Complete Marriage Visa Guide
If you are legally married to a Thai national, you can live in Thailand long-term on a Non-Immigrant O visa based on marriage. Non-Immigrant O is a category that covers several reasons for staying, such as retirement or family: the marriage route has its own conditions, lower than the retirement route and with no age limit. It starts with a 90-day stay, then becomes a one-year extension renewed every year in Thailand. Same-sex spouses qualify on the same terms since January 2025.
The information on this page is provided for general guidance only and is based on official and professional sources as of 10 September 2026. Thai immigration rules change frequently and requirements vary between embassies and immigration offices. Always verify current requirements with the embassy or consulate handling your visa, or your local Thai immigration office. Expats Thailand accepts no liability for decisions made based on the information on this page.
Who Is This Visa For?
You need this visa if you are:
- ✓Legally married to a Thai national, in a registered marriage (same-sex marriages included since January 2025)
- ✓Planning to live in Thailand with your spouse long-term
- ✓Of any age: there is no minimum age for this route
This visa is not for:
- ✕Unmarried partners: Thailand has no visa for unmarried or de facto partners, and the marriage must be legally registered.
- ✕Retirees aged 50 or over without a Thai spouse: see the retirement visas (Non-O, O-A and O-X).
- ✕Spouses of foreigners working or retired in Thailand: they need a dependant Non-O, with different conditions.
Important
Marriage must be legally registered
Under Section 1457 of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code, a marriage in Thailand only exists once it is registered at a district office (Amphur). A religious or customary ceremony alone, including a traditional wedding with a dowry, does not create a legal marriage and does not qualify you for this visa. If you married abroad, immigration asks for your marriage to be recorded at a Thai district office, which issues a Kor Ror 22 (an official family status registration document).
Eligibility Requirements
You must be legally married to a Thai national: registered at a Thai district office (Amphur), which issues a Kor Ror 2 (registration record) and Kor Ror 3 (marriage certificate); or, if you married abroad, with the marriage recorded at a district office on a Kor Ror 22 (family status registration document). Same-sex marriages have been recognised since 23 January 2025. There is no age requirement.
For each one-year extension: 400,000 THB in a Thai bank account in your name for at least 2 months before you apply, or an income of at least 40,000 THB per month. Keep the money in place until the extension is granted. Unlike the retirement extension, there is no rule requiring you to keep it after approval: you rebuild the balance for 2 months before the next extension. Income from abroad is proven with an embassy income letter where your embassy issues one, or with 12 months of transfers into your Thai account; income from a job in Thailand with your work permit and Thai tax records. Some offices accept only certain forms of income proof, and combining savings and income is not accepted everywhere: check with your office first.
For the one-year extension, immigration checks that you genuinely live together as a couple in Thailand. This is verified through photos of you at home and, in some cases, a home visit or a call to your spouse. No cohabitation proof is required for the initial visa application at an embassy abroad.
No history of overstaying in Thailand and no entry on the Thai immigration blacklist. A criminal record certificate is not usually part of the extension file, but some embassies ask for one with the initial visa application.
Marriage Visa Costs
Initial Non-O visa (abroad)
~2,000 THB (~€55)
Varies by embassy. Some embassies also issue a 1-year multiple-entry version.
Change of status to Non-O in Thailand
2,000 THB
After a visa-exempt entry or a tourist visa, with more than 15 days of stay left.
1-year extension of stay
1,900 THB
Paid at your local immigration office, every year.
Re-entry permit, single
1,000 THB (~€27)
Per departure from Thailand.
Re-entry permit, multiple
3,800 THB (~€100)
Unlimited exits during current stay.
Marriage documents: legalisation and Thai translation
Varies
Depends on your country, the documents needed and the translator.
Document translations (if applicable)
€50–150 per document
For non-English, non-Thai documents requiring certified translation.
Criminal record certificate (if your embassy asks)
Varies
Only for the initial visa at some embassies, not for the extension.
Professional application assistance (optional)
Variable
Some couples use a visa specialist to prepare the file. Contact us for trusted partners.
Contact usPrices are indicative and vary by embassy, immigration office and exchange rate. Always confirm current costs before budgeting or applying.
Required Documents
For the 1-year extension at immigration. Each office publishes its own checklist and may ask for more.
- ✓Completed application form (TM7) with a recent passport-style photograph
- ✓Passport with at least 6 months of validity, plus copies of the photo page, your current visa or extension stamp and your latest entry stamp
- ✓TM30 receipt showing your current address
- ✓A map to your home (some offices prefer it hand-drawn, others accept a printed map)
- ✓Fee: 1,900 THB
- ✓Married in Thailand: Kor Ror 2 (marriage registration record) and Kor Ror 3 (marriage certificate)
- ✓Married abroad: Kor Ror 22 issued by a Thai district office, with your foreign marriage certificate and its certified Thai translation
- ✓Copies of your spouse's Thai ID card and house registration book (Tabien Baan), signed by your spouse
- ✓Birth certificates of your children, if you have any
- ✓Your Thai spouse must attend the appointment with you
- ✓Bank route: a bank letter dated no more than 7 days before you apply, confirming 400,000 THB held for at least 2 months, plus your updated bank book and copies
- ✓Income from abroad: an embassy income letter where your embassy issues one, or 12 months of Thai bank statements showing monthly transfers of at least 40,000 THB
- ✓Income from a job in Thailand: work permit, salary certificate and tax records (PND 1 and PND 91) showing at least 40,000 THB per month
- ✓Recent photos of you and your spouse together at home, inside and outside, with the house number visible; offices usually ask for several
- ✓Be ready for a possible home visit or a call to your spouse during the consideration period
How to Apply: Step by Step
Married in Thailand: register the marriage at a district office (Amphur). As a foreigner, you first obtain documents from your embassy, such as an affirmation of freedom to marry, then have them translated into Thai and legalised by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Amphur issues the Kor Ror 2 (registration record) and Kor Ror 3 (marriage certificate).
Married abroad: have your marriage certificate legalised (with an apostille where applicable) and translated into Thai, then have the marriage recorded at a Thai district office, which issues a Kor Ror 22. This is the document immigration asks for. Allow several weeks: timing depends on your country and your translator.
From abroad: apply through the official Thai e-Visa portal (thaievisa.go.th), in a country where you are a national or a legal resident, with your marriage documents, your spouse's ID and the proof of funds your embassy asks for. Depending on the embassy, you receive a 90-day single-entry visa or a 1-year multiple-entry visa; in both cases, each entry gives a 90-day stay. You convert that stay into a one-year extension at immigration before the 90 days end. The 400,000 THB is not required for the visa itself, only for the extension.
Already in Thailand: after a visa-exempt entry or a tourist visa, you can change status to Non-O at your local immigration office, as long as more than 15 days of your permitted stay remain. From 15 September 2026 most nationalities receive 30 days on a visa-exempt entry, so the window is short.
Enter Thailand before your visa expires. If you use the bank route, open a Thai account and deposit the 400,000 THB as early as possible: the 2-month clock starts on the deposit date, which is tight within a 90-day stay. Thai banks tightened their customer checks in 2026 and generally expect a non-immigrant status, which your Non-O gives you.
Ask your landlord or the house owner to file the TM30 for your address and to give you the receipt: you will need it for your extension.
Apply at your local immigration office during the last 30 days of your permission to stay, with your Thai spouse present and the full document set listed above, and pay 1,900 THB.
Marriage extensions are rarely approved on the spot. You usually receive an 'under consideration' stamp of about 30 days, during which immigration may visit your home or call your spouse. Return on the date given to collect the one-year stamp, and keep the 400,000 THB in the account until then.
Repeat the process every year with updated documents and new photos. If you use the bank route, rebuild the 400,000 THB and keep it in the account for 2 months before each application. In between, keep up with your 90-day reports and get a re-entry permit before any trip abroad.
Your Obligations Once You Arrive in Thailand
The owner or landlord of the place where you stay must declare your address to immigration within 24 hours of your arrival, and again when you move or return from a trip abroad. Hotels do this automatically. If your landlord has not filed it, ask them to: the TM30 receipt is part of your extension file, and immigration may refuse to process a 90-day report or an extension without it.
See our full TM30 guideAll foreigners staying in Thailand for more than 90 consecutive days must report their address to Thai immigration every 90 days. This does not extend your stay. You can file from 15 days before to 7 days after the due date, in person, by post or online. A late report you file yourself is fined 2,000 THB; if the missing report is discovered during a check, the fine rises to 5,000 THB plus up to 200 THB per day until you comply. Leaving Thailand resets the 90-day count.
See our full 90-day report guideLeaving Thailand without a re-entry permit cancels your extension, or your 'under consideration' stamp, the moment you exit, even for a short trip. Get a single permit (1,000 THB, one trip) or a multiple permit (3,800 THB, unlimited trips until your current permission to stay ends) at an immigration office or at a major international airport before departure immigration.
Is This Visa Right for You?
Advantages
Limitations
Frequently asked questions
No. Thailand has no visa category for unmarried partners. Your marriage must be legally registered, either at a Thai district office or abroad and then recorded in Thailand on a Kor Ror 22, before you can apply on this basis.
Yes, with a work permit. The marriage-based Non-O lets a Thai employer apply for your work permit without you switching to a Non-Immigrant B visa. The visa alone does not authorise work: you may only start once the permit is issued, and you must keep it valid while you work. Remote work for foreign clients is a legal grey area in Thailand; if that is your situation, look at the DTV.
See the DTV guideThe marriage is the basis of your stay, so a divorce ends it. Immigration can cancel your current extension and give you only a short period to leave or change status, and practice varies by office: do not assume you can stay until your stamp expires. Speak to an immigration specialist as soon as a divorce becomes likely. Depending on your situation, other routes may exist, such as an extension based on supporting your Thai child, a retirement extension if you are 50 or over, or another visa such as the DTV or the Non-Immigrant B.
Yes. Since Thailand's Marriage Equality Act took effect on 23 January 2025, same-sex spouses of Thai nationals qualify under the same conditions as opposite-sex couples.
Same category, different basis. Non-Immigrant O covers several reasons for staying in Thailand, and each has its own extension rules. The marriage extension has no age limit and asks for 400,000 THB, held for 2 months before each application, or 40,000 THB of monthly income. The retirement extension requires you to be 50 or over and asks for 800,000 THB, kept for 3 months after approval and never below 400,000 THB, or 65,000 THB of monthly income; retirees can also choose the O-A or O-X. The two do not combine: you apply on one basis and meet its conditions in full.
See our retirement visa guideYes. After a visa-exempt entry or a tourist visa, you can change status to Non-O at your local immigration office, as long as more than 15 days of your permitted stay remain, then apply for the one-year extension. From 15 September 2026 most nationalities receive 30 days on a visa-exempt entry, while entries made before that date keep 60 days for that stay, so start as soon as you arrive. If you plan to use the bank route, remember that many banks will not open an account on a tourist entry, and that the 400,000 THB must then be held for 2 months before the extension.
See the tourist visa and exemption guide