Thai Marriage Visa (Non-O) 2026: Cost, Requirements and Complete Guide for Foreign Spouses

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Last updated: August 2026  |  Reading time: 12 min  |  Practice area: Thai Family Law & Visa & Immigration

A Thai marriage visa costs 2,000 THB for the single-entry Non-Immigrant O at an embassy or through the e-Visa portal (about USD 60; e-Visa fees are charged in local currency and vary by country), then 1,900 THB for each one-year extension at Immigration. You must show 400,000 THB standing in a Thai bank throughout the two months before the application (the period the police order actually sets, though many offices ask for three at renewal) or 40,000 THB of monthly income, plus your Thai marriage certificate (Kor Ror 3) and the marriage register entry (Kor Ror 2).

You married a Thai national. Or you’re about to. Now you want to live together in Thailand legally, not on a series of tourist visas with border runs every 30 days. That’s exactly what the Non-Immigrant O visa (marriage category) is designed for.

Last reviewed: 3 September 2026, against Order of the Royal Thai Police No. 327/2557, the criteria for permitting a foreigner to stay temporarily under section 35 of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522, read in Thai from the Royal Gazette itself (vol. 131, special part 150 Ngor, page 3, 8 August 2014). Clause 2.18, which governs the family of a Thai national, was read in full including sub-clause (6), the money test, and was verified against the rendered Gazette pages rather than the text layer, because the order is laid out as a two-column table that text extraction interleaves. Order No. 654/2564 was read to confirm it does not touch clause 2.18: it revokes Order 548/2562 and prescribes criteria only for item 2.22, the retirement case. Section 1457 of the Civil and Commercial Code was read in Thai from our annotated Code. Not verified here, and stated so rather than implied: the visa and extension fees, the e-Visa portal steps and processing times, the 90-day reporting figures, the Marriage Equality Act passages, and whether any police order made after 654/2564 has since amended clause 2.18, which cannot be established by enumeration from the sources we hold.

How much does a Thai marriage visa cost in 2026?

Government fees are small; the real cost is the 400,000 THB you must keep in a Thai bank, which stays your money. Here is every fee you will meet from the first application to each yearly renewal.

Money you must hold but do not spend: 400,000 THB in a Thai bank account in your own name, or income of 40,000 THB a month. A missed 90-day report is the one avoidable extra: 2,000 THB if you report it yourself late, up to 5,000 THB if Immigration finds it first.

This guide covers everything: how to get the Non-O, what documents you need, the financial proof rules, how to extend it year after year, and what changed in 2025 that most lawyers haven’t updated their websites to reflect yet.

Since January 23, 2025, Thailand’s Marriage Equality Act has extended the same Non-O visa rights to same-sex married couples. If you and your Thai spouse are the same sex, you now have the same options as any other married couple.

We have practised family law in Thailand since 2006. What follows is what we’d tell you in a consultation.

What Is the Thai Marriage Visa (Non-O)?

The Non-Immigrant O visa is a residency-based visa for foreigners with close ties to Thailand. The marriage category is one of several sub-types. You use it when your primary reason for living in Thailand is your marriage to a Thai national. It doesn’t grant the right to work.

The initial Non-O entry visa is valid for 90 days. Once you’re in Thailand, you convert that 90-day permission to a one-year extension of stay at your local immigration office. You renew that extension every year, indefinitely, as long as your marriage subsists and you meet the financial requirements.

A note on the name. People say “marriage visa,” but Thai Immigration issues no such thing. What exists is a Non-Immigrant O visa followed by an extension of stay based on having a legal Thai spouse. The distinction matters in practice: you are not renewing a visa each year, you are applying afresh for an extension of stay, and the officer assesses your circumstances each time.

What the Non-O Does Not Give You

• The right to work in Thailand. You need a separate work permit for that.
• Permanent residency. That’s a separate, longer, harder process.
• Thai citizenship. Marriage to a Thai national does not automatically confer citizenship.
• The right to own land. Land ownership by foreigners is restricted under the Land Code Act regardless of marital status.

The Legal Basis: Thai Marriage Under the Civil and Commercial Code

Under Section 1457 of the CCC, marriage in Thailand becomes effective only upon registration with the district office (Amphur). A religious ceremony alone creates no legal marriage under Thai law.

Marriage Equality Act: What Changed in January 2025

On January 23, 2025, the Marriage Equality Act came into force. Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. The Act amended Sections 1448 and related provisions of the CCC by replacing “man and woman” with gender-neutral terms. A foreign national who is legally married to a Thai national of the same sex is now entitled to apply for the Non-O visa on exactly the same basis as any opposite-sex married couple.

Applying via the Thai e-Visa Portal: The 2025 Change

Since January 1, 2025, Thailand’s e-Visa system has been available worldwide. Nationals of virtually all countries can now apply for the Non-O (marriage) visa entirely online, without leaving home.

Documents Required for the Thai Non-O Marriage Visa

For the Initial Non-O Visa Application

• Valid passport (minimum 18 months validity remaining)
• Completed visa application form
• Recent passport-sized photograph
• Original Thai marriage certificate (Kor Ror 3) from the district office
• Proof of financial means
• Thai spouse’s ID card and house registration (Tabien Baan)
• Proof of relationship: photos together, joint bank statements, travel records

For the One-Year Extension at Thai Immigration

• Passport with valid Non-O stamp
• TM.7 application form
• Recent 4×6 cm photos (2)
• Original Thai marriage certificate (Kor Ror 3)
• Thai spouse’s ID card and Tabien Baan
• Bank passbook and bank letter confirming THB 400,000 balance
• Proof of residence: utility bill, lease agreement, or letter from Thai spouse
• Fee: THB 1,900

Financial Requirements: What the Numbers Actually Mean

Option A: Bank Deposit Method

You must have THB 400,000 in a Thai bank account in your own name. The test comes from Order of the Royal Thai Police No. 327/2557, clause 2.18(6) (Royal Gazette vol. 131, special part 150 Ngor, page 3, 8 August 2014), which requires either an average income of not less than THB 40,000 a month or a deposit in a bank in Thailand of not less than THB 400,000 standing in the account throughout the two months before the application. Two points that the usual summaries lose: the money must remain in the account for the whole period rather than simply arrive two months earlier, and the order sets two months, not three. The three-month figure belongs to the retirement criteria in Order 654/2564 clause 2.22(4), where the three months run after permission is granted, not before it. In practice a number of immigration offices ask marriage applicants for three months of history at renewal, so leave the money in place for three if you can.

Option B: Income Method

Regular income of at least THB 40,000/month. Acceptable proof includes an income certificate from your home-country embassy, or bank statements showing monthly transfers of THB 40,000 or more for the past 12 months.

Step-by-Step: Getting and Maintaining Your Non-O Marriage Visa

Why Applications Get Refused (And How to Avoid It)

Insufficient Bank Balance History: The most common reason. The money was in the account for 6 weeks, not the required 8. Or there was a large withdrawal that dipped below THB 400,000. Immigration checks the passbook line by line.

Unregistered Marriage: A ceremony proves you had a party. Under Section 1457 of the CCC, marriage in Thailand is only legally effective from the date of registration at the district office.

Sham Marriage Indicators: Clause 2.18(3) of Order 327/2557 requires the spouses to be in a relationship that is genuine both in law and in fact (in Thai, nitinai lae phruettinai), so a registered marriage on its own is not the test. Officers look for genuine cohabitation. If you have no joint address, no shared photos, and your spouse doesn’t know where you live, that raises flags.

Expired Documentation: Embassy affidavits have validity periods. Using an expired freedom-to-marry affidavit is an immediate refusal.

Extension Based on Supporting a Thai Child

Marriage is not the only family tie that supports an extension of stay. If you are the parent of a Thai child under 20 years of age, you can apply for an extension on that basis instead, and the financial and procedural conditions are essentially the same as the spouse route: the same THB 400,000 deposit or THB 40,000 monthly income, the same annual application, the same 90-day reporting.

The practical difference is what you must prove. Instead of a marriage certificate, immigration wants evidence that you are legally supporting and responsible for the child. Depending on the office, that can mean a court decision on parental powers, a registered divorce agreement granting you custody, or the child’s birth certificate and house registration.

Unmarried fathers should read this carefully. Under Thai law, the father of a child born outside marriage has no automatic parental rights. You must first legitimate the child through the district office or the courts. Until legitimation is complete, an extension based on supporting a Thai child can be refused however involved you are in the child’s life.

This route is often the better option where a marriage has ended but the children remain in Thailand.

The 90-Day Reporting Requirement

The 90-day report (TM.47) is a notification of your current address. It doesn’t require you to leave Thailand. You can file online, by registered post, or in person at any immigration office. Report late yourself and you pay 2,000 THB; if Immigration finds the lapse first it is up to 5,000 THB. Set a calendar reminder.

Same-Sex Married Couples: Your Rights Under the 2025 Act

• A foreign national in a same-sex marriage with a Thai national may apply for the Non-O (marriage) visa.
• The financial requirements are applied in the same way as for opposite-sex couples. Worth knowing, because no aggregator mentions it: the police order that sets those criteria was issued in 2014 and its text has not been re-drafted in gender-neutral terms. Clause 2.18 speaks of a spouse (male-female), and clause 2.18(6) frames the money test as the case of marriage to a Thai woman, with the foreign husband showing the income or the deposit. Entitlement comes from the Civil and Commercial Code as amended by the Marriage Equality Act, so this is a drafting lag in the criteria rather than a limit on who may apply, but it is a good reason to confirm the document list with the office handling your file.
• The same-sex marriage must be registered and legally valid.
• If married abroad, register Family Status at a Thai district office (Kor Ror 22 process).

Costs and Timeline Summary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Thai marriage visa (Non-O)?

The Non-Immigrant O visa (marriage category) lets a foreign national live in Thailand as the legal spouse of a Thai citizen. It starts as a 90-day entry visa and can be extended to a one-year stay at a Thai immigration office.

How much does a Thai marriage visa cost?

The single-entry Non-Immigrant O costs 2,000 THB (about USD 60), each one-year extension 1,900 THB, and a re-entry permit 1,000 THB single or 3,800 THB multiple. Add translation and legalization of your marriage papers at registration. The 400,000 THB bank deposit is a balance you keep, not a fee.

How much money do I need in the bank for the Thai marriage visa?

You need THB 400,000 standing in a Thai bank account throughout the two months before the application, which is what Police Order 327/2557 clause 2.18(6) requires, or a monthly income of at least THB 40,000. Many immigration offices ask for three months of history at renewal even though the order says two, so leave the money in place if you can.

Can I apply for the Thai marriage visa online using the e-Visa portal?

Yes. Since January 2025, Thailand’s e-Visa portal accepts Non-O marriage visa applications from nationals of most countries worldwide. You apply online, upload documents, pay the fee, and receive your visa electronically.

Can same-sex married couples get the Thai marriage visa?

Yes. Thailand’s Marriage Equality Act took effect on January 23, 2025. Same-sex spouses legally married to a Thai national now have the same right to apply for the Non-O visa as opposite-sex couples.

Does the Non-O marriage visa let me work in Thailand?

No. The Non-O (marriage) visa permits residence, not employment. You need a separate work permit to work legally in Thailand. Working without a permit is a criminal offence under the Foreign Workers Employment Act.

What happens if the Thai immigration office refuses my annual extension?

You have the right to appeal within 30 days. A refusal is most often tied to missing documents or insufficient funds. A Thai immigration lawyer can review your file and prepare the appeal.

How long does it take to get the Thai marriage visa?

Processing via the e-Visa portal takes 3 to 5 business days. Embassy applications vary, typically 5 to 10 business days. Allow extra time for document translation and notarisation.

Key Takeaways

• The Non-O marriage visa requires a legally registered Thai marriage (district office, CCC Section 1457). A ceremony alone is not enough.
• You need THB 400,000 standing in a Thai bank throughout the two months before the application (Police Order 327/2557 clause 2.18(6)), or THB 40,000/month provable income. Many offices ask for three months at renewal.
• Since January 2025, you can apply via Thailand’s e-Visa portal from anywhere worldwide.
• Since January 23, 2025, same-sex married couples have identical Non-O visa rights under the Marriage Equality Act.
• Report your address every 90 days (TM.47). Missing it costs 2,000 THB, up to 5,000 THB if Immigration finds it first.
• The Non-O does not permit employment. A work permit is required separately.