Marriage vs Retirement Non-O — official extension criteria compared
The marriage criteria and retirement financial tests were rechecked 22 August 2026 against Immigration Bureau Order 12/2568; other comparison details retain the page review date shown below.
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Use the current Immigration criteria for the route you actually qualify for; a lower bank threshold does not make the evidence requirements interchangeable.
Related: Marriage Non-O guide · Retirement Non-O guide · Best visa for couples
What the official criteria publish
As published by the Immigration Bureau and checked 22 August 2026, a family-of-Thai-national extension requires a qualifying legal and factual relationship. Order No. 12/2568 includes marriages involving gender-diverse persons; its financial wording varies by marriage branch. The older Thai-wife checklist requires the applicant and Thai spouse to appear in person for interview, but should not be presented as the universal document list for every couple. The retirement route instead depends on the applicant meeting the published age and financial criteria.
Official criteria side by side
| Factor | Marriage Non-O | Retirement Non-O |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Legal and factual relationship with a Thai spouse | Retirement purpose |
| Age | No separate age threshold is published in the spouse criterion | At least 50 |
| Bank route | Foreign husband with Thai wife: THB 400,000 in his Thai-bank account for the preceding 2 months. Gender-diverse marriage: either spouse or both together may hold the published THB 400,000. | Full-deposit route: THB 800,000 for 2 months before and 3 months after permission, then at least THB 400,000. |
| Income route | Foreign husband with Thai wife: at least THB 40,000 monthly. Gender-diverse marriage: either spouse or both together may meet the published THB 40,000. | At least THB 65,000 monthly. |
| Combination route | Order No. 12/2568 publishes annual income plus deposit totalling THB 400,000 for the gender-diverse marriage branch; confirm the clause for the actual couple. | Annual income plus deposit totals THB 800,000. After the initial timing, at least half of the deposit component must remain. |
| Application fee | THB 1,900 in the Immigration checklist checked 1 August 2026 | THB 1,900 in the Immigration handbook checked 1 August 2026 |
| Personal attendance | The Thai-wife checklist requires both spouses; use the current office checklist for the actual marriage branch | Applicant submits the individual retirement evidence |
Evidence is different
The marriage checklist checked 1 August 2026 publishes TM.7, passport and relationship evidence; Thai spouse identification and household registration; financial evidence; accommodation evidence; family photographs and a home map. A foreign marriage is represented in the checklist by the marriage certificate plus the Thai family-status record. The retirement handbook publishes TM.7 and retirement income and/or Thai-bank evidence. Use the responsible Immigration office's current checklist for the actual filing.
Work and permanent residence
Neither extension is itself permission to work. Work authorisation follows a separate Department of Employment process and depends on the activity, employer and immigration basis; use the maintained working-in-Thailand guide rather than inferring one rule for every Non-O holder. For permanent residence, the Immigration guidance checked 1 August 2026 requires a Non-Immigrant visa and at least 3 consecutive years of one-year extensions, plus qualification under a separate residence category. Three years alone does not guarantee eligibility or approval.
If you qualify for both
There is no universal “better” extension. For the basis used at the next filing, the applicant must meet that basis's current criteria and evidence. Marriage and retirement financial amounts are not interchangeable, and neither route makes work authorisation or permanent residence automatic.
- Qualifying basis: confirm that the relationship or retirement criterion applies at the time of filing.
- Financial evidence: compare the current amount, account, income and timing rules for the chosen basis.
- Supporting evidence: marriage filings add relationship and household evidence; retirement filings use the individual retirement evidence required by the current checklist.
- Attendance and local verification: confirm the responsible office's current interview, appearance and document-copy process.
- Separate decisions: check work permission and any future permanent-residence plan independently.
Common question
If I qualify for both marriage and retirement extensions, which is better?
There is no universal better extension. For the basis used at the next filing, the applicant must meet that basis's current criteria and evidence. Marriage and retirement financial amounts are not interchangeable; work authorisation and permanent residence remain separate decisions.
Sources checked
Immigration Bureau Order No. 12/2568, clauses 2.18 and 2.22 (Thai PDF), checked 22 August 2026.
Immigration public handbook for family of a Thai national (English) · Immigration retirement criteria (Thai) · Immigration retirement handbook (English) · Department of Employment Non-O FAQ (Thai) · Immigration residence guidance (English). All reopened 1 August 2026.
What to verify next
Compare the published criteria above, then confirm the live route with the responsible authority.