US Citizen Marrying Nong Khai Local

Hi,

I am looking to get info on the latter part of this post from local perhaps even US residents of Nong Khai or close thereto, about Non-Immigrant O & extension based on Marriage to Thai.

I married my Thai wife via wedding ceremony at her house in her Amphur. (Nong Khai proper, in the province of Nong Khai) The house is registered in her name as is the land. Lots of photos, perhaps way too many.

Obviously that's the unofficial part in the eyes of the governments of Thailand and the United States, -now we have to register our marriage with the Amphur.

To do this, we know I have to visit Bangkok and do the following (for Brits, -here's a nice link on how to get your Affirmation of Freedom to Marry in 24 hours) :

1. Make an notarial appointment at the US Embassy Notarial Division for 3 documents and follow the procedures listed in their Marriage In Thailand page:

a. Affidavit of Freedom To Marry http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/marriage_affidavit.pdf
b. Affidavit of Income from the US http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/income_affidavit_retirees.pdf
c. Due to being divorced in the US, I also have to fill out a Divorce Affidavit. http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/divorce_affidavit.pdf

I fill these out, pay the $50 for each notarial seal. Question #1: How long does the Notarial paperwork take to be signed/stamped by the Embassy staff?

I then drop off these documents to a translator such as one of the firms listed here, wait, and then pick up my translated copies of these documents.

I then proceed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifically 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

I then return home to the Amphur in which I reside, and go to the local office and Register ourselves as married.

I provide my signed and translated and certified Freedom to Marry affidavit, as well as the Divorce Affidavit, as well as the translated Divorce certificate my ex-wife sent me a PDF copy of.

This part it seems there's a bit of official, as well as ceremonial action going on, I've been told to bring a camera, etc.

Question #2: Is there a cost for this, how much is it? Is it like a "second wedding ceremony", how long will it take the Amphur to provide our Certificate Of Marriage (is that what it's called)?


So that should take care of the OFFICIAL MARRIAGE PART right? Now, for the Non-O Visa...

And for the Visa, by the time all this is completed I should have about 60 days left on my Non-ED Visa extension.

We live extremely close to Laos, -we are literally right across the river and very close to the Freedom Bridge border crossing.

So obviously I am considering trying to obtain a Non-O visa based on Marriage to a Thai as coverd in Thaivisa's post on the subject.

I fill out a T.M.7 Form, downloaded from the Immigration Bureau's page as .doc and then I fill it out, and save as PDF.

My plan is to exit at Nong Khai at Freedom bridge, go to Vientaine, and request a single entry Non-O Visa. Is this correct?

Is this considered applying for a Non-O Visa or is it applying for the actual marriage visa?

My understanding is that the Thai Embassy in Vientiane DPR Laos is issuing singles, but not multiple entry Non-O visas. Like I said, I literally live right across from the crossing to Vientiane.

Is it upon my expiration of the initial visa, that I get the Extension based on Marriage at the localNong Khai Immigration Office?

(caveat being to avoid Mr. Happy, a well-known and much-derided staff member).

What's the step-by-step process for this? I'd like to have a clear outline, and get it such that I can localize the data, e.g. what's the norm in Nong Khai, -get advice from other US nationals on this...

saanya

saanya wrote:Hi,










Question #2: Is there a cost for this, how much is it? Is it like a "second wedding ceremony", how long will it take the Amphur to provide our Certificate Of Marriage (is that what it's called)?



.

saanya

Far too much to answer for me but I can tell you the Amphur wedding is a fixed fee of 20bht which includes two official marriage certificate in Thai, and these are given you before leaving the building. I will just add. You can at this time choose to change your wife's surname to yours or she can retain her Thai one .Up to you both .

Will respond regarding the marriage visa as renewal to non immigrant O or B, as I literally just went to inquire before seeing this post.

First, obtain from Thai immigration office a brochure on the "marriage" visa, it is bilinqual Thai and English and spells out exactly what is required. Most importantly, one already needs a valid Non immigrant O or B visa, so this marriage visa is in fact only for a renewal. Other special requirements depend on specific situation, eg working with work permit, retired, or simply have 400,000 baht in the bank for at least 60 days prior to the application, map to one's house, photos of oneself with spouse and kids if any, at home in the bedroom , living room and in front of the house. Again it is all spelled out in the free brochure.

This was good news to me that I can obtain this marriage visa without leaving Thailand. Prior to now I always did a non immigrant O, still using the Thai marriage certificate and money in the bank to fulfill documentary requirements.

maybe interesting to know, you can also marry in bangkok and leave all marriage papers translated and legalized by the proper authority's , as your former marriage ( you call it ) was only local mambo jambo and has no value at all ,( so you will have to marry again, this time official, this you can do anywhere in thailand ) as of the visa regulations , check out at the immigration topic, full of this....
good luck...

I am not offering any legal or illegal advice,but I know many guys that have saved a lot of money ,time and hassle by stating they have never been married before!
I spent months finding all the information about my prior 2 divorces in America,searching the archive micro films at 2 different court houses!Actually had to make an extra round trip to gather all the paperwork.
Then came the translation costs which were hefty because of all the property settlement agreements contained in both divorce decrees that had to be translated into Thai.
If I had to do it all over again,I know what I would do!

rct wrote:Will respond regarding the marriage visa as renewal to non immigrant O or B, as I literally just went to inquire before seeing this post.

First, obtain from Thai immigration office a brochure on the "marriage" visa, it is bilinqual Thai and English and spells out exactly what is required. Most importantly, one already needs a valid Non immigrant O or B visa, so this marriage visa is in fact only for a renewal. Other special requirements depend on specific situation, eg working with work permit, retired, or simply have 400,000 baht in the bank for at least 60 days prior to the application, map to one's house, photos of oneself with spouse and kids if any, at home in the bedroom , living room and in front of the house. Again it is all spelled out in the free brochure.

This was good news to me that I can obtain this marriage visa without leaving Thailand. Prior to now I always did a non immigrant O, still using the Thai marriage certificate and money in the bank to fulfill documentary requirements.

Interesting, I am on an Non-ED visa, for education, and have been so for about 2+ years. If this will allow me to simply extend without leaving the country, even better.

I will ask my wife if we can go to Nong Khai Immigration today and find out the particulars on this. It'll save us a trip to Vientaine, even though we live really close.

Anyone have info on this?

nkstan wrote:I am not offering any legal or illegal advice,but I know many guys that have saved a lot of money ,time and hassle by stating they have never been married before!
I spent months finding all the information about my prior 2 divorces in America,searching the archive micro films at 2 different court houses!Actually had to make an extra round trip to gather all the paperwork.
Then came the translation costs which were hefty because of all the property settlement agreements contained in both divorce decrees that had to be translated into Thai.
If I had to do it all over again,I know what I would do!

That is really good advice. I figure that this marriage in the US was only for a short while, we have very few transactions associated with the marriage, nothing to divide up.

But I seem to remember being somewhat surprised my ex pulled off getting divorce papers without my signature. At the time, as well as now, it seems she would have had to forge something like this. I would not put it past her, and it's the perfect way for her to haunt this new marriage 14 years later.

She agreed she would provide the divorce certificate, but I can totally see the reality of someone somewhere requesting even more paper, which would be next to impossible to obtain unless I went in person, and even then, who knows. Hmm. Good advice.