Marriage in Thailand is complicated. Getting married in Thailand can be complex when you don’t fully understand the laws of Thailand. Below is a brief breakdown of these marriage laws and how best to ensure that you can get married in Thailand without much issue. Most foreigners tend to hire a Thai lawyer to get through the red tape in Thailand.
Marriage in Thailand
Thai Marriage Requirements:
The following are the basic marriage requirements for getting married in Thailand. If you are unsure then speak to a family lawyer in Thailand for more information.
- – You and you Thai fiancée must be older than 17 years of age;
- – Your Thai fiancée if she is between 17 and 20 her parents must be present at registration;
- – You and your Thai fiancée must be single and be getting married voluntary;
- – You are not allowed to be a relative of your Thai fiancée;
- – If you Thai wife divorced in the last 310 days then she needs to prove she is not pregnant;
- – You can’t marry someone that has been declared insane;
- – Gay marriage or same sex marriage in Thailand is not allowed.
Firstly you need to obtain a letter from your Embassy in Bangkok which states that you are single and 
able to get married in Thailand. This letter will be issued by your embassy however some require you to wait up to 3 weeks such as the Swedish while Canadians are issued theirs on the same day. This letter is called a “Letter of no Impediment” or a “Freedom to Marry” letter. You will need to complete the forms at your Embassy in Bangkok and depending on your Embassy wait for the documents to be issued.
Marriage Registration Process
Once this has been issued you will need to have it translated into the Thai language and certified at the Thai Foreign affairs Department in Bangkok. The certification process is to ensure that the documents are not fake and that it originated from your Embassy. This normally takes a day to complete. You can then take this certified letter to the local District Office in Thailand to register the marriage.
Note that if you are divorced or a widow then you will need the originals such as the death certificate for your late spouse or the original of your divorce decree. This you need to provide to your Embassy so that it can be included when the documents are certified and translated.
Also note that if you have a prenuptial agreement then you will have to register this at the same time as the marriage. You can’t register a prenuptial agreement later. You will need the services of a lawyer in Bangkok to help you arrange these documents as well as the registration. If there are any errors then these would be very costly to fix later.
Always seek proper legal advice in Thailand when it comes to marriage registration. The marriage visa, prenuptial agreements and other Thai family law issues.
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