The Interior Ministry is ready for the implementation of the Marriage Equality Bill, which is set to become law later this month, according to ministry spokeswoman Traisulee Taisaranakul.
Ms Traisulee said the Department of Provincial Administration (DoPA) has revised regulations to be in accordance with the new law and drawn up rules to facilitate the registration work.
Moreover, the department has updated its computer system and marriage registration forms to ensure that the registration of same-sex marriages can proceed as soon as the bill becomes law, she said on Friday.
"A trial run was carried out last month, and it's all ready. When the marriage equality law takes effect on Jan 23, same-sex couples can register their marriages at any district office across the country," she said.
The bill was endorsed by His Majesty the King and published in the Royal Gazette on Sept 24 last year, making Thailand the third country or territory in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, to recognise same-sex marriage.
The law allows same-sex couples to marry and grants them the same legal rights as heterosexual couples.
These rights include the ability to adopt children, manage and inherit their spouse's assets, the right to divorce, access to state welfare if their spouse is a civil servant, and tax deductions.
The Thai LGBTQ+ community considers it a victory after having fought for their rights for more than two decades and sees the new law as a monumental step towards equal rights in Thailand.
According to the Justice Ministry, it would also review other bills to guarantee that same-sex couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples to establish a family, such as the surrogacy bill, nationalities bill and gender recognition bill.
Couples can register their marriage at 18 years old or over. However, those under 20 require parental consent.
The law uses gender-neutral terms for married couples, referring to them as "two individuals" instead of "a man and a woman" and replacing "husband and wife" with "spouses".
Bangkok Pride and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) plan to organise a mass wedding on the day the bill becomes law and the event will be open to any same-sex couples residing in Thailand or abroad.
It is hoped the event will draw 1,448 same-sex couples to participate as the number symbolises the number of sections of the Marriage Law in the Civil and Commercial Codes that were amended to support same-sex marriage.
Dr Wantanee Wattana, permanent secretary at the BMA, said all 50 districts across the capital worked closely with DoPA to prepare the officials for the new law.
She said the officials received training to help them properly understand the marriage registration system for same-sex couples and to be mindful of the sensitivity needed when addressing sexual diversity.
Dr Wantanee also advised same-sex couples to pre-register with the district office for marriage registration so they can obtain information about the necessary documents.
The initiative to allow same-sex marriage was first proposed in 2001 by then-interior minister Purachai Piamsomboon. However, it was shot down by Thaksin Shinawatra, prime minister at the time.
The idea was revived in 2019 during Prayut Chan-o-cha's administration.
Legislation on marriage equality was approved but later dropped as parliament was dissolved.
The Lower House finally passed the Marriage Equality Bill on March 27, last year and 84 days later, the Senate approved it.
