Diplomatic relations between the member states of the German Customs Union and the Kingdom of Siam were established in 1862 with the signing of the Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation. This followed on from the trade treaty between the Hanseatic cities of Hamburg, Lübeck and Bremen and the Kingdom of Siam of 1858.

Today, Thailand is one of Germany’s most important partners in southeast Asia. It is a key player in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The two countries also cooperate closely in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations. Five of Germany’s political foundations are represented in Thailand.

Germany is Thailand’s most important trading partner in the European Union. Alongside some 600 German companies active in Thailand, German tourists (approximately 800,000 in 2024) play a part in bilateral economic relations.

The Goethe-Institut Thailand in particular is breathing life into the cultural agreement signed by the two countries back in 1984. Its wide-ranging programme of cultural events and language courses makes it very popular. There are more than 240 cooperation partnerships between German and Thai higher education institutions, enabling intensive academic exchange between the countries. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) also contributes to this, providing a total of four lectors, as well as scholarships and student advice services. In addition, the DAAD is improving cooperation in the fields of justice and the rule of law in practice and theory, using Federal Foreign Office funds to support the German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance (CPG), which is attached to Thammasat University.

Two German-language schools in Bangkok and Chiang Mai are recognised as Excellent German Schools Abroad and receive funding from the Central Agency for Schools Abroad (ZfA) on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office.