Do I need an Affidavit of Freedom to marry in Thailand if I'm already married to a Thai citizen in my home country?

@Ron *****

actually, with same sex marriage beginning 22 January, I’m thinking ahead.

The #1 reason to get registered locally is medical decision making - Thailand has NO legally defined medical power of attorney. Hospitals routinely refuse them. Therefore, a Thai partner may be unable to make medical decisions on behalf of their foreign partner, AND vice versa. I know of several horror stories (first hand) in which a Thai partner hospitalized in first class conditions and cared for by their foreign partner was snatched away, brought back to the village, denied care, and died. The foreign partner was powerless to stop it - and neither was the poor hospitalized Thai.

Although I don’t worry about a similar situation for us, it seems that legally one is in a much better position if you don’t have to prove your overseas marriage in every instance.

There are also some (very) minor advantages with respect to inheritance and property, though, as of 2018, most of those advantages accrue already if you have a valid overseas marriage.