No. You have to follow the steps above or it can not be used as a legal document in Thailand. You can have it translated, but unless the local amphur is really loose with the standards, they will not accept a marriage certificate that is not authenticated by the MoFA. The MoFA will not "legalize" a foreign document without the Thai Embassy of that country authenticating it. In the US, the Thai Embassy will not authenticate the document if the US State Dept has not authenticated it. Currently, the US State Dept will not authenticate a document issued by a county without the state authenticating it.

I tried many approaches to do this at the time... We only needed for my wife to change her name, but the amphur would not accept the marriage certificate for any purpose without a stamp from the MoFA.

This is a fairly involved process. The first step is to have the marriage certificate authenticated by the state in which you were married. Then it needs to be authenticated by the US State Department. Then it needs to be authenticated by the Thai Embassy in Washington D.C. Once this has all been completed, your marriage certificate and all of the certifications above need to be "officially translated" and then be "legalized" at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok.

Once all of that has been completed you will be able to use your US marriage certificate as a legal document in Thailand. You and your wife can then register the marriage and your wife can request a change of marital status/name change or anything else that is needed at your local amphur.

When I did this a couple of years ago, I used an agent in the US for all of the certifications, then an agent in Bangkok for the translation and certification of the document at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I was also required to get a certification of my passport at the American Embassy before the amphur would issue the Khor Ror 22.

Total time for the US side of things was about 12 weeks and cost around $450 USD including all government fees and shipping. Total time on the Thailand side was about 3 weeks and cost around $160 USD for the translation and MoFA service.

Also, I did all of this from Thailand. The agency I used in the states did all of the legwork and sent the marriage certificate here via FedEx.

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Right, wrong, win lose… if your ex or her family petitions the court, you have to deal with it. Dealing with it means time and money and a chance that your ability to travel with your child is hindered. I personally would not take the risk, but if you do, obtain the services of a law firm that specializes in UK and Thai family law before making the decision.

I would also suggest that you pick a nearby country if your plan is to get your child time with the Thai side of the family. Surely it will cost less to fly them to you in KL or Ho Chi Minh than it would be to deal with a year of court proceedings in Bangkok. Good luck.

"Allowable number of border runs" is determined by the IO, the border, your nationality, current general feelings of the media and social channels, and possibly the weather. That one guy you talked to at that one border that one day may not be reflective of the experiences of others.

You should be able to show a statement from your investment account if your investment account is at a bank. I guess it depends on the officer. Worth a try, anyways…

Our muban has a lawn crew that work by appointment and will cut, bag, sweep, trim, and whatever else is needed in about 15-20 minutes for 500 baht. Depending on the amount of work you have for them to do, the crew varies up to 8 guys, and the work is very good. We have them over a couple of times a month. We have a cleaning lady we have used for years, and we use her twice a month for deep cleaning. We pay her 1000 baht per visit to cover her work and travel. Best to get here and try to sort it out once you have your living situation worked out.

Both are part of the green card process. K3 allows your wife to go to the US while the green card processes, the CR1 is issued abroad when the green card application has been approved.

Clinics and hospitals are easy to find, and cheap in most cases to speak with a doctor to get an updated local prescription.

The process requires an in person interview that needs to be scheduled, and the availability of appointments can vary. When my wife (then girlfriend) applied in 2019, it was around 6 weeks. Once approved, it only takes a week or so for the visa to be affixed and the passport to be sent via Thai Post. Best to start online by creating a profile and reviewing the requirements. It is pretty straightforward. If you feel like an agent can be helpful, you can contact one.

Just know, it can be really difficult to get a tourist visa for the US, but it is not impossible. Do some research and read through the forums for best practices and things to be aware of. There are a lot of Thai language Facebook groups where people share their experiences. I strongly suggest you have the person you are helping to search some of those out.

This is from a translation service website in Thailand:

Legalizing documents issued abroad and intended to be used in Thailand:

The first thing you’ll need to know is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand will only legalize documents in Thai or in English. If your document is in a different language, you will first have to have the document professionally translated and certified.

If you plan on using documents issued overseas in Thailand, you will need to have them legalized overseas before they can be used here. The process will eventually end at the Thai MFA, but the steps you’ll have to take in your home country will vary.

If you arrive in Thailand with a document notarized and legalized overseas by a Thai Embassy in your country, you will generally be able to submit this document directly at the Consular Department of the Thai MFA.

If you arrive in Thailand with a document notarized or legalized in your country by your own government, you will need to present it to your embassy in Thailand for authentication, then have it translated into English or Thai, then have the translation legalized by your embassy, and finally present the legalized translation and original to the MFA so that it can be legalized there and become usable in Thailand.