The Consulate-General of Malaysia in Songkhla, Thailand, has recorded a steady increase in the number of applications from Malaysians to obtain a marriage verification letter since 2011.

Consul-general Mohd Afandi Abu Bakar said a total of 4,653 applications for a marriage verification letter were received last year, compared with 4,375 in 2017.

He said the statistics showed a steady increase from 2,885 applications in 2011, to 3,463 (2012), 3,485 (2013), 3,831 (2014), 4,081 (2015) and 4,178 (2016).

He was met at the Malaysia-Thailand Riders Association programme in Hatyai today.

Afandi (photo) said the majority of applications involved couples who had been married for two or three years and they needed the document to register their child.

He pointed out that most applications involved marriages of Malaysian couples that were held at the Islamic religious offices in southern Thailand.

The Consulate-General office also received applications from those who had been married for 20 years, but the number was small, he said.

Afandi advised couples against using syndicates as it might lead to problems in terms of status of their marriages.

- Bernama