How to get a Sangkat marriage certificate when the marriage happened abroad?

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JonnyBeeGee
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Lithuania

How to get a Sangkat marriage certificate when the marriage happened abroad?

Post by JonnyBeeGee »

HI @PSD-Kiwi

Had a very specific question about documents and you seem like a very knowledgeable person. (I used your guide to try and get married in Cambodia before but was missing a document from my ancient homeland and couldn't figure out how to get it without being there for awhile.)

As a result of this, my (now) wife and I decided to just go for K1 visa to the USA. We achieved that and got married and now have a certificate from a US state that says we are married (with a nice raised stamp on it). We also have a (new) daughter, and have been to the Sangkat to get her official birth certificate.

My question to you is this: I'm aiming to get Khmer citizenship through marriage. In order to do this, correct me if I'm wrong, one thing I need to do is get my marriage certified at the Sangkat and receive an actual marriage certificate from the Sangkat. However, the Sangkat cannot give me such a certificate without an authorization to do so from the MOFAIC, correct?

And I guess what I am reading is that the MOFAIC will NEVER recognize a foreign marriage. Am I correct in this understanding? I know I have read elsewhere that the marriage can be authorized (or recognized) by a Cambodian embassy abroad, but I checked with the embassy in Washington, D.C. and they said nope, they don't do that and that I would have to go to the MOFAIC.

Can you provide any guidance here?

Many thanks!
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PSD-Kiwi
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Re: How to get a Sangkat marriage certificate when the marriage happened abroad?

Post by PSD-Kiwi »

No longer possible to have your foreign marriage recognised by the MoFAIC unless you followed the process of going through the Embassy and receiving the necessary documentation unfortunately.

The actual process of having your marriage abroad recognised here starts by completing paperwork at the Cambodian Embassy in your home country PRIOR to getting married, however there is not much information on the process available and most reports are that the Cambodian Embassy staff are clueless, which is no surprise.

P.S. Congrats on the marriage and new born.
JonnyBeeGee
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Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2019 2:15 pm
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Lithuania

Re: How to get a Sangkat marriage certificate when the marriage happened abroad?

Post by JonnyBeeGee »

Cheers for that!

Not like this matters to anyone, but the system is a little insane.

A way to have a foreign marriage recognized is going to have to be developed at some point - perhaps when enough rich Cambodians end up getting married overseas.

Happy holidays!
ssian
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Re: How to get a Sangkat marriage certificate when the marriage happened abroad?

Post by ssian »

JonnyBeeGee wrote: Tue Dec 17, 2019 11:56 am Cheers for that!

Not like this matters to anyone, but the system is a little insane.

A way to have a foreign marriage recognized is going to have to be developed at some point - perhaps when enough rich Cambodians end up getting married overseas.

Happy holidays!
Very unlikely...
Rich Cambodians marrying Rich Cambodians...
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