American Needs Help With Marriage Visa

[Americano7]

My wife and I were married in the USA.  I am American. She is Thai.  I want to apply for the 1 year extension based on marriage when we go (we are still in the US right now).  Can I just submit my marriage certificate from the US, or do we need to 'register' our marriage with the Thai government?   Is there a difference between "registering" an existing marriage vs actually getting married in Thailand?

 

Can any Americans out there who have gone through this process comment?   I saw the other thread on people from the UK having to go through some wacky process.

[ubonjoe]

To apply for an extension at immigration you will need to register your foreign marriage at an Amphoe to obtain a Kor Ror 22 marriage registry.

You will first need to do a self certification of your marriage certificate at the US embassy by doing an affidavit stating it is true and correct.Then you need to have the self certification and your marriage certificate translated to Thai and then have the translation certified by the consular affairs department (translation service can do it for you).

Then you can register your marriage. They will issue the Kor Ror 22, update your wife's house book registry and give her the opportunity to take your family name and have it shown on her ID card.

The affidavit bypasses all the stuff that people from the UK have to go through now to get their marriage certificate legalized. At one time folks from the UK could do a self certification but that has ended.

If you had to do it in the states it would be even worse since you would have to start out in the state where you registered your marriage and then go through the department of state to get the final legalization done.

Note the above is to get an extension at immigration. You can get a single or multiple entry non-o visa in the states before leaving by showing your marriage certificate from the states.

 

[Americano7]

great thanks.  I wish I could do everything here in the US.  The process as I understand it is to get a 90 day non-o visa, and then do an extension in Thailand.  Just mailed in the app yesterday.

[ocddave]

Ok, every time I bring this Kor Ror 2 or Kor Ror 22 document up, my wife is oblivious to what they are, all i know is we were legally married in the US and she registered it at her local Amphoe and now carries my last name on all her documentation and ID's, passport, and even our 5 month old child carries my last name. So do I need both of these to get the extension, and where do we go to get them? We never did anything thru the US embassy, she just took a certified copy of our US marriage certificate to be translated and certified with some type of Thai stamp, and then registered our marriage at her Amphoe. 

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, ocddave said:

Ok, every time I bring this Kor Ror 2 or Kor Ror 22 document up, my wife is oblivious to what they are, all i know is we were legally married in the US and she registered it at her local Amphoe and now carries my last name on all her documentation and ID's, passport, and even our 5 month old child carries my last name. So do I need both of these to get the extension, and where do we go to get them? We never did anything thru the US embassy, she just took a certified copy of our US marriage certificate to be translated and certified with some type of Thai stamp, and then registered our marriage at her Amphoe. 

You only can get a Kor Ror 22 foreign marriage registry. The Kor Ror 2 is for marriages originally done here.

She can go to any Amphoe and request a print out of the Kor Ror 22 which will cost 20 baht.

When you apply for the extension you will need the Kor Ror 22 and your marriage certificate from the states.

[ocddave]

Will I need certified copies of my US marriage certificate and Kor Ror 22 every time I get an extension? A bundle of Certified copies of US marriage certificates will need to be obtained before I leave if thats the case.

Edited August 23, 2016 by ocddave

[JerryinTH]

You don't need any special visa to come here to begin with. If you come on a 30 day visa on arrival stamp, you can extend that one another 30 days (if needed) or extend it for 12 months based on marriage - if you have your papers in order. See above for the papers, but save yourself the Non-O hassle. 

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, ocddave said:

Will I need a certified copies of my US marriage certificate and Kor Ror 22 every time I get an extension? A bundle of Certified copies of US marriage certificates will need to be obtained before I leave if thats the case.

You don't need certified copies of your marriage certificate when you apply for the extension. Just the original to show if asked and signed copies of it attached to the application.

Many offices will want an up to date Kor Ror 22 every time you apply to confirm you are still married.

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, JerryinTH said:

You don't need any special visa to come here to begin with. If you come on a 30 day visa on arrival stamp, you can extend that one another 30 days (if needed) or extend it for 12 months based on marriage - if you have your papers in order. See above for the papers, but save yourself the Non-O hassle. 

You missed the step of applying for a non immigrant visa at immigration in Bangkok before applying for the extension of stay based upon marriage. To get the visa at immigration now requires 2 trips to immigration 15 days apart.

Not easy unless living in or near Bangkok.

[muzmurray]

10 minutes ago, JerryinTH said:

You don't need any special visa to come here to begin with. If you come on a 30 day visa on arrival stamp, you can extend that one another 30 days (if needed) or extend it for 12 months based on marriage - if you have your papers in order. See above for the papers, but save yourself the Non-O hassle. 

 

No such thing.

[muzmurray]

10 minutes ago, JerryinTH said:

You don't need any special visa to come here to begin with. If you come on a 30 day visa on arrival stamp, you can extend that one another 30 days (if needed) or extend it for 12 months based on marriage - if you have your papers in order. See above for the papers, but save yourself the Non-O hassle. 

 

Nope, you do not extend "it", you get a totally new permission to stay based on marriage.

[ocddave]

5 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You don't need certified copies of your marriage certificate when you apply for the extension. Just the original to show if asked and signed copies of it attached to the application.

Many offices will want an up to date Kor Ror 22 every time you apply to confirm you are still married.

 

Thanks for all the help ubonjoe, I am getting nervous as things get closer, just trying not to make any mistakes.