Thailand Marriage Registration
A marriage can take place on declaration made by both the parties intending to marry by giving consent to take each other as husband and wife publicly before the registrar in order to have it recorded by the Registrar. Giving consent to the marriage may be made
- By affixing signature of the person giving consent in the Register at the time of registration of the marriage;
- By a consent document stating the names of the parties to the marriage and signed by the person giving consent;
- By verbal declaration before at least two witnesses in case of necessity. The consent having been given cannot be revoked.
An application for registration for marriage can be filed at any District Office or Minor District Office nationwide regardless of the birthplace of the couple.
If the Thai marriage registration is filed at the District Office located in female’s birthplace (where the name is registered on the House Registration Certificate), the title used with the forename and the last name of the female will be changed by the District Officer. The female is required to file for a new Identification Card within 60 days. If the marriage is registered elsewhere, the female is required to contact the local District Office to change her name and last name, as well as filing for a new Identification Card.
If both parties are unable to file for marriage at any District Office or Minor District Office, the couple can submit a request to the Registrar to register their marriage at any location under the supervision of that District Office. The parties filing for marriage are required to provide transportation for the Registrar. A service fee of 400 Baht is required by the ministry
Marriage shall be affected only on registration being made. After registration is completed, a Thai Marriage Registration Certificate to be obtained as evidence.
Procedures for Thailand marriage registration by a foreigner
The foreigners who are wishing to marry shall appear in person with their respective passports and arrival card at their Embassy in Thailand to complete declarations attesting that he/she is single and free to marry in accordance with Thai Law and the registration shall be effected by a Thai Diplomatic or Consular Officer.
Take the completed declaration to a reputable translation office to have the contents of the declaration translated into Thai.
The documents together with translation and copies of passports have to be taken to the Legalization Division of Consular Affairs Department, where the Consular Official’s signature will be authenticated. This normally takes 2 days. The documents and translation are then ready for submission to the District Registrar who will register the marriage and issue the marriage certificate in Thai in accordance with and following the procedure led down in Thai Law.
Special Note
You should allow four working days in Bangkok prior to registering your marriage as you are required to have been resident in Thailand for at least three days before you marry and you must allow time for the paperwork to be processed in Bangkok. This also allows you to visit some of the wonderful attractions in Bangkok.
If you have previously been married, your divorce certificate. The certificate should be translated into Thai. Since the certificate must be legalized by the Embassy, we prefer that the translation is made by the Embassy or by a translation office recommended by the Embassy.
