What It Costs to Get Married in Thailand as a Foreign Couple

Two foreigners marrying in Thailand pay for the same things, whoever arranges them. Their documents are translated into Thai. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalizes them. A district office registers the marriage, with a translator and two witnesses present. This article lists each cost in order, first as you would pay it yourself, then as one fixed fee with Pride Legal Thailand, so that you can compare the two.

If you plan to register your marriage in Thailand, our marriage registration service covers the documents, the legalization and the district office for one fixed fee.

The documents from your own country

Each of you needs two documents, a single-status certificate and a certified copy of your passport. A single-status certificate proves that you are not married. Both documents must be legalized. Legalized means certified by the authorities, so that a Thai office can accept a document issued in another country. Your own country or its embassy issues these documents and charges its own fees. Those fees vary by country. You pay them whichever way you arrange the marriage, so they sit outside this comparison.

Translation

Every document must be in Thai when it reaches the registrar. The registrar is the official who records the marriage. Translation costs about 500-1,000 baht (~15–30 USD) per page. Each of you has about four to ten pages. A couple should expect 4,000 to 20,000 baht (~120–605 USD).

Legalization at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs certifies the documents and their translations. It charges 200 baht (~6 USD) per stamp/document. A couple should expect 2,000 to 4,000 baht (~60–120 USD). The ministry takes three to five working days.

Transport

The documents travel between your hotel, the ministry and the district office. The two of you travel to the district office on the day of the registration. A car for those journeys costs 2,000 to 4,000 baht (~60–120 USD).

The district office

The marriage is registered at a district office. Thailand has no central booking system for district offices. Most offices will not hold a date before the legalized documents are ready. A date at a suitable office is therefore secured in person.

The translator and the witnesses

The registration needs a translator and two witnesses. Arranging them, and preparing every document for the counter, costs 2,000 to 3,000 baht (~60–90 USD).

The lawyer

A lawyer checks that your documents will be accepted before you fly. The same lawyer explains the risks and the benefits, advises on life after the marriage, and prepares a simple prenuptial agreement. A prenuptial agreement is a contract about property that a couple signs before marrying. That work costs 10,000 baht (~300 USD).

The planning

The last line is the planning itself. A booking platform, a client portal and a coordinator keep the case on track. A client portal is a private page where you see each document and its status.

The total for doing it yourself

Added together, the five lines that carry a price come to about 20,000 to 41,000 baht (~605–1,240 USD). Your embassy fees are extra. The total depends on the number of pages and on the journeys your documents need. A document that is rejected has to be prepared again, which adds cost and time.

What it costs with Pride Legal Thailand

Our fee is 49,000 baht (~1,480 USD) for both of you. It is fixed, and government fees are included. You pay the fee in three stages. You pay 4,900 baht (~150 USD) at booking, which opens your portal and your coordinator. You pay 19,600 baht (~590 USD) when your documents are approved and you are ready to fly in. The last 24,500 baht (~740 USD) is charged only if the registration succeeds.

The fee includes each of the seven lines above. We check your documents before you fly. We translate them into Thai and legalize them at the ministry. We book the district office and register your marriage. We translate and legalize your certificate back to English. We pick up and transport your documents, pay the government fees, and deliver your marriage certificate. The fee does not include the cost of preparing your documents before you arrive, the embassy fees, or a hotel, ceremony or photographer. A registration outside the Bangkok region costs 10,000 baht (~300 USD) extra. Also, with our streamlined process, it can take as little as 1 day in Thailand.

If your documents are rejected, the second payment is refunded before your arrival, less costs, and the last payment is never charged. The first payment is not refunded.

How to decide

Both ways lead to the same registered marriage. Arranging it yourself suits a couple who have time in Thailand and are comfortable dealing with Thai offices, and this article is an outline of that way. A fixed fee suits a couple whose trip is short, or who want to know the whole cost before they travel. With us, a couple whose documents are prepared at home can also send them ahead with a power of attorney, and then one working day in Thailand is enough. A power of attorney is a document that authorizes another person to act for you. Pride Legal Thailand was created to become the platform for the LGBTQ community around the world looking to get married in Thailand. We make the marriage plannable from abroad and completable in a single trip.

Pride Legal Thailand arranges the registration of marriages in Thailand for two people of any gender and any nationality. The fee is ฿49,000 (~1,480 USD) for both partners, fixed, with VAT and government fees included; registration outside the Bangkok region costs ฿10,000 (~300 USD) more.

To register your own marriage in Thailand, tell ELSA your nationalities and your dates on the Marriage page: she lists your documents and your timeline, and our lawyer confirms the plan. The steps in order: how two foreigners can get married in Thailand.