Questions about marrying in Thailand

Yes. Thailand’s Marriage Equality Act has been in force since 23 January 2025. Two people of any gender and any nationality can register their marriage in Thailand, including two foreigners.

Yes. You can marry in Thailand without any special connection to the country, as long as you enter and stay legally. You don’t need a work visa, student visa, or Thai citizenship, and you don’t need to speak Thai.

Yes. You can marry in Thailand regardless of where you are from. Your marriage is registered while you are present in Thailand and is governed by Thai law, so it is valid even if your home country does not yet recognize same-sex marriage. (See “Implications of your marriage” below for what this means for you internationally.)

We offer end-to-end marriage registration for foreign LGBTQ+ couples who want to marry under Thailand’s marriage equality law. We handle the full paperwork process for you and provide after-marriage guidance. We also work with trusted LGBTQ+ friendly partners, wedding venues, hotels, and restaurants to support the rest of your trip. What the service includes, and the fee, are set out on the page for the Pride Legal Marriage service.

Before you arrive: a booking platform that lets you visualize your full marriage journey timeline; a client portal to review your timeline, change your date, and track the documents you need; a secure upload channel so our lawyer can review your documents in advance; the option to add partner services (coming soon); and translation of your documents prepared in advance, so legalization can begin on day 0 (your arrival day). After you arrive: document pick-up at your hotel or the airport; all government and district office fees; transport to the embassy, ministry, and district office as needed; booking with the district office and the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA); all translation and legalization, including legalization at the MFA on your behalf; and district coordination — we book your district in advance, in your chosen area and within about a one-hour drive of where you are staying. A summary of what is included, with the fee, is on the page for our marriage registration service in Thailand.

Embassy fees, fees for documents issued in your home country, and any legalization done in your home country. Your in-person appearance at your embassy where required (this generally cannot be done by power of attorney; Japan is the exception). Guarantees of timeline or outcome — we cannot guarantee exact timing or success. A guaranteed exact district — we aim for a district within about an hour of where you stay, but your preferred district may be fully booked or not foreigner-friendly, so occasionally we use the nearest available one. And every additional request — we do our best to honor special requests, but some may not be possible.

The fee is 49,000 THB (~1,480 USD), flat, paid in three stages: Booking — 10% (4,900 THB (~150 USD)), paid when you book, which gives you access to the client portal and the upload channel, plus a dedicated team member as your personal assistant; Document approval — 40% (19,600 THB (~590 USD)), charged after we approve your documents, when we begin translating and booking your dates; and Completion — 50% (24,500 THB (~740 USD)), charged only after your marriage is successfully registered. If it does not go through, you are not charged this final amount. For any extra services, our team will guide you case by case. The fees and documents for marrying in Thailand are listed on the service page, where you can also book.

Yes, for an additional fee. This also depends on the district and the dates available.

Yes. We translate your documents before you arrive so that legalization can begin on day 0. We cannot legalize them before you land, however, because legalization requires your immigration entry stamp.

Two documents each: a single-status certificate and a certified copy of your passport, both legalized. We translate them into Thai. A person who was married before also brings the divorce or death certificate, legalized. The exact document names depend on your country; ELSA lists yours when you start. You should also bring evidence of your relationship, for example proof of shared payments, photographs together, and travel records. This evidence does not need legalization. For more detail, read the step-by-step guide to marrying in Thailand.

It is the single-status certificate, the first of the two documents each person needs. It shows that you are single and not currently married to anyone. Some countries use another name for it, for example certificate of no marriage record, certificate of singleness, or affidavit of freedom to marry. Being single is a legal requirement for marriage in Thailand, so this document proves you are free to marry.

The district office accepts documents that have been legalized by the Thai MFA, and we handle that legalization for you. We also check the content of your documents before you arrive.

It means that the competent authority — your home country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs or your embassy — certifies a copy of your passport as a true copy.

It depends on your nationality. For some countries you need to prepare documents in your home country before flying in; for others you can complete everything at your embassy in Thailand. Our platform and our team will tell you which path works best for you.

A document issued by one country is generally only valid in that country. For it to be accepted in another country, it must first be authenticated through the proper process by the competent authorities. We guide you through this so your documents are valid in Thailand.

If you legalize documents in your home country, include an English translation in the legalization bundle and legalize the translation together with the original. If you legalize at your embassy in Thailand, we provide the translation for you. If you request documents from your embassy in Thailand, they will usually be issued in English.

Gathering the required documents before you fly in usually takes about 1 week to 1 month, depending on your nationality. After you arrive, legalizing your documents at the MFA takes 3 to 5 working days. If your country requires an embassy visit, that step comes first. Plan a stay of 6 working days minimum, counted after the embassy step; we recommend 8 to 10 working days. With the 1-day route you spend 1 working day in Thailand: your documents and a power of attorney are legalized before you arrive. The guide on how two foreigners get married in Thailand gives more detail.

Plan a stay of 6 working days minimum, counted from your landing date or, if your country requires one, from your embassy visit; we recommend 8 to 10 working days. With the 1-day route you spend 1 working day in Thailand: your documents and a power of attorney are legalized before you arrive. Legalization at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes 3 to 5 working days, and weekends and Thai holidays do not count. If you need to visit your embassy, its processing time and opening days come first, and we help you plan around them.

Plan a stay of 6 working days minimum, counted after the embassy step if your country requires one; we recommend 8 to 10 working days, so that a delay does not cost you your date. With the 1-day route you spend 1 working day in Thailand: your documents and a power of attorney are legalized before you arrive. We give you an exact recommendation based on your nationality.

About 1 week to 1 month, depending on your nationality and the strategy you choose. Our lawyer will advise you on the best approach.

Yes. You can book your exact arrival date, and our team arranges everything else around it. Your marriage date may shift slightly, because we cannot predict the exact MFA legalization time (3 to 5 working days), but it will usually be within 1–2 days of your target. If you have more flexibility, booking your date about 5 days after MFA legalization leaves room for a delay.

Quite a lot. “Married or not married” is not a single global switch — Thailand issues you a valid marriage certificate, and each country and institution decides for itself whether to honor it. Your home country’s position only affects home-country benefits. In Thailand you hold the legal position of a spouse under Thai law (marital property, inheritance of Thai assets, and marriage-based visas where relevant). Most countries that recognize same-sex marriage judge a marriage by the law of the place where it took place, so they will generally recognize your valid Thai marriage. For immigration, if either partner is a citizen or resident of a country that recognizes same-sex marriage, your Thai certificate can let that partner sponsor the other for a spouse or partner visa. Many employers, insurers, and banks also recognize a valid marriage certificate for spousal benefits. You also get an official, dated record of your relationship — and because legal recognition is expanding, marrying now locks in your date, which can matter for taxes, pensions, residency, and inheritance.

Generally, yes. We provide a legalized and translated copy of your marriage certificate for use internationally. The destination country may still ask for additional supporting documents. More detail is in our guide to using a Thai marriage certificate abroad.

Each nationality requires different documents, and each embassy has its own practice. Knowing your nationality lets us calculate your timeline and design the best strategy for you.

It depends on your nationality. For some, you can obtain the documents from your embassy; for others, you may need to get them from your embassy in a third country. We’ll guide you through the options.

So we can plan all the timing and simplify your marriage journey as much as possible, and help you find the best strategy.

You can choose the region you’re arriving in and request your preferred district. We can’t guarantee a specific district, however, because on the date of marriage the district timeslot may be full, or the officer responsible for foreign marriage might not be available.

It’s the tool that lets you visualize your marriage journey. We calculate the documents you need to determine which dates you could come and register, then let you choose your arrival date and see every step along the way. You start the booking on the page for our marriage registration service in Thailand.