Q1022. What are the steps for translating marriage certificates for family visa applications in Thailand?

Answered by the NYC Visa & Translation certified translation team

Marriage certificate translation for Thai family visas (Non-Immigrant O based on marriage, or dependant extensions) follows the standard chain with some visa-specific requirements. Process: the foreign marriage certificate is legalised in the country of issue (foreign ministry plus Royal Thai Embassy), translated into Thai, and certified at the MFA (200/quoted on request per stamp). For a marriage registered in Thailand being used abroad, the direction reverses: the Thai marriage certificate (Kor Ror 3) and marriage registration extract (Kor Ror 2) are translated into English, certified at the MFA, then legalised by the destination country's embassy in Bangkok. Visa-specific points: Thai immigration requires the marriage evidence to be current — some offices ask for an updated extract (Kor Ror 2) issued within the last few months even if the marriage is years old; the spouse's name must match the passport exactly across the certificate, the translation, and the financial evidence; and for marriages registered overseas, some immigration offices additionally require the marriage to be reported and recorded in the Thai civil registry (Kor Ror 22) before they accept it as the basis for an extension. Confirm the specific immigration office's document list before filing, as practice varies between offices.