Marriage Certificate

[astral]

Also, the Embassy's web site seemed to suggest that registering the marriage with them, dosn't mean that we're married back in England.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you are married your are married and that is it. It does not matter where you did the deed.

What your wife does not get is an automatic entry to the UK.

They are still suspicious of marriages of convenience.

(Now, I always ask "what marriage is not convenient?")

The British Embassy in Bangkok definitely has people who can read and understand

Thai documents like a marriage certificate, so there should be no problem.

I used a simple translation (with no "certification") for the UK taxman, back in the days when wives got allowances.

No problem.

Edited July 18, 2005 by astral

[chuckd]

I registered my Thai marriage at the US Embassy in BKK last week.  I took a translation (duly stamped by the translation company) and the original Thai language certificate to the Embassy.

They looked at it, compared it to the original, stamped the back of the translation certifying it was a true copy of the original and sent me on my way.

No charge and it took perhaps 15 minutes.  There is no charge for notarial services as long as the notarized document is a requirement of the US government.

Edit:  I did not get MOFA certification nor was one required.  MOFA certification is required to get married but not to register your Thai marriage at the US embassy.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There is no requirement to register your marriage at the US Embassy so am not sure what you did. As you say it was a requirement must assume you are talking about obtaining an immigrant visa rather than a marriage registration. If I am wrong I am many years wrong.

What exact requirement do you believe you were doing? I am quite sure there would be something on their web site if they now have any such process but can not find it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I never said there was a requirement to register your marriage at the US Embassy. I said if the government, for whatever reason, needs certified copies of any document, there is no charge for the notarial services.

The US Government needed certified copies of my marriage certificate for retirement purposes that are personal in nature to me. As I accurately stated, there was no notarial fee for this service.

This is what I was doing and not what I believed I was doing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You said

I registered my Thai marriage at the US Embassy in BKK last week. I took a translation (duly stamped by the translation company) and the original Thai language certificate to the Embassy.

The information about no fee for notary service is a good piece of advise.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mr.Lopburi:

While I am the first to admit that my grasp of the English language is circumspect at best, I still must take umbrage with your implication that I said one MUST register his/her marriage to a non-resident alien with the US Embassy.

I merely said that I had registered my marriage at the Embassy and in no instance did I intimate that it was a requirement.

I suppose we are beating a dead horse over semantics but I am a firm believer that words should not be put in my mouth. I am certain you can understand why.

I am pleased you found my advice beneficial on no-fee notarials.

[lopburi3]

chuckd

What you said was you registered your marriage at the US Embassy - I do not recall you saying you "must" do so but you said you did this and I know of no process to do so. Now you have said it was a notary for paperwork and that is not "registering your marriage" in my book. The only registration I am aware of is birth/death and presence in the country so perhaps the presence here could be considered registration of marriage by some. I was trying to clarify exactly what you did. Sorry if it seemed to be an attack. But this give and take is how we all gain knowledge here.

In any case the point about no payment for required notary service it good to advertise and they might not catch it in the mad rush to process people.

[chuckd]

chuckd

What you said was you registered your marriage at the US Embassy - I do not recall you saying you "must" do so but you said you did this and I know of no process to do so.  Now you have said it was a notary for paperwork and that is not "registering your marriage" in my book.  The only registration I am aware of is birth/death and presence in the country so perhaps the presence here could be considered registration of marriage by some.  I was trying to clarify exactly what you did.  Sorry if it seemed to be an attack.  But this give and take is how we all gain knowledge here.   

In any case the point about no payment for required notary service it good to advertise and they might not catch it in the mad rush to process people.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mr. Lopburi:

I have queried my local US Embassy Warden and he tells me that marriages are registered all the time at the US Embassy. That having been said, he further indicated he has not done one for some three months and the rules might have changed since then.

He suggested I call the Embassy, which I tried to do to no avail. Seems the American Citizens Section was closed for some unknown reason.

In any event, Mr. Warden stated the procedure was strictly voluntary and was not a requirement of the US government and was normally done in order to put a marriage on record for an individual's retirement purposes. This was my previous understanding of the process.

I will attempt to call the Embassy in the next day or so and post the information I receive.

Cheers.

[lopburi3]

That makes it even more interesting as I happen to be retired and paid by OPM and was never asked to register anything to the US Embassy. I did provide evidence directly in the form of marriage certificate/translation registered at MFA. But this was done some 10 years ago so perhaps I am out of date (no - not that!!)

My last trip to ACS was about two weeks ago and someone was complaining about nobody answering phones then so good luck with the call.

It was really busy with people getting permission to marry paperwork.