How To Get Married In Thailand?
A legal marriage in Thailand consists of both parties registering their marriage in person with the local Thai Amphur (Civil Registry Office). The United States does recognize the validity of such a marriage. For American citizens marrying either Thai citizens or another American citizen, the procedure is the same. For Americans marrying a third-country national, their prospective spouse must also follow a similar procedure with their own embassy.
1. Procedure
Complete an affidavit at the U.S. Embassy. The affidavit form, is available in their office or you may download a copy of the form here (PDF 35KB), includes all of the information required by relevant Thai law. The form must be completed and notarized at the US Embassy. The notarial fee is $50 per seal. Make an appointment for a notarial. Have the notarized affidavit translated. List of translators in the Bangkok area (PDF 50KB).
2. Take the affidavit and translation to:
Legalization Division
Department of Consular Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
3rd Floor, 123 Chaeng Wattana Road
Tung Song Hong, Laksi District, Bangkok
Tel: 02-575-1057-8, Fax: 02-575-1054
3. Take the affidavit and supporting documents to a local Amphur and registeryourselves as married.
The Amphur will also require the following documents:
Your U.S. passport;
Identification for the other party, such as a Thai citizen’s identification card;
If either party is under the age of twenty, written permission from the parents with Thai translation;
If either you or your fiance have been previously married the Amphur will want to see proof that prior marriages have been terminated. Divorce or death certificate should suffice. These documents, if available, should be translated into Thai prior to presentation at the Amphur.
The American Embassy in Bangkok is not authorized to perform marriages. Marriage in Thailand should be performed according to Thai law and any detailed questions on the procedure should be addressed to the appropriate Thai authorities. A religious ceremony on its own is not sufficient.
The documentation to be produced is at the discretion of each individual Registrar. Most Registrars will be satisfied with an affirmation of freedom to marry. The marriage will only be recognized under US law if it is valid under Thai law. For it to be valid in Thai law, the marriage must be registered with the Registrar at an Amphur Office (District Office).
The Thai marriage certificate will be in Thai only. You may wish to commission a “sworn translation” of the marriage certificate from a translation bureau, so that you may use the document for legal purposes in the US. Consular Section can arrange for your marriage to be recorded in the US; please ask us for further details if you wish us to do so. This is not a legal obligation, it is for statistical purposes and if you lose a copy of your certificate only.
Please note that a foreign national does not automatically acquire American nationality through marriage to an American national.
If you are marrying a Thai national, he or she will require a visa to visit or settle in the US.
Applications for a visa to settle in the United States should be submitted at least three months in advance of the proposed date of travel. Please ask the Visa Section for further information.
Note: The above fees may alter without prior notice. American laws do not recognize marriage performed overseas as valid and legal but will be legal if performed in the US.
Additional Reminders
If you want to marry a Thai woman in Thailand, you and your future bride must comply with certain eligibility requirements. If your bride is only 18 years old, you will need parental consent but if she is at least 20 years old, parental consent is no longer required. Neither of you should not be adjudged insane or incompetent.
You must not be related by blood or within the prohibited degrees of relationship.
You must both be legally available to marry at the time the marriage is celebrated.
These must be complied otherwise your marriage will not be considered valid. Obtaining all these requirements entail effort and waiting on your part. These documents are not available immediately upon application and require a certain number of days to process them. You will have to go to Thailand and handle these matters yourself.
You may also consider hiring the services of wedding planners to help you in preparing your documentation requirements and the wedding itself. A number of these wedding planners and services are available for a reasonable price. By spending a little more for assistance in the marriage process, you can avoid the hassle of obtaining all these requirements and undergoing all the preparations by yourself and instead enjoy the company of your special Thai sweetheart.
Make sure to check with the Royal Thai Embassy as well as the Department of Employment Office just to confirm and make sure that there are no changes to the requirements and needed documents. The Thai government may make changes when they deem it appropriate.
How much does it cost?
I. Processing fees for the Documents
Processing all these documentary requirements certainly means expenses on your part. The government has made a schedule of fees for the different kinds of documents you want to process.
– Receiving notice of an intended marriage, civil partnership or overseas relationship:
3,250 THB
– Issuing a certificate that no impediment to an intended marriage has been shown to exist, or issuing any local equivalent document for an intended marriage or overseas relationship in accordance with local law: 3,250 THB
– Forwarding to the appropriate Registrar General a record of a marriage under Thai law: 1,750 THB
– Making an addition to or correction in the consular register as necessary: 1,750 THB
– Issuing a certified copy of an entry in the consular register – 3,250 THB
The Embassy may also charge you for the notarizations required and the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs may also make reasonable charges for the documents’ registration and certification regarding your legal capacity to marry in Thailand. You must also set aside a sufficient amount to pay for the translation of the necessary documents by the private translation agency you hired. Their fees may vary.
Most if not all of the fees are payable in Baht cash so you will need to convert American dollars to baht according to the prevailing exchange rate which may vary.
For more information, you may contact the consular services.The fees for various documents may also vary from time to time as the government may change the fees as it deems necessary. To get a more reliable and the most accurate and recent schedule of fees for these documents, it is better to contact the US Embassydirectly.
II. Wedding expenses
There are actually two types of wedding in Thailand, the legal marriage and the Thai traditional marriage. The legal marriage is that which is performed in a Thai Amphur wherein you obtain the legal marriage certificate.
The Thai traditional wedding ceremony is not essential for a legal and binding marriage but is significant for its cultural and traditional reasons. It is a more common and important ceremony among the Thais and as much as possible, must be done when you marry a Thai who would surely appreciate it.
This is the ceremony which the people in the community recognize as binding the two of you in marriage. When you are marrying a Thai girl, you are most likely to have these two weddings because this is their tradition and is usually expected from every union.
Since the Thais are very family-oriented people, family celebrations especially marriage of a family member means pomp and a grand gathering of relatives and clans. You must spend for the dress of your bride, the clothes of the entourage, the venue, the music band, the food and drinks to be served at the reception among others. The Thai marriage is a family affair and having a lavish wedding ceremony although not legally required would surely be much pleasing to your bride and her family. The cost of the wedding would vary depending on the number of guests and how much you are willing to spend. You would probably spend at the average 69,000 Baht for the traditional wedding. Not bad at all compared to most American wedding expenses in general.
Your wedding marks a life-changing event in your life. Spending for it to make it extra special and a memorable moment would surely be worth it. After all, you do not get married every day.
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