Dependent Visas in Thailand: Spouse, Children and Parents

Reviewed by ThaiLawOnline, a licensed Thai law firm practising in Thailand since 2006. Thai lawyer of record: Wichuda Atthamethakon, LL.M., Thai Bar Licence 3149/2556.

Last updated on September 5, 2026

Thailand has many visa options for spouses and dependents of Thai citizens and foreign residents. These visas help families live together in the Kingdom. With new laws like the Marriage Equality Act, formally the Civil and Commercial Code Amendment Act (No. 24) B.E. 2567, in force since 23 January 2025, Thailand is now friendlier to international families. They can seek a Thailand dependent visa more easily. This guide covers everything about spouse and dependent visas. It includes legal requirements, application processes, and compliance obligations. It also has recent updates that affect expat families.

Legal Framework and Governing Laws

The main law for spouse and dependent visas in Thailand is the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979). This law sets the rules for foreign entry, residence, and visa needs. This law, along with later changes and rules, explains who can enter Thailand, the conditions, and the duration.

Key legal provisions include:

• Sections 11 and 12: section 11 requires everyone to enter and leave through a designated immigration checkpoint and within the published times. Section 12 then lists the classes of foreigner who are prohibited from entering, and the first of them is a foreigner with no valid passport, or with a passport carrying no visa from a Thai embassy or consulate or from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, unless that person falls inside a visa exemption
• Sections 34 and 35: section 34 lists the fifteen purposes for which a foreigner may enter for a temporary stay, and section 35 fixes the maximum period allowed for each of them. The third paragraph of section 35 is the provision every annual dependent extension actually runs on: where a foreigner has a genuine need to stay beyond the period first granted, the Director-General may permit further stay one year at a time
• Section 37: the duties of a foreigner who has been permitted to stay temporarily. Sub-section (5) is the 90-day rule: a foreigner who stays more than ninety days must notify the immigration officer of their address in writing without delay once the ninety days are complete, and again every ninety days after that. It is a reporting duty in the Immigration Act, not a route to a visa, and because section 37 opens with temporary permission it does not reach permanent residents
• Section 15: exempts diplomatic and consular staff, people sent by a foreign government with Thai agreement, the heads and staff of international organisations, and the spouse and children who are dependent on them and part of their household, from the duties this Act imposes on foreigners. The exemption is not total. Section 11, section 12 (1), (4) and (5), and the second paragraph of section 18 still apply, and in the diplomatic, consular, spouse and children cases the exemption is given effect according to Thailand’s international obligations and the principle of reciprocity

The Marriage Equality Act B.E. 2567 (2024) started on January 23, 2025. This law is a big change in Thai law. It gives marriage and visa rights to same-sex couples. This law uses gender-neutral language. It gives same-sex couples the same legal rights as heterosexual couples. This includes eligibility for spousal visas.

Last reviewed: 3 September 2026. Every statutory statement on this page was read against primary sources rather than against a summary. The Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979), consolidated text: section 11 (channels and times), section 12 (the classes prohibited from entering, and where the visa requirement actually sits), section 15 (who is exempt from the duties of aliens, from which of them, and its closing paragraph on international obligations and reciprocity), sections 34 and 35 (the fifteen temporary-stay purposes, the maximum period for each, and the third paragraph of section 35, which is the one-year extension power), and section 37 with sub-section (5) (the 90-day notification, and the fact that it binds only temporary permission). Police Order 327/2557 of the Royal Thai Police, read from the Government Gazette itself (volume 131, special part 150 Ngor, page 3, 8 August 2014): clause 2.20 for the dependent criteria and clause 2.18 (6) for the Thai-spouse financial test. The Civil and Commercial Code Amendment Act (No. 24) B.E. 2567, section 67, for how marriage equality reaches instruments written as husband and wife. The Board of Investment’s own LTR site for the dependent cap, the dependent insurance test and the TIESC opening date. This review does not cover embassy-level document lists, which each mission sets for itself; the fee ranges quoted below, which are practice rather than statute; or the e-Extension system’s eligibility, which comes from the Immigration Bureau rather than from the Act.

Types of Spouse and Dependent Visas

1. Spouse of a Thai National: Covered Separately

If your sponsor is your Thai husband or wife, you are not on the dependent route at all: you apply for a Non-O and then an extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai national. That process has its own financial tests, its own document list and its own refusal traps, and we cover it in full in our Non-O marriage visa guide, including the Thai marriage visa cost and requirements for 2026.

The rest of this page deals with the dependent route: the spouse and children of a foreigner who holds a Thai work permit or a long-stay visa, and, in limited cases, dependent parents.

2. Dependent Visa (Non-Immigrant O for Dependents)

The Dependent Visa is designed for family members of foreigners working or residing in Thailand on long-term visas. This includes spouses and children under 20 years old. This applies to Non-Immigrant B (work), ED (education), or other visa holders.

Eligible Dependents:

• Legal spouse of visa holder
• Children, adopted children and the spouse’s children, who must be unmarried, living as part of that household, and not yet 20 complete years of age. The one exception is a child who is ill or disabled and cannot live independently, who remains eligible while in the parent’s care
• A parent aged 50 complete years or more
• The dependent must hold a Non-Immigrant (temporary stay) visa, and a spouse’s relationship has to be genuine both in law and in fact

Those conditions are not custom or folklore. They are clause 2.20 of Police Order 327/2557 of the Royal Thai Police, published in the Government Gazette (volume 131, special part 150 Ngor, page 3, 8 August 2014) and in force since 29 August 2014, which sets the criteria immigration officers apply when they grant a one-year extension under the third paragraph of section 35. Clause 2.20 imposes no financial test on the dependent at all. The money question is asked of the sponsor, under whichever clause the sponsor’s own extension is granted on.

3. LTR Dependent Visa

The Long-Term Resident (LTR) Dependent Visa lets family members of LTR visa holders live in Thailand for up to 10 years. The BOI caps this at four dependents per LTR visa holder, and a dependent must be the holder’s legal spouse or child, so parents are not eligible on this route. Same-sex marriages are accepted in the dependent category; unregistered partnerships are not.

4. DTV Dependent Visa

TheDestination Thailand Visa (DTV) Dependent Visa is for spouses and children under 20 of DTV holders. It is valid for 5 years for digital nomads and remote workers.

Married to a Thai National? Use the Marriage Route Instead

The requirements below used to duplicate our marriage-visa guide. They now live in one place, kept current: see Thai Marriage Visa (Non-O): Complete Guide for Foreign Spouses for the THB 400,000 deposit and THB 40,000 income tests, the Kor Ror 3 and Kor Ror 2 paperwork, the e-Visa process, and the reasons annual extensions get refused.

Which route applies to you?

• Your spouse is Thai: marriage route (see the guide above).
• Your spouse is a foreigner working in Thailand: dependent route, explained on this page.
• You are the child or, in limited cases, the dependent parent of either: dependent route, explained on this page.

Dependent Visa: Detailed Requirements and Process

Applying for a dependent visa in Thailand can seem hard at first. However, once you know the main steps and required documents, the process becomes easier. If you are applying as a spouse or child of the main visa holder, prepare everything correctly from the beginning.

If you’re the spouse of someone holding a valid Thai visa, you’ll need to prove that you’re legally married. This usually involves submitting a marriage certificate. If the certificate was issued outside Thailand, it must be translated and properly certified. Immigration officers will also ask to see proof that your relationship is ongoing and genuine. You can learn more about marriage registration and visa options in Thailand on our site.

For children applying as dependents, the age limit is 20 years, and they must be unmarried. A birth certificate is required to confirm the relationship, and in adoption cases, official adoption documents will be needed.

In addition to relationship documents, you will need to provide standard paperwork. This includes your valid passport and copies of it. You must also complete visa application forms and provide recent passport-sized photos. A key part of the application is showing your connection to the main visa holder. This includes copies of their passport and visa. If needed, include a copy of their work permit. Also, add a letter from their employer. If the main visa holder runs a business in Thailand, they might need to show business registration documents. For more on this, check our Thailand work permit and visa guide.

The dependent visa does not have strict income rules for the applicant. However, immigration usually wants to see proof of financial support from the main visa holder. You can show this with recent bank statements, a letter from the employer confirming salary, or other documents. These should prove that the sponsor has enough income to support the dependent. For long-term stays, planning ahead financially is essential. The test that matters here is the sponsor’s rather than the dependent’s: the sponsor’s own extension has to stand up on its own ground, and the dependent’s application follows it.

Understanding the process in advance helps avoid delays and rejections. If you are not sure if you qualify or want to improve your application, our team at ThaiLawOnline can help. We can prepare, translate, and certify everything correctly.

Compliance Requirements and Ongoing Obligations

90-Day Reporting

A foreigner holding temporary permission to stay who remains in Thailand for more than 90 days must notify immigration of their address, and again every 90 days after that. This applies whether or not the address has changed. It is section 37 (5) of the Immigration Act, so it does not reach permanent residents, and the statuses listed in section 15 sit outside it as well. We have a complete article on 90-days reporting in Thailand and consult it for more information.

Re-Entry Permits

Visa holders must obtain re-entry permits before leaving Thailand to maintain their visa status. Without a re-entry permit, the visa becomes invalid upon departure. Again, we have an extensive article on re-entry permits in Thailand and you can read it to have more information on that subject.

Annual Visa Renewal

Long-term visas require annual renewal with updated documentation:

• Apply 30-45 days before expiration
• Submit updated financial proof
• Provide current marriage/relationship documentation
• Pay renewal fee (typically 1,900 THB)

Recent Legal Changes and Updates

Marriage Equality Act 2025

The Marriage Equality Act started on January 23, 2025. It is a key moment for LGBTQ+ rights in Thailand. Key implications for visa applications include:

New Rights for Same-Sex Couples:

• Legal marriage registration at any district office
• Equal spousal visa eligibility. Section 67 of the Act is what carries it across: every provision of any law, rule, regulation, by-law, notification, order or Cabinet resolution that refers to a husband, a wife or a husband and wife is to be read as referring also to spouses registered under the amended Civil and Commercial Code. A Police Order is an order, so the immigration criteria written as “spouse (male-female)” are read that way too. The one carve-out in section 67 is an instrument that deliberately treats husbands and wives differently
• Same inheritance and adoption rights
• Medical decision-making authority

Visa Implications:

• Same-sex spouses of Thai nationals can now apply for marriage visas
• Section 15 of the Immigration Act already says “spouse” rather than husband or wife, so a same-sex spouse of a diplomat falls inside it. The limit worth knowing is in the same section’s closing paragraph: in the diplomatic, consular, spouse and children cases the exemption is applied according to Thailand’s international obligations and to reciprocity, so what a particular mission’s spouse receives still depends on the arrangements between the two states
• Foreign same-sex couples can marry in Thailand and receive legal recognition

LTR Visa Updates 2025

The LTR programme is often described as having been loosened in 2025. Checked against what the BOI publishes on its own LTR site, the picture is mixed:

• The four-dependent cap has not gone. The BOI’s own LTR site still publishes it: “Maximum 4 dependents in total per one LTR visa holder”, beside a requirement of health cover of at least USD 50,000, or a deposit of USD 25,000 for each dependent held for twelve months. Reports that the cap was abolished are not reflected in the criteria the BOI applies
• The income tests are published and specific. A Wealthy Pensioner needs unearned or passive income of USD 80,000 a year. Between USD 40,000 and USD 80,000 it can still be done, with a further USD 250,000 invested in Thai government bonds, in a company registered in Thailand, or in Thai property
• Expanded e-visa availability: Applications can be submitted online globally
• New service centre: the Thailand Investment and Expat Services Center (TIESC) opened on 17 March 2025 at One Bangkok on Rama IV Road, merging the One Start One Stop Investment Center with the One Stop Service Center for Visa and Work Permit, and working alongside the Immigration Bureau and the Department of Employment

Digital Visa Improvements

Thailand continues modernizing its visa system with digital enhancements, making it easier to apply for a Thai visa.:

• E-Extension system: Online visa extensions for certain categories
• Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC): Mandatory from May 1, 2025
• Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA): announced in 2024 for visa-exempt travellers, repeatedly postponed, and still not in force as at 3 September 2026. The arrival formality that is actually compulsory is the TDAC

Practical Considerations and Planning for a Dependent Visa in Thailand

When you’re planning to apply for a dependent visa in Thailand, preparation is crucial. It’s best to start the application at least two to three months before you plan to travel. This timeline gives you enough time to collect all needed documents. Translations and certifications can sometimes take longer than you think. Also, remember that embassies can be very busy during peak travel times. This may slow down your process.

Proper document management can significantly simplify your visa journey. Always keep both digital and physical copies of your essential paperwork. When you get documents translated, ensure they are certified by a recognized translator. Thai immigration authorities are strict about this. Additionally, your financial documents, such as bank statements and income proofs, should always be current and easily accessible.

Financial considerations are also a common area of concern. Thai immigration officials usually want to see bank statements that show you keep the required balance over time. They do not want to see large deposits made just before your application. If your income documents are from another country, they might need certification from the embassy. They also need an official translation to be accepted in Thailand.

Home-country requirements add another layer of complexity. For some visa categories, you might need an Affidavit of Freedom to Marry from your home country’s embassy. Similarly, criminal background checks are sometimes required, depending on the type of visa you are applying for. Any official documents obtained abroad usually must also be legalized by Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Regarding employment rights, dependent visa holders generally aren’t permitted to work unless they switch to a suitable work visa. The only exception is for holders of Long-Term Resident (LTR) dependent visas. They may qualify for digital work permits. If you plan to work, you’ll likely need to adjust your visa status first.

Costs Associated with Dependent Visas in Thailand

Applying for a dependent visa involves initial application expenses and ongoing annual costs. The initial application typically includes embassy fees, which vary by location but generally range from 2,000 to 5,000 THB. Additionally, you’ll pay a standard extension fee of 1,900 THB. Remember to budget for document costs. These usually range from 2,000 to 5,000 THB. This includes translation and legalization fees. These fees can add another 1,000 to 3,000 THB to your total expenses. If multiple family members apply together, expect these costs to multiply accordingly.

On an annual basis, you’ll need to renew your dependent visa, which costs about 1,900 THB per renewal. If you travel outside Thailand, you will need re-entry permits. These cost between 1,000 and 3,800 THB. The price depends on whether you choose single or multiple entries. Fortunately, the required 90-day reporting is free if done personally. However, annual document updates and translations might add another 1,000 to 2,000 THB per year.

Finally, plan for long-term financial commitments. The dependent route sets no bank balance for the dependent. Clause 2.20 of Police Order 327/2557 asks for the relationship and for a Non-Immigrant visa, not for money in the dependent’s name. The THB 400,000 figure that circulates on expat forums belongs to a different case: marriage to a Thai national, clause 2.18 (6), where the foreign husband must show either an average income of at least THB 40,000 a month or THB 400,000 kept in a Thai bank account for the two months before the application. What the dependent route does test is the sponsor, whose own extension has to stand on its own ground. Depending on the visa category there may also be mandatory health insurance: the LTR dependent category, for instance, requires cover of at least USD 50,000, or a deposit of USD 25,000 per dependent held for twelve months. Lastly, complex visa situations might necessitate professional legal consultations, typically costing between 5,000 and 15,000 THB.

Future Outlook and Recommendations

Anticipated Changes

Thailand continues evolving its immigration policies to attract skilled professionals and investors while maintaining family-friendly policies. Expected developments include:

• Further digitization of visa processes
• Expanded visa validity periods for certain categories
• Streamlined renewal procedures
• Enhanced online services

Strategic Recommendations

For New Applicants:

1. Research thoroughly before choosing visa type
2. Ensure all documents are properly prepared and translated
3. Consider consulting immigration lawyers for complex cases
4. Plan financial requirements well in advance

For Current Visa Holders:

1. Maintain strict compliance with reporting requirements
2. Keep financial documentation current
3. Plan renewals well before expiration dates
4. Stay informed about policy changes

For LGBTQ+ Couples:

1. Take advantage of new marriage equality rights
2. Ensure proper documentation of relationships
3. Consider long-term implications of marriage registration
4. Seek legal advice for complex international situations

Conclusion

Thailand’s spouse and dependent visa system offers many options for expat families. This helps them settle down in the Kingdom for a long time. The recent Marriage Equality Act represents a significant step forward in inclusivity, while ongoing digital improvements continue to streamline application processes.

Success in navigating Thailand’s visa system requires careful preparation, strict compliance with requirements, and staying informed about regulatory changes. Investing in good documentation and legal compliance is important. It provides families with security and stability. This support helps them build their lives in Thailand.

Expats can find different ways to get legal residence. They can apply for a marriage visa with a Thai national. They can also get a dependent visa through family ties to other visa holders. The key is to understand the specific requirements for each visa type. You must also follow ongoing obligations and adapt to changing laws.

With the right preparation, foreign families can make Thailand their home. Thailand offers spouse and dependent visas for this purpose. They can keep their legal status and enjoy the rights and protections under Thai law.

Links:

• Thailand Bureau Immigration Website

Frequently Asked Questions