So you want to get legally married in Thailand. Maybe you’re planning to bring your Thai spouse to the US, UK, or Australia. Maybe you’re relocating to Thailand and plan to get a Non-O marriage visa, or you just want to marry here at a beautiful beach resort and go back to your home country with wonderful memories. Whatever the reason, registering a legally recognized marriage here is pretty straightforward.
Most of our clients find themselves short on time to get this accomplished, so here are some practical tips that will save you time and make the process much easier. So let’s jump in.
The starting point is completing a freedom-to-marry affidavit stating that you are single, widowed, or divorced. You’ll then need to get a copy of your passport, as well as this affidavit, notarized by your home country’s embassy or consulate here in Thailand. Embassies can also supply you with a template affidavit you can work from.
Tip number one: once you know the day you’ll be arriving in Thailand, book a notary appointment with your embassy for a day or two after you arrive. You’ll want to do this about four weeks in advance since embassy appointment slots fill up quickly.
Tip number two is to complete the affidavit form while you’re still in your home country so that you’re ready to go as soon as you land, rather than having to figure this out while dealing with jet lag. If possible, have a trusted representative or friend review the affidavit to avoid any issues during your notary appointment.
By booking an appointment in advance and completing the form before you begin your travels to Thailand, you can complete the notarization process quickly and with confidence.
The next part of the process is getting your notarized passport and affidavit translated into Thai so you can present them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Tip number three is to hire a reputable Thai translation agency ahead of time to start the translation of your affidavit and passport. These translations cannot be finalized until you receive the notarized versions, but if your translation agency has already translated your documents, the addition of the notary information will be a very quick change for them to make. This will save you at least a few days since you’ll need the translations, as well as the notarized originals, to proceed.
The next step is getting your notarized affidavit and passport legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This also requires making an appointment at the ministry offices in Chaeng Watthana.
You can probably guess tip number four: book your appointment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a day or two after your embassy notary appointment. This can save you at least a week or two. After you bring in the notarized documents and their translations, it will take the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about four to five days to return the legalized documents.
Now the final step is registering your marriage at a local district office, or amphur. This can be where your fiancée lives here in Bangkok or any convenient location where you’re staying.
Tip number five is to have your fiancée or Thai representative contact your district office of choice to schedule a registration appointment and get the complete list of what that office requires. The legalized documents you receive from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be required at this stage, and you’ll also need to arrange for two Thai nationals to be there with you as witnesses.
And that’s it. Once the district office accepts your marriage registration, it will issue your marriage certificate.
Tip number six is to ask for a few original copies to have on hand for filing visas or handling any other legal processes down the road.
There are a number of steps you can take before you get on the plane to come here. By doing so, you can save at least a few weeks in completing the marriage registration process.
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