Previous traditional, unregistered marriage?

[BobfromBoston 0]

My Thai fiancee had a traditional wedding ceremony 10 years ago. It was never registered. She was forced to by her parents because she was pregnant. She left the guy shortly after the birth of her child and has almost no contact with him now. I plan to marry her legally as soon as I can get to Thailand, after which I will file an I-130. I'm worried that the previous wedding ceremony could be an issue for immigration purposes, even though it was never registered. I don't see why we would mention it unless asked but we will not lie about it either. Does anyone know if this is something to worry about or not? Is there anything we can do beforehand to prevent any potential issues due to this previous wedding ceremony? I'm just starting this process and it seems very difficult to find clarity on so many aspects of this process. Please help! Thank you!

[Buckaroo 11]

My understanding is that Ceremonial weddings do not matter. I read this in the NOLO book on immigration when I started our K1 process last year. I would consult with an experienced immigration attorney to get a definitive answer about your specific situation and think about future possible hurdles if you want to bring her child to the US.

[Villanelle 4,122]

http://integrity-legal.com/legal-blog/us-visa-thailand/unregistered-marriages-and-us-immigration-from-thailand/

 

 

[davemcphe 22]

My wife also had a previous Thai wedding and never registered it with the government.  She had no problems getting clearance to marry and we married in BKK near the Don Meong Airport.  As far as visa paperwork and the government are concerned she was never married.

 

Dave