UK Embassy no longer providing affirmations for divorce papers

[Lancs Ralph]

I visited Thailand late November 2015 for a 6 week stay and part of that stay was to involve marrying my Thai fiancee. I booked an appointment at the UK Embassy in Bangkok but a day after the booking I received an email telling me that the Thai Embassy no longer can provide the affirmation of my divorce papers.

We have received notification of your booking on 21 December 2015.

Unfortunately, the British Embassy in Bangkok is no longer able to provide statutory declarations, affirmations or certified copies of British birth, marriage death and divorce certificates. Where the Thai authorities request that a UK certificate be certified or authenticated, the only authority permitted to authenticate such documents is the Legalisation Office of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the United Kingdom.

Please find attached an infographic outlining the Legalisation process and the following steps for getting a British document legalised for use in Thailand.

· Step 1: Contact the Legalisation Office, Milton Keynes, UK

o To check if the document can be legalised and to apply online for this service please visithttps://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised

o Before sending your document to the UK Legalisation Office, ensure that you pay the UK courier fee so that your documents can be forwarded to the Thai Embassy in London - enclose a pre-addressed envelope for the Thai Embassy, a completed application form (which can be found on the Thai Embassy website here) and the fee payment for the Thai Embassy.

· Step 2: Have the document legalised by the Thai Embassy in London

o Once the original document(s) have been legalised by the UK Legalisation Office the document(s) must be sent to the Royal Thai Embassy in London for the next stage of the process. If you have already paid the courier fee the UK Legalisation Office will send these for you. Further information can be found on the Royal Thai Embassy website. http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk

o Contact the Royal Thai Embassy to inform them that your documents will be arriving.

· Step 3: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand

o For use in Thailand the document(s) must be stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legalisation Division, Bangkok. http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/16265-Naturalization-Legalization.html

This information is provided as a general guide and is based upon information provided to the embassy by the relevant local authorities and may be subject to change at any time with little or no notice.

Regards,

Consular Officer

Consular Team |British Embassy | 14 Wireless Road | Bangkok 10330

How long has this been the case? I did my research and took advice off close friends in the UK and Thailand who have been through the process and this is new to them all. Seemingly, I now send my decree absolute to Milton Keynes, they process and then forward to the Thai embassy and they process but I wonder will it be translated?

I would be very grateful if anyone been through this new process and can give me any advice or tips especially the application form I need to fill out that you download from the Thai Embassy website here)

I am planning to return to Thailand at the end of Feb this year with the sole purpose of getting married and I would like everything in order. I thought I had done everything right in December and was pi**ed off to say the least... and you can imagine what my good lady thought I was up to!!

Thanks in advance

Ralph

[Richard W]

What exactly had you arranged to do? I hadn't heard that anything different to an 'affirmation of freedom to marriage' was required from the UK authorities, a document one swears out at the British consulate. Indeed, that is the only local document needed according to https://www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad , assuming all the relevant happenings were in the UK. (Plain divorce decrees, marriage and death certificates will be needed as appropriate - there is no mention that they now have to be legalised.)

I'm wondering of you had arranged for some confirmation of the validity of a divorce decree, which strictly speaking is a separate matter. I believe the divorce decree is for the benefit of the Consulate, not for the benefit of the Thai registrar.

My experience of the process is ancient.

[Lancs Ralph]

Richard

Thanks for the reply and apologies for my late reply.

It seems I was all set with my documents, as you explained, and it's the email from the consulate that threw me.

I've made another appointment for late Feb and all being well everything should go smoothly... we will see

Thanks again for clearing this up

[Karlo]

Richard

Thanks for the reply and apologies for my late reply.

It seems I was all set with my documents, as you explained, and it's the email from the consulate that threw me.

I've made another appointment for late Feb and all being well everything should go smoothly... we will see

Thanks again for clearing this up

Can you please update us here what is required when getting married in Bangkok and you are previously divorced and do you need your divorce paper and have its authenticity verified by the FCO