Mark Friedman: So you’re a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in a committed relationship with a Thai national. You’re talking with your fiancé about getting married in Thailand and are wondering how to get started. In this video, we’ll explain the 5-step process to legally marry in Thailand to ensure your marriage is recognized by the U.S. and Thai governments for immigration and other purposes. The first step is establishing that you’re free to marry your Thai fiancé. You do this by completing a sworn affidavit on a form available through the U.S. Embassy. In the affidavit, you’ll set out your biographical information, including your current marital status, single, widowed, or divorced.
Whether you have any dependents, your occupation, and you’ll need to name two references that reside in the U.S. Step two is having the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok or the U.S. Consulate in Chiang Mai notarize your affidavit, and this requires making an online appointment. The link to make an appointment is in the description below.
For planning purposes, appointments are available about a month to six weeks out. and the cost of the notarization is 50. Step three is getting your notarized affidavit translated into Thai. We recommend using a reputable translation service experienced with translating legal documents. If there are any errors, the document will be rejected by the Thai government.
For that reason, our firm uses just one translation service. with whom we’ve established a good track record for accuracy. Step four is taking the notarized and translated affidavit to the Office of Ministry of Foreign Affairs or MOFA for legalization. MOFA has offices in Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Ubon Ratchathani.
You’ll need to make an appointment and depending on the office, this can take a week or two. Normal service is 200 Thai Baht and takes about two business days. But you can pay 400 Thai Baht for expedited same day service. Now, with your MOFA legalized affidavit in hand, you’re now ready to move on to the final step, registering your marriage.
This is done through a district office, or Ampoe, and these offices are located throughout Thailand. You can choose the district office associated with your fiancé’s house registration, or Thabianban. Or you can choose a district office that’s conveniently located to your residence in Thailand.
Some district offices require advance appointments and others do not, so it’s wise to call ahead. On that call, the district office can also let you know what documents it requires. This typically includes your fiancé’s Thai ID, Thabianban or house book, your passport, and the legalized affidavits.
Finally, you’ll need two Thai nationals to accompany you as witnesses. Now, once the paperwork is accepted and the process is completed, the district office will issue you a Thai marriage certificate. We appreciate that none of this is terribly romantic.
You and your fiancé may, of course, plan a family and spiritual ceremony and enjoy a proper celebration before or after the legal particulars are observed. If you’re interested in learning more about the marriage registration process in Thailand and speaking with a Thai legal counselor, or you want to explore visa opportunities here in Thailand once you’re married, we’d be happy to host a free consultation.
You can reserve a time to speak with our team. on our website, or by writing to us at hello@btisolutions.co if you found this helpful, please subscribe, like, and share. And thanks for watching.
