Understand Islamic Marriages in Thailand. If you are wanting a Muslim wedding in Thailand then you have to consider the process of getting married in Thailand as a Muslim. If you wish to register your wedding in Thailand as well then you will need to start the process in your home country and bring will all the needed documents which state that you are single and able to get married.
Islamic Marriages in Thailand
If you are an Australian or from New Zealand then the paperwork for the marriage registration is much easier and can be completed in Bangkok. Other countries such as Morocco or Malaysia have their own procedures and those start at home. Those documents you would need to bring with you to Thailand. Muslim weddings can be arranged in Thailand with a proper wedding planner. Most Muslim weddings tend to occur in Samui and Bangkok. If you are going to be getting married to a non-Muslim then the non-Muslim first needs to be converted before the ceremony can occur.
You can ask a law firm to arrange this for you and you can ask them if they can also arrange the Imam to arrive at their offices to do the conversion for you. The conversion process does not take long and it is usually where she states that she believes in one God and one God only through the teachings of his Prophet Mohammed.
The Bangkok Islamic Centre usually provides this service so speak to a lawyer about this before your ceremony as well as registering the marriage after the ceremony with the Thai government. You need to ensure that you timing is correct as the Islamic Center is very busy and they do run very tight schedules. Once the conversion is complete you can now have a traditional Islamic ceremony. Note your fiancée will have to have a letter from her parents stating that they have approved of the marriage. This has to be given to the Imam.
Before the wedding ceremony the dowry is negotiated with the parents and settled. If there are no parents then she will negotiate by herself in the presence of the Imam. Everyone will agree on the verses to read and the ceremony will begin. These verses are read to the groom and he repeats the verses to the Imam. He does this with his one hand on the Holy Koran. The Imam will then ask the bride if she agrees. The wedding is then ended with the signing of the marriage papers and the wedding is complete.
The wedding papers, your divorce agreement (original) and also your late spouse’s death certificate (original) will now be needed by your Embassy to provide you with your Letter of Affirmation. Once this is done you can now have all the documents translated into Thai, have the documents authenticated at the Thai Foreign Affairs Department and register your wedding at the local district office in Thailand. You are now legally married and you can now also apply for a visa to stay in Thailand for 12 months at a time.
