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The most frequently asked question asked about weddings
in Phuket is "Can we get legally married in Phuket.?"
The answer is Yes, sort of! This is why....
To actually legalise a marriage in Thailand, you must first
complete a letter of intent at the embassy or consulate
of your nationality in Bangkok. You have to be there to
do this and depending on what country you come from, it
may take just a few hours or may take two working days.
This you can check out on your embassies or consulates website,
or email them for advice. This can not be done in Phuket
unless your country has a consulate in Phuket offering this
service.
Once you have completed this letter of intent and it has
been notarized by your embassy, you have a few of choices:
1- Come to Phuket and let a wedding service take care of
the rest of the paper work. (See Wedding Planning Services).
This is the most expensive option and will require at least
3 to 5 working days. You can expect to pay around 20,000
Baht for this hassle free option.
2- Stay in Bangkok for a couple of days and have a translation
service do the work for you. This process will require 2
or 3 working days and you can expect to pay around 15,000
Baht
3- For a cheaper option, and perhaps more interesting you
can go to all the government departments yourselves, which
will cost around 5,000 Baht including taxi fares etc. You'll
need around 4 working days, just to be sure.
The paper work each person to marry will need:
- Completed statutory declaration with the vice consul
to witness your signature (From your Embassy)
- Original Birth Certificate
- Certificate of divorce if previously married
- Proof of identity with your passport
You may need more paper work for your particular embassy,
so please check with them first.
So what's all this stuff happening in Bangkok? Well the
process is actually quite simple, but can be daunting if
you don't speak the language, or know where you are going.
But this is the process:
The letter of intent that you fill out from your embassy
must be translated into Thai along with your passports.
This must then be registered at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, which is an office located in the North of Bangkok
City. Once these documents have been registered, you can
then visit a local registry office anywhere in Thailand.
This is usually located around the city hall and Phuket
has one in Phuket town. You must be present for this part
of the process. Once you have visited this office you are
officially married in Thailand and can have any kind of
ceremony you like. If specially requested, the district
officer will come to your wedding location to sign the documents
at a reasonable fee, which is arranged case by case. Once
you have your Thai Wedding Certificate, you must get it
translated into your language before it is official in your
country. There are many translation offices in Bangkok that
offer this service.
So in a nutshell,
1. You must visit your embassy first,
2. Then you can either go through the rest of the process
or have someone do it for you until the signing of the wedding
certificate.
3. You must then have your wedding certificate translated
into your langauge.
If you opt for process to be done while you are enjoying
the sun and sights of Phuket, then your paperwork will be
sent to Bangkok by courier and someone has to take it all
around Bangkok for you, which is why there is additional
charges. Please find a list of Embassy Websites and contacts
below.
Embassy Websites:
Australian - www.austembassy.or.th
British - www.britishemb.or.th
American - www.bangkok.usembassy.gov
Swiss - www.eda.admin.ch/bangkok_emb
Sweden - www.swedenabroad.com
*Sweden also have a consulate in Phuket, so you do not have
to go to Bangkok to fill out the intent to marry forms.
Norway - www.emb-norway.or.th
If your embassy is not listed here, then you can either
search the internet, or you can contact your foreign office
at home to find out where your embassy is in Bangkok. Or
go to www.moveandstay.com/bangkok/guide_embassies.asp
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Wedding Legalities