Expats marrying Thais must submit to fingerprinting and criminal record checks

If you’ve recently holidayed in Thailand, met the love of your declining years and are looking to marriage and a long-term stay in the tropical country, expect to have your fingerprints scammed before you say ‘I do’.

Reports of this controversial new law first surfaced on Phuket Island, and the issue has become a popular thread on a number of expat forums in the country. All foreigners who marry Thais are affected, and criminal checks will be done once the fingerprints are taken. The change in law was first introduced in August last year but, as is usual in Thailand, has taken a good few months to trickle down to local police offices.

The story broke when a confused expat bridegroom contacted Phuket’s English language media to ask why he should need to be subject to a criminal record check just by marrying his Thai fiancé. After the media outlet had asked the question of the local Muang District’s Registration Office, the reply was equally confusing, in that the criminal record check is there to make sure expats aren’t marrying Thais simply to get a long-term stay via a marriage visa. The representative of the Registration Office declined to give his name to the reporter, adding he didn’t dream up the new rule himself.

Apparently, according to Thailand’s Department of Provincial Registration, marriages between Thais and foreigners have effects on socio-economic conditions, as some foreigners are using marriage visas to work without a permit, extend their stay in the Kingdom or indulge in illegal activities. Thai officials, it continues, have also been found to have involvement in this. The rule, it says, must be strictly enforced.

Another notice, also issued last August, was more graphic, stating that expats from 13 specified countries legally in Thailand on Non-immigrant O visas have applied for marriage visas because they are involved in illegal drugs and other criminal activities. A request for a list of the 13 countries involved was refused. Ironically, those expat bridegrooms with criminal records back in their home countries are safe from further investigation, as criminal records can only be checked within Thailand. Even so, when asked to identify the definition of a ‘suspicious criminal history’, a refusal was the answer.