Family Law in Thailand

If you have lived in Thailand long enough then one or both of these would be something that you have experienced. Either getting married or getting divorced. This is a breakdown of the issues with regards to marriage getting divorced in Thailand and how this may or not affect your stay in Thailand.

Marriage in Thailand

Getting married in Thailand start with your obtaining a letter from your Embassy in Bangkok to state that you are single and able to get married. If you are divorced the embassy would want a copy of this divorce decree before they issue you a letter of affirmation. If you are a widow then a death certificate would be needed. This normally takes a day or two for them to issue this letter on the embassy letterhead. Once this has been issued you need to take it to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Thailand to have the letter certified. This normally takes a full day as the process is slow. Here they simply verify that the document is authentic and place a small stamp onto the back of the letter. Once you have this certification then you need to take the letter to the local Amphur’s Office in Thailand who will then issue you with a marriage certificate. It should not take you more then 4 days to get all of this done.Once you have this you can now apply for a marriage visa for Thailand.

Divorce in Thailand

There are two types of Divorce in Thailand so these are very brief. The first is an administrative divorce which means you and your wife have agreed that you are getting divorced and you have worked out who gets what and how money and children will fit into this. You now draft a divorce agreement and take this to the Amphurs Office and they will issue you with a divorce decree. Its simple but if you are not careful it can be a problem with regards to property or your visa status in Thailand.The second option is litigation and this can be costly if the divorce is complex. There needs to be reason for the divorce, child custody issues and this can drag out for months at a time. Speak to a lawyer in Thailand when getting divorced.

If you need more information about family law in Thailand then speak to us online or walk into any of our offices in Thailand for more assistance and guidance. Call us today on our toll-free numbers or email us.