Anyone have issues at MOI with marriage paperwork ?

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happygilmore
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Anyone have issues at MOI with marriage paperwork ?

Post by happygilmore »

I just got back my forms and letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I went to the General Department of Identification for the next part of the marriage process, the first guy reviewed my forms and then he directed me into another room with three other guys. I paid them each $10 as they requested but then the last guy told me that I need a affidavit certifying my Criminal Background Report, I am a US Citizen and the US Embassy website clearly states that they only certify the passport and certificate of single status. But the guy showed my a general affidavit from someone else that was notarized by the US Embassy and it didn't say anything about the criminal background report he also wouldn't let me make a copy of it, so I am confused. Cambodia Sub Decree on Marriage clearly states that only the passport and certificate of single status need to be notarized. Any US Citizens on here have the same issue ?
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Re: Anyone have issues at MOI with marriage paperwork ?

Post by PSD-Kiwi »

That seems odd, you should have asked if you could at least take a picture of the document. Is the CRC you submitted an original document, or a copy/printed version?

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Re: Anyone have issues at MOI with marriage paperwork ?

Post by pczz »

happygilmore wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 7:05 pm I just got back my forms and letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I went to the General Department of Identification for the next part of the marriage process, the first guy reviewed my forms and then he directed me into another room with three other guys. I paid them each $10 as they requested but then the last guy told me that I need a affidavit certifying my Criminal Background Report, I am a US Citizen and the US Embassy website clearly states that they only certify the passport and certificate of single status. But the guy showed my a general affidavit from someone else that was notarized by the US Embassy and it didn't say anything about the criminal background report he also wouldn't let me make a copy of it, so I am confused. Cambodia Sub Decree on Marriage clearly states that only the passport and certificate of single status need to be notarized. Any US Citizens on here have the same issue ?
When i got problems over notarisation it is sometimes mistranslation. Thye may need a anotarized translation into khmer. The ministry doesnt generally do that anymore. Its been farmed out to a few notaries so just check if what they want is a notarised translation
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Re: Anyone have issues at MOI with marriage paperwork ?

Post by Ravensnest »

happygilmore wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 7:05 pm I just got back my forms and letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I went to the General Department of Identification for the next part of the marriage process, the first guy reviewed my forms and then he directed me into another room with three other guys. I paid them each $10 as they requested but then the last guy told me that I need a affidavit certifying my Criminal Background Report, I am a US Citizen and the US Embassy website clearly states that they only certify the passport and certificate of single status. But the guy showed my a general affidavit from someone else that was notarized by the US Embassy and it didn't say anything about the criminal background report he also wouldn't let me make a copy of it, so I am confused. Cambodia Sub Decree on Marriage clearly states that only the passport and certificate of single status need to be notarized. Any US Citizens on here have the same issue ?
They did the same to me and I had an FBI background check. The guys at MOI didn't understand why it didn't have a state seal. the showed me other Americans with only a state check and it had the state seal on it. I explained that they could have a bad record in another state but in that particular state have had a clean record. they didn't understand. I explained this when it happened to me too to PSD-Kiwi a year and a half ago.

$50 and the US embassy will hook you up. If you are following the "guide" on here and doing it solo without hiring a fixer, the guide is outdated. If you are able to get married on your own successfully, it would be great if you could update it for others.
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Re: Anyone have issues at MOI with marriage paperwork ?

Post by Brody »

Ravensnest wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 10:30 am $50 and the US embassy will hook you up.
Could you clarify what you mean here?

Thanks. :thumb:
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Re: Anyone have issues at MOI with marriage paperwork ?

Post by happygilmore »

I showed them the FBI Background Check and they were asking me why its not original, had to explain to him that those letters are computer generated and there is no way you will get a original signature and that the US Embassy will not affix there seal to the FBI Background Check. Then he showed me a affidavit don't actually remember what it said because he didn't allow me to take a photo or write what it said down. But it looked like this with more lines of text and was basically a notarized sworn statement. I will definitely update the guide when I complete the process, I don't like to give into the corruption because then the officials expect all of us to give into them. Image
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Re: Anyone have issues at MOI with marriage paperwork ?

Post by happygilmore »

Ravensnest wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 10:30 am $50 and the US embassy will hook you up.
Was it a affidavit like this ?
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Re: Anyone have issues at MOI with marriage paperwork ?

Post by Ravensnest »

Yes, sir. that's the document they will issue you at the Embassy. What you describe is the exact discussion I had with the guy working with me too.

I believe they are misled by many that bring in only their current state of residence background check which would have the state seal. I tried to explain that there are 50 states and my background check covered all states and that's why it does not have the State seal because it is from the federal government.
Brody wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 10:43 am
Ravensnest wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 10:30 am $50 and the US embassy will hook you up.
Could you clarify what you mean here?

Thanks. :thumb:
sure. if you have an official document from the states and the locals want a notarized affidavit from the US embassy verifying your document is official, the US embassy will provide this (depending on the document I assume) for a fee of $50 per doc. Well, that's what they told me 1.5 years ago.
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Re: Anyone have issues at MOI with marriage paperwork ?

Post by PSD-Kiwi »

UPDATED GUIDE (updates courtesy of someone who very recently completed the process successfully).

For anyone interested in legally marrying your Cambodian partner in Cambodia....

First of all, you will need to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation (MoFAIC) in Phnom Penh and obtain the application form and lists of required documents. This is all received at the counter labelled with the Khmer word for marriage (អាពាហ៍ពិពាហ៍), no money will be requested when receiving these documents.

You will need to present the following to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
1. "Application for foreigner to marry Khmer citizen" (provided by MoFAIC)
2. Certificate of single status/divorce/ex-spouses death certificate from your country of citizenship.
3. Certificate of non-impediment / letter of permission to marry from your country’s embassy.
4. Criminal record check from your country of citizenship
5. Passport with valid E type (Ordinary MEEV) visa, minimum 6 months validity
6. Proof of salary of a minimum $2500USD p/m or waiver written and signed by both partners at the MoFAIC waiving the salary requirement by absolving the government of all responsibility for the marriage. Work permit/work book/business license if employed in Cambodia.
7. Pre-nuptial Medical certificate from Calmette Hospital (no older than 3 months)
8. 2x passport photos

Note: Any document above which is not an original document from your country of citizenship or embassy must be notarised/certified from your nearest Embassy (except 1,6, 7 and 8). According to the list of documents required for marriage, 2 and 4 are required from your country of citizenship. Numbers 2 and 3 will vary based on your country of citizenship – e.g. Australian Embassy insists that they do not do a letter of permission to marry.

The requirement for foreign males to be under 50 years old to legally marry a Cambodian citizen in Cambodia was dropped as of November 2018. Note that what the law says and what officials in the ministries do are entirely different matters and may be up to individual discretion.

The Cambodian partner will need to present;
1. "Certificate of celibacy, widowhood, divorce" (single status) from Sangkat
2. National ID card
3. Birth Certificate
4. Family Book and/or Carnet de Residence
5. Pre-nuptial Medical certificate from Calmette Hospital (no older than 3 months)
6. Letter of parental approval obtained from Sangkat (if available).
7. 2x passport photos

Note: The blood tests are for HIV, Hepatitis, and a few other diseases, chest x-ray is for TB. Cost from Calmette for the blood tests, x-ray and medical certificate is $136.13 per couple. You will need to take your passport/national ID card, as well as 2x passport photo per person. Go to the East Entrance along Preah Monivong Blvd and ask at the information desk. Keep in mind that tests must be conducted on business days and that processing can take 3 business days, not including weekends and holidays.

MoFAIC:
When you go to the MoFAIC, enter the compound via the side entrance on the left-hand side of the building. The guards will not allow you to enter through the front. There is a guard hut where you and your partner will have to show ID (passport and ID card), and they will give you a visitors pass. Follow the path towards the building and enter through the furthermost entrance.

There are several counters inside. The counter is the furthest to the right labelled with the Khmer word for marriage, អាពាហ៍ពិពាហ៍.

Remember that this is a Cambodian Ministry, and they keep strange working hours. They take lunch from as early as 11:00 - 14:00. As of 3rd November 2019, the phone number of the guy who deals with marriage applications at the MoFAIC is 061 214 415.

There is an official fee for this step of the process of $125 USD.

Once the MoFAIC processes the documents which usually takes about 1-2 weeks, you will be issued a letter which you must submit with all of your documents to the Ministry of Interior.

Note from NK: It has been possible in the past for the Cambodian partner to submit a waiver noting that the foreign partner does not earn $2500 a month. However, the guy at MoFAIC noted that he knew about the one done in 2017 and did not think that the MoI will accept this again. He told us to get my workplace to change the salary to $2500 a month. We were told they would ask, but no questions were asked about this at the MoI or asked to my workplace. Anyone who is able to successfully achieve this from now on should inform the group of any success.


MOI:
Do not go to the Main MoI compound. You need to go to an office called “National Committee to Lead the Suppression of Human Trafficking, Smuggling, Labour Exploitation and Sexual Exploitation in Woman and Children” (S.T.S.L.S), which is at the General Department of Identification building in Chbar Ampov at this location…

https://goo.gl/maps/T5pofTJSr9s

Take all of your completed documentation and letter from the MoFAIC with you and try to arrive early (by 0900hrs at the latest), as later in the day is much busier. As you walk in through the front door, the very first office on the left with the windows facing into the foyer is the first place where all of your documentation will be checked, and if anything is not in order they will inform you of what you need to fix.

Once everything is in order, you will pay the official $200 fee, which you will receive a receipt for, and then be interviewed by several people, mostly regarding things like how you met your partner, how long you’ve been together, have you travelled together on holiday, how long have you lived/been travelling to Cambodia, what is your job, family members names and contact details, what are your plans, do you plan to take her overseas and exploit her, etc.

Note from NK: We had to fill out a parental information form for my family and my Khmer partner was asked questions – very little was asked of me during this time, and my Khmer partner was asked everything.

Once everything is in order, it can take anywhere between 2 to 4 months before you receive the letter of permission to marry from the MoI. The interviewers at the MoI expect a small "donation" each, about $5 each covers it. Be aware that they may ask you for more. This is entirely your choice whether you pay this, and may possibly affect the length of time for receiving back your documents.

When you go to pick up your documents with your receipt (only one of you needs to go), you will enter through the front entrance, past the elevators and through the courtyard (where the coffee shops and exercise area is) to the buildings straight ahead. Go to the right side of the building complex and take the stairs (you should be next to a carpark) up to the first floor. There are 3 rooms – first is an office, second a room which has a waiting area outside and the third room is the one you want. At the back righthand corner of the room is the desk to collect your marriage paperwork.


Sangkat:
Once you have received the permission to marry letter from the MOI, you then take it to your partner's Sangkat in order to be issued your official marriage certificate. There is no requirement for a wedding ceremony in order to be issued a marriage certificate. This is expected to take 10 days, during which a notice of intent to marry will be posted in the Sangkat office and the Khmer partners parents house. You require 2 witnesses to sign the marriage book alongside you (Note from NK: my brother and sister in law signed with us, but different sangkats may have different requirements).

The official fee is 20000r, but it is likely the Sangkat officials will request more. We had not received our certificate before our wedding, but the Sangkat gave us no problems as we had the notice posted at her house and had signed and fingerprinted the book at the Sangkat already.


Official Fees:
For foreigners marrying a Cambodian citizen, the only official fees payable are;
- $125 fee paid to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on receipt of the documents. An official receipt will be issued.
- $200 fee paid to the 'National Committee to Lead the Suppression of Human Trafficking, Smuggling, Labour Exploitation and Sexual Exploitation in Woman and Children (S.T.S.L.S)' , which is a department of the MoI. The fee covers admin, interviews and background check costs. An official receipt is issued.
- 20,000 Riel fee paid to the Sangkat which issues the official Marriage Certificate. An official receipt is issued.
Many people no doubt end up dealing with the wrong people and/or fixers and end up getting fleeced purely because the information on the whole process is not readily available and can be confusing.Top of Form

Note From NK:
Unofficial Service Fees
If you are not already using a fixer charging you an exorbitant amount, it is possible to pay at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to use their services. We were charged about $475 for the documents there, where they would fix any documents which were not correct, supply the documents we didn’t have (that are not major documents required from home countries or embassies – just medical certificates for us) and also includes the official fee. It it also means if something is not correct the ministry won’t send you away to fix it, which just delays the process further.

We were also offered services to assist with the MOI for a cost of $750, which includes the official fee, and presumably tea money for officials to ensure it would be done faster, which took us about 1 month in the ministry of interior. We were beginning to stress so close to the wedding, got into contact with our contact at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the next day the documents were done, about a month after being submitted.

It will save you a lot of money to do it yourself but paying for assistance saves you time if you are running short like we were. It appears to have turned out a lot cheaper for us than others who use fixers outside of the ministry, which can be exorbitant (one Khmer lady at the MoI told us a person helping with their documents is charging them $2500).
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Re: Anyone have issues at MOI with marriage paperwork ?

Post by Bitte_Kein_Lexus »

Great info. But I don't get it, did they end up paying for a fixer at one of the ministries? Sounds a total nightmare either way. What was the total cost in the end? It's a bit confusing.
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