Marrying in Thailand and bringing a Thai partner to the UK: the paperwork, step by step

A Thai wedding can be a beautiful, three-day affair with monks, family and a lot of food, but in law you're only married once a district registrar signs you up. If you then want to live in the UK together, the Home Office has its own long list.

The short version

• To marry in Thailand, a Brit needs a marital status affirmation and a certified passport copy from the British Embassy Bangkok: £75 in total, applied for online and collected at an appointment [1].
• Both documents must be translated into Thai and legalised by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs before you register at the district office (amphur or khet) [1].
• Religious ceremonies are not valid on their own; only a registered marriage counts [1].
• A Thai spouse coming to the UK applies for a family visa as a partner: £2,064 from outside the UK plus the immigration health surcharge, a £29,000 income requirement, A1 English and a TB test [2][3][4][6][7].
• Partners of British citizens keep a five-year route to settlement under the reforms announced in November 2026 [8].

Marrying in Thailand: the steps

Thailand recognises same-sex marriage too: the Equal Marriage law took effect on 22 January 2025, and the embassy has accepted applications from same-sex couples since the next day [1].

1. Check what your district office wants. Most provinces want the affirmation and a certified copy of your passport, but ask your district office or venue first [1].
2. Apply online through GOV.UK. You'll need your intended month and province, your UK passport, proof of your permanent address, your partner's passport or Thai ID card, the names and addresses of two non-Thai referees, proof that any previous marriages have ended, and a payment card. Don't apply more than three months before your wedding date [1].
3. Pay £75. That's £50 for the affirmation and £25 for the certified passport copy [1].
4. Go to the embassy appointment. Book it at least seven days after applying. There are up to 52 slots a week, usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays, bookable up to 45 days ahead, and waits can reach three weeks in busy periods. Bring the originals of everything you uploaded, or the application is cancelled and you pay again. Your partner doesn't need to come [1].
5. Get a Thai translation of the affirmation and passport copy, from a qualified translator [1].
6. Have them legalised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of Consular Affairs. Book online; there are offices in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket and Ubon Ratchathani [1].
7. Register at the district office in the province named on your affirmation, on the agreed date. The registrar marries you and issues two identical marriage certificates in Thai. For an extra fee, the registrar can come to a venue of your choice [1].

Who needs what

Source: GOV.UK, Confirm you're free to get married in Thailand (updated 6 November 2025) [1].

The affirmation covers the month and province you named, so a change of plan means a new application. Allow a clear week or two between the embassy appointment and the wedding for translation and legalisation.

After the wedding

There's no UK marriage certificate for a marriage abroad; your Thai certificate is the legal record, and you can't register it in the UK [5]. Get a certified English translation, because the Home Office will want one. The FCDO notes that Thailand does not recognise dual citizenship, so a Brit becoming Thai may have to give up British citizenship [9]. Our guide to moving to Bangkok covers the Non-O visa based on marriage, if you're staying in Thailand.

Bringing your Thai spouse to the UK

The route is the family visa as a partner. You must both be 18 or over, your partner must be British, Irish or settled, and you must intend to live together permanently in the UK [2].

The money

The minimum income requirement is a combined £29,000 a year (about THB 1.3 million) for most new applications, and you may be able to use savings instead of income [3]. Couples who first applied before 11 April 2024 and are extending with the same partner stay on the old £18,600 threshold [3]. If you receive certain disability or carer's benefits, the income requirement doesn't apply, but you must still show you can support yourselves without public funds [3].

For a Brit who's been working in Bangkok, the hard part is evidence. UK income rules are strict about how long you've earned and how you prove it. Thai salary slips and bank statements may need translating, and if you're returning together, the rules for counting a UK job you're about to start are specific. Read the financial requirement guidance carefully, or get help from an immigration adviser regulated in the UK.

English, health and the TB test

• English: your spouse must pass a test at CEFR level A1 or above for the first application, then A2 to extend [4].
• TB test: Thailand is on the list of countries where applicants need a tuberculosis test from a clinic approved by the Home Office [6].
• Immigration health surcharge: £3,105 per adult for a visa of two years and nine months, on top of the fee [7].

What it costs and how long it takes

Applications from outside the UK usually take about 12 weeks [2]. The first visa lasts up to two years and nine months; your partner then extends for a further two and a half years [2].

Settlement after five years

After five years on the partner route, your spouse can apply for indefinite leave to remain [2]. On 2 November 2026 the Home Office confirmed "earned settlement", which lengthens the standard path to settlement to ten years for most migrants. Partners of British citizens are treated as having a British connection and keep a five-year pathway, though the standard English requirement for settlement is to rise to B2. Changes are due to be laid from December 2026 and phased in during 2027 [8]. Check the rules in force when your partner applies.

Practical tips

• Keep a paper trail of your relationship. Photos, messages, joint bills and travel records help show the relationship is genuine.
• Use the Thai name consistently. Make sure your spouse's name matches across the marriage certificate, Thai ID card and passport, especially if they've changed it.
• Think about where you'll live first. Many couples spend a few years in Bangkok before moving; the visa routes are different, so plan ahead. See bringing a non-British partner to the UK later.

Couples who've been through it share tips (and warnings about queues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in our community group for Brits in Thailand.

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = THB 45.1092).

Sources

1. GOV.UK (FCDO): Confirm you're free to get married in Thailand (updated 6 November 2025)
2. GOV.UK: Family visas, apply as a partner or spouse
3. GOV.UK: Family visas, financial requirements for partners
4. GOV.UK: Family visas, knowledge of English
5. GOV.UK: Getting your marriage or civil partnership certificate abroad
6. GOV.UK: Countries where you need a TB test to enter the UK (updated 27 October 2026)
7. GOV.UK: Family visas, fees and the healthcare surcharge
8. Home Office: A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, government response to the consultation (November 2026)
9. GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Thailand (updated 11 December 2025)

Keep reading

• Moving to Bangkok as a Brit: visa and residence routes
• British life in Bangkok
• Bringing a non-British partner to the UK later: the family visa
• Registering a child born abroad and British citizenship by descent