Documents couples are usually asked for when marrying in Thailand

There is no single document list that applies to everyone marrying in Thailand. What a district office asks for depends on your nationality, your marital history and which embassy or consulate serves you.

In practice, most foreign nationals are asked for a passport, an affirmation or statutory declaration of freedom to marry issued or witnessed by their own embassy or consulate in Thailand, and an official Thai translation of that document. Translations are usually legalised by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs before the district office will accept them.

If either partner has been married before, expect to be asked for a divorce certificate or a death certificate, again translated and legalised. Some nationalities are asked for additional evidence such as a certificate of no impediment or proof of residence.

Two things catch couples out. The first is timing: affirmations and legalisations have processing times and some documents are only accepted while recent. The second is that embassies set their own rules and change them without much notice.

We do not publish a per-nationality checklist, because a wrong list is worse than no list. Tell us both nationalities and where you live now, and we will point you at the correct official sources and coordinate the appointments, translations and legalisation on the ground.