Newly-married couples need to accomplish a few more things after the registration of their marriage in Thailand. These are basically for the purpose of updating their status in either their local district or their home country.
Thais are mandated to report their marriage in the amphur (local district office) where their birth is registered. Thus, if the marriage is celebrated in an amphur different from the amphur of birth registration, the Thai must go back to his original amphur and report his marriage. However, there is no need to go back to the original amphur if the marriage was directly registered in the same amphur of birth registration. It is also at this time when female Thais may elect to change their surname of to that of their spouse. A new Thai national ID is issued to reflect such change.
On the other hand, foreigners are usually required to report their marriage to their country’s Embassy or consulate in Thailand. But before doing so, foreigners must have their Thai marriage certificate translated to English, then have the translation certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The certified translation is what the foreigner presents to his Embassy for the report of marriage.
This article was provided by Siam Legal, an international law firm with offices in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Phuket, and Samui. Siam Legal publishes legal guides to marrying in Thailand on its website. Siam Legal InternationalInterchange 21 Building, 23rd Floor, 399 Sukhumvit RoadNorth Klongtoey, Wattana, Bangkok 10110Tel: 662 259-8100
