Section 1457 — Marriage by registration only
Statutory text (Thai original)
การสมรสตามประมวลกฎหมายนี้จะมีได้เฉพาะเมื่อได้จดทะเบียนแล้วเท่านั้นมาตรา ๑๔๕๘[145] การสมรสจะทำได้ต่อเมื่อบุคคลสองคนยินยอมเป็นคู่สมรสกันและต้องแสดงการยินยอมนั้นให้ปรากฏโดยเปิดเผยต่อหน้านายทะเบียนและให้นายทะเบียนบันทึกความยินยอมนั้นไว้ด้วย
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
คำแปลภาษาอังกฤษ
Marriage under this Code shall be effected only on registration being made.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 1457 is foundational and frequently surprises foreign couples. A Buddhist temple ceremony, Christian church wedding, or Muslim nikah without amphur registration creates no legal marriage in Thailand — no marital property regime, no automatic inheritance rights, no spousal visa eligibility. The registration is a simple form filed at any District Office with two witnesses. Foreigners need their passport plus an Affirmation of Freedom to Marry from their embassy (legalized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Why this matters in practice
For lawyers: advise clients that any promise of marriage made in a religious or customary ceremony carries no legal weight until District Office registration is complete. For clients: a Buddhist, Christian, or wrist-tying ceremony does not make you legally married — you must register at the Amphur.
Legislative history
Section 1457 has remained unchanged in substance since Book 5 was revised in B.E. 2519. The Marriage Equality Act (No. 24, B.E. 2567), in force 22 Jan 2025, did not alter the registration requirement but updated related sections to use gender-neutral terms.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 2580/2563 (2020)
Legal spousal status requires registration under §1457; unregistered cohabitation does not create a lawful marriage.
The phrase 'who is not his wife or her husband' in the Criminal Code refers to a lawfully registered spouse under §1457; a couple who have not registered their marriage are not husband and wife for that purpose.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 592/2540 (1997)
Property transferred in a customary ceremony is not a betrothal gift or bride-price where no intention to register exists.
Where the parties agreed to marry by a wrist-tying ceremony and did not intend to register under §1457, property handed over during the ceremony was neither a betrothal gift (khong man) nor bride-price (sin sod) and could not be reclaimed.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.