If you are preparing to marry in Thailand, congratulations! Embassy officials cannot perform or witness a marriage, but we are able to notarize the required declaration. In Thailand, a civil marriage is legally recognized once registered at a registrar's office, called a khet in Bangkok or an amphoe upcountry. in Thai. Thailand does not permit civil marriage for same-sex couples. You will need to take the following steps to register your marriage in Thailand:

 

Obtain an English declaration form with instructions available at the Embassy. Notary walk-in service hours are Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 12:00. The declaration is used to confirm your marital status, permanent address, and to give two references in Canada.

 

If you are divorced or widowed, please bring the original Certificate of Divorce or Death Certificate to have the declaration notarized.

 

Complete the English declaration form and submit the completed form to the Embassy with the fee for notary service of CAD$50 (confirm the current fee and rate of exchange with Embassy staff). The paragraphs at the top and bottom are to be completed by Embassy staff. The application should take only one morning to complete.

 

The completed and notarized English declaration must then be translated into Thai by a certified translator. This usually takes 1-2 days to complete.

 

Have all documents certified at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While only the English declaration needs to be notarized by the Embassy, both the English declaration and Thai translation must be certified at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs to acknowledge that the signatures appearing on the documents are recognized. This will take a maximum of two working days.

 

Documents for legalization can also be mailed to the following address with the application form and money order in Thai Baht payable to Laksi Post Office.

 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Legalization Division, 3rd floor, Department of Consular Affairs 123 Chaeng Watthana Road, Bangkok 10210 Tel: 0 2575-1056 - 9, Fax: 0 2575-1054 Hours: 08:30 to 11:30, and 13:00 to 15:30. For map, please click here.

 

Proceed to the registrar's office (amphoe or khet) to register the marriage. If neither party speaks Thai, an interpreter will be required. Registering the marriage will take a maximum of one day. The nearest district registrar office to the Embassy is:

 

Bangrak Registrar's Office 5 Nares Road Bangkok 10500 Tel: 0 2236-3154 Hours: Monday to Friday 08:30 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:30.

 

**optional** you may wish to have the certificate of marriage translated into English or French. It may then be notarized at either the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs or at the Embassy of Canada. Notarization should take only half a day.

 

If you are in Cambodia, Laos, or Myanmar, contact the Embassy in Bangkok directly for details of notarization for marriages in those countries.