The ministry is charged with formulating and executing foreign policies for the Kingdom of Thailand and also manages and maintains Thai diplomatic missions around the world.

During the Kingdom of Ayutthaya foreign relations were handled by the "Krom Phra Khlang" (Thai: กรมพระคลัง) (or the Treasury Department).

The head of the department was known as "Phra Khlang" (Thai: พระคลัง) and occasionally referred to as "Berguelang" or "Barcelon" by foreign authors.

The ministry was divided into seven divisions:[6] From 1892 to 1924, the Siamese government retained the professional legal services of lawyers skilled in international law.

[9] In 1992, the ministry office was moved to Si Ayutthaya Road, Thung Phaya Thai Subdistrict, Ratchathewi District, Bangkok in the area that used to be the headquarter of Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), the Ministry also has an office building of the Department of Consular Affairs at Chaeng Watthana Road.