Non-Immigrant Visa Category "O" (spouse of a Thai national), with one-year extension of stay under clause 2.18 of Immigration Bureau Order 327/2557
The "marriage visa" is really two things: a 90-day single-entry Non-Immigrant O issued by a Thai embassy, then a one-year extension of stay granted inside Thailand by the Immigration Bureau. The money test for the extension is set by clause 2.18(6) of Order 327/2557: an average income of no less than THB 40,000 per month, or no less than THB 400,000 sitting in a Thai bank account for the two months before you apply. The extension application costs THB 1,900, is granted for no more than one year at a time, and can be renewed indefinitely while the marriage is genuine "de jure and de facto".
This record has not been fully source-checked yet. The headline figures come from secondary sources and some fields are incomplete. Treat it as a starting point and confirm with the embassy before acting.
Requirements at a glance
| Stay per entry | 90 days on the initial single-entry Non-Immigrant O; once extended inside Thailand, permission is granted for no more than one year at a time |
|---|---|
| Total validity | Indefinite in practice — the one-year extension is renewable each year while the marriage remains genuine in law and in fact and the money test is still met |
| Extendable | Yes. The 90-day Non-O is converted to a one-year extension of stay at an Immigration office, then re-applied for annually. Each grant is capped at one year. |
| Entries | Single |
| Government fee | ฿1,900 — per one-year extension of stay application (form TM.7), paid at the Immigration office; the embassy visa fee is charged separately in local currency (e.g. SGD 100 in Singapore, ZAR 1,250 in Pretoria) |
| Income required | ฿40,000 — average monthly income, as an alternative to the bank deposit, under clause 2.18(6) of Order 327/2557 |
| Savings required | None |
| Deposit required | ฿400,000 — held in a bank account in Thailand for the two months before the extension application; embassies issuing the initial Non-O ask instead for a balance held for the last 3 months, which may be held abroad |
| Minimum age | None |
| Health insurance | Not required |
| Processing time | Embassies want the e-Visa filed well ahead — Singapore asks for submission at least 21 working days before travel. The in-country extension is usually not stamped on the day you apply: offices commonly issue an "under consideration" period of about 30 days while they verify the marriage. |
| Apply from | Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate abroad for the initial Non-O (e-Visa), then the Immigration office covering your registered address in Thailand for the annual extension. Holders already in Thailand on some other status can in many cases change status to Non-O in-country instead. |
What most guides get wrong about the Thai marriage visa
Each of these is a rule that changed, or a detail that is widely repeated incorrectly. Checked 11 September 2026.
Order 327/2557 was replaced years ago, so the 400,000 baht figure I read in it might be out of date.
327/2557 is still the operative text for the marriage extension. Order of the Royal Thai Police No. 161/2563, effective 30 April 2020, repealed and replaced only articles 2.11, 2.20 and 2.27 of the 327/2557 attachment. Clause 2.18, which covers family members of a Thai national and carries the 40,000/month and 400,000 baht test, was untouched and still reads exactly as written in 2014.
The 400,000 baht has to be seasoned for two months, full stop.
Two different seasoning rules apply at two different stages, and people prepare for the wrong one. The Immigration Bureau's clause 2.18(6) asks for 400,000 baht in a bank account in Thailand "for the past two months" before the extension application. But the embassies that issue the initial 90-day Non-O ask for a balance maintained for the last 3 months — Pretoria and Singapore both say 3 months, and the embassy version can be an account abroad, while Immigration's must be a Thai bank account in your own name. Some Thai Immigration offices also apply three months in practice.
The marriage visa is only for a foreign husband with a Thai wife — that is what the regulation says.
The published English text of clause 2.18(6) is indeed written as "In the case of marriage to a Thai woman, the alien husband must earn...", and that wording has never been amended. It no longer describes who can use the route. Thailand's Marriage Equality Act came into force on 23 January 2025, and by March 2025 immigration pathways for same-sex foreign spouses of Thai nationals had been implemented. Foreign wives of Thai husbands have long been granted the same extension in practice. Do not let the gendered wording in an old PDF talk you out of applying, and do not expect the PDF to be your authority at the counter either.
You can top up a smaller bank balance with your monthly income to reach the 400,000 baht, the way retirees combine funds.
Genuinely contested. The regulation is written as a straight either/or: clause 2.18(6) says the applicant "must earn an average annual income of no less than Baht 40,000 per month or must have no less than Baht 400,000 in a bank account" — there is no combination method in the text, unlike the retirement clause where a mixed calculation is well established. Some Thai law firms nevertheless tell clients that "Bank deposit plus annual income (12x monthly income) must equal at least 400,000 THB combined", reflecting what certain offices accept. Treat the combination route as office-specific and confirm with your own Immigration office before relying on it; the safe file is 400,000 baht seasoned, or 40,000/month documented, not a blend.
Once the one-year extension is stamped, I can fly in and out as I please.
The extension is single-entry by default. "If you leave without a re-entry permit, your visa or extension is canceled" — you come back as a fresh arrival and lose the year you paid for. A re-entry permit costs 1,000 THB single or 3,800 THB multiple and must be bought before you leave. Two further things most guides skip: the extension is usually not granted on the spot, since offices commonly stamp an "under consideration" period of roughly 30 days first, and "Immigration officers may conduct an unannounced home visit to verify you live together at the registered address" during it.
The 400,000 and 40,000 baht figures are the health insurance minimums for this visa.
Those two numbers used to be the O-A retirement visa's inpatient/outpatient insurance minimums, which is why they get crossed with the marriage figures. For the marriage route, 400,000 baht is a bank balance and 40,000 baht is monthly income; no health insurance is required at all. The O-A, a different visa, now demands "health insurance policy with coverage of not less than 100,000 USD (or not less than 3,000,000 Baht)" alongside a balance "of not less than 800,000 Baht".
Where it wins
- THB 400,000 is half the THB 800,000 an O-A retirement applicant has to show at the embassy, and the income route is 40,000/month rather than 65,000
- No minimum age, unlike the retirement routes
- No health insurance requirement, unlike the O-A, which needs cover of not less than USD 100,000 (3,000,000 baht)
- The extension renews annually with no lifetime cap, so it is a genuine long-term residence path rather than a fixed-term permit
- Money can sit in your own Thai bank account and stay yours — there is no investment, bond or non-refundable deposit
Where it doesn’t
- The THB 400,000 has to be in a Thai bank account in your own name and seasoned for two full months, so the first application can only happen two months after the money lands
- Immigration verifies the marriage physically: officers may turn up unannounced at the registered address, and the extension is typically held "under consideration" for about 30 days before the year is stamped
- Leaving Thailand without buying a re-entry permit (1,000 THB single, 3,800 THB multiple) cancels the extension outright
- The extension does not carry any right to work — that needs a separate work permit
- Practice varies by Immigration office: document lists, seasoning periods and what counts as proof of income are applied differently in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and provincial offices
- Refusal is not appealable under the Immigration Act B.E. 2522, so a bad file means starting over rather than contesting
Who cannot use this visa
- A marriage that is not genuine both in law and in fact — clause 2.18(3) requires the relationship to be "de jure and de facto", and a paper marriage with separate addresses is the most common reason for refusal
- Not holding a Non-Immigrant (NON-IM) visa or status before applying for the extension — you cannot extend straight from a visa exemption stamp
- Money in a joint account or in the Thai spouse's name rather than your own
- Funds that arrived in the Thai account less than two months before the application date
- Overstay or a prior immigration blacklist entry
Recent rule changes
- 327/2557 is still the operative text for the marriage extension.
- The published English text of clause 2.18(6) is indeed written as "In the case of marriage to a Thai woman, the alien husband must earn...", and that wording has never been amended.
Where these figures come from
Every number above is transcribed from one of the sentences below. We publish the sentence rather than only the link, so you can check it in one click — and so a figure nobody transcribed from anywhere cannot reach this page.
“(6) In the case of marriage to a Thai woman, the alien husband must earn an average annual income of no less than Baht 40,000 per month or must have no less than Baht 400,000 in a bank account in Thailand for the past two months to cover expenses for one year.”
Backs: incomeRequirement.amount, incomeRequirement.qualifier, depositRequirement.amount, depositRequirement.qualifier
“Each permission shall be granted for no more than one year.”
Backs: stayPerEntry, totalValidity
“(3) In the case of spouse, the relationship must be de jure and de facto: or”
Backs:
“The article 2.11, 2.20 and 2.27 of criteria and conditions for consideration of an alien’s application for a temporary stay in the Kingdom attached to the order no. 327/2557 dated June 30, 2014 issued by the Royal Thai Police concerning the criteria and conditions for consideration of an alien’s application for a temporary stay in the Kingdom shall be repealed and superseded by the article attached to this order.”
Backs:
“This order is effective as of April 30, 2020.”
Backs:
“An original bank statement which states bank contact information and equivalent amount of At least 400,000 Baht or equivalent) for the last 3 months”
Backs: depositRequirement.amount, depositRequirement.qualifier
“Single Entry: Maintain balance for the past 3 months at least 400,000 Baht or equivalent (16,000 SGD)”
Backs: depositRequirement.amount, depositRequirement.qualifier
“Single-Entry: 90 days after the date of issue.”
Backs: stayPerEntry
“Complete the E-Visa Application at least 21 working days before the intended date of travel”
Backs: processingTime
“One-year extension of stay (form TM.7) 1,900 THB”
Backs: governmentFee.amount, governmentFee.qualifier
“The initial Non-O entry visa is valid for 90 days.”
Backs: stayPerEntry
“Money must be in your name only (not joint account)”
Backs: depositRequirement.qualifier
“Immigration officers may conduct an unannounced home visit to verify you live together at the registered address.”
Backs:
“If you leave without a re-entry permit, your visa or extension is canceled.”
Backs:
“health insurance policy with coverage of not less than 100,000 USD (or not less than 3,000,000 Baht)”
Backs:
“bank statement showing a balance in the amount of not less than 800,000 Baht”
Backs:
“The Marriage Equality Act came into effect on 23 January 2025.”
Backs:
“The Thai government has implemented immigration pathways for same-sex foreign national spouses who are legally married to a Thai national or to a foreign visa holder eligible to sponsor a spouse.”
Backs:
“Bank deposit plus annual income (12x monthly income) must equal at least 400,000 THB combined.”
Backs:
Sources for this page
- Order of the Immigration Bureau No. 327/2557 — extension criteria and conditions (English translation PDF)official
- Order of the Royal Thai Police No. 161/2563 — amendment (immigration.go.th PDF)official
- Royal Thai Embassy, Singapore — Non-Immigrant Visa-O (Thai Spouse)official
- Royal Thai Embassy, Pretoria — Non-Immigrant O (Spouse/Dependent) Visaofficial
- Royal Thai Embassy, Oslo — Non-Immigrant O-A (Long-stay)official
- ThaiLawOnline — Thai Marriage Visa Cost and Requirements 2026
- ThaiLawOnline — Re-Entry Permit in Thailand
- Thai Legal Hub — Thailand Marriage Visa: Extension Based on Thai Spouse
- Wikipedia — Marriage Equality Act (Thailand)
- Fragomen — Thailand: Visa Pathways for Same-Sex Spouses Implemented
Last checked 11 September 2026. Requirements are applied at the discretion of individual embassies and can change without notice. Confirm before you book anything.