to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Chaeng Wattana road cost me 200bt and took about 20 minutes, inside the Ministry it was 800bt and 1 hour

[joe3180]

oh...good info...thanks guys. so the pictures would be 2 of me and 2 of her? i would assume...but im sure 1 would do of each. oh and yea...im pretty young i guess you can tell by how i write or something. im 25 and so is my girl. and both unmarried. and great info bout the translation...that will come in handy. i want to spend more time with my girl and less in line or waiting. with your guys experance how long will the whole thing take generaly....if i do everything as quick as i can and there are no real delays on my part? looking at what you 2 have said i guess its bout 4-5 days? so basicly i really dont need anything extra then what i would normaly bring with me? oh yea...bout the embassy website....i guess its been down all day today. i went to check on things before work today and only got a good 5 min glance. when i got home didnt work and hasnt since. oh and im talkin bout the us embassy in bangkok website.....ok...now i feel dumb...it started to work again. i just checked it. but good to have real life experance rather then relay on only the website....i know things can go wrong or whatever. thanks again tho.

Edited January 7, 2006 by joe3180

[sierra01]

From the UK side of things we did everything, from Embassy-Ministry-marriage in 3 days. Make sure you have all the various bits of paper, copies, translations and whatnot in order and it's plain sailing.

[joe3180]

and all that is the stuff you get from the embassy and other places along the way?

[sierra01]

Yes, along with passports and ID cards and lots of photos, if you need more copies there are usually places inhouse or nearby that will make them. House registration book, just take everything you can think of that you might need, even if it's highly unlikely still take it, cover all the bases.

[joe3180]

lots of photos? house registration book?

[vinny]

See also Marriage for Thailand's Regulations, Required Documents, and Procedures.

[sierra01]

lots of photos? house registration book?

Sorry Joe, your wife's house registration book, tabian ban, blue book. Lots of passport sized pics, a few anyway, always handy.

[joe3180]

oh...never heard of that before...ill have to ask her bout that tonight. what are those other things? tabian ban and blue book? and ill be sure to get those photos too. just wasnt sure if ya ment photos of me and her like on holiday or that. thanks for clearing that up.

also thanks for that website...first time i heard bout that house registration book thing and first website i saw with it too.

[vinny]

The House Registration Certificate is called "tabian ban" and it is blue, hence "blue book". Same document, I think.

[joe3180]

haha...ok...got it. easy for me to ask her bout that then. thanks.

[lopburi3]

This is the quote from the Embassy web site in case you have trouble with access. I do not recall any need for photos during marriage process and home register is normally not required for most things these days (it was in the past). Thai ID card is now all important but would not hurt to have or make sure the home register is not required at the office you are going to visit.

MARRIAGE IN THAILAND

Information for American Citizens

A legal marriage in Thailand consists of both parties registering their marriage in person with the local Thai Amphur (Civil Registry Office). The United States does recognize the validity of such a marriage.

A. TO MARRY A THAI CITIZEN YOU MUST FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

1. Complete an affidavit at the American Embassy. The affidavit form, available upon request, includes all of the information required by relevant Thai law. The form must be completed and notarized at the Embassy.

2. Have the completed affidavit translated.

3. Take the affidavit and translation to:

Legalization Division

Department of Consular Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

3rd Floor, 123 Chaeng Wattana Road

Tung Song Hong, Laksi District, Bangkok

Tel:(02) 575-1057-8, Fax:(02) 575-1054

4. Take the affidavit and supporting documents to a local Amphur and register yourselves as married. The Amphur will also require the following documents:

a) Your American passport;

The Thai citizen's identification card;

c) If either party is under the age of twenty, written

permission from the parents (with Thai translation);

d) If either you or your fiance have been previously married the Amphur will want to see proof that prior marriages have been terminated; either divorce or death certificates. These documents if available, should be translated into Thai prior to presentation at the Amphur.

[joe3180]

cool...thank you for that info too.

[Rj 81]

Does anybody know if you need to have passport photos if you are British marrying a Thai?

[GU22]

No, you don't.

But you will need to produce your passport as identification, and she her i.d. card.

[Rj 81]

No, you don't.

But you will need to produce your passport as identification, and she her i.d. card.

Thank you GU22

[Gumballl]

ok i will go to bangkok in march to get married to my long term gf. im just not sure about what documents im going to need to bring with me when i go. im from USA. now the one thing im havin a prob with is on the US embassy site for bangkok they say nothing about bring bank statements or anything. but i read other places that i need to show that stuff. anyone know for sure? as far as i know from the website is i just need my passport and fill out somepapers at the embassy and they will sign it. then i go to get the papers translated and then bring those to a place to get the signature verified. then i go to the government office and register with them that we are married. then back to the us embassy to register my marriage in the US. no place does it say what "supporting documents" are needed....but it says that. im not sure if i forgot any important information but feel free to ask me for anything that will help anwser my question. oh and i will not be filing for her to come to the US until may when i join the army and can show the embassy i can support my new wife. since my income is pretty bad right now spending so much time with her in bkk not working. any help will be great. thanks!!

jason

I just recently married in BKK. As others have said, you need to sign (and have notarized) an affidavit at the US Embassy (ACS Unit). From there, if you want, step into any translation shop, and they will take care of translating the affidavit to Thai, running it over to to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then escort you and your fiance to the Amphur, where you get married. The translation shop should charge you a fixed fee to have everything done.

After you are married, you are not required to register your marriage at the US Embassy, nor back in the States. Your marriage is automatically recognized by the US. Nevertheless, it is in your interest to have a translated version of your Thai marriage certificate. You will need to submit a copy of this to the USCIS when you eventually file the I-130 for your wife's visa.

Also, do not forget to apply for the IRS's ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) for your spouse. This serves in lieu of a Social Security Number for tax filing purposes.

When/if your wife gets a visa to come to the US, she will automatically be eligible to apply for a bonafide Social Security Number, and you can stop using the ITIN.

[jrincon17]

oh...good info...thanks guys. so the pictures would be 2 of me and 2 of her? i would assume...but im sure 1 would do of each. oh and yea...im pretty young i guess you can tell by how i write or something. im 25 and so is my girl. and both unmarried. and great info bout the translation...that will come in handy. i want to spend more time with my girl and less in line or waiting. with your guys experance how long will the whole thing take generaly....if i do everything as quick as i can and there are no real delays on my part? looking at what you 2 have said i guess its bout 4-5 days? so basicly i really dont need anything extra then what i would normaly bring with me? oh yea...bout the embassy website....i guess its been down all day today. i went to check on things before work today and only got a good 5 min glance. when i got home didnt work and hasnt since. oh and im talkin bout the us embassy in bangkok website.....ok...now i feel dumb...it started to work again. i just checked it. but good to have real life experance rather then relay on only the website....i know things can go wrong or whatever. thanks again tho.

NO YOU NEED 2 OF EACH OF YOU !

[joe3180]

so the pictures would be 2 of me and 2 of her?

NO YOU NEED 2 OF EACH OF YOU !

what are they used for?

I just recently married in BKK. As others have said, you need to sign (and have notarized) an affidavit at the US Embassy (ACS Unit). From there, if you want, step into any translation shop, and they will take care of translating the affidavit to Thai, running it over to to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then escort you and your fiance to the Amphur, where you get married. The translation shop should charge you a fixed fee to have everything done.

After you are married, you are not required to register your marriage at the US Embassy, nor back in the States. Your marriage is automatically recognized by the US. Nevertheless, it is in your interest to have a translated version of your Thai marriage certificate. You will need to submit a copy of this to the USCIS when you eventually file the I-130 for your wife's visa.

Also, do not forget to apply for the IRS's ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) for your spouse. This serves in lieu of a Social Security Number for tax filing purposes.

When/if your wife gets a visa to come to the US, she will automatically be eligible to apply for a bonafide Social Security Number, and you can stop using the ITIN.

Thank you. i heard bout that form before too. i guess ill have to contact the irs before i leave so i can get her to sign that while im there. so when you got married the translation place did all that for you? that sounds nice. how much did they charge you for all that? ill prob just do it all myself since im going to wait a couple days after i get the papers back from the MFA to go to the amphur. but good explaination tho. at first i was just worried maybe i could get turned down for it or something cuz they are asking me for my salary and job. just cuz ill be in the middle of changing jobs at the time. but now after all this i think ill be ok. thanks for all the help guys.

[lopburi3]

She will only require a tax ID number on next years tax as you were not married in 2005. You obtain the ITIN by including the form with your 2006 tax year return.

[wozza]

In Vinnys post there was a link to an info site

It did say that you cannot remarry before 310 days after your divorce is that correct

And did i read correctly that 1 exclusion was that if your were certifed by a doctor that you wernt pregnant the marrage would be allowed (for females only of course)

[Gumballl]

so the pictures would be 2 of me and 2 of her?

NO YOU NEED 2 OF EACH OF YOU !

what are they used for?

I just recently married in BKK. As others have said, you need to sign (and have notarized) an affidavit at the US Embassy (ACS Unit). From there, if you want, step into any translation shop, and they will take care of translating the affidavit to Thai, running it over to to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then escort you and your fiance to the Amphur, where you get married. The translation shop should charge you a fixed fee to have everything done.

After you are married, you are not required to register your marriage at the US Embassy, nor back in the States. Your marriage is automatically recognized by the US. Nevertheless, it is in your interest to have a translated version of your Thai marriage certificate. You will need to submit a copy of this to the USCIS when you eventually file the I-130 for your wife's visa.

Also, do not forget to apply for the IRS's ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) for your spouse. This serves in lieu of a Social Security Number for tax filing purposes.

When/if your wife gets a visa to come to the US, she will automatically be eligible to apply for a bonafide Social Security Number, and you can stop using the ITIN.

Thank you. i heard bout that form before too. i guess ill have to contact the irs before i leave so i can get her to sign that while im there. so when you got married the translation place did all that for you? that sounds nice. how much did they charge you for all that? ill prob just do it all myself since im going to wait a couple days after i get the papers back from the MFA to go to the amphur. but good explaination tho. at first i was just worried maybe i could get turned down for it or something cuz they are asking me for my salary and job. just cuz ill be in the middle of changing jobs at the time. but now after all this i think ill be ok. thanks for all the help guys.

I cannot remember exactly what I paid at the translation shop, but I think it was around 7,000 Baht. The owner of the shop kept "feeding" me Chang beer, so I great time, and didn't think much of the money spent. At the ACS (US Embassy), I think that it cost 800 Baht to have the affidavit notarized.

As for the US Embassy, they have no way to verify your income, nor will they ask for any proof of such. Save yourself the trouble, and merely list the last company/income you received. IMO, it is uncommon for folks to take a new job (in the US), and make less than their previous job.

And as for the IRS W-7 form is available online, and can be filled out electronically. However you will need to print it out on paper, and have your spouse sign/date it by hand. When you mail it to the IRS, you will be required to submit a form of legal ID from your spouse. In the case for my spouse, I submitted her passport (which was later returned to me). If you decide to use your spouse's Thai ID card, you must also provide an English translation. It is perhaps best that you submit the Passport, because while the W-7 is being processed, your wife could very well need her Thai ID card for other purposes.

As Lopburi mentioned, since you are getting married this year (2006), you really do not have to worry about the ITIN (W-7) till next year (2007) when you file your 2006 taxes. In theory you are supposed to include your completed tax forms when you submit the W-7; however I did not during late 2005 period (the year I got married), and nevertheless my spouse was granted an ITIN.

Good luck, and remember to keep all ducks in a row. Keep copies of all relevant documents (marriage cert, emails and phone records of communication between you and spouse, photos, etc). You will need these for the I-130, and later when your spouse has an interview at the US Embassy in BKK.

Phew... what a long answer... get married is a pain.

Edited January 11, 2006 by Gumballl

[lopburi3]

Phew... what a long answer... get married is a pain.

Some might say that pain has yet to begin.

[joe3180]

good info. thank you. yea...i have a lot of things...i mean a lot. few hundred emails, over 1000 pictures. bout 100 pages of conversations, and receipts for phone cards...thats the best i can do about that. but i do have phone records of text messages. but i think that should be good enough...haha. but wow...when i saw what you paid to that translation place i was little shocked. but i guess a little bit of money for the convenience is good for some people. im much too cheap to pay something like that...haha...poor me. but yea i wont be changing job to less money i just wont have a job at the time i fill the paper out. when i get back from bkk after getting married ill be going to the army...so i guess its safe to say that. ill just ask the people at the embassy...im sure they dont care anyway. but i just want to be honest with all of them. but ill have to bring that paper out for her to sign this time cuz i dont think she will get her visa before next year...unfortunately. thanks again for the help.