Wedding in Thailand: what you need to know

All the useful information on the formalities to follow before a marriage in Thailand.

If you have met your soulmate in Thailand and are sure of your choice (see before: Documentary: My Nightmare, I Married a Thai Woman 😉 ) then here are the main steps you will go through.

Marriage in Thailand for Belgians

A) Before the marriage in Thailand

If you wish to get married in Thailand with a person of Thai nationality, please contact first the civil authorities of the Thai commune (« Amphur ») where the marriage will be celebrated in order to verify the documents, legalizations and translations in Thai language required by the Thai civil officer.

The civil authorities in Thailand normally require foreigners who wish to get married a »certificate of no impediment to marriage» and an »affidavit» (affidavit) concerning the address, income of the future spouse as well as the name of two people of the same nationality knowing him personally and aware of the marriage project.

These two documents can be issued by the Embassy.

To obtain this certificate of no impediment to marriage and the affidavit (affidavit) the following documents must be presented to the Belgian Embassy in Bangkok :

1. From the Belgian future spouse(s)

1.1 Resident in Belgium or outside Thailand :

• Copy of the information page of your valid international Belgian passport + copy of all Thai entry and exit stamps from Thailand.
• Copy of the Belgian identity card.
• Literal copy of the birth certificate (issued by the Belgian municipality), not older than 6 months. The literal copy must be an original document (no fax or downloaded copy), duly dated and signed by the authorized official.
• A certificate of nationality, residence and civil status issued by the Belgian municipality, not older than 6 months. This document must be an original (no fax or downloaded copy), duly dated and signed by the competent official.

At the request of the Thai authorities, you must also provide the names, first names, date of birth and addresses of two Belgian citizens, as references, who are aware of the marriage planned in Thailand.

These documents should not be legalized.

1.2 If you are registered with the Belgian Embassy in Bangkok

• Copy of the information page of your valid international Belgian passport + copy of all Thai entry and exit stamps from Thailand.
• Literal copy of the birth certificate (issued by the Belgian municipality), not earlier than 6 months. The literal copy must be an original document (no fax or downloaded copy), duly dated and legalized by the competent official.

At the request of the Thai authorities, you must also provide the names, first names, date of birth and addresses of two Belgian citizens, as references, who are aware of the planned marriage in Thailand.

These documents should not be legalized.

2. By the future Thai spouse

• Copy of the identification page of the current international Thai passport (if available).
• Copy of the Thai identification card.

Cost of documents

The issuance of "certificate of no impediment to marriage" is subject to a consular fee of 80 euros (20 € for the issuance of the certificate and 60 € for the certified translation into Thai, to be paid in cash in Thai Baht).

A consular fee of 20 euros is also due for the legalization of your signature at the bottom of the affidavit that you must present at the request of the Thai authorities.

Procedure for marriage in Thailand

Attention: the certificate of no impediment to marriage may not be issued ex officio and may be subject to authorization by the Belgian Foreign Ministry. In this case, it may take several weeks before it is issued.

If the application is complete and the legal conditions are met, the Embassy will issue two certificates: a certificate of no impediment to marriage and a "Marriage Affidavit" that you must complete, date, and sign.

The Embassy will legalize your signature on the affidavit. Consular fees are payable in Thai baht and correspond to €20 (€10 per document) at the current exchange rate.

Translation and legalization: the "certificate of no impediment to marriage" and your affidavit ("Marriage Affidavit") must be translated into Thai by a translator approved by the Embassy (a list of translators is available at the Embassy counter).

You must then have these two documents and the translations legalized by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

The Legalisation Division
Department of Consular Affairs
123 Chaeng Wattana Road,
Laksi District, Bangkok 10210

Tel: +66 (0) 2 575 1056–59, 0 2981 7171
Fax: +66 (0) 2 575 1054
(08:30 – 15:30 hrs)

Once these documents are translated and legalized, you can get married at a local registry office of your choice in Thailand.

B) Marriage in Thailand

The marriage is contracted with the civil authorities of each Thai municipality, known as 'AMPHUR'.

When the marriage has been celebrated, two documents in Thai are given to the spouses:

• A Marriage Certificate.
• A certified copy of the marriage registration (Copy of Marriage Registration Book).

C) After the marriage in Thailand

You must have these two documents (marriage certificate and copy of the marriage registration) legalized by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (see address above).

Then these two documents must be translated into the official language of your municipality by one of the translation offices approved by the Embassy (a list is available at the Embassy counter).

Be careful, check that there are no errors on these documents and their translations! Errors regarding the names or previous marital status of the spouses are common.

Finally, you must have the marriage certificate and the copy of the marriage registration legalized by the Belgian Embassy in Bangkok.

If you are domiciled in Belgium, once back in Belgium, present this marriage certificate and the Thai marriage registration, duly legalized and accompanied by a translation into the language of your municipality, to the civil registry of your Belgian municipality.

Request that a transcript be made in the civil registry of this municipality. This will allow you to obtain copies or extracts of this marriage certificate directly from your Belgian municipality in the future.

Marriage in Thailand for French citizens

Marriages between French nationals and foreigners are celebrated by Thai authorities upon presentation by the French national of a certificate of capacity for marriage (CCAM). To obtain this document, you will need to make an appointment with the French Embassy in Bangkok (only online here), which will summon you for a hearing normally at this address:

Consular Chancellery
35, Soi 36 Rue de Brest
Charoenkrung Road, Bangrak
Bangkok 10500
Standard +66 (0) 2657 51 00
Fax +66(0) 2657 51 55
ambafrance-th.org

Document to be provided for obtaining the marriage capacity certificate:

Attention: the Consulate does not make photocopies and any incomplete file is rejected!

Future spouse of French nationality

— Full copy of birth certificate issued in the last 3 months (please present the original).

– Document justifying French nationality (to be provided if you were not born in France to at least one parent also born in France):

• valid French national identity card (secure model),
• or certificate of French nationality,
• or registered copy of a declaration acquiring French nationality,
• or copy of the decree of naturalization or reinstatement in French nationality,
• or biometric passport.

– presentation of the passport;

– ID card, if you have one;

– in case of widowhood, full copy of the death certificate of the previous spouse;

— Proof of residence (e.g. bills, tax notice, certificate from the host with a copy of their ID ...).

Warning, for anyone with an address abroad, you must also present your consular card

Future spouse of foreign nationality

– birth certificate*;

– if applicable, documents attesting to the change(s) of first name and/or surname during life*;

– in case of divorce, copy of the divorce judgment*;

– in case of widowhood, copy of the death certificate of the previous spouse, as well as the marriage certificate*;

– Proof of residence (blue booklet issued by Thai authorities) * ;

– Presentation of the ID card ;

– Presentation of the passport even expired, failing which a copy (unless the person concerned has never had a passport).

* Original Thai document + photocopy of Thai document + original translation made by an accredited translator

Common Documents

– If applicable, full copies of French birth certificates of children born to the couple ;

– If applicable, marriage contract certificate signed before a notary ;

Download the file for the CCAM request :
Marriage-in-Thailand-certificate-of-marriage-ability.pdf

The interview and filing of the application

Once the appointment is taken, the documents are gathered and the file is completed, you can submit your application at the interview.

During this interview, the couple will have to fill out a questionnaire separately and they will be questioned about their relationship in order to ensure that it is not a sham marriage or a scam.

If you met your girlfriend in a nightclub and you have only known her for a short time, they may not give you the CCAM!

Withdrawal of the certificate of capacity for marriage

After a minimum period of 8 weeks, you can come to collect your CCAM during public opening hours from 8:30 am to 12 pm, it is specified that it is the French national who must come to collect the document.

Translation and double legalization of the certificate of capacity for marriage

Once you have the CCAM in hand, you will need to have it translated by a translator approved by
the embassy.

There is a certified translator right next door: The Corner 31, rue de Brest.

Then, you must have the translation legalized at the French Embassy, without an appointment from 8:30 am to 12 pm.

Final step, legalization by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Legalisation Division
Department of Consular Affairs
123 Chaeng Wattana Road,
Laksi District, Bangkok 10210

Tel: +66 (0) 2 575 1056–59, 0 2981 7171
Fax: +66 (0) 2 575 1054
(08:30 – 15:30 hrs)

You must go to the 2nd floor and fill out the document "Application for legalization" then go to the counter on the right to take a number. You must have a photocopy of your passport.

Then, you can either wait a long time or have the file sent to you by post (within 8 days), it will cost you 600 baht if you take the file directly or 1200 baht if you choose to receive it by mail.

The Wedding

There you go, once all these steps are completed, you can get married at the Thai civil registry office of your choice.

Congratulations, all my best wishes for happiness!

After the wedding

Once the marriage is celebrated, you will need to return to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have a copy of the Thai marriage certificate Kho.Ro. 2 legalized, which will cost you 600 baht.

Then return to the French embassy which will need to transcribe the Thai marriage certificate in the French civil status registers, the following documents:

– Copy of the Thai marriage certificate (Kho.Ro. 2 or คร.2 ), legalized by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

– The translation of this document carried out by a translator approved by the Embassy. (The Thai marriage certificate is the double-sided document signed by the spouses, witnesses and the local civil status officer; not the marriage certificate, which is in the form of a diploma), cost 2000 baht.

– If the French national is not present for the transcription request, they must complete the transcription request on the last page and sign it. (Original, not a scan or other copy)

Family record book and marriage certificate

Within approximately two weeks, the civil status department will issue the couple a French family record book as well as full copies of the marriage certificate.

The hearing

You may be summoned to the Civil Registry department of the embassy/consulate or to the town hall of your residence in France for a hearing with or without your spouse.

This hearing aims to verify that the marriage complies with French law. It can be carried out, depending on the case, before the publication of the banns or on the occasion of the examination of the application for the transcription of the marriage certificate.

At the end of this hearing, if the embassy/consulate has doubts about the validity of the planned or celebrated marriage, it may decide to submit the file to the assessment of the Public Prosecutor at the Nantes High Court.

Bringing your spouse to France

Once married, you can bring your spouse to France for a short stay with a short-stay visa that is relatively easy to obtain (less than 3 months, no tests), or a long stay, which will allow them to stay indefinitely.

The first long-stay visa is long to obtain, as your spouse will have to pass tests on the values of the French Republic and a French language test.

In case of failure in the French test, he/she will have to take courses at the French Alliance of Bangkok, retake the French test and this time even in case of failure, he/she will obtain his/her visa.

His/her visa will be valid for 1 year and renewable, so he/she can stay as many years as you wish.

See also:

Underwater weddings at 12 meters deep in Thailand

And for the flighty husbands 😉 :

Penis cutting, another specialty of Thailand!

Source: diplomatie.be ; ambafrance-th.org
Photo: Ben Stephenson