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As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Non-Immigrant O Visas issued to those who are married to Thai Nationals. I got to thinking about this when reading a recent posting on ASEAN NOW, that is aseannow.com, the article is titled: New doc required for non-O based on marriage. Quoting directly: "I plan to apply for a non-O Visa based on marriage from inside Thailand soon. I will arrive with a tourist visa. Checking the list of documents I will need to prepare now I came across one that I have no idea what it is. From reading around the forum my understanding is a newly added this year; "6.3 - Letter from a Government Office, Embassy or Consulate certifying that the applicant is a member of the referred family”. Does anyone have any idea what exactly this is? I am a US citizen if that helps. I know I might need to make an appointment with the US Embassy in Bangkok but I don't know what doc. I need to request from them."

Yeah, documentation associated with foreign marital relationships get byzantine. We deal with this rather frequently. If you are not married in Thailand, even to a Thai spouse, and that marriage has never previously been registered in the Thai system, you can run into a lot of issues with respect to just trying to come in for example on a Tourist Visa and convert into an O Marriage Visa because of the substantial; again the Thai Government, there is no certification of an awareness of that marriage. So you have got to go back to the place where that marriage was solemnized and you have got to deal with getting certifications of all of that and processing all of that through until the point where Thailand recognizes it. I hate to be vague here but I am going to be because it really varies from country to country, it even varies for example in the US from state to state when you are dealing with this. It can get very complex and I know people get really frustrated with us when we tell them this especially where they didn't consult us before they came in to the country because they get here and they think, "oh it's just a matter of some paperwork"; it is a matter of so much paperwork and all the certifications and counter certifications being done correctly to prove it up for purposes of immigration in Thailand that it becomes a really cumbersome exercise. 

So something to think about if you are looking to come to Thailand and obtain an O Marriage Visa, it probably is a good idea to contact a legal professional, gain some insight and guidance before you make any irrevocable moves especially coming to Thailand itself before understanding exactly what all the requirements are going to be.