Traditional / Civil Marriage
To confuse matters altogether, there are 2 types of marriage in Thailand and only one is legally binding, the other being socially enforced. The state requires couples to register or long thabian in order to have their marriages recognized by the Thai courts, and this is particularly important when it comes to finances and custody of children. Registration can be done through a very simple process by simply bringing the appropriate paperwork to the local district office (Amphoe or Khet in BKK) and having an officer draw up a marriage certificate. These civil marriages are respected internationally and may even be enough for the couple’s local community to recognize their union.
However, in every part of the world marriage is also a traditional act within the couple’s community which affords them a certain social status and acceptance in-line with that community’s values. Thus in Thailand it’s perfectly ordinary to have a traditional wedding ceremony in conjunction with a civil marriage, or even simply in place of the legal act.
Interestingly, same-sex marriage is widely accepted in Thailand and traditional ceremonies are somewhat common, though such unions are not legally recognized. Another quirk is that monks are not allowed to be married but many events in a man’s life may lead him to take the robe for a short period, such as the death of a parent, atonement for sins, or to fulfill promises to spirits. In such cases, a man’s marriage is technically seen as dissolved by his ordination and many Thai couples would indeed choose to re-marry, albeit in a tiny ceremony, once the man has returned to the lay world. This does not affect the legal standing of the marriage, however. Confusing!
The rest of this article will deal with the traditional Thai wedding - we’ll leave the civil unions to the bureaucrats!