Legal marriage in thailand

[joshstiles]

Is there a precisely detailed site that lists the steps to marry a thai woman and have the marriage legally recognized in thailand and other western countries such as the UK or the US?

[CharlieH]

A marriage conducted at the Amphur is legally recognised in the UK.

Lets move this to the appropriate forum.

//moved

[lopburi3]

Most Embassies will have full information including the form that you must fill out with them first. Once that is obtained you have it translated and recorded with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a legal document and then can visit any District Office in Thailand with spouse to legally register marriage. All foreigners must have document from Embassy to allow registration to take place.

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service/marriage.html

https://www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad/y/thailand

[drb]

look on uk web site download and complete freedom to marry doc

go alpong with all your docs (FULL) versions no photocopies everything prooving wjho you and she is

Embassey will complete all releavent data and then after 30 mins or so you will get official stamped recognition .... this is then official for your home country you need this form to obtain certificate of marriage UK version when you return to Uk you can no longer obtain marriage cetificate UK version in Thailand embassey stopped all that ... but dont worry you are lgally married after getting this paper from embassey ... Go ther at 07.30 am !!!! you will miss all others and be out by 09.00 then IGNORE ALL THE OFFERS OF TRANSLATION IGNORE !!!!!!

Walk along to a recognised translation service and sit and wait it will be stamped officiall translation then go to Thai registration to obtain Thai official marriage papers take this to ANY Amphur Muang they will complete papers and hand you Thai marriage certificate

Bobs your uncle all done !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck

[laislica]

If you were married before and then are divorced, you must have the Original decree nisi to show at the ceremony.

You can write a letter of affirmation that you are free to marry, quoting the divorce doc. The UK embassy website has a template.

Your embassy will charge you money to stamp it.

It needs to be translated into Thai at an approved translation service and I think, approved at the Thai Min of Foreign affairs, but you can check on that (quick in out 800b, next day service 400b).

If your other half was married then she will need the original of her divorce cert.

Passports, Thai ID and off to an Amphor for the ceremony.

Your missus can elect to change her family name to yours at the ceremony. If she does that she will at some date in the near future, have to visit her local Amphor and request a name change cert and new Thai ID.

Then new passport and don't forget to update the Tambian Baan and bank books, driving licenses etc.

Note that you will be asked if there are any properties that should be mentioned in the marriage cert docs.

You each get a pretty certificate and a second written sheet. It is on the second sheet that you will find the description of who got married and who translated for you and lists of the property as mentioned above, all in Thai of course.

One of the hoops I had to jump through was to go back to the Amphor and obtain a copy, certified by the Amphor for the Spanish.

Therefore, when you get the papers, make a double sided copy of the pretty sheet and ask them to stamp it for you (it might save you a second visit).

Get both sheets translated into English (and or any other required language) but again, always at an authorised translation service.

I needed English and Spanish.

The English copy was sent to the UK international pensions office and was also used to gain NHS cover in Europe for my wife (form S1 for retirees).

The Spanish one was used to get an EEA family member visa to Spain and than to get her registered as living in Spain with me.

Good Luck and congratulations.

EDIT
PS

For a Thai lady married to one of us foreign Johnnies, there is no change to her ability to own property, land etc in Thailand whether she changes her family name to yours or not - unless she decides to emigrate and actually renounce her Thai citizenship. Whilst ever she remains a Thai citizen (at home or abroad) she retains her full rights.

[The Fat Controller]

My company pension scheme has a death-in-service benefit and surviving spouse pension.

In order for benefits to be paid they required to see a translated copy of the wedding certificate and registration and also a translated copy of my wife's birth certificate.

I was lucky as I found out these requirements just after my wedding and managed to get the extra translations done before returning to work in the UK.

Mrs Controller will now get 4 times my annual salary should I shuffle off before I finish work and a pension whenever I go !

[muffy]

Myanmar refuses to give any documents if marrying a Westerner . I would think that other governments would help to get around this but they don't .

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Two recent threads here on this very subject:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/691135-marriage-registration/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/542473-advice-for-those-getting-married-in-thailand/

As noted above, there are Thai procedures but not all the Amphurs follow the same playbook when it comes to Thai-farang marriages. In Bangkok, the Bangrak Amphur office is considered among the best in terms of handling mixed marriages.

A couple can register their marriage at any Amphur office, not just where you may be living or where you're wife to-be's tabien ban is registered. I just registered my marriage at the Bangrak Amphur last week. See my detailed posts toward the end of the two threads I linked above.

[cbluck58]

CAn't remember the official requirements from my own marriage - I know I had it formalised at Baan Rak and the docs stamped by MFA and the translations however I wish to pass you this advice.

All of the aforementioned is the official side of it but whatever you do , do not miss out on the party in your wife to be's village or wherever she comes from.

Get right into it and enjoy because if they do it properly it is great fun so give it your all.

[theoldgit]

A number of nonsensical posts trolling removed, and some responses.

[spidermike007]

Myanmar refuses to give any documents if marrying a Westerner . I would think that other governments would help to get around this but they don't .

Why is this relevant? Burma is almost a non country, with one of the most heinous and corrupt government on the planet. They make the Thai govt. look like saints. There are 30-60 generals who are all billionaires, and those pigs control everything to this day, despite the false pretenses of reform. So, I ask again why are they somehow relevant?

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[ALFREDO]

Myanmar refuses to give any documents if marrying a Westerner . I would think that other governments would help to get around this but they don't .

Why is this relevant? Burma is almost a non country, with one of the most heinous and corrupt government on the planet. They make the Thai govt. look like saints. There are 30-60 generals who are all billionaires, and those pigs control everything to this day, despite the false pretenses of reform. So, I ask again why are they somehow relevant?

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Because,

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/736764-myanmar-marriage/

[poweratradio]

I simply took the Thai marriage registrations to immigration and it was honored to bring my wife to Canada as a permanent resident and now she is waiting to take her oath of citizenship next month and then a Canadian passport and off we go back to Thailand.

[spidermike007]

I simply took the Thai marriage registrations to immigration and it was honored to bring my wife to Canada as a permanent resident and now she is waiting to take her oath of citizenship next month and then a Canadian passport and off we go back to Thailand.

Anybody know if this in any way relates to the US? I hear a Thai marriage means nothing to the US officials. Thanks for the input.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[khwaibah]

I simply took the Thai marriage registrations to immigration and it was honored to bring my wife to Canada as a permanent resident and now she is waiting to take her oath of citizenship next month and then a Canadian passport and off we go back to Thailand.

Anybody know if this in any way relates to the US? I hear a Thai marriage means nothing to the US officials. Thanks for the input.

Spidermike

Chaiyaphum, Thailand

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

There are two forums of weddings in Thailand. The Buddha and the registering of names at your local amphur (signing names). The Buddha wedding is NOT recognized anywhere in the world as a legal wedding including Thailand. The registering at the amphur is recognized worldwide including the USA as a legal wedding.