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What are the steps to apply for a Thai marriage visa for expats married to Thai citizens?

Dec 15, 2025
5 months ago
Aaron ******
ORIGINAL POSTER
Hi all. Any experience kind soul can give me a step by step guide to apply for a Thai marriage visa. My Thai wife wasn’t very sure and we are trying to avoid going to an agent if possible. We are married in my country but next year, we decided to go back to Thailand to live permanently. Any help is much appreciated thanks 🙏
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TLDR : Answer Summary
To apply for a Thai marriage visa, follow these steps: 1. Get your marriage certificate legalized in your home country. This usually involves having it apostilled or attested by your government. 2. Translate the marriage certificate into Thai and get it certified by the Thai Embassy in your country. 3. Apply for a NON-O visa online through the Thai embassy's website. You can save your application and complete it later. 4. Upon arriving in Thailand, open a bank account and deposit 400,000 baht, which must remain there for at least 2 months for the visa extension process. 5. Register your marriage in Thailand at your local "Amphur" with witnesses and receive the necessary documentation. 6. After ensuring all forms are correct, proceed to the immigration office to apply for your extension of stay. Maintaining organization and having patience throughout this process will help in making it smoother.
NON-O RETIREMENT VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
  • Go to the Retirement Visa Section for information on requirements, including age restrictions, financial requirements, and necessary documentation.
  • For immediate assistance, contact Thai Visa Centre directly via LINE at @ThaiVisaCentre or Email them.
  • Explore recent discussions by using the Non-O Retirement Visa tag in the search box at the top of the page.
  • Join the Thai Visa Advice Facebook Group to ask your questions, and get advice from others.
Ian **********
First you have to get your marriage certificate legalised. Your home government will have a service for this. It is sometimes called apostilled/attested. The government simply guarantee your marriage document is genuine. You then have to get both documents translated into Thai and then pay your Thai Embassy to confirm the translation is correct. It is much easier to do this in your home country than in Thailand. When you are ready apply for a Non Immigration O visa based on visiting Thai family (your wife). When you get to Thailand they will stamp you in for 90 days. open a Thai bank account deposit 400k. This has to be in the account for two months before you can apply for your extension, so do it ASAP. As soon as you can take your Thai wife to the immigration office and they will supply a list of documents and photos they require for a marriage extension. The first one can be a little daunting but it is not as hard as it looks. Good luck
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Ali *******
First attest your home country marriage from ministry of foreign affairs in your country second step attest it from royal thai embassy in your country then come to thailand go to your embassy and attest your home country marriage certificate from embassy also first page of the passport attest it from your embassy in babgkok then translate your home country marriage certificate and passport first page in Thai language and attest all documents from mofa Thailand then go to your local amphur with two witnesses and register your foreign marriage in Thailand and they issue you a kor ror 22 certificate
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Ally ************
@Ali ******
If the marriage certificate is translated and certified by the Thai Embassy in their home country before travelling.. then you do not need to repeat this process again in Thailand.. however if you are already in Thailand and havn't done so.. then you do need to submit the translation to the MoFA in Thailand for certification once original is certified by home country Embassy.. but bear in mind if marriage took place in a different country to home country.. then it's the Embassy of that country that needs to certify the marriage certificate as genuine.. and not the home country Embassy which plays no part!
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Ali *******
@Ally ***********
mofa Thailand is necessary without mofa attestation amphur not registered foreign marriage
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Ally ************
@Ali ******
I agree if you are starting process inside Thailand.. but it can be done in home country before you travel and Thai Embassy will attend to attestation.. so no further action is needed when you arrive in Thailand.. your documents are ready to register marriage at the Amphur.
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Ali *******
@Ally ***********
you wrong or maybe have no complete information every amphur have their own rules
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Ally ************
@Ali ******
Well that is the process in CM anyway.. and I don't think it's any different elsewhere.. if your overseas marriage certificate has been authenticated in your home country.. and in the Uk for instance that process is called 'apostled'.. and involves having it stamped by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London.. then it becomes an 'international' certificate and will be accepted by any overseas government as genuine.. and if you have it translated into Thai and submit it together with the FCO apostled copy of your English certificate to the Thai Embassy in London.. they will stamp it up in readiness for use in Thailand.. you do not have to submit anything to the MoFA in Thailand.. unless you begin this process after entering the country.. many people do it before they travel to avoid the hassle once they get here!
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Ali *******
@Ally ***********
every amphur and immigration have different rules in thaialnd not all same
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Ali *******
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Ron ******
First check the requirements on the Thai embassy website in your home country. You then need to create an account and apply for the visa using that. You'll need to upload various documents. You don't have to complete the application straight away, you can save and complete later (normally within two weeks). There is an excellent User Guide that walks you through the entire process. They may request additional documents so just upload as required. You can follow the progress of your application via your account. The visa will be emailed to you as a pdf file that you print. You have three months to enter Thailand from the date the visa was issued. Foreign marriage certificates generally need to be certified by your embassy here then translated and legalized by Consular Services. Check before you arrive if there is anything you need to do regarding your marriage certificate in your home country, it can vary from country to country. When you arrive the priority is opening a bank account, depositing the required funds (unless your embassy provides income affidavits). Go to your local immigration office and get the handout of required documents to apply for your extension of stay, get everything together and after your money has seasoned for two months go and apply. It can be a bit of an adventure first time but if you're organized and patient you can navigate it yourself. Otherwise pay an agent some ridiculous amount to assist you. Good luck!
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Ally ************
@Ron *****
If the overseas marriage certificate has not already been translated and certified in their home country.. then the translation has to be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand.. and only then can the marriage be registered at the local Amphur to obtain a Kor Ror 22.. which is needed to support the extension application.. if time allows its better to get the translation done in home country and certified by Thai Embassy there.. which avoids this process eating into the initial 90-day period when they reach Thailand.
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Ally ************
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Peter ****************
And maybe a tip, if not already done so, for later year extensions your marriage has to be registered in Thailand.
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Graham ******
@Peter ***************
Agreed. If from the UK you do the following before leaving for Thailand with your Non-O (find out the process relating to your "home" country) in order to get your in country extension -

1. IN THE UK: Marriage certificate legalised by the FCDO in Milton Keynes

2. IN THE UK: Marriage Certificate AND the Apostille from the FCDO Translated

3. IN THE UK: Marriage Certificate AND the Apostille from the FCDO AND their translations verified by the Thai Embassy in London

4. IN THAILAND: All the above (i.e. all 4 documents & their translations, making 8 in total) Legalised by MFA in Bangkok

then register your marriage at your local Amphur
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Graham ******
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Robin *******
Mate very easy apply on Thai embassy web site evisa send them everything they ask for, don’t worry about making a mistake they will come back to you and ask for any missing or extra information they need, easy and straightforward, you should get it within 2 weeks
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Roger ***********
AI
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Jan ******************
Applying for a Non-O visa based on marriage is straightforward. You can apply electronically for a 90-day stay. After arrival, visit your local immigration office for the requirements. If your embassy doesn't provide an affidavit letter for income, you'll need to deposit 400K baht in a bank account 2 months prior. Don't forget to register your marriage in Thailand. Contact the Thai consulate for guidance on document preparation before you leave.

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Jan ******************
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