Thailand

Thailand is known as the ‘Land of Endless Smiles’ because its service and welcoming hospitality has become legendary throughout Asia. Thailand boasts glittering temples and huge Buddhist statues, saffron robed monks and glorious beach resorts. Bangkok, at its heart, is full of life and contrasts, where magnificent temples and excellent sightseeing mix with the bars and hectic shopping. The tropical island of Phuket has white sand beaches and good water sports complemented by the lively resort of Patong with its numerous restaurants, bars and lively nightlife. Pattaya is probably Asia’s best known beach resort with palm fringed beaches, vibrant nightlife and more than its fair share of girlie bars.

Weather

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
T	89	91	93	95	93	91	90	90	89	88	87	87
S	9	9	9	8	8	6	5	5	5	6	8	9
R	0	1	1	2	8	6	6	7	12	8	3	0

Key to symbols used:

T - Average daily maximum temperatures
S - Average daily sunshine hours
R - Average monthly rainfall (if higher than 0.5”)

Flight time: 12 –13 hours
GMT = or -: + 7
Visa: Not required

Documents and Legal requirements
Residency: There is a minimum residency requirement of 3 working days to allow time for the legal formalities to be completed.
Proof of ID: You will need to provide your original birth certificates and valid 10-year passports.
Proof of Status: You must complete a certificate at the British Embassy in Bangkok (see further information for address), attesting that you are single and free to marry under Thai law.
Divorced: If you are divorced you will be required to produce your Decree Absolute with court stamp.

Ceremonies
Once you have fulfilled the legal proceedings, you are officially married in accordance with Thai law. After your registration is finalised you will receive two original Thai Marriage certificates and an English translation will be given to you the following working day. This does not involve any ceremony, and is purely a completion of administration. Some hotels are able to arrange for the Registrar to come to the hotel to issue the marriage certificate and you can choose to follow the legal part of the ceremony with a traditional Thai Buddhist wedding ceremony. Although Thailand is predominately a Buddhist country, Christian wedding services can also be arranged.

Obtaining your marriage licence
You must complete a certificate at the British Embassy in Bangkok (see further information for address), attesting that you are single and free to marry under Thai law.
The certificate then has to be translated into Thai. Tour operators can arrange this, after which you return to the Embassy with both your British and Thai declarations and sign them in the presence of the consular officer at the Embassy, who will then notarise the documents. The statement and translations must then be taken to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (see further information for address) where the signature of the British Consular is authenticated. This normally takes 48 hours. You can then marry at any Register Office anywhere in Thailand.

Further information

Tourism Authority of Thailand 49 Albemarle Street London W1X 3FE Tel: 020-7499 7679 Fax: 020-7629 5519 Email: info@tat-uk.demon.co.uk	British Embassy 103 Wireless Road Bangkok Thailand Tel: 00-253 0191-9
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sri Ayudhaya Road Bangkok