No same day service at MFA for marriage affirmation translation certifications.

[benjybkk]

Hi All,

Thought I would share this as it may help someone out.

I went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday to get my marriage affirmation translation from the British embassy certified.

I was under the impression there was a same day service that you paid 800 baht for and you waited a few hours and got your documents back ready to go off and register your marriage.

 

Just to clarify, there is no longer any same day service. The only choice you have is to pay 400 baht and pick up in 2 days time. I went Friday morning and was told to pay 400 baht and go back on Tuesday to collect.

 

Maybe this is old news but everything I'd previously read told me you could get it done same day. Not the case anymore.

 

Cheers.

Ben

[happylarry]

Every time someone asks about this I always recommend taking it to a translation shop and get them to do everything and then post to home address, even if you can do it the same day why bother with all the hassle when for a few hundred baht you can get someone else to do it for you.

HL

[blackcab]

1 hour ago, happylarry said:

Every time someone asks about this I always recommend taking it to a translation shop and get them to do everything and then post to home address, even if you can do it the same day why bother with all the hassle when for a few hundred baht you can get someone else to do it for you.

HL

 

Exactly. 

[benjybkk]

I didn't realize it was possible to get somebody else to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and do this for you. Never heard of anyone doing that.

Oh well. You live and learn.

Personally I prefer to keep important documents and do things myself whenever possible anyway.

[happylarry]

Well it's not really an important document until it's been stamped at the MFA and then becomes a legally accepted translation, and then the translation shop sends it by registered EMS post to your address and it's only handed over after you sign for it. The translation shops do this all the time, it's their job, and anyway how do you manage to get it translated if you don't want to hand the document over to anyone else?

Seriously it just makes the job so easy and they don't charge much, but what the hell, you have already done it anyway.....lol

HL

[arminbkk]

Can anyone recommend a good and not overpriced translation office (and one that also does the

MFA certification for you)?

 

Thanks

[happylarry]

Have you ever heard the saying "Google is your friend", I just googled for you and one of the answers was a clip from a past Thai Visa thread from which I have copied the following post.

 

"If those documents also need to be legalised by the Thai ministry of foreign affairs, try the service of STS on Chaeng Wattana, right across the road from the entrance to the MFA, they offer express service, guide you through the MFA, and maybe they can do all for you. 02-982 8440

They collected the documents from the Dutch Embassy, translated the lot, got the stamps in the MFA, and send all back to us.

All by EMS, reasonable cost.

Use them all the time!"

 

Maybe give that number a ring and ask, and if not just google "translation shops Bangkok" and you will get other answers too. Assuming you are going to the Embassy for the affirmation then there are many translation shops all around it as well.

HL

[arminbkk]

@happylarry

Yes Google is my friend, and I have found a number of translation offices through my friend,

however,

Google will not give me recommendations of people who have actually used the services of a translation shop and who can tell me

if one is " a good and not overpriced translation office".

 

By the way, I want to have Thai birth certificates translated to English, and will have to have those legalized by MFA.

 

 

 

[happylarry]

Seriously, I don't think you will find much between them as they all charge roughly the same to be competitive. And I am sure that when a shop turns up at the MFA with a bundle of translations then they are probably not checked that closely and are taken to be correct.

Anyway just my thoughts, anyway you now have a recommendation....the one I copied and pasted in my last post!!!

HL

[blackcab]

On 23/09/2016 at 2:05 PM, arminbkk said:

Can anyone recommend a good and not overpriced translation office (and one that also does the

MFA certification for you)?

 

Thanks

 

I use Express Translations. Next to BTS Ploen Chit. No problems at all.

 

http://www.expresstranslationservice.com/cms.php?id_cms=6

[arminbkk]

11 hours ago, blackcab said:

 

I use Express Translations. Next to BTS Ploen Chit. No problems at all.

 

http://www.expresstranslationservice.com/cms.php?id_cms=6

Many thanks, will check them out!

 

[ukmark67]

I just checked with these and it's 1900 baht for a translation and verification by the MFA. 

Also includes post to your home by EMS.

 

Doesn't seem too bad.

[blackcab]

By the time you have paid for the translation, the MFA fee and the postage there isn't loads left.

 

I certainly wouldn't go to the MFA at silly o'clock in the morning to save a very small amount. 

 

The other thing is that if there is an error in translation the translation company have to go back to the office, correct it and then submit it again until the MFA are happy. If you do it yourself the onus is on you.

 

That alone is worth the price. There are posts in this forum of people who chose to do it themselves and then found out they had a problem and had to resubmit.

[Poppadom]

Guys is this still the case? We want to register our marriage asap as my ex firm is hiring me back and relocate to the US. Need to be married for L2 dependent visa. Will fly to my embassy tomorrow morning, have an appointment at 10. Shall I just get one of the translation services in Wireless Rd. to do the pilgrimage for me and EMS the docs back to us in Phuket? Also, do I have to leave my passport with the translation shop or a photocopy will do? Thanks!

[happylarry]

Save yourself the time and the stress mate, leave it with the translation shop.

And yes they just use the photo copy so you do not leave your passport there.

HL

[blackcab]

Agree, get the translation people to do everything for you and EMS it back. 

 

Take your work permit (or a copy) too. They will use your Thai name from that. It makes it easy for everyone, including the MFA.

 

The only original you need to leave is the Affirmation you get from your Embassy. You take your passport and work permit away with you.

[DreamRider]

On Monday, September 26, 2016 at 11:34 AM, blackcab said:

 

I use Express Translations. Next to BTS Ploen Chit. No problems at all.

 

http://www.expresstranslationservice.com/cms.php?id_cms=6

Yep; these folk are really helpful. 

[Amphur2000]

Can anyone recommend a good and not overpriced translation office (and one that also does the
MFA certification for you)?
 
Thanks

Depends which district. When you collect your affirmation of freedom to marry there are normally touts who will come and find you outside the embassy. Just hang around for 10 minutes and hold your brown envelope they will find you. I paid 400 Baht from the office they walked me too, short 5 minute walk with them if that.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Damrongsak]

On 9/10/2016 at 10:10 AM, happylarry said:

Every time someone asks about this I always recommend taking it to a translation shop and get them to do everything and then post to home address, even if you can do it the same day why bother with all the hassle when for a few hundred baht you can get someone else to do it for you.

HL

When I married in 1978 and wanted to get my wife to the USA, I translated our own documents.  Some were pretty sketchy (the documents, not the translation).  The Thai gals at the embassy said I couldn't translate them myself, so they made me talk to the American consular officer in BKK.  He was cool. I told him that I could speak Thai and read and write a bit, having been a Peace Corps volunteer for two years. Bull-shitted awhile and he turned me lose on the office staff. The pissed-off gals said that at least I had to use their typewriters instead of a hand-written transcription.   So I typed up stuff in the Embassy office. :)  A dorky American guy who worked there later pronounced us "man and wife", LOL.  Where there is a will, there is a way. 

 

On the Thai end of things, we had to show that it wasn't a GI/Hooker kind of marriage.  Had to get a Thai citizen to validate it.  So I had my landlord who was a Pu Yai and former head of education in Loei province go down to the local office.  He was old and infirm, and I got him there on a samlor.  I have never seen such Wai-ing and shitting and getting it as that day that he said these kids will marry and it's OK.  Although getting her a Thai passport in BKK was interesting.  Butt heads with an interviewer and pass the farang test.  Later pay off a guy to "expedite" the application in the in-box even though it wasn't his job, according to yet another nice fellow. What fun.

 

 

[ozmeldo]

On 09/23/2016 at 2:05 PM, arminbkk said:

Can anyone recommend a good and not overpriced translation office (and one that also does the

MFA certification for you)?

 

Thanks

 

What I did was go to MFA in CW with my sworn statement. Had the form translated. Had the MFA process it. Paid whatever fee. Returned to pick it up a few days later.

 

Wonder if everyone is having trouble or just those not living here with Internet brides?

[ozmeldo]

On 10/03/2016 at 11:12 AM, ukmark67 said:

I just checked with these and it's 1900 baht for a translation and verification by the MFA. 

Also includes post to your home by EMS.

 

Doesn't seem too bad.

I recall paying 400 as a poster above as well. MFA costs I don't recall, few hundred? EMS international maybe. Still seems double priced at 1900.