Is a notarized marriage certificate required for an ED visa in Thailand, and what documents are needed for unmarried parents?

ED visa marriage certificate visa application embassy authentication Thailand immigration documentation requirements Chiang Mai expat life in Thailand

Aug 21, 2024

3 months ago

Stephanie ******

ORIGINAL POSTER

Notarized marriage certificate required for ED visa?

My son is enrolled at a kindergarten in Chiang Mai and we’re awaiting his ED visa and just learned we need “Parent’s marriage certificate notarized by the Embassy of England for authentication” and I’m confused on how to get this if not in England (and on a time crunch), and also why it’s needed. 

We applied online to the DC embassy and already submitted our original marriage license. 

I’m wondering what the paperwork would be if we weren’t married (like how is that relevant? 🙄)

He and my husband (a naturalized US citizen) are applying on US passports, but we were married in Scotland. 

Also, if it gets approved while there, can we enter on it the next time we leave as long as it’s within 90 days of it being issued?

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The user is seeking clarification on whether a notarized marriage certificate is required for their child's ED visa application in Thailand. They provide context that their son is enrolled in a kindergarten in Chiang Mai and they have already submitted their original marriage license to the US embassy. The user expresses confusion about how to obtain the notarization from the embassy while outside of the UK, particularly since they were married in Scotland. The conversation includes comments from other users providing advice on obtaining notarization, the irrelevant paperwork for unmarried parents, and updates on the user's experience with document legalization.

Stephanie ******

ORIGINAL POSTER

For anyone curious, this saga continues! I sent the marriage certificate to the UK to be legalised/apostilled, got it back, uploaded a copy, and they still are asking for "Parent's marriage certificate notarized by the Embassy of England or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Government Agency for authentication" -- what am I doing wrong?! The apostille is an internationally recognized form of document legalization under the Hague Convention, which I understand Thailand is a party to, so this apostilled document should more than suffice under international agreements. 🥵😆

2 months ago

Brandon ************

@Stephanie *****

I believe you normally have to get it certified by your own government and then you need to get it translated and certified by the MFA

2 months ago

Stephanie ******

ORIGINAL POSTER

Phew, they accepted it. (No need to have it certified by the MFA.)

2 months ago

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Stephanie ******

ORIGINAL POSTER

Follow up: so we’ll be entering Thailand Saturday on tourist visas as we get this document. Any harm in telling them we have a visa app pending in the states? We have plans to leave Thailand within 60 days so no issue there.