Wedding License
What you need to know to make it official!
Legal marriage in Thailand
Some of our couples choose to register for marriage in their own country, but for those couples who want a civil wedding on Koh Samui will need to spend one day in Bangkok in order to prepare the official documents required by the Thai government and the relevant foreign embassies.
The procedure involves several steps:
Six–10 working days notice, prior to the wedding date is required in order to give us enough time to process all necessary documentation and translation. Once the couple arrives in Bangkok, they should contact our team to arrange the meeting at the appropriate embassy. Our staff will meet the couple at the embassy to pick up the sworn statements which have been endorsed and stamped by the relevant Consul. At this point, the couple is free to leave for Koh Samui. .
Our Bangkok staff then takes the consular and supporting documents for official translation and then on to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for verification and endorsement. When completed, the documents will be couriered to Koh Samui.
Once the documents have arrived here, we’ll make an appointment with the local City Hall official in charge of weddings and present the documents to be certified for accuracy.
During the ceremony, the local official will ask the bride and groom to state their names, professions and whether they’ve made a petition for marriage. After hearing the appropriate answers to his questions (we will be on hand to act as translator), he automatically certifies the marriage and issues duplicate his and hers marriage certificates decorated with conch shells and flowers. The marriage certificate is in Thai but we will arrange for a notarized translation to be sent on later.
This registration process is separate from any religious or spiritual ceremony; therefore, the paperwork must usually be done in the ceremony.
A marriage will be valid under Thai law when it is officially registered with Thai authorities. A valid Thai marriage will then be recognized as a valid marriage in most other countries. If you do not properly register a marriage performed in Thailand with Thai authorities, you are not legally married, either in Thailand or your home country.
To discuss this and any other issue you may have, contact us today.