Marriage And Name Change

[scottjbarrow]

Hi Guys and Girls,

A few things, my partner and I are now official married. The process was very easy. Just a brief description of process.

4th Jan 2006 - Went to Bristish Embassy at 8.30 with affirmation of freedom to marry. Arrived 8.30, waited five mins, signed copy in front of counter person who had checked the document. Handed over 2625 Baht and left about 8.45.

5th Jan 2006 - Went to British Embassy at 9.00, waited 5 mins, picked up affirmation of freedom to marry and left. Went across road to Express Translation Services, paid 1800 for translation and their courier service to take the documents and get them stamped. Told to pick documents up at 3.00pm. Back at hotel for 10.00am. Partnet joined me that evening.

6th Jan 2006 - Went to Amphur Office near On Nut station for about 9.30am. Took all the relevant documents :-

Thai Translation of Affirmation to Marry + copies

My Passport + copies of visa stamp, TM card, photo page.

Partners ID card + copies

Partners Tambien Bahn + copies

Handed over 500 baht, about 20 mins later we were married. Walked over the road and got the certificates laminated. Back to Hotel for nice breakfast.

Very easy and very cheap.

Hope this helps.

Now my questions:-

1. My wife wishes to keep her thai name in Thailand which I am not bothered about, and use my name in the UK, is there any problems in doing this?

2. What about opening bank accounts etc in the UK? If she wanted to use my name, what documents would she need?

3. Does she have to change her ID card to "Mrs" or can she keep it the same?

Thanks in advance

Scott.

[BKK90210]

Hi Guys and Girls,

A few things, my partner and I are now official married. The process was very easy. Just a brief description of process.

4th Jan 2006 - Went to Bristish Embassy at 8.30 with affirmation of freedom to marry. Arrived 8.30, waited five mins, signed copy in front of counter person who had checked the document. Handed over 2625 Baht and left about 8.45.

5th Jan 2006 - Went to British Embassy at 9.00, waited 5 mins, picked up affirmation of freedom to marry and left. Went across road to Express Translation Services, paid 1800 for translation and their courier service to take the documents and get them stamped. Told to pick documents up at 3.00pm. Back at hotel for 10.00am. Partnet joined me that evening.

6th Jan 2006 - Went to Amphur Office near On Nut station for about 9.30am. Took all the relevant documents :-

Thai Translation of Affirmation to Marry + copies

My Passport + copies of visa stamp, TM card, photo page.

Partners ID card + copies

Partners Tambien Bahn + copies

Handed over 500 baht, about 20 mins later we were married. Walked over the road and got the certificates laminated. Back to Hotel for nice breakfast.

Very easy and very cheap.

Hope this helps.

Now my questions:-

1. My wife wishes to keep her thai name in Thailand which I am not bothered about, and use my name in the UK, is there any problems in doing this?

2. What about opening bank accounts etc in the UK? If she wanted to use my name, what documents would she need?

3. Does she have to change her ID card to "Mrs" or can she keep it the same?

Thanks in advance

Scott.

From experience

1) She can keep her thai name on her thai id card and also her thai last name. Make sure her thai passport match this original name and last name

2) In UK she should add the english name - for first name and use her thai name as the middle name with the new last name(yours)...and get the UK passport to match this new name...open the UK bank account or any official UK documents... using this name with your last name.

When coming to thailand she can always use her UK passport without having to use her thai passport unless she's trying to buy some land in thailand.

3)She is not required to change her thai ID card to "mrs" since she's still have her old last name. It's much easier this way when she's trying to buy a land or any property in thailand in the future

4) make sure once she moved to UK - try to have her in one of her family TABIEN BAAN always. It's much easier to renew her thai ID card in the future. Like having 2 addressess (one in thailand and one in UK)

Hope this help

[Dragonman]

Hi Guys and Girls,

A few things, my partner and I are now official married. The process was very easy. Just a brief description of process.

4th Jan 2006 - Went to Bristish Embassy at 8.30 with affirmation of freedom to marry. Arrived 8.30, waited five mins, signed copy in front of counter person who had checked the document. Handed over 2625 Baht and left about 8.45.

5th Jan 2006 - Went to British Embassy at 9.00, waited 5 mins, picked up affirmation of freedom to marry and left. Went across road to Express Translation Services, paid 1800 for translation and their courier service to take the documents and get them stamped. Told to pick documents up at 3.00pm. Back at hotel for 10.00am. Partnet joined me that evening.

6th Jan 2006 - Went to Amphur Office near On Nut station for about 9.30am. Took all the relevant documents :-

Thai Translation of Affirmation to Marry + copies

My Passport + copies of visa stamp, TM card, photo page.

Partners ID card + copies

Partners Tambien Bahn + copies

Handed over 500 baht, about 20 mins later we were married. Walked over the road and got the certificates laminated. Back to Hotel for nice breakfast.

Very easy and very cheap.

Hope this helps.

Now my questions:-

1. My wife wishes to keep her thai name in Thailand which I am not bothered about, and use my name in the UK, is there any problems in doing this?

2. What about opening bank accounts etc in the UK? If she wanted to use my name, what documents would she need?

3. Does she have to change her ID card to "Mrs" or can she keep it the same?

Thanks in advance

Scott.

Scott, you may get many answers on what people have done. I shall give my interpretation of the law!

1 No problem nowadays in her keeping her Thai name. In the UK it is not difficult to make a name change for a married woman on showing marriage certificate and translation. It may cause many problems however with regard to having different name on ID and Thai passport. You know what security is like nowadays. Of course she can call herself what she likes in British law as long as she is not doing so to commit a fraud, although banks, Government Depts., etc. may wish to quote her passport name.

2 Would require normally 3 items with her name, 2 of which show her address.

3 Under Thai law the household registration document and ID must be changed to show Mrs, also the passport, after this has been done.

There is no question of any problems regarding land purchase, as this law was repealed in 1999.

[scottjbarrow]

Scott, you may get many answers on what people have done. I shall give my interpretation of the law!

1 No problem nowadays in her keeping her Thai name. In the UK it is not difficult to make a name change for a married woman on showing marriage certificate and translation. It may cause many problems however with regard to having different name on ID and Thai passport. You know what security is like nowadays. Of course she can call herself what she likes in British law as long as she is not doing so to commit a fraud, although banks, Government Depts., etc. may wish to quote her passport name.

2 Would require normally 3 items with her name, 2 of which show her address.

3 Under Thai law the household registration document and ID must be changed to show Mrs, also the passport, after this has been done.

There is no question of any problems regarding land purchase, as this law was repealed in 1999.

One of the main reasons for not changing her name is all the effort involved in doing so, but if the law states she has to change it to "Mrs" including her passport, whats the reasons for keeping her name as it is?

Also in terms of the visa we are submitting, all the paperwork is in her current name, changing her name on ID card etc would mean changing all paperwork.

Sorry just a little lost on this one. We want to keep her name as it is in Thailand, but in the UK use Mrs ****** ****** Barrow, using this name to open bank accounts etc. When she qualifies for British passport we will use her new name.

Can this be done?

[Dragonman]

Scott, you may get many answers on what people have done. I shall give my interpretation of the law!

1 No problem nowadays in her keeping her Thai name. In the UK it is not difficult to make a name change for a married woman on showing marriage certificate and translation. It may cause many problems however with regard to having different name on ID and Thai passport. You know what security is like nowadays. Of course she can call herself what she likes in British law as long as she is not doing so to commit a fraud, although banks, Government Depts., etc. may wish to quote her passport name.

2 Would require normally 3 items with her name, 2 of which show her address.

3 Under Thai law the household registration document and ID must be changed to show Mrs, also the passport, after this has been done.

There is no question of any problems regarding land purchase, as this law was repealed in 1999.

One of the main reasons for not changing her name is all the effort involved in doing so, but if the law states she has to change it to "Mrs" including her passport, whats the reasons for keeping her name as it is?

Also in terms of the visa we are submitting, all the paperwork is in her current name, changing her name on ID card etc would mean changing all paperwork.

Sorry just a little lost on this one. We want to keep her name as it is in Thailand, but in the UK use Mrs ****** ****** Barrow, using this name to open bank accounts etc. When she qualifies for British passport we will use her new name.

Can this be done?

The law was changed to enable women to keep their family name as family names are fairly unique in Thailand, unlike British Smiths, Jones, Williams,Brown,etc. plus there were shouts from women's rights groups.

You have 90 days to change name, and I don't think they'd arrest her if it was a bit over. Besides I'm sure Embassy would only require new copies to amend records and not a new submission.

Banks would probably be a bit suspicious as to the reasons she didn't change anything in Thailand, but possibly some may accept just confirmation of address and marriage certificate.

Unless she has some cultural grounds for not changing her name I would try and persuade her. It only took my wife a couple of hours to change everything at the amphur. Although it should really be changed, we didn't bother with the passport, as long as the tickets are in the name on the passport. Never had any problem.

[vinny]

See also Thai women allowed to keep maiden names

[scottjbarrow]

Just remembered one thing they asked for which I forgot was a copy of the entry stamp in your passport as well. But as there was a photocopy shop this wasn't a problem and was done in a few mins when my partner filled in forms.