Registering a Marriage in Thailand as a Foreigner

An embassy cannot marry you, and a legal marriage is the two of you registering at an amphur, the district office. Most district offices ask the foreign partner for a notarised affirmation of marital status from their embassy, translated into Thai and legalised by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Your embassy cannot marry you. You marry by registering at an amphur, the local district office, and most of them want an embassy affirmation of your marital status first.

The order that works

1. Ask the person conducting your ceremony or the venue whether you need the marital status affirmation, before you apply.
2. Get the affirmation from your embassy, since most amphurs require a notarised one.
3. Have it translated into Thai by a professional translation service.
4. Have the document and its Thai translation legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
5. Register at a district office in the province stated on your affirmation.
6. Leave with 2 identical marriage certificates in Thai.

Step 1: the embassy affirmation

The affirmation is a sworn statement, not proof that you are single. If you were married before, keep the proof that the earlier marriage ended ready, for example a decree absolute or final order.

Embassies charge differently, so check your own embassy’s page before you plan the date.

Work backwards from the wedding date. Most district offices accept an affirmation dated up to 3 months before the marriage, and it names the month and province in which you can marry. At the British embassy, you book the appointment at least 7 days after you apply.

Step 2: translation and legalisation

The embassy’s document is no use at the amphur until it has a Thai translation and the Foreign Ministry’s legalisation. An embassy certificate issued in Thailand is translated into Thai and certified by the Department of Consular Affairs. A home-country certificate also needs your foreign ministry’s certification and the Thai embassy’s before that.

You book legalisation appointments online. The Bangkok Legalization Division is on the 3rd floor at 123 Chaeng Wattana Road, open 08:30 to 14:30 and closed on weekends and public holidays.

Step 3: at the district office

Each of you brings your own papers: the Thai partner a Thai ID card or passport, and the foreign partner a certificate of single status from their home country. Each side also brings one witness.

The district office must be in the province stated on your affirmation. The registrar conducts the ceremony, and religious ceremonies are not valid on their own. If you marry a third-country national, that person follows a similar but separate procedure with their own embassy in Thailand.

Age and consent

The Civil and Commercial Code, as amended in 2024, says a marriage can be made only when both persons are 18 full years old. Parental consent is required if either party is under 20. Same-sex couples register the same way, under the equal marriage law in force from 23 January 2025.

If you plan to stay in Thailand on a spouse-based extension afterwards, read our Thailand marriage visa guide first. For the wider move, see moving to Thailand.

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Not confirmed: Legalisation fee: the US Embassy calls the Ministry of Foreign Affairs fee nominal, and the amount is not confirmed, so ask at the counter.

General information checked against the sources listed above. Prices, opening hours and other details change; confirm them with the provider before you act. See how guides are checked.

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