How to get married in Thailand as a foreigner: the full 2026 process

Getting legally married in Thailand as a foreigner is more paperwork than romance, and once you know the shape of it, it is very doable. The whole thing runs through four stages: you get a document from your own embassy that proves you are free to marry, you have that translated into Thai and legalised at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you both register in person at a local district office, and you walk out with an official Thai marriage certificate. This guide walks through how to get married in Thailand as a foreigner step by step, with the documents, the realistic costs, the differences between a foreigner marrying a Thai and two foreigners marrying each other, and what that certificate lets you do next. One thing up front: requirements vary by nationality and by district office and they change over time, so confirm the current details with your embassy and the local amphur before you start. This is general information, not legal advice. If you want the wider picture of living here, our Thailand guides cover the visas and admin that usually come next.

Can foreigners legally get married in Thailand?

Yes. Foreigners can legally marry in Thailand, whether you are marrying a Thai national or another foreigner, as long as you follow the correct registration process. A legal marriage in Thailand is a civil registration at a district office, known as an amphur (or khet in Bangkok), not a temple ceremony or a beach blessing. Those celebrations are lovely, but on their own they carry no legal weight. Since the Marriage Equality Act came into effect on 23 January 2025, marriage in Thailand is also open to same-sex couples, so both Thai and foreigner and foreigner and foreigner same-sex couples can register on the same footing, according to the United Nations in Thailand. You do not need to be a resident, and you do not need a special visa. Most couples marry while on a tourist stamp or visa exemption, which is perfectly acceptable for the registration itself. If you are still sorting out how long you can stay, our Thailand tourist visa and visa exemption guide explains the options. The marriage does not extend your permission to stay, though, which is a separate step we come back to at the end.

The four stages of getting married in Thailand at a glance

The process breaks into four clear stages, and it helps to see them all before you start booking appointments. In practice most couples complete everything inside a week or two once the embassy document is in hand, though timing depends heavily on your embassy's appointment availability and how busy the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is.

Stage	Where	What happens	Rough time
1. Affirmation or affidavit of freedom to marry	Your embassy or consulate in Thailand	You swear you are single and free to marry; the embassy issues or notarises the document	Same day to a few days (appointment dependent)
2. Translation and legalisation	A translation office, then the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)	The document is translated into Thai and legalised so Thai officials accept it	1 to 3 business days (faster with express service)
3. Registration	A district office (amphur or khet)	You both attend in person with two witnesses and register the marriage	Same day, often under an hour
4. Marriage certificate	The same district office	You receive the official Thai marriage certificate and can request certified copies	Immediate

Basic requirements: who can marry in Thailand

To marry in Thailand, both people must be free to marry and meet a short list of legal conditions. These apply whether you are a foreigner marrying a Thai or two foreigners marrying each other, and they are the first thing an amphur officer checks.

Minimum age. Both parties must generally be at least 18. The Marriage Equality Act raised the standard minimum age to 18; below that, court permission is required, so if either of you is 17 or younger, get advice first.
Single and free to marry. Neither of you can already be legally married. A previous marriage must have ended by divorce or death, and you will need to prove it with a divorce or death certificate.
Not close blood relatives. The couple cannot be direct ascendants, descendants, or full or half siblings.
Sound mind. Both parties must be capable of giving genuine consent.
Women remarrying. A woman whose previous marriage ended may historically have faced a waiting period before remarriage unless she had a medical certificate or court order; practice varies, so ask the amphur if this applies to you.

Nationality does not disqualify you. Americans, Britons, Australians, Canadians, Filipinos and citizens of most other countries all marry in Thailand routinely. What changes by nationality is the exact wording of the embassy document in stage one, which we cover next.

Stage 1: get your affirmation or affidavit of freedom to marry

The first real step is getting a document from your own embassy in Thailand that confirms you are legally free to marry. Thailand will not simply take your word for your marital status, so it relies on your home country to vouch for you. Depending on your nationality this document is called an affirmation of freedom to marry, an affidavit, or a statutory declaration, and you get it from your embassy or consulate, not from a Thai office.

For US citizens, the US Embassy in Bangkok notarises a sworn marriage affidavit that most amphurs require, and it charges a notarial fee of around 50 US dollars per document, with certified copies charged separately. You complete the form, book a notary appointment, attend in person and swear to the contents.

How it works by nationality

United States. A notarised affidavit of freedom to marry, sworn at the US Embassy Bangkok or the Consulate General in Chiang Mai.
United Kingdom. UK nationals usually swear an affirmation or affidavit, and the process is set out in the government's guidance on getting married abroad. UK affirmations are often handled by a notary rather than the embassy directly, so check the current route.
Australia, Canada and others. Most other embassies issue their own version. The Government of Canada's Bangkok mission, for example, provides consular services for its citizens marrying in Thailand. Always confirm your own embassy's exact document and fee.

Bring your passport and, if you are divorced or widowed, the certificate that proves your previous marriage has ended. Some embassies want to know your fiance's details and where you plan to register, so have that ready.

Stage 2: translate into Thai and legalise at the MFA

Once you hold your embassy document, it has to be turned into something Thai officials can accept, and that means a certified Thai translation plus legalisation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The affirmation is issued in your language, but the amphur works in Thai, so the document is only useful after this stage.

First, take the embassy document to a translation office and have it translated into Thai. Translation shops cluster around the embassies and near the MFA precisely because so many couples need this. Second, submit the original and the Thai translation to the Legalisation Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which certifies that the document and translation are genuine. The MFA offers a normal service that typically takes a couple of business days and a faster express service for an extra fee, usually a matter of a few hundred baht per document rather than anything dramatic. Budget for both the translation and the legalisation, and factor in the travel time if you are not in Bangkok, since the main Legalisation Division is in the capital. Skipping legalisation is one of the most common reasons an amphur turns a couple away, so do not treat it as optional.

Stage 3: register your marriage at the district office (amphur)

marriage registration desk at a Thai district office (amphur)

Foreigners register their marriage in person at a local amphur or khet, the Thai district office.

With your legalised, translated document in hand, you both go in person to a district office to register the marriage, and this is the moment you actually become legally married. In Thailand marriages are registered at the amphur (called a khet in Bangkok), and the registration is approved by an authorised registrar. You do not have to use the amphur in your partner's home district; many couples simply pick a convenient office, though a few are known to be more used to foreigners than others.

Bring everything: passports, the legalised affirmation and its Thai translation, your Thai partner's identity documents if you have one, and any divorce or death certificates. You also need two witnesses. According to the US Embassy, the amphur requires two witnesses who sign the register, and some offices can provide staff to act as witnesses if you turn up without your own, but do not count on it. The registrar records the marriage in the official register, sometimes referred to as the Kor Ror 2, and both parties and the witnesses sign. If your documents are in order the whole appointment often takes under an hour. If a translator is needed because neither of you speaks Thai, bring one or arrange it in advance, as some amphurs insist on it.

Stage 4: collect your Thai marriage certificate (Kor Ror 3)

As soon as the registration is complete, the amphur issues your official Thai marriage certificate, and you are married from that moment. The certificate is commonly called the Kor Ror 3, and it is the document you will use for everything that follows, from a visa application to changing a name. Ask for one or two additional certified copies while you are there, because you will need them and getting extras later is more hassle.

If you plan to use the marriage abroad, you will usually need the certificate translated back into English (or your home language) and legalised again at the MFA, then possibly recognised by your own embassy or authorities. We cover recognition below. For most couples staying in Thailand, the next move is turning the certificate into permission to live here, which is where the Thailand marriage visa comes in.

Documents and costs: what to bring and what to budget

exchanging a wedding ring after meeting Thailand marriage requirements for foreigners

Rings aside, the real cost of getting married in Thailand is the embassy affirmation, translation and MFA legalisation.

Here is the practical checklist of what you need and roughly what it costs. Treat the figures as realistic ranges rather than fixed prices, because embassy fees, translation rates and any agent charges all vary. The core government cost of marrying in Thailand is modest; the bigger numbers appear only if you hire an agent or add a ceremony.

Item	Who needs it	Rough cost	Notes
Valid passport	Both foreigners	Already held	Bring original plus copies of the photo page
Affirmation or affidavit of freedom to marry	Each foreigner	Around 50 USD (US); varies by embassy	Sworn at your embassy or consulate
Thai translation of the affirmation	Each foreigner	~500 to 1,000 THB per document	From a certified translation office
MFA legalisation	Each document	A few hundred THB (more for express)	Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangkok
Thai ID card and house registration	Thai partner (if applicable)	Already held	Foreigner and foreigner couples skip this
Divorce or death certificate	If previously married	Varies; may need translation	Proves you are free to marry
Two witnesses	The couple	Free	Bring your own where possible
Certified copies of the certificate	The couple	Small per-copy fee	Get spares on the day
Optional agent or lawyer	If you want help	~5,000 to 15,000 THB	Not required if you do it yourself

Done independently, the unavoidable government and translation costs usually land in the low thousands of baht per person. If you engage an agency to run the paperwork for you, budget more, and remember that a full destination wedding with a venue is a completely separate spend that has nothing to do with the legal registration.

Thai and foreigner vs foreigner and foreigner: what changes

The core process is the same for both cases, but the documents each person brings differ, so it is worth being clear about your situation. The stage that changes is who provides what at the amphur.

If you are a foreigner marrying a Thai national, you provide your passport plus the legalised, translated affirmation of freedom to marry, and your Thai partner provides their Thai national ID card and their house registration document, known as the tabien baan. If your partner was previously married, they bring divorce or spouse's death evidence too. This is the most common route, and amphurs handle it constantly. It is also the route that later unlocks a marriage-based visa, and if you eventually want to sponsor your spouse to your own country, guides like our UK visa for a Thai partner walk through that side.

If you are two foreigners marrying each other, there is no Thai ID or house registration in the mix, but each of you needs your own affirmation of freedom to marry from your respective embassy, each translated into Thai and legalised. So a British and Australian couple, for example, makes two embassy trips and legalises two documents. Everything else, the witnesses, the amphur appointment and the certificate, works exactly the same. Two foreigners can marry in Thailand and have the marriage recognised even where their home countries handle things differently, which is part of why Thailand has become a popular place to tie the knot.

Same-sex marriage in Thailand for foreigners

Same-sex couples can now marry in Thailand on exactly the same terms as anyone else. Thailand's Marriage Equality Act took effect on 23 January 2025, making it the first country in Southeast Asia to recognise equal marriage, and from that date any couple aged 18 or over can register regardless of gender, as reported by the UN in Thailand. That means a same-sex Thai and foreigner couple, or a same-sex foreigner and foreigner couple, follows the identical four-stage process set out above: embassy affirmation, translation and legalisation, registration at the amphur and the Kor Ror 3 certificate.

The one thing to think through is recognition back home. A same-sex marriage registered in Thailand is legally valid in Thailand, but whether your own country recognises it depends on that country's law. If recognition matters for tax, immigration or inheritance, check your home rules before you rely on the Thai certificate abroad.

Common mistakes and things to watch

Most problems at the amphur come from paperwork that is out of date, mistranslated or missing a step, and they are easy to avoid once you know them. A little care here saves a wasted trip.

Letting the affirmation go stale. Some amphurs treat the embassy document as valid only for a limited window after it is issued, so do not get it months in advance and sit on it.
Skipping MFA legalisation. A translated document that has not been legalised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is often rejected. Translation and legalisation are two separate steps, not one.
Name mismatches. Make sure the spelling of your name is identical across your passport, the affirmation and the Thai translation. A single letter out of place can hold things up.
Forgetting divorce or death evidence. If either of you was married before, bring the proof it ended, translated if required.
Assuming recognition abroad is automatic. A Thai marriage is valid in Thailand immediately, but using it in your home country usually needs further translation, legalisation and sometimes registration there.
Leaving a prenuptial agreement too late. A prenuptial agreement in Thailand must be registered together with the marriage at the amphur to be enforceable, so sort it before the registration day, not after.

What your Thai marriage certificate lets you do next

Wat Arun in Bangkok, symbolising long-stay life in Thailand after the marriage visa

A Thai marriage certificate opens the door to a marriage visa and settling into life in Thailand.

The marriage certificate is not the finish line; it is the key that unlocks the next round of admin, and for most foreigners the immediate prize is the right to live in Thailand with a spouse. The most common next step for a foreigner married to a Thai is applying for a marriage visa, the Non-Immigrant O visa based on marriage, which our Thailand marriage visa guide covers in full, including the income or bank-balance requirements and the annual extension. Once you hold a long-stay extension you also pick up ongoing obligations like 90-day reporting, so it is worth understanding the whole cycle rather than just the first stamp.

Beyond the visa, a Thai marriage certificate helps with a stack of everyday and long-term admin:

Banking and money. A marriage can make it easier to set up joint finances; see our guide to opening a Thai bank account.
Tax residency. If you are moving your life here, understand how Thailand taxes foreign income before you bring money in.
Retirement planning. Some couples compare the marriage route with the retirement visa or work out how much they need to retire in Thailand.
Family travel. If you have children together, read up on leaving Thailand with a Thai child, which now has extra document rules.
Everyday life. Practical basics like a Thai driving licence get simpler once you are settled and living here.

If you are not marrying for a visa at all, other long-stay routes may suit you better. Remote workers often prefer the Destination Thailand Visa, higher earners look at the LTR visa, and those working for a Thai employer need a Non-B visa and work permit. Plenty of couples settling in the south end up planning the practical side of living in Phuket as a digital nomad once the paperwork is done.

Frequently asked questions

Can Americans legally get married in Thailand?

Yes. US citizens can legally marry in Thailand, either a Thai national or another foreigner. You obtain a notarised marriage affidavit from the US Embassy Bangkok or the Consulate in Chiang Mai, have it translated into Thai and legalised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then register at a district office. The resulting Thai marriage is legally valid.

How much does it cost to get married in Thailand for foreigners?

Done yourself, the essential costs are modest: an embassy fee of around 50 US dollars per affidavit, a few hundred baht for translation, and a few hundred baht for MFA legalisation, so often just the low thousands of baht per person. Using an agent adds roughly 5,000 to 15,000 baht. A ceremony or wedding is a separate cost entirely.

Can a tourist get married in Thailand?

Yes. You do not need any special visa to register a marriage in Thailand, and most couples marry while on a tourist visa or visa exemption stamp. The marriage itself does not extend your stay, though. If you want to remain long term afterwards, you apply separately for a marriage visa or another long-stay visa.

Can two foreigners get married in Thailand?

Yes. Two foreigners, including same-sex couples, can legally marry in Thailand and have the marriage recognised. Each partner simply obtains their own affirmation or affidavit of freedom to marry from their respective embassy, has it translated and legalised, and both register together at the amphur. No Thai national is required.

How long does the whole process take?

Once you have your embassy document, translation and MFA legalisation usually take one to three business days, and the amphur registration itself is often done in under an hour on a single visit. The main variable is how quickly your embassy can issue the affirmation, which depends on appointment availability, so allow a week or two overall.

Do I need to translate my documents into Thai?

Yes. Your embassy affirmation is issued in your own language, and it must be translated into Thai and then legalised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before a district office will accept it. Translation and legalisation are two separate steps. Skipping the legalisation is one of the most common reasons couples are turned away.

Is a Thai marriage certificate valid in my home country?

A marriage registered in Thailand is legally valid in Thailand straight away. Whether your home country recognises it depends on that country's law, and you will usually need the certificate translated, legalised and sometimes registered at home. Check your own government's rules if the marriage needs to count for tax, immigration or inheritance abroad.

Do we need witnesses to get married in Thailand?

Yes. You need two witnesses who sign the marriage register at the district office. Ideally bring your own, such as friends or family. Some amphurs can provide staff to act as witnesses if you arrive without any, but this is not guaranteed, so it is safer to arrange witnesses in advance.

Does marrying in Thailand give me a visa?

Not automatically. The marriage certificate is what lets you apply for a marriage-based Non-Immigrant O visa and its annual extension, but that is a separate application with its own income or savings requirements. Marriage improves your options for staying long term; it does not itself grant permission to remain in Thailand.

Sources

About this guide

This guide was researched and written by the Thailand Stuff editorial team, who live in and cover Thailand. We base our guidance on official sources, including the US Embassy in Thailand, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations in Thailand, and we review our guides regularly to keep them current. It was last reviewed on 5 August 2026. Thailand Stuff is not a law firm, an embassy or an immigration adviser, and this article is general information on how to get married in Thailand as a foreigner, not legal advice. Marriage requirements vary by nationality and by district office and they change over time, so always confirm the current process with your own embassy and the local amphur, and consult a qualified professional for anything complex, such as a prenuptial agreement, a prior divorce, or recognising the marriage in your home country.