How to: Civil Partnership in Vietnam

[Nabaat]

We have just returned from Hanoi were we completed our Civil Partnership. A simple and painless task, just thought others might be planning this and so here is how we did it:

Off to the Local Amphur for a letter stating that the Thai is not married, get it certified by a local Lawyer and then Stamped and Sealed at the Passport Office in Bangkok. Seems strange, but the department is on the upper floor of the Passport Office. Time: 1 hour in Banlangmuang, 1 day for certifying, 1 hour for stamp in BKK.

Book the Hotel Asia Star in Hanoi for 9 days, (great deal through Agoda for $19 per night), because you have to be resident in Vietnam for 7 days, the first and last don't count. Contact the Embassy a couple of days before hand so they are expecting you, and deposit your paperwork with them. There is a simple downloadable form from the Embassy website in Vietnam which you have to complete.

Then sit back and wait 14 days for no-objections to your proposal to be raised. The Embassy will contact you and confirm all is well, and arrange a time and place mutually convenient for you all within 3 months. Return to Hanoi, pop-in the Embassy, sign the form and that is it. You also need 2 witnesses, we took some friends with us, but the Hotel had also arranged 2 locals for us incase our friends could not attend (very nice of them).

Flew with Vietnam Air 7100 rtn....ok for a 2 hour hop...no inflight entertainment etc. This time used Qatar as they have a promotion, 6400 rtn,beautiful flight, bulkhead seats that even my 180cm frame could stretch fully out in, good inflight movies, music...and they don't switch it off 30 mins before landing, I was still watching The Avengers as we taxied to the Gate :happy7:

Hotel Asia Star used for both trips, very friendly and attentative...booked all trips, taxis, collections etc. Will defo use them again when we return to Vietnam later this year. Night Porter is particularly friendly :happy7:

What to do for 9 days in Vietnam: Sap Ha on the overnight train for 3 days in the mountains, Ha Long bay for 2 nights and the rest eating good food and discovering the Old Quarter of Hanoi.

So now we are a happily CP couple I have to put all my bar nights behind me :crybaby: .....but Him Indoors said "..it better you go out and not bother me" arty


so will being see DaBoss and The Boys very soon.

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Thanks for this - very interesting from a personal point of view.

Can I ask what are the practical benefits of the Civil Partnership, other than the obvious "committment" aspect?

For example - I assume you are a Westerner? Maybe I assume too much - but anyway -is the Civil Partnership you have entered into recognised in your own Country in terms of e.g. giving the Thai boy any right to a Visa for your Country? And what Country is that?

In my own case, my BF is SE Asian but not Thai - but my understanding of the situation is that were I to go to Vietnam and register a Civil Partnership there (which I didn't even know was possible until I read your post!), it would count for nothing in terms of him being entitled to join me in the UK.

Do you have any knowledge of the legal and immigration status of a Civil Partnership "made in Vietnam".


:hello2:

As no one else seems to have done it so far let me be the first to congratulate you on your CP and may you both share many happy years together ( the sooner we get this damned equal rights thing for gay people re marriage verus CP's sorted out the better and then we can just say congratulations on your marriage like we do to everyone else !!)

[Nabaat]

Thanks for the congrats NIrish, we are still on for December in Ireland arty

Legally...it is all recognised and reg in the UK by the Embassy. They advised us that they hold copies for 3 years in Vietnam, as well as sending the UK Reg documents through to the UK at the end of the year. you cna also have it reg in Scotland if you so wish.

After contacting my various Pension providers, it has ensured that he is entitled to all my benefits, including widows pension, death benefits etc for the future.

As to other SE Asian nationals, they will complete a CP aslong as there is a letter of no objection from the Asian partners country.

As to Visa....they are treated as applying for a Spouse Visa into the UK. If you meet all of the requirements you may be given permission to live in the UK for 2 1/2 years. After that time you can then apply to stay for a further 2 1/2 years and after 5 years, if you still meet all the requirements you can apply for settlement.

Hope this helps :happy7:

[Daniel-old]

Congratulations on your civil partnership Nabaat and thanks for an interesting read.

If you meet all of the requirements you may be given permission to live in the UK for 2 1/2 years. After that time you can then apply to stay for a further 2 1/2 years and after 5 years, if you still meet all the requirements you can apply for settlement.

I was under the impression that on arrival in the UK, the civil partner would be given leave to enter for an initial period of 27 months, and that towards the end of this period, he may apply for settled status.

I can't get my head round some of this:

I have been trying all sorts for 2 years to get my BF into the UK and I know straight guys who have legally married Thai women and who simply can not get them a Spouse Visa (that's even before the new"minimum earnings" rule).

I'm not calling anybody a liar, don't get me wrong - but if it's as simple for me as to go to Vietnam and enter into a CP with my BF then I don't know why I've been pissing about for 2 years trying to get Student Visas and the like- I must be a fucking idiot (no confirmation necessary)!!


One more thing:

....I was under the impression that on arrival in the UK, the civil partner would be given leave to enter ...

Maybe it's the way you've worded it Daniel (or the way I've misinterpreted you), but as far as I am aware you can't just "turn up" from SE Asia, you must have a Visa before you get on the plane.

Anyway congrats to Nabaat + partner. :alc:

I hope to have some news of my own within 3 or 4 weeks - but it could all go pear-shaped with a "Visa Refused" verdict - and frankly it wouldn't surprise me. ukeright:

[Daniel-old]

Maybe it's the way you've worded it Daniel (or the way I've misinterpreted you), but as far as I am aware you can't just "turn up" from SE Asia, you must have a Visa before you get on the plane.

Agreed! Before a civil partner travels to the UK, he will need to obtain entry clearance from the nearest British embassy or High Commission in the country in which he is living.

[Nabaat]

Here is the link for the Documents required:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas ... documents/

....hope they help. For info, Ton has had 3 visa's over the last 18 months for the UK....which only took 3 days each time to acquire. He only holds land and a bank account, with his sole income coming from me....but never had a problem applying.

wow 3 visas in 18 months with just a bit of land and no fixed job etc, Scots I can just feel you about to blow a huge gasket now at the frustration you've been going through trying to achieve the same outcome without any success - perhaps Nabatt needs to start selling his services to us all as a Visa agent !!! :-)

NIrish - all my gaskets blew out long ago with the UK Visa process, and even my big end isn't what it used to be.
In fact I'm heading towards it being a case of "piston broke"


:occasion9: