Thai Marriage
Thai Marriage
A Thai wedding generally consists of two parts: the legal part and the ceremonial part. These are done separately. There is no requirement of government documentation to have a religious ceremony, which is most common with Thai people. This is considered by many to be the real wedding. Normally, weddings in Thailand are Buddhist. A dowry is still common, but arranged marriages are rare.The legal part is performed at a local Amphur where the marriage is registered. It is not a chattel marriage, but a contractual marriage. The marriage certificate is in the Thai language.
Thai marriage eligibility
Eligibility
1. Both parties must at least 17 years of age. A court order would otherwise be needed
2. Neither party should be insane
3. Both should not be in blood relations to each other by direct ascendant or descendant line
4. Both should not have the same adoptive parents
5. Neither should have a spouse at the time of the marriage
NOTE: If the woman is a widow or is divorced, the marriage can only take place after expiry of 310 days from her husband's death or termination of the marriage. The exception being where:
1. A child was born during this time;
2. The divorced couple are remarrying;
3. There is a court order allowing the woman to marry;
4. There is a certificate from a doctor (working in a Thai hospital only) to state that the woman is not pregnant.
Thai marriage documents needed
Thai Nationals
1. His/Her Identification Cards;
2. Their house registration certificates;
3. Proof of divorce or in the case of spousal death, proof of death must be made available.
Foreigners
1. A copy of the passport including the arrival card;
2. Affirmation of eligibility to marry from the Embassy;
3. Translated copies of the affirmation in Thai certified by an approved Foreign Ministry translator.
Thai marriage procedures
1. Obtain the affirmation document from your embassy;
2. Complete the affirmation document and return it to your embassy; (Embassies fees/procedures vary)
2a, You would have to provide an income statement;
2b, Copy of your divorce order or death certificate of your spouse; (If divorced or widowed)
2c, List your children and ages and;
2d, Two citizens in your home country as references.
3. Collect your signed affirmation document from the embassy the (same or) following day, depending on embassy (or consulate);
4. Have your affirmation, (divorce order or death certificate of your late spouse) translated into Thai. (This is seldom required, but is recommended, if marrying in a small amphur or to sell embassy services.)
5. Take the affirmation and documents together with translations and copies of your passport to the Legalization Division of Consular Affairs Department, where the Consular Official's signature will be authenticated. This takes a few hours.
The Legalisation and Naturalisation Division, Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (www.mfa.go.th) 123 Chaeng Wattana Road, Laksi District, Bangkok 11120 Tel. 0-2575 1056-59, 0-2981 7171 08.30-11.30 and 13.00-15.30)
There are two fees available: -
1. Baht 400 per document, and it takes up to two full days or
2. Baht 800 per document for the same day service.
6. Wait a few hours or collect it in 2 days from the Thai Consular Affairs office;
7. Take the documents to the local District Registrar (also known as the 'Amphur') who will register the marriage and issue the marriage certificate. (There are two copies in Thailand and they will not issue new ones if lost so take good care of them)
8. Have certificate translated to English or your home language before leaving Thailand as they are costly to do overseas, Also if you intend to use it for visa or immigration purposes check for certification requirements by the desired country, as some require the Thai government to certify the the translation. (Personal experience, not official policy)
References
Thailand Department of Provincial Administration - Marriage Eligibility
Department of Consular Affairs - Road Map
Brief Amphur List
Affirmation Letters
Irish Letter of Affirmation
British Letter of Affirmation
American Letter of Affirmation
Australian Letter of Affirmation
New Zealand Letter of Affirmation
Online legal requirement references
Australia Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
Canada Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Netherlands Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND)
New Zealand New Zealand Immigration Service
Sweden Swedish Migration Board
UK Immigration and Nationality Directorate
USA Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services
Source= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_marriage
The Ceremony
Thai marriage ceremonies between Buddhists are generally divided into two parts: a Buddhist component, which includes the recitation of prayers and the offering of food and other gifts to monks and images of the Buddha, and a non-Buddhist component rooted in folk traditions, which centers on the couple's family.
In former times, it was unknown for Buddhist monks to be present at any stage of the marriage ceremony itself. As monks were required to attend to the dead during funerals, their presence at a marriage (which was associated with fertility, and intended to produce children) was considered a bad omen. A couple would seek a blessing from their local temple before or after being married, and might consult a monk for astrological advice in setting an auspicious date for the wedding. The non-Buddhist portions of the wedding would take place away from the temple, and would often take place on a separate day.
In modern times, these prohibitions have been significantly relaxed. It is not uncommon for a visit to a temple to be made on the same day as the non-Buddhist portions of a wedding, or even for the wedding to take place within the temple. While a division is still commonly observed between the "religious" and "secular" portions of a wedding service, it may be as simple as the monks present for the Buddhist ceremony departing to take lunch once their role is complete.
During the Buddhist component of the wedding service, the couple first bow before the image of the Buddha. They then recite certain basic Buddhist prayers or chants (typically including taking the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts), and light incense and candles before the image. The parents of the couple may then be called upon to 'connect' them, by placing upon the heads of the bride and groom twin loops of string or thread that link the couple together. The couple may then make offerings of food, flowers, and medicine to the monks present. Cash gifts (usually placed in an envelope) may also be presented to the temple at this time.
The monks may then unwind a small length of thread that is held between the hands of the assembled monks. They begin a series of recitations of Pali scriptures intended to bring merit and blessings to the new couple. The string terminates with the lead monk, who may connect it to a container of water that will be 'sanctified' for the ceremony. Merit is said to travel through the string and be conveyed to the water; a similar arrangement is used to transfer merit to the dead at a funeral, further evidence of the weakening of the taboo on mixing funerary imagery and trappings with marriage ceremonies. Blessed water may be mixed with wax drippings from a candle lit before the Buddha image and other unguents and herbs to create a 'paste' that is then applied to the foreheads of the bride and groom to create a small 'dot', similar to the marking sometimes made with red ochre on Hindu devotees. The bride's mark is created with the butt end of the candle rather than the monk's thumb, in keeping with the Vinaya prohibition against touching women.
The highest-ranking monk present may elect to say a few words to the couple, offering advice or encouragement. The couple may then make offerings of food to the monks, at which point the Buddhist portion of the ceremony is concluded.
The Thai dowry system is known as the 'Sin Sodt'. Traditionally, the groom will be expected to pay a sum of money to the family, to compensate them and to demonstrate that the groom is financially capable of taking care of their daughter. Sometimes, this sum is purely symbolic, and will usually be returned to the bride and groom after the wedding has taken place.
The religious component of marriage ceremonies between Thai Muslims are markedly different from that described above. The Imam of the local mosque, the groom, the father of the bride, men in the immediate family and important men in the community sit in a circle during the ceremony, conducted by the Imam. All the women, including the bride, sit in a separate room and do not have any direct participation in the ceremony. The secular component of the ceremony, however, is often nearly identical to the secular part of Thai Buddhist wedding ceremonies. The only notable difference here is the type of meat served to guests (goat and/or beef instead of pork). Thai Muslims frequently, though not always, also follow the conventions of the Thai dowry system.
source= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Thailand
