Third country in Asia Marriage for all in Thailand from January
Historic step: "Marriage for all" will be permitted in Thailand from January. The king has approved a law to this effect.
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- Same-sex marriage will be permitted in Thailand from January 2025.
- This comes after King Maha Vajiralongkorn signed the corresponding law.
- Thailand will thus become the first country in Southeast Asia and the third in Asia to legalize marriage for all.
Marriage for all will be legal in Thailand from January: After King Maha Vajiralongkorn signed off on the landmark law legalizing same-sex marriage, it has now been published in the Official Gazette.
The lower house and senate had already approved the law months ago with an overwhelming majority. It is due to come into force in 120 days.
"Love wins," wrote Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on X. "This was a shared struggle by all."
Thailand is the first country in Southeast Asia to enshrine same-sex marriage in law and only the third country in Asia after Taiwan and Nepal. It has been legal in Switzerland since 2022.
Popular destination for queer tourists
The new regulation provides for the words "men" and "women" as well as "husband" and "wife" to be replaced by neutral words such as "persons" and "spouses" in the legal code. Non-heterosexual couples will thus be granted the same rights as other married couples in financial, medical and other matters.
Thailand previously had a civil partnership law, but this did not include full legal marriage rights. Despite the conservative values in Thailand, the country is considered extremely liberal and open to transgender and homosexual people. It has long been one of the most popular destinations for queer tourists from all over the world.
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