Legalization of documents for marriage between Belgian and Thai (readers' submission)
(AUWAE PHOTO / Shutterstock.com)
Legalization (at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thailand) of the documents required for a marriage in Thailand. Procedure for today, own experience (26/1/2023).
It is mandatory to make an online appointment (procedure on the Foreign Affairs website). The applicant must be present in person (for example, not your future wife). You have to sign the application on the spot (be filmed).
What must be supplied:
- proof of no impediment to marriage, legalized by your embassy.
- proof of nationality issued by your embassy (legalised).
- affidavit (legalised).
- copy of your passport.
- copy of legalization by your embassy.
All these documents must be translated into Thai. This may be done by any recognized translation agency in Thailand, so it does not have to be a translation agency recognized by the embassy.
- copy of your long-term visa.
- copy of your future wife's ID, signed by her (for verification that she also meets the conditions to get married).
Six forms will then be legalized. Cost 1200 baht. An application for marriage is not possible in the express formula, 1 to 2 working days. You will then receive proof of payment and date for collection of your documents. This may be collected by anyone upon presentation of the collection receipt
This was my own experience, so no intermediary or office.
If you meet all the conditions I have described you will be out of there in less than half an hour (me in 15 minutes). They are very friendly and speak perfect English.
So good to do yourself.
Submitted by Foefie
what is a 'long-term visa'?
Dear,
Last Tuesday I also visited the Embassy of Belgium, also for no marriage.
I was received there with my future wife by an extremely friendly and polite official, who spoke perfect Dutch with me, and Thai with my future wife.
Everything was already signed, and that was no problem.
The documents can be collected next Monday. I paid 2340 Thai Baht.
However, the translation by a recognized translation agency will cost me 14000 Thai Baht.
I am really delighted with the excellent service provided by the Embassy.
Kind regards, Pieter Van Mensel
@ Pascal, regarding those long-term visas, sorry, I formulated that incorrectly. That must simply be proof of your legal residence in Thailand (e.g. extemtion). In my case it happened to be a long-term visa.
great, but now I don't know what a long-term visa is, if that exists I want that next year.
Dear Pieter, yes I have the same experience at the embassy, just super !! I just wonder why you pay so much for the translations, I paid 5 bhat for the 2000 translations into Thai by a recognized Thai translation agency, including shipping by Ems to home address. I scanned the forms and within 24 hours I already had them in my mailbox !!By mail 2 days later .
Last year when translating AND legalizing documents before marriage (5500 bath) AND after marriage (5000 bath) paid in Bangkok Thailand, each time in a week.
Everything was neatly delivered to your home in Petchabun with a shipment.
Translation agency EXPRESS TRANSLATION SERVICES, recognized by the Belgian embassy.
Indeed. Everything very easy and correct. Here in Phuket also in English. Only waiting time of 5 days, and everything is sent perfectly..
A small note, the procedure I posted is not only for Belgians!!! The official who processed my application informed me that this procedure is now valid for any marriage between a Thai and foreign national. Previously, 3 forms had to be legalized and now 6. Only the copy of the ID of the future wife is not legalized (it is being investigated whether there is no impediment to marriage). That is also the reason that the marriage application cannot be carried out in the express legalization. And don't forget to have the legalization carried out by your government or embassy translated into Thai. At the counter next to me there was an English speaking man who had not had it translated and his request was not accepted!! Kind regards and have a nice day. Phew
I understand that the story is about the Belgian embassy, but I wouldn't expect it to be much different at the Dutch embassy.
However, the form to be completed for the Dutch embassy https://www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/binaries/content/assets/pdfs-engels/application-form-declaration-marriage-thailand.pdf
states that a translated and legalized declaration of unmarried status from the future partner must also be brought to the embassy.
This makes the procedure very complex and expensive. My partner must first arrange the document, then have it translated, then have it legalized by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Then together with my documents to the Dutch embassy for legalization and then with those documents again to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs for legalization.
Does anyone have experience with this and is this really correct or is it, as is so often the case, incorrect information from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
What strikes me is that there is no longer a birth certificate.
Is a copy of a long-term visa really necessary to legalize the documents at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs? I was planning to arrange this without a visa, but that won't work?
what is a long-term visa?
A simple annual visa.
Dear Foefje, I assume from your name that you are a girl/woman, but that doesn't matter.
Id comes. what to pay attention to regarding documents / paperwork.
But why do you want to get married in Thailand? .
I got married in Thailand according to tradition, which means "at her home in her house with a village head and some family", so nothing legal.
I had my wife come and got legally married here, I was still in the corona period, but she received a 90-day visa with a view to a wedding in Belgium, which was mandatory because otherwise she would have to be around 90. days later he was forced to leave the country.
I and my wife also had to arrange the necessary documents, such as proof of income, proof of residence, proof of good conduct and morals and so on.
You can obtain many documents at the town hall where you live, as far as my wife's documents are concerned, everything was arranged quite smoothly through the embassy and a very good and honest translation agency that was located a little further than the embassy.
My wife had to report to the Belgian embassy in Bangkok, the Immigration Department, to arrange everything that she could not do! I contacted that service and they replied that it was no problem at all and that they would help her, the cost was €7 and everything was resolved.
A friend of mine who was also having the same problem at the same time, had his wife/girlfriend convince her that it would be best to go to an agency that would arrange it for €450,,, I €7.
People are getting smarter!
Good luck to you and contact the embassy as much as possible! Here in Belgium it is always the Immigration Department, Aliens Department, where everything ends up and it is also that service that makes the decision.
Greetings
Baudouin
Whoa , forgot to mention !
Full medical checkup in an embassy approved clinic on MMS. 15 to 20 diseases!
Fortunately, my wife is very healthy.
Have been married for 2 years now in June and are very happy with each other.
Greetings.
Baudouin