Confirm you’re free to get married in Thailand
What British nationals need to do to get married in Thailand, including what documents are needed.
Check eligibility and the documents you need
Check the laws in Thailand to make sure you can get married. There’ll be certain local conditions you have to meet. Contact the local district office, also known as an ‘amphur’ (amphoe) or ‘khet’, to make sure you understand all the eligibility requirements to get married in Thailand, including what documents you need.
Your marriage will be recognised in the UK if:
- you follow the correct process according to the law in Thailand
- it would be allowed under UK law
Keep a copy of your Thai marriage certificate as evidence of your marriage. You may want to get it translated into English, especially if you want to use it outside of Thailand. Find a qualified translator.
Same sex marriages/civil partnerships
The Equal Marriage Bill has received royal endorsement and been announced in the Royal Gazette. The Act will come into effect on 22 January 2025. The British embassy will assist British people in obtaining the necessary documentation for a same sex marriage in Thailand once the law enters into force and the Ministry of Interior outlines the procedures.
Marital status affirmation
In most provinces in Thailand, British nationals need a marital status affirmation and a certified copy of their passport to get married. Check with the person conducting your ceremony or venue before you apply to make sure you need a marital status affirmation.
Once you’ve received your marital status affirmation and certified copy of your passport you’ll need to get them translated into Thai and ‘legalised’ (certified as genuine) by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand. You should allow enough time to do this between your embassy appointment and your marriage ceremony.
If your partner is a British national
They should make their own application for a marital status affirmation.
If your partner is not a British national
If your partner is a Thai national they should contact the local district office. Otherwise, your partner should contact their nearest embassy to find out what documents someone of their nationality needs to get married in Thailand.
How to get a marital status affirmation
- Apply online and pay £50 for your marital status affirmation and £25 for the certified copy of your passport (£75 in total).
- Book an appointment at the British Embassy Bangkok.
- Attend your appointment where you can check all the information in the affirmation and make any corrections.
- Make your declaration and sign your affirmation.
Book your embassy appointment for at least 7 days after you apply for an affirmation so consular staff have time to check your documents.
Up to 52 appointments are available every week, usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can be booked up to 45 days in advance. During peak periods you may have to wait up to 3 weeks for an available appointment. Once you have applied for the service you can keep accessing the booking system to check if different appointments are available.
You’ll need to bring the originals of the documents you upload to your embassy appointment. If you do not do this, your application will be cancelled and you’ll have to apply and pay the consular fees again.
Your partner does not need to attend your embassy appointment.
You’ll get your affirmation at the end of your embassy appointment. You can only get married during the month and the province you stated within your application, which is also stated on your affirmation.
For example, if you applied online for an affirmation on 10 June, stated your intended marriage was 5 September, and booked an embassy appointment for 15 July, your affirmation would be dated 15 July and the district office would accept it for any marriage date during September.
Apply for a marital status affirmation online
To apply for your affirmation online you’ll need:
- the month and the province you intend to get married
- your UK passport
- proof of your permanent address
- your partner’s passport – or national identity card if they’re not a British national
- the names and addresses of 2 referees who do not live in Thailand
- proof any previous marriages or civil partnerships have ended
- a credit or debit card to pay for your affirmation
If any documents are not in English or Thai, you’ll need to upload these along with a translation into English or Thai, and bring the original document and translation to your embassy appointment. Find a qualified translator.
Your referees should be non-Thai nationals living outside of Thailand. They can be anyone who knows you, including family or friends, and do not have to be the same people who witness your marriage ceremony.
Make sure you have all details and documents with you before you start your application. The application will time out if you’re inactive for 20 minutes. You can either scan your documents or take photos on your mobile phone.
It will take about 35 minutes to apply and pay for your affirmation online.
You should not apply for your affirmation more than 3 months before your intended date of marriage. Most district offices will only accept affirmations dated up to 3 months before your marriage.
Your application will be cancelled if you do not attend an embassy appointment within 3 months of submitting your application. We will not refund your application fee.
Apply for a marital status affirmation.
Provide proof of your address
Under money laundering regulations you need to provide proof of your identity and address for all notarial services.
If you live in Thailand, use your ‘Tabien Baan’ (yellow book) or pink ID card as proof of your Thai address. If you do not have one of these, check with the district office what they need to accept your affirmation. You may need to use one of the following as proof of a UK or other address outside Thailand:
- DVLA-issued driving licence
- bank or mortgage statement, or other letter from your bank
- utility or Council Tax bill, not including a mobile phone bill
- tenancy agreement or Housing Association rent card – or the equivalent in your country
- HMRC tax demand or self-assessment statement
Your proof of address must be dated within the last 3 months unless it’s a residence permit or driving licence.
Documents can be in English or Thai and should contain your name as it appears on your passport and your address.
If you change your address after submitting an application, bring evidence of the new address to your embassy appointment. Consular staff will update your affirmation with your new address before it’s printed.
If you’ve been married or in a civil partnership before
You’ll need one of the following:
- a decree absolute or final order – or the equivalent in the country where it was issued
- your annulment certificate
- your civil partnership dissolution
- your partner’s death certificate and marriage certificate
You’ll need to bring the original of the documents you upload to your embassy appointment. If you do not have the original documents, you can order a UK decree absolute or final order from a divorce, dissolution or annulment. You can also order a UK death certificate.
If your divorce, civil partnership dissolution or annulment took place outside the UK, you’ll need evidence that you or your ex-partner lived in or were a national of that country at the time.
After Your Appointment
You may need to get a document we provide translated into Thai or legalised before it will be recognised by an authority in Thailand. Ask the authority where you intend to use the document about these and other requirements.
You can also find translation services at the Legalisation Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Chaeng Watthana Road.
How to get your document legalised
You will need to visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Bangkok or one of their legalisation offices in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket or Ubon Ratchathani.
You need to book an appointment online at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website
Your marriage ceremony
Take your affirmation and a certified copy of your passport to the district office where you are getting married on the agreed date. The district office must be in the province stated on your affirmation.
The registrar will conduct the marriage ceremony and give you 2 identical marriage certificates in Thai. You can also pay a fee for the registrar to marry you at your chosen venue.
Religious ceremonies are not valid on their own. The registrar must conduct a ceremony.
Updates to this page
Published 2 May 2024Last updated 16 December 2024 + show all updates
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Additional information on what to do after the appointment. Additional information about how to legalise documents.
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Added more information about proof of address and removed link to old notarial page.
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Updates added under same sex marriage section with effective date of the Equal Marriage Bill.
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Page mistakenly unpublished.
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Added information about same sex marriages under the 'Check eligibility and the documents you need' section
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First published.