Jude Williams has asked me information on getting married to a Burmese man. Apparently, she found it difficult to find information on getting married to a Burmese. There are no information available on marriage to a Burmese (guy or girl). I think it is time to give you some information on this issue for those Burmese guys and girls who found difficulty getting married to a foreigner, and those foreign men and ladies want to get married to a Burmese.
- Burmese law allows Myanmar citizens to get married to a foreigner. In the past, it used to be easy to get it done. Just head to a local judge and he will marry you. However, since about 10 years ago, local judges refused to do it on the ground that it is difficult to distinguish between real marriage and the human trafficking. Today, no judge or local court would marry a Burmese and a foreigner.
- Even after you get married, your marriage certificate (actually a marriage contract in Burma) is in Burmese language. It has to be translated into English. You can get a certified notary translation of your marriage certificate into English but the Foreign Office will refuse to certify that notary. You can still use it if your embassy accepts the notary without a certification by the Foreign Office, but some embassies would not.
- The best way to get your marriage done is to do it in a foreign country. You can do it either in Thailand or in Singapore. If you are doing it is Thailand, you will need an affidavit of freedom to get married. This has to be endorsed by your embassy. For a Burmese, he can get an affidavit in a court in Myanmar, get it translated into English by a notary public, and then get a certification from the Foreign Office in Myanmar. This can then be endorsed by the Thai Embassy in Yangon or endorsed by the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok. Both of you will need this affidavit. Then, go to a nearest amphur (local district administrative office) and get your marriage done. However, please check with the district office you intend to get married before you do anything as the requirements by the office may vary from one office to another.
- Easier one is to get married in Singapore. This is what I have done after I cannot do it either in Myanmar or in Thailand. All you need is a valid passport. You can file your marriage application online. However, the applicant (either you or your fiancé) has to be in Singapore at the time of filing for at least 15 days. After the filing, you can leave Singapore as there is 21 days waiting period. You will need two witnesses (either Singaporean or foreigner of at least 21 years of age). You can choose get married at the ROM (Registry of Marriage) or with a solemnizer in a hotel. However, getting a solemnizer is sometimes difficult. You can get the complete information at Registry of Marriage website.
The above information is true to my knowledge at the time of writing this article. Hope it will be useful to you.
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The first thing you should do is to contact the Thai amphur in Phuket first. The amphur in phuket is quite experience about foreigners getting married so I don’t think there is any problem. However, it is wise to ask your Thai friend to ask the information for you as most Thai officials have a terrible English. They might not understand what you ask or they might give you a wrong information. Ask for what documents you will need. As far as I know, foreigners getting married to foreigners has no problem. The affidavit is the only thing they need. Both of you will need the affidavit of being single and free to get married. (For foreigner and Thai, it is more complicated). Anyway, it is wise to ask as many Thai officers interpret the rules in so many different way.
Next, to get the affidavit for your boyfriend. First, he need to go to a court. This can be done easily if he goes to Bar Street (Mahabandoola Garden Street) near Yangon City Hall, and ask for a notary public/lawer there. They usually have a ready made form that he can sign. He does not necessarily need to go to a court. The lawer will arrange for that, and he will get the court document in a few hours’s time. And it is not expensive (actually very cheap).
He can then ask the same notary public to translate it into English and get it notarizied. However, to get the Foreign Office seal, he needs to go to the new capital, Naypyidaw. There are some services that do it for a fee but I am not sure of the reliability. The best way is to do it himself. Before going, he needs to deposit the service fees into the foreign office bank account. (Just a very small fee). He can ask the notary for the details. Then, take a bus to Naypyidaw in the evening. The bus will arrive to Naypyidaw the next mroning (around 5 AM). No need to hire a room as he will be coming back with the evening bus. Just have breakfast at the teashop and wait for the office hour. Hire a motorcycle taxi and go to the foreign office. The taxi knows where to go. He has to bring his ID card and the back deposit form that he paid in Yangon. He can get the certification on the same day. Before leaving, he nees to give a photocopy of his original (burmese) and certificed notary paper to the foreign office as this will be filed in the office for further reference. Once this is done, he can come back to Yangon.
Next is to go to Thai Embassy in Yangon. He can get the Embassy certification there. It will take two working days. Or he can choose to certified it in Bangkok at Burmese Embassy. However, the list of foreign office notary documents come to the embassy only once or twice a month so he might need to wait until the embassy get the latest list.
Some amphur will accept the engish document with embassy seal. Others will want a Thai translation. If this is the case, you will need to translate it into Thai and get is certified at the Foreign Office in Bangkok. (Too complicated?)
Hope everything will be OK after that. If all else failed, you can head to SIngapore for your marriage. No document needed (except your passport) and no question ask. If your boyfriend is a Thai workpermit holder, he can easily get the Singapore visa in Bangkok. Othewise, ask somebody from Singapore to send a sponser letter to him. For details, please see http://app.rom.gov.sg/internet/index.asp for details.
Hope this will solve your problem.
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Arriyan Reply:
December 3rd, 2009 at 2:57 pm
We are planning to get marry in Bangkok.
Both of we are burmese.
As far as i know, Myanmar embassy refuse to inssue any affidavits.
if so, how can we register for our merriage?
if u have any infromation for marriage agency, pls let me know.
Special thanks
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Bamarlay Reply:
December 4th, 2009 at 7:18 am
In Myanmar, only the court can issue an affidavit. You have to do an affidavit at a court in Myanmar (you can ask one of the notary public services in Yangon to act on behalf of you), certify it at the MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in Naypyidaw (Pyinmana) and certify it again at the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok. You might have to wait a few weeks after you certify your documents at the foreign office as the list arrive to the embassy only once a month. They will check whether you document is in the list or not before certifying it with the embassy seal.
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kyawoo Reply:
December 21st, 2009 at 11:01 pm
If you want to marry myanmar you have to go to ROM in singpore.Only need your passport.
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Arkar Aung Reply:
March 13th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Dear sir, I would like to know. How i can get married with my fiance’ in singapore? or in Thailand? what i needed also. That you said above we both are only need passport? if we marry in Singapore. I from Myanmar and my fiance’s foreigner.. Many thank x
Bamarlay Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Yes, that is correct. If you are going to get married in Singapore, all you need is a valid passport. Here is the Registry of Marriage (ROM) website. All information is there.
Registry of Marriage Singapore (ROM)
Bamarlay,
Really glad to see what you had wrote.
May I have your email address as I really need your experience advise.
Where you stay ? I facing the case as you but I think I my little complicated.
Please give me you email address. Mine is hoonteoh@hotmail.com
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what is you name
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I have done all this.But I can’t get single certificate.MOFA refuse this.So I can’t get marry with my girls friend.my wedding have to move.I fell bad for my guy.Only one way I have to go to singpore.
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The embassy in Vietnam told me they stop stemp on affidavit since febuary 2007.So in Thai or Vietnam we(myanmar) can’t get marry with foreigner.
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What about marriage within the country? I have seen many foreigners residing in Myanmar and are married to Myanmar. How about that?
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i’m indonesian n my b.f r burmese! We want to spend the rest our life time being together, we wanted to get marriage but we don’t know what should we do. Please mr! Can u give me some advi
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Bamarlay Reply:
August 26th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
Please see the article above. That is all I know. I am not sure about the procedures in Indonesia, but it is easiest to get married in Singapore. No question ask and no document needed (apart from your passports).
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aung Reply:
November 15th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Dear Bamarlay,
Thanks for sharing experiences.
I’d like to know it is necessary for twice to certify the documents as you said in MOFA Naypyidaw and at Burmese ambassy Bangkok.
Many thanks,
Aung
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reni Reply:
November 10th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Hi Asusiani,
I am Indonesian too and my boyfriend is a Burmese. We want to get married but same problem we don’t know how to do. If you had found way to get married with ur Burmese boyfreind’s please advise me with your experience.
Thank you.
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Hi, if anyone need assistance for getting married with a foreigner and want it to be hassle free without requesting embassy approvals also single letters , contact me joedecruz@gmail.com
only getting married in malaysia
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Many Thanks for this information
Can someone give me a advice about my problem.My girl fiance was from china and both of us work in UAE. we try to marry in china but the Chinese marry department asking for my single certificate so that i was try to get my single certificate from courts and did notary. but the problem was i did not get the stamp from MOFA . we are so disappointed and we don’t know how to do it. And very hard to marry in UAE. please reply me can we marry in Singapore? or HOw will be a better way to marry.
highly appreciate for any advice
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Bamarlay Reply:
September 29th, 2012 at 6:51 pm
Getting married in Singapore is fairy easy and straight forward. Just go to Registry of Marriage Singapore website and follow the direction.
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zinbo Reply:
September 30th, 2012 at 2:15 am
many thanks i will try ….
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Hi, I am a Burmese woman living in Thailand with ED visa. Recently I and my Australian boyfriend decided to get married. How can we get it done? Can I go to Burmese embassy in Bangkok and ask for an affidavit? Please kindly shed me some guides. I am going to insane.
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