Are There Any Advantages to Registering a Marriage?

[mesquite]

A friend is going to marry his Thai girlfriend. He has told me he will register the marriage at the local Amphur, because "it's the right thing to do."

I can see no reason for him to register the marriage as it opens him up to various legal/financial problems should the marriage not work out. In an unregistered marriage, either party can simply walk away.

So what is the advantage, if any, of registering a marriage here in Thailand?

[jmccarty]

None if she or her family let him get away with not registering it!

[AnotherOneAmerican]

He is either going to marry her or not marry her.

Marriage is done at the Amphur office.

If he marries her

He will be the father of their children and have parental rights.

He will be able to get a VISA to visit his wife.

He will be able to inherit her stuff if she dies.

[Lite Beer]

It will mean that he is married.

Without that he will not be legally married.

All that family party stuff means nothing.

If he is legally married it will make his Visa options in Thailand a bit easier.

[mesquite]

But in the case of no marriage, if she left a will naming him as beneficiary, wouldn't he inherit her stuff if she died?

[AnotherOneAmerican]

But in the case of no marriage, if she left a will naming him as beneficiary, wouldn't he inherit her stuff if she died?

You think that would ever happen?

[villagefarang]

As Lite says, it can help with the visa. I spent 20 single years living in Thailand and when I finally married it had the unexpected benefit of not only making things easier for her when we traveled, but I suddenly became much more respectable as well, being a married man. It didn’t really change our relationship but it changed the perceptions of others.

Edited August 28, 2013 by villagefarang

[brianb1944]

If he doesn't want to be married, and an unregistered marriage is not a legal marriage, why pay for all the village to party?

[jrtmedic]

Agreed

Why pay for a party when there is no marriage !

[jrtmedic]

He could try it in the UK !

Ignore all that Church/Registry office nonsense --------just have a party and declare yourself "married "

[Pui]

He could try it in the UK !

Ignore all that Church/Registry office nonsense --------just have a party and declare yourself "married "

This is what most Thai's do. In the eye's of their community you are married and that seems to be good enough here.

[nosatisfaction]

He could try it in the UK !

Ignore all that Church/Registry office nonsense --------just have a party and declare yourself "married "

yes but getting the Visa for the lady without being officially married is much more difficult.

and indeed the marriage if not registered is not valid

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I know some girls that have a village wedding to a different foreigner every year, with sin-sot.

The foreigner also gets to pay 2x the real party costs, the extra also goes in the girls pocket.

A real wedding at the Amphur office, puts a stop to that game.

[Issangeorge]

If you are going to receive a pension, if you are legally married on most cases your wife will be entitled to 60% of it when you die.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[mikemac]

I have been with my lady for four years, since 2009. We had the traditional Thai wedding ceremony in her family home in 2010, complete with 6 monks and 3 novices. Had the wedding reception in December 2012 in Chiang Mai and we registered our marriage at the Amphur on Monday, this week (no, I don't rush into things)

The main reason we had our marriage registered is because we are expecting a baby any time soon and were told if we registered the marriage before the baby arrived it made it that bit easier to obtain dual citizenship for child, as in Thai and Aussie passports.

[prakhonchai nick]

If you are going to receive a pension, if you are legally married on most cases your wife will be entitled to 60% of it when you die.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Only if you die before 6th April 2016. That is form the UK Government Pensions Dept.

After that your wife will (if you are a UK citizen) a lump sum of around £5000, or £10,000 if she has school age children.

Some occupational pensions will only pay the wife a widows pension if the marriage is registered.

[hellodolly]

If you are going to receive a pension, if you are legally married on most cases your wife will be entitled to 60% of it when you die.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Would you have to be legally married to her in the country you get the pension from?

That could be interesting as I already have an ex drawing from my Social Security in the States.

[mikemac]

@ hellodolly - I had an ex from Chiang Rai trying to suck all the blood from my body but I put some ointment on it and it went away.

[Chicken George]

If he intends to buy a property for her its best to be married as he is then legally entitled to get 50% of the sale if they divorce..

[2008bangkok]

So basically nobody should get married incase it fails and he gets loads of legal bills... Tad pessimistic

[AnotherOneAmerican]

So basically nobody should get married incase it fails and he gets loads of legal bills... Tad pessimistic

Depends on the country.

Thailand is dead cheap for divorce.

USA is an expensive nightmare for a man.

I don't see any negative side to getting married in Thailand, PROVIDING your wife doesn't have legal access to courts in your home country. In other words, never take her home.

Edited August 28, 2013 by AnotherOneAmerican

[bangarang]

If you are going to marry someone, why wouldn't you register it? Easier to get a visa as well. But also if your not going to register it, whats the point. She is pretty much just a girlfriend.

[johnlandy]

He is either going to marry her or not marry her.

Marriage is done at the Amphur office.

If he marries her

He will be the father of their children and have parental rights.

He will be able to get a VISA to visit his wife.

He will be able to inherit her stuff if she dies.

He will be able to inherit her stuff if she dies. "you gotta be joking"

Inherit what? her cast off apparel? Her old shoes. c'mon.

Marriage is done at the Amphur office. Not correct in it's entirety, "it is registered at the amphur"

[HerbalEd]

He is either going to marry her or not marry her.

Marriage is done at the Amphur office.

If he marries her

He will be the father of their children and have parental rights.

He will be able to get a VISA to visit his wife.

He will be able to inherit her stuff if she dies.

But what about inheriting land/property? What happens to that if she dies before him?

[KuhnPaen]

Just be warned. My marriage (attempt) was a pain in the butt. First, the US Embassy, then taking all of the forms and getting them translated into Thai for the Amphur office. Problem was--there were small errors in the translation and we had to get it redone 3 times from different translators before they got it right. When we finally went to the Amphur, they had misspelled my last name by one letter off. They wouldn't accept it.

We spent an entire week running around and by then we were exhausted.

I ended up dodging a bullet because the relationship didn't work out after a few years and I was able to walk away. If it had been legal, I would have been screwed.

For once, bureaucratic incompetence saved my behind.

[Toscano]

If he is going to marry his girlfriend in Thailand , it has to be an Amphur marriage in order to be valid . The other alternative is to marry in your own home country , or at your embassy in Bangkok .

the regular Thai marriage with the display of gold and counting out the money , has no validity at all , either party can simply walk away as if nothing had happened .

You cannot get a marriage visa without the certificate from the Amphur . I would advise an older man retiring to Thailand , to get a retirement visa and not to get married at all , or simply to have the traditional Thai wedding with party . My wife and I only had the Amphur wedding , by ourselves one wet afternoon ; we didn't tell anybody until days later .

The marriage visa requires a tiresome pile of documents for the immigration extension of visa each year .

[umbanda]

If you are going to receive a pension, if you are legally married on most cases your wife will be entitled to 60% of it when you die.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Would you have to be legally married to her in the country you get the pension from?

That could be interesting as I already have an ex drawing from my Social Security in the States.

For an American to get legally married with a Thai citizen, needs to register at the Thai Foreign Ministry with proof of income from the US Embassy....if not..cannot register the marriage at the Amphur. If divorced before, needs to bring also the divorce papers to the Amphur. With all that documentation the marriage is also valid in America, and the Thai spouse gain the rights to get 60% of the SS income after its death, and apply for American residence and citizenship.

Will be very rare that a Thai fiance will not demand the marriage to be register at the Amphur....very rare.

[Toscano]

I omitted to say a marriage certificate from another country is perfectly valid , and saves all the parlava of a Thai wedding .

I would say to any foreigner planning to marry a Thai girlfriend , be careful whom you marry .

Bargirls and girls working in holiday resorts , could put your finances at grave risk of disappearing altogether .

[Krataiboy]

If he intends to buy a property for her its best to be married as he is then legally entitled to get 50% of the sale if they divorce..

News to me. Has the law been changed recently? What is your source, please?

As I understand the current situation, a house bought in a Thai wife's name is hers, irrespective of where the money came from.

If you supplied the cash it is treated as her money (a marriage gift) and you have to sign a form when the house sale is registered foregoing any claim to the property.

If you don't sign you are breaking the law and risk jail and/or a hefty fine. If you do, the house belongs exclusively to the wife and you have no claim on the sale proceeds should you divorce.

I have asked on this and other expat websites to hear of any falang who has ever been granted a share of the house sale by a Thai divorce court - and have never had a single response. Endless falangs report losing one or more houses to their ex.

I am married to a Thai lady for whom I have bought a house and while I love and trust her, it would of course be reassuring to know that, should we ever part, I would receive at least some financial compensation.

Over to you!

[elektrified]

He is either going to marry her or not marry her.

Marriage is done at the Amphur office.

If he marries her

He will be the father of their children and have parental rights.

He will be able to get a VISA to visit his wife.

He will be able to inherit her stuff if she dies.

He will be able to inherit her stuff if she dies. "you gotta be joking"

Inherit what? her cast off apparel? Her old shoes. c'mon.

Marriage is done at the Amphur office. Not correct in it's entirety, "it is registered at the amphur"

I don't know about your partner but mine owns real properties, mutual funds, bank accounts, vehicles, etc.