Thai marriage certificate for use abroad

Thailand issues two marriage documents that carry different weight: the marriage certificate (Kor.Ror. 3) handed to the couple, and the certified copy of the marriage register (Kor.Ror. 2). Many foreign authorities ask for the Kor.Ror. 2 because it carries fuller particulars, so request a freshly certified copy before starting the translation chain.

Use a newly issued certified copy rather than a photocopy kept in a drawer for years: several countries require the civil-status document to have been issued within a set window before filing. That window varies by authority and should be checked against that authority's own published rule.

Order matters more than people expect. The translation must be legalised by the Department of Consular Affairs first, and only then endorsed by the destination country's embassy. Skip a step and the embassy will refuse, sending you back to the start.

Romanisation must follow both passports. Where the Thai register spells a foreign spouse's name phonetically in Thai script, the translator must restore the passport spelling rather than transliterate the sound again — otherwise the receiving authority reads it as a different person.

Once the Apostille Convention is in force for Thailand, documents destined for other contracting states will carry an apostille instead of the double embassy endorsement. For non-contracting states the traditional chain continues to apply.