Affirmation of Freedom to Marry at the British Embassy

[Stevejm]

 

I have just done Attestation of Freedom to Marry and passport certification at the British embassy and thought I would share my experience it in case it is of interest/ help to others because when I researched the subject online previously the information that I could find was out of date. 

The  following points are noteworthy.

For the proof of address for the foreigner you have to have pink ID card or yellow house book if you give a Thailand address. If you give a UK address you can use documents from a list given including utility bills and bank statements or you can use a UK driving license . I have lived in Thailand for years but don’t have pink id or house book so I used my UK license.

 

Unlike previously you don’t need to prepare the affirmation document yourself just fill out the details in the online application form and the embassy will print out the document on the day. You check the document before signing and have chance to make any changes if necessary.

 

You need to make an appointment for this service. I applied on 14 February but couldn’t get an appointment until 29th.

 

Cost is £50 for affirmation plus £25 for passport certification. Payment is online using debit or credit card 

 

Process was very efficient. I had an appointment at 2-30pm and was seen slightly earlier with everything done by 2-30pm.

 

Hope this is helpful to someone.

 

[Non-Immigrant]

On 3/2/2024 at 1:50 PM, Stevejm said:

For the proof of address for the foreigner you have to have pink ID card or yellow house book if you give a Thailand address. If you give a UK address you can use documents from a list given including utility bills and bank statements or you can use a UK driving license . I have lived in Thailand for years but don’t have pink id or house book so I used my UK license.

So, basically, if you're a Brit who doesn't have a pink ID card or yellow house book and no longer has a UK address, you can, to all intents and purposes, kiss goodbye to any chance of being able to marry your tiirak in Thailand, right?

Curious, though, that there appears to be no specific mention of these ridiculous requirements on the GOV.UK website:

https://www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad/y/thailand/opposite_sex

But there again, maybe they're sprung on you unsuspectingly by the Embassy when you're "told if you need to provide any other documents"?

 

 

[Mamachigawa]

6 minutes ago, Non-Immigrant said:

So, basically, if you're a Brit who doesn't have a pink ID card or yellow house book and no longer has a UK address, you can, to all intents and purposes, kiss goodbye to any chance of being able to marry your tiirak in Thailand, right?

Curious, though, that there appears to be no specific mention of these ridiculous requirements on the GOV.UK website:

https://www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad/y/thailand/opposite_sex

But there again, maybe they're sprung on you unsuspectingly by the Embassy when you're "told if you need to provide any other documents"?

Many people say, them people what can't get one  or won't even try  

"Yellow house books and pink id cards are "useless"

More proof they are very wrong. It will only get worse

[Stevejm]

13 hours ago, Non-Immigrant said:

So, basically, if you're a Brit who doesn't have a pink ID card or yellow house book and no longer has a UK address, you can, to all intents and purposes, kiss goodbye to any chance of being able to marry your tiirak in Thailand, right?

Curious, though, that there appears to be no specific mention of these ridiculous requirements on the GOV.UK website:

https://www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad/y/thailand/opposite_sex

But there again, maybe they're sprung on you unsuspectingly by the Embassy when you're "told if you need to provide any other documents"?

It’s all spelled out very clearly at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-for-thailand.

Nothing is sprung on you “unsuspectingly” by the embassy. It mentions in the webpage I quoted above that you can use a certificate of residence issued by Thai immigration if you don’t have a pink id or yellow house book. 

[Stevejm]

13 hours ago, Mamachigawa said:

Many people say, them people what can't get one  or won't even try  

"Yellow house books and pink id cards are "useless"

More proof they are very wrong. It will only get worse

You can always get a certificate of residence from Thai Immigration instead if that is easier. You basically have to be resident somewhere and have to prove that you are resident in UK or Thailand if you want to get married here. The UK government website states that proof of address and ID is required under money laundering laws.

 

[Stevejm]

16 hours ago, Non-Immigrant said:

Curious, though, that there appears to be no specific mention of these ridiculous requirements on the GOV.UK website:

https://www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad/y/thailand/opposite_sex

PS the webpage that you mentioned is just the starting page for the process. You have to click on the link on that page to see what documents you require. You upload scans or photos of the documents and they are reviewed before the appointment is confirmed then on the day you just show them the original document and sign the affirmation and it’s done. It’s not really ridiculous to have to prove where you are resident is it? Most countries are signed up to the CRS system anyway now to  crack down on money laundering and tax evasion so it is becoming more difficult to “hide”. I can’t think of a situation where anyone living in Thailand was unable to get a pink ID, yellow book or certificate of residence as long as they have got a valid visa. Can you?

[Stevejm]

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[micpul97]

How long did it take ? when you went to your appointment was everything finished that day? 

[ChicagoExpat]

I hear the American Embassy is trying to get rid of this requirement altogether.  As the U.S. Government doesn't have marriage records (done locally in America) the document is worthless in terms of actually demonstrating someone is legally free to marry.

But the Thais keep insisting on it, just to have a piece of paper in a file.  SMH.

[Stevejm]

24 minutes ago, micpul97 said:

How long did it take ? when you went to your appointment was everything finished that day? 

The process at the embassy was completed within an hour and on time according to my appointment but after that you need to get the affirmation and passport certification translated into Thai then get the documents authenticated at the MFA. That is a separate appointment and process which I didn’t arrange myself as I hired a lawyer to take care of that and and the marriage registration.

[Stevejm]

14 minutes ago, ChicagoExpat said:

I hear the American Embassy is trying to get rid of this requirement altogether.  As the U.S. Government doesn't have marriage records (done locally in America) the document is worthless in terms of actually demonstrating someone is legally free to marry.

But the Thais keep insisting on it, just to have a piece of paper in a file.  SMH.

The purpose of the document is to prove that you are not already married in your home country so it makes sense and I can’t see them dropping the requirement any time. I would have thought that the US Embassy would have access to online records of marriage. 

[ChicagoExpat]

1 hour ago, Stevejm said:

The purpose of the document is to prove that you are not already married in your home country so it makes sense and I can’t see them dropping the requirement any time. I would have thought that the US Embassy would have access to online records of marriage. 

I understand what the INTENDED purpose is.  But many countries (U.S., Canada, and I thought UK) do not have marriage at a federal level -- you get married at a state or local jurisdiction.  So what has been happening for years is citizens go to the Embassy, pay $50, and have notarized a statement that "I, John Smith, am free to marry."  And the document says in big letters "The U.S. Embassy does not guarantee the truthfulness of this statement" or something.

Clearly this doesn't serve anyone's interests except possible the liar who ISN'T legally free to marry 

Thailand should go with  marriage license system, where the bride and groom sign a Thai Government-produced legal document in front of a Thai officer that says this.  No sending people off to other locations, no worthless statements at extra cost, and the Thais have a legal document they themselves created to better prosecute a bigamist.  Most other countries have this and it works well.

[Stevejm]

7 minutes ago, ChicagoExpat said:

I understand what the INTENDED purpose is.  But many countries (U.S., Canada, and I thought UK) do not have marriage at a federal level -- you get married at a state or local jurisdiction.  So what has been happening for years is citizens go to the Embassy, pay $50, and have notarized a statement that "I, John Smith, am free to marry."  And the document says in big letters "The U.S. Embassy does not guarantee the truthfulness of this statement" or something.

Clearly this doesn't serve anyone's interests except possible the liar who ISN'T legally free to marry 

Thailand should go with  marriage license system, where the bride and groom sign a Thai Government-produced legal document in front of a Thai officer that says this.  No sending people off to other locations, no worthless statements at extra cost, and the Thais have a legal document they themselves created to better prosecute a bigamist.  Most other countries have this and it works well.

In UK the Government records office has details of every marriage and civil partnership since 1837 so even if marriages are registered locally the basic details are recorded and stored centrally. I am surprised that the US doesn’t have something similar.There are also census records which will show people’s marital status. I have no idea what checks the embassy actually makes before issuing the document Anyway I found the whole process to be very smooth and I have no complaints as I was able to get married.