Marriage at Hang Dong Amphur

[davehowden]

Can anybody advise of the required documents on my side for marriage at the Hang Dong Amphur.

I know about the need for an "Affirmation to Marry", translated and authenticated, how about my passport translated and authenticated, Language Corner suggested it would be needed, just wanted to check.

Many thanks and a Happy New Year to all.

PS: Yes I know I will be sorry etc..............................

[khwaibah]

If your amphora requires your passport to be translated you need to locate another amphora that does not. That is a BS requirement. You have the affirmation to marry letter that has been registered with the MFA your wife to be will need her ID card and you only need your passport. BTW congratulation.

[davehowden]

khwaibah

Many thanks.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Note that you don't need to marry at the district where your spouse is registered; you can do it anywhere, and it's probably easiest to do it at an office that gets the most marriages that involve a foreigner.

So for Chiang Mai that would likely be the main one in the old town.

[cheeryble]

Note that you and she will never be able to make important things like sign official documents without boh doing it.

Many find this very restrictive.

Just saying, as legal marriage is not required in

Thai custom, the village affair takes care of that.

[khwaibah]

Note that you and she will never be able to make important things like sign official documents without boh doing it.

Many find this very restrictive.

Just saying, as legal marriage is not required in

Thai custom, the village affair takes care of that.

Total BS.

[Dante99]

Note that you and she will never be able to make important things like sign official documents without boh doing it.

Many find this very restrictive.

Just saying, as legal marriage is not required in

Thai custom, the village affair takes care of that.

Total BS.

Not total. Many Thai to Thai marriages are not registered and for good reasons, but saying "never" is an overstatement.

[khwaibah]

Note that you and she will never be able to make important things like sign official documents without boh doing it.

Many find this very restrictive.

Just saying, as legal marriage is not required in

Thai custom, the village affair takes care of that.

Total BS.

Not total. Many Thai to Thai marriages are not registered and for good reasons, but saying "never" is an overstatement.

A shack job is a shack job aka Buddha marriage and has never been recognized by the Thai government or internationally as a legal marriage. This is for all.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Note that you and she will never be able to make important things like sign official documents without boh doing it.

Many find this very restrictive.

Just saying, as legal marriage is not required in

Thai custom, the village affair takes care of that.

Yeah, there are definitely some drawbacks.

In the end though it made too much of a difference in taxes not to get married.

And the weird little challenges along the way aren't too big a deal.

[Dante99]

Note that you and she will never be able to make important things like sign official documents without boh doing it.

Many find this very restrictive.

Just saying, as legal marriage is not required in

Thai custom, the village affair takes care of that.

Total BS.

Not total. Many Thai to Thai marriages are not registered and for good reasons, but saying "never" is an overstatement.

A shack job is a shack job aka Buddha marriage and has never been recognized by the Thai government or internationally as a legal marriage. This is for all.

Apparently you mistakenly take your statement as repudiation of what others have said.

[eyecatcher]

not to undervalued also............the marriage fee.............DONT FORGET YOUR 30bt

the 30bt is as important as the affirmations..........or is it 40bt I forget?

[roo860]

We married in Baan Rak Bangkok on Valentines Day, over 900 couples in one day, was fantastic, was all free, every couple received free gifts, we met tv drama stars, my wife loved it.

[MaeJoMTB]

Note that you and she will never be able to make important things like sign official documents without boh doing it.

What documents would these be?

Married for 6 years,

Only document I signed was during her house purchase (money not mine).

Birth certificate for our son, only I signed.

[eyecatcher]

..of course Dave I forgot to congratulate you on forthcoming nuptuals

and I would like to remind you that I should take some of the credit, because it was me maybe 3 yrs ago that suggested you have a complete makeover because you needed more luck with the ladies.

look at his "avatar" now..............and If you have a photo of the "old" Dave, why not show the folks here why I thought this makeover would be beneficial.

[rawhod]

We married at the main Muang Amphur office near The Three Kings monument. All we had was my passport, my affirmation of freedom to marry and my wife's id card. They used two people working there as witnesses. They charged 50 baht because I'm a farang.

Never regretted it...

[davehowden]

EYECATCHER:

YES, I do remember changing my Avtar on your advise and it has worked wonders, thanks, 5555.

RAWHOD:

Do you have an address for that Amphur office please?

Thanks to all and a Happy New Year

[rawhod]

Amphur Muang Chiang Mai Registration Office  

Government

Address: 36, Intavarorot Road, Tambon Sri-Poom, Amphoe Muang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50000, 50000

Phone:053 221 016

[davehowden]

RAWHOD

Many thanks.

[LarryBird]

What are you getting out of the deal?

[MaeJoMTB]

What are you getting out of the deal?

I know you didn't ask me ...........

But, I got

1) a son with my surname and DNA

2) five marriage extensions

3) five rai of rice paddy and a farmhouse (for my son)

Edited December 30, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[cheeryble]

A shack job is a shack job aka Buddha marriage and has never been recognized by the Thai government or internationally as a legal marriage. This is for all.

others have already pointed out that what I said about a disadvantage of official marriage is not "total BS" so presumably that proclamation from on high may be shaky.

As for the traditional marriage being a "shack job" tell that to the people who attended ours one of whom is following this thread with a "like".

The Thai dancers didn't think so and more importantly the Thai relatives and friends didn't including mostly grandma who at last allowed us in the same room without tapping on the window!

There are times when an amphur marriage is advisable but generally speaking Thai/farang marriages are not like at home.

Often the man is bringing the assets of a lifetime of work to the table rather than the assets being the result of long mutual effort, and he might reasonably prefer to stay in the financial driving seat with no restrictions.

Everyone thinks their marriage is going to be for ever. The stats say otherwise.

Why not hold the reins? Wife can be fully secured by moradok planning a preferred form as it also protects other inheritors you may choose including relatives back home eho've been family a lifetime.

Add to that that officially married couples are considered one legal entity with concurrent disadvantages.

Edited December 31, 2015 by cheeryble

[MaeJoMTB]

There are times when an amphur marriage is advisable but generally speaking Thai/farang marriages are not like at home.

Often the man is bringing the assets of a lifetime of work to the table rather than the assets being the result of long mutual effort, and he might reasonably prefer to stay in the financial driving seat with no restrictions.

Still waiting for you to specify 'the restrictions'.

All my assets are still mine after 6 years of Thai marriage.

Back in the UK almost none of my assets remained mine after divorce with a UK wife.

[cheeryble]

There are times when an amphur marriage is advisable but generally speaking Thai/farang marriages are not like at home.

Often the man is bringing the assets of a lifetime of work to the table rather than the assets being the result of long mutual effort, and he might reasonably prefer to stay in the financial driving seat with no restrictions.

Still waiting for you to specify 'the restrictions'.

All my assets are still mine after 6 years of Thai marriage.

Back in the UK almost none of my assets remained mine after divorce with a UK wife.

Well for example MTB going back to a previous post you said you only had to sign one document so far about yr wife's house purchase. (Which kind of verifies my statement about restrictions or at least obligations.

If she bought with a mortgage I think repeat think you are ℅-responsible for payments.

That is fine as long as things are fine.....but often things become not fine between couples.

If your wife had the cash to buy your house herself well done and good luck to you.

[davehowden]

LarryBird

You asked what was in it for me.

The benefit to me will be knowing that when I pass away; she; as my legally married wife, will be eligible for 50% of my UK company pension for the rest of her life, and also able to claim the UK Government Widows Benefit which will be enough for a good "piss up" to see me on my way.

Not a great deal of money to many on here but then everything is relative, for her it will be a great source of comfort in her old age.

We have been together for over 5 years now, her health is failing and she has had to stop working, any reassurance about her future that I can give her is "what's in it for me".

[wooloomooloo]

I found the Amphur's office staff very friendly and efficient. We brought along my passport, wife's passport and ID card, her house registration, affirmation of freedom to marry, then we were done.

[LannaGuy]

cynical I know but why do it? most farangs do it the 'Thai way' and don't get married 'officially' as this protects you. Even doing it officially you get no citizenship, passport or anything like what you get in the free world so why bother?

[roo860]

Free world?

[cheeryble]

LarryBird

You asked what was in it for me.

The benefit to me will be knowing that when I pass away; she; as my legally married wife, will be eligible for 50% of my UK company pension for the rest of her life, and also able to claim the UK Government Widows Benefit which will be enough for a good "piss up" to see me on my way.

Not a great deal of money to many on here but then everything is relative, for her it will be a great source of comfort in her old age.

We have been together for over 5 years now, her health is failing and she has had to stop working, any reassurance about her future that I can give her is "what's in it for me".

A good example Dave of when you might wish to go official, of course you would.

I'll give an example of the other side, over ten years ago a Thai friend of mine agreed to own a piece of land on which I would live. Her husband was working in BKK and would need to ℅-sign (first time I'd heard of this was from her) and was a busy man (this is a woman of status a broadcasting executive). She was happy to comply but understandably concerned about bothering him with it and I immediately withdrew my request and we're still the best of friends, but that land may have ended up as an inheritance for her daughter. In smaller matters this co-signing business had been a nuisance for another Thai friend and she said Some Thais avoided formal marriage because of it.

As it turns out I have ended up with most of MaeJomtbs advantages I live in wife's (met just after) family house on family land some of which will pass to us via mum it's all measured out and the "Luk" in the ground whenever we want to use it is fine.

I do my bit in return.

If I wasn't firing blanks my son would have my DNA!

Must admit I don't get away with less money in the bank for my visa.

Edited January 1, 2016 by cheeryble

[LannaGuy]

Of course Thailand does not offer those who marry citizenship or a passport unlike the many Thais I know who have married and got a US or British Passport. The only advantage I see is protecting one's loved one when you kick the bucket but is there another advantage to registering? many farangs I know do 'it' the traditional Thai way with no registration mostly to protect assets in farangland.

[NancyL]

If you're a U.S. military veteran who served at least 90 days during a "wartime period" -- anywhere in the world, your widow would be eligible for life-time pension if her income is below a threshold. Most guys who were not career military don't think they're able to receive VA benefits, so they're not aware of this benefit and many don't go thru the necessary steps to get their Thai wives set up for it ahead of their passing.

Right now the payment is $719/month (a little over 25,000 baht/month). The widow does not ever need to have lived in the U.S. to claim it, but the marriage does need to be a "legal" marriage. Oh, and the VA also wants proof of divorce from previous marriages. Stronger proof than the "affirmation to marry" that satisfies the amphur offices.

It's just a good idea for a U.S. veteran to work thru the application now, and get all the back-up documents needed, to make life easier for his wife when the time comes for her to apply: http://www.benefits.va.gov/pension/spousepen.asp