Do I Need A Visa To Get Married?

[Dutch99]

Hi everybody

My Thai fiancée and me want to get married within the next few months.

I will go to Thailand, and we will make it official at the amphur/city hall.

Normally, when I travel to Thailand as a tourist, I don't need a visa when staying 30 days.

Just a passport. This time I want to stay with my wife in Thailand forever/as long as allowed.

Some questions that I still have

1) Do I need to have a Visa to get married in Thailand?

2) Do I need to have a Visa, already, to get that "one year - multiple entry" Visa in Penang?

http://www.thaivisa.com/422.0.html

..or can I just travel to Thailand on my passport, get married and then go to Penang,

Malaysia to get the "multiple entry"? I don't need a visa to enter Malaysia btw.

3) How long does it take to translate / make official the documents needed to get married?

Anyone??

Cheers

[rainman]

here's what i did...

1. get married in thailand on your current visa (tourist, etc.)

(note this is not that easy, it will require a lot of paperwork from your embassy, the amphur, etc)

2. fly to penang and get a non-immigrant "O" visa. you'll need to take your marriage certificate and copies, passport, etc. call the thai consulate first to make sure you have all the papers you need.

3. they will issue you a non-immigrant "O" visa valid for 3 months.

4. when you get back to thailand, go to extend your visa at the immigration in bangkok for an additional 9 months, which will be a total of 1 year. again, lots of paperwork ...call the immigration to check what exactly you need. for me it was marriage certificate, id card and tabien baan of my wife, income certificates, photos of your apartment/house and wedding and a few more, as well as photocopies of everything.

don't forget you'll need at least 400,000 baht on a bank account or a legal income in thailand of at least 40,000 per month.

good luck

[Totster]

3) How long does it take to translate / make official the documents needed to get married?

Two days.

Day 1

To get the affirmation of freedom to marry , apply at the British Embassy with neccesary documents, pay the fee. You will be given a receipt and told you can collect it the next day.

To save time, after I had been to the embassy and left my documents, we then went to one of the translation companies nearby and gave them a copy of the affirmation to start the translation.

Day 2

Returned to the embassy and picked up the affirmation of freedom to marry. Went back to the translation office. They finished off the translation while we waited (they had to enter the name of the Consul who notated the affirmation).

Then into a taxi for a trip to Chaeng Wattana Road to get the translation legalised.

The Legalisation and Naturalisation Division,

Department of Consular Affairs,

Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (www.mfa.go.th)

123 Chaeng Wattana Road, Laksi District, Bangkok 11120

Tel. 0– 2575 1056–59, 0–2981 7171

(08.30 – 11.30 and 13.00 – 15.30)

We had to wait about two hours there.

After that you are ready to get married.

This is what someone from the UK has to do, I believe it's a similar process for other nationalities.

totster

http://www.netherlandsembassy.in.th/

http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/

Edited June 15, 2006 by Totster

[vinny]

See also Marriage Registration.

[LaoPo]

Dutch99: apart from your in-Thailand questions about marriage I strongly suggest you contact and make an appointment with a Dutch Notary (Notaris) to discuss the pro and contra's about an international marriage and have a pre-marriage contract made up! (so called: Huwelijkse Voorwaarden).

This contract has to be translated in a language (Thai or English) she (future wife) is able to read and understand.

You have to think about the future...if you have no assets at all at the moment you could forget about it but it's also meant for future assets/money you will make (or money she can/will make or assets she has).

For instance: your parents have money or/and a valuable house and you will inherit this in the future...if you don't do anything and the marriage goes wrong (some marriages go wrong you know ) she can claim 50% of your heritage.

LaoPo

[eugengeri]

I've converted my Tourist-Visa in "Soi Suan Plu" after married in LOS (about 2000 Baht). They will issue you a non-immigrant "O" visa valid for 3 months. After you have to go to the nearest Immigration where you real live for the extensions.

Note: You can only convert it till 21 days before your Tourist visa expired!

[lopburi3]

I've converted my Tourist-Visa in "Soi Suan Plu" after married in LOS (about 2000 Baht). They will issue you a non-immigrant "O" visa valid for 3 months. After you have to go to the nearest Immigration where you real live for the extensions.

Note: You can only convert it till 21 days before your Tourist visa expired!

Can you please confirm which this was; a 60 day entry tourist visa or a 30 day entry stamp at border? Thanks as there is current confusion on this matter.

[eugengeri]

I've converted my Tourist-Visa in "Soi Suan Plu" after married in LOS (about 2000 Baht). They will issue you a non-immigrant "O" visa valid for 3 months. After you have to go to the nearest Immigration where you real live for the extensions.

Note: You can only convert it till 21 days before your Tourist visa expired!

Can you please confirm which this was; a 60 day entry tourist visa or a 30 day entry stamp at border? Thanks as there is current confusion on this matter.

It was a "triple entry Tourist-Visa"! 30 day entry stamps will not work, I think! Exact 1'900 Baht. In 30 days you come back for pick up it. You get a document what you have to bring:

DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE APPLICATION FOR VISA OR VISA STATUS ALTERATION (NON-0)

TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE FROM OR GIVE ASSISTANCE TO A THAI CITIZEN OR SOMEONE WHO IS A RESIDENT IN THAILAND

AT LEAST 21 DAYS BEFORE VISA EXPIRATION

Call 02-2873101-10 ext. 2237, 02-287-4948 for details.

[Dutch99]

Many replies already. Thanks guys.

don't forget you'll need at least 400,000 baht on a bank account or

a legal income in thailand of at least 40,000 per month.

I'm a bit confused, cos there seem to be 2 different kinds of visa I can apply for.

Number 1) The "12 month validity, multi entry non-immigrant visa".

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=67483

"a 12 month validity, multi entry non-immigrant visa may also be obtained from some

Royal Thai embassies outside your home country if you can provide evidence of your

marriage to a Thai citizen (marriage certificate)"

It doesn't ask for the 400K I think:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...332&hl=multiple

Number 2) The "12 month extension to a non-immigrant visa"

If I'm right, this one is for supporting a Thai citizen etc.

It will require the 400K.

So it looks like I can get Number 1, without the 400K or 40K per month requirements.

Can anyone confirm this? I don't mind doing the 90 day visa runs btw.

But!?

- After Number 1 expires, can I get a new one?

- Or do I have to get Number 2 then?

[eugengeri]

Can we also know how old you are?

[lopburi3]

Although you can probably obtain the multi entry non immigrant O visa in your home country after marriage there are very few places in the immediate area that will provide them. At present believe Kuala Lumpur is probably the most likely. Even Penang seems to have stopped doing them for most applicants going there for the first time but believe after the 1st single entry they will provide the multi type.

[rainman]

Many replies already. Thanks guys.

don't forget you'll need at least 400,000 baht on a bank account or

a legal income in thailand of at least 40,000 per month.

I'm a bit confused, cos there seem to be 2 different kinds of visa I can apply for.

Number 1) The "12 month validity, multi entry non-immigrant visa".

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=67483

"a 12 month validity, multi entry non-immigrant visa may also be obtained from some

Royal Thai embassies outside your home country if you can provide evidence of your

marriage to a Thai citizen (marriage certificate)"

It doesn't ask for the 400K I think:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...332&hl=multiple

Number 2) The "12 month extension to a non-immigrant visa"

If I'm right, this one is for supporting a Thai citizen etc.

It will require the 400K.

So it looks like I can get Number 1, without the 400K or 40K per month requirements.

Can anyone confirm this? I don't mind doing the 90 day visa runs btw.

But!?

- After Number 1 expires, can I get a new one?

- Or do I have to get Number 2 then?

the first one is a multiple entry (i believe) non-imm O visa. it will give you 9 or 12 months, but you will need to leave and re-enter the country every 3 months in order to activate your next entry. the other one gives you 3 months of stay and then with proof of the 40,000 income in thailand (note, in thailand..with a work permit) or 400,000 in your bank here in thailand, extend it to a total of 12 months and then extend it again every year you stay in thailand.

if you intend to live in thailand with your wife, the 2nd option is recommended.

[Dutch99]

Thanks everybody

@Rainman:

Yes, the 2nd one seems to be best for us.

Thanks. Cute picture btw.

Although you can probably obtain the multi entry non immigrant O visa in your home country after marriage there are very few places in the immediate area that will provide them. At present believe Kuala Lumpur is probably the most likely. Even Penang seems to have stopped doing them for most applicants going there for the first time but believe after the 1st single entry they will provide the multi type.

Hmmm, would be too bad...

Goto Thailand, get married, go back to Holland, get the visa, back to BKK...

We will be living in the Chonburi province, so it would be nice if I could go to Cambodia to get the visa.

Does anyone have recent experience with Cambodian visa officials for this matter?

And how about Penang, Signapore, Kuala Lumpur, Lao officials...

Cheers

[rainman]

i dont think you can get a non-imm O in cambodia, at least never heard of it. since i received a lot of assistance from these forums on my whole marriage & visa application process, i'm currently in the process of writing a "how-to" guide on what i did and how it worked for me, what to do and what to avoid. i will post it once its completed and hopefully it will help someone as well

[Dutch99]

i dont think you can get a non-imm O in cambodia, at least never heard of it. since i received a lot of assistance from these forums on my whole marriage & visa application process, i'm currently in the process of writing a "how-to" guide on what i did and how it worked for me, what to do and what to avoid. i will post it once its completed and hopefully it will help someone as well

Thanks again Rainman.

Good idea to make that guide, yes.

Seems like Lopburi3 was right about Penang:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=73054