Marriage Registration

Marriage Registration in Thailand is easy. Once you have had you wedding ceremony in Thailand you need to register your marriage in Thailand. You can register your marriage at any Thai Amphurs offices in Thailand. This can be in Bangkok or it can be in the area where you had the wedding ceremony. The first step however as a foreigner in Thailand is that the process begins at your embassy in Bangkok. You need to contact your Embassy in Bangkok so that you can obtain a letter of affirmation or a letter of no impediment which is a letter stating that you can get married in Thailand.

Marriage Registration

Marriage RegistrationEach Embassy has their own cost as you have to pay for this letter and each embassy also has their own timeline. Some embassies are overnight while others can take a week to obtain the letter. Once this letter is issued you now move to the next step.

If you are divorced you need a certified copy of your divorce decree or if your wife has died you will need a death certificate for the embassy. If you are not certain what to do then speak to a lawyer in Thailand for guidance. Note the issue with a prenuptial agreement in Thailand before you register your marriage. This oversight could be a costly and also a regrettable mistake.

Thai Marriage Registration

The next step is that you have to have this letter certified by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) which is the second step in the marriage registration process. This is located in Lakasi in the back ends of Bangkok. This normally takes a few hours or a day so you would need to go early to get the letter verified. They will take the letter and hand it back to you a few hours later to verify that the letter was issued by your embassy. They will now place a small stamp on the back of the letter to show the Amphur or District Office in Thailand that the letter has been verified authentic.

From here you need to go to the local Amphurs office and have a marriage certificate issued. This normally takes about an hour and they will issue you two certificates. There is a multipage one identifying you and your wife and your particulars and there is a fancy certificate which looks like a diploma. When you apply for a marriage visa you need to show the Thai embassy where you are apply for the visa both copies of the marriage certificate. The marriage registration process is now complete.

Registration Timeline

The process can take 3-4 days to complete or even longer if the embassy takes a long time to issue you with a letter. Most foreigners simply hand all the documents to a lawyer to have it done for them instead of having to deal with taxis and the Thai red tap which can become very frustrating.

Once you are married you can now also apply for a visa for your Thai wife. If you are taking her back to the US you can apply for a US Spouse Visa or a UK Spouse visa if you are British. If you are an Australian then you can now apply for an Australian Spouse visa in Bangkok. For this reason you would normally ask the lawyer to not only register your marriage in Thailand but to also begin the spouse visa process for your home country.

Marriage registration by Country

Thailand Marriage for Chinese is the same as westerners. You can apply for your letter of affirmation or letter of no impediment in Thailand. This can be obtained at the Office of Passport and Consular Service of the Chinese Embassy. This is much easier than those from Bangladesh.

Marriage in Thailand for Indians is a bit more difficult. You can get your letter of no impediment from the Embassy in Bangkok. Also you will need to Indian witnesses with their ID cards for this. You will also need to show income and your bank statements all certified. Many Indians obtain these documents before they comes to Thailand.

Then there is the Thai Marriage registration for South Africans which is similar to the West countries. You need your passport and complete your form for the letter of no impediment. This takes about 3 days before you can collect it.

Islamic Countries

Marriage in Thailand for a Bangladesh national. Your unmarried certificate comes from your home country. This has to be certified by the relevant Ministry at home. This then needs to be legalised at the Embassy in Bangkok.

The Thai Marriage process for Sri Lankan means that you will need to witness from your home country with the passports or ID cards to be the witnesses at the Embassy. You will also need to show income and a letter from your employer to state your income and position.

Finally there is the Thai marriage registration for Pakistanis which is very difficult. You will need to obtain your letter of unmarried status at home. This also needs to be stamped by the Thai Embassy in Pakistan. The affirmation letter will be issues in Bangkok. Your Thai fiancee will also need to provide her ID card as well as her house registration certificate. Take proper legal advice is the process is a bit complicated.

Conclusion

These are the procedures for getting married in Thailand. Each country has their own process and at times the documents have to come from home. These tend to be mainly from Islamic countries, where they are very strict about the marriage documents. Malaysian and Moroccan nationals getting married in Thailand. They are best served starting the process in their home country.

Many have to fly back home to start the process there. This as the Embassy will not issue a letter of no impediment. This mainly as their Ministry of Home Affairs deals with this and not the Embassy in Thailand. These tend to be very complicated. Those getting married and needing their thai wife to convert makes the process more difficult. Most normally let an attorney in Thailand complete the process as well as conversion. Consider all the rules before you start them in Thailand. This if you are from an Islamic country, be that in Asia, the Middle East or North Africa. The marriage registration process more likely than not will start in your own home country.