Thailand visas for couples: marriage, DTV and LTR options
Couples may qualify through a relationship-based route, a dependant route or two independent visas. The evidence and work rights differ for each person.
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There is no universal “couples visa”. A Thai-spouse extension, DTV dependant status, LTR dependant status and two independent visas are different legal routes with different evidence and reporting duties.
Related: Marriage vs Retirement Non-O · Marriage Non-O guide · Family route guide · Visa finder
Start with the relationship and the principal route
Thailand does not turn a couple into one visa applicant. Each foreign national needs a status in their own passport, but DTV and LTR both publish dependant categories. Other couples use two independent statuses. The correct comparison is therefore about the legal relationship, each person's age and work, and whether one applicant can qualify as a principal.
| Couple structure | Who qualifies independently? | Who depends on whom? | Work and deciding authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thai spouse + foreign spouse | The foreign spouse applies in their own passport using the legal relationship and the financial evidence for that route. A different visa remains possible if the foreign spouse independently meets it. | The immigration basis is the relationship to the Thai spouse; it is not a shared visa. | Marriage-based status does not itself authorise work. The mission or Immigration decides the stay; the Department of Employment process decides work permission. |
| DTV principal + dependant | The principal proves a DTV purpose. A spouse who can prove their own DTV purpose may apply as a principal instead. | A dependant application relies on the principal DTV holder and relationship evidence. Each person still receives an individual visa. | Dependant status does not create work permission. The responsible mission decides the visa evidence; the Department of Employment decides any Thai-facing work question. |
| LTR principal + dependant | The principal meets an LTR category. A partner who meets a category personally may hold an independent LTR or another independent status. | The dependant category relies on the qualifying LTR principal and the relationship class accepted by BOI. | Do not infer a work right from the family label. BOI decides the LTR category and endorsement; the applicable BOI or Department of Employment process decides permission for the exact work. |
| Two independent statuses | Each partner meets their own route—for example two retirement applications, two principal DTV applications or different categories. | Neither status depends on the other, although housing, travel and reporting plans can still interact. | Each person's work position follows their own route and actual activity. The mission, Immigration, BOI and Department of Employment decide their respective parts. |
One partner is Thai
A foreign spouse may qualify for Non-Immigrant O status and an extension based on the relationship. As verified on 1 August 2026, the Immigration Bureau public handbook for family of a Thai national publishes:
- income of at least 40,000 THB per month; or
- at least 400,000 THB in a Thai bank account for the preceding 2 months; or
- a combination of annual income and deposit totalling at least 400,000 THB for the year.
The handbook requires the relationship to be legal and genuine, both spouses to attend for interview, and relationship, Thai-nationality, address and financial evidence. Other family configurations and initial visa applications have their own lists. The Marriage Non-O guide separates the overseas visa from the in-Thailand extension.
Immigration Bureau Order No. 12/2568, checked 22 August 2026, also includes marriages involving gender-diverse persons. For that branch, either spouse or both together may meet the published income, deposit or combination test. Older gender-specific guidance must not be used to exclude a legally recognized same-sex spouse.
A foreign spouse who independently meets another category may instead hold that status. For example, the Royal Thai Embassy London retirement page publishes age 50, income of 65,000 THB per month or a balance of 800,000 THB for its Non-O retirement application, as checked on 1 August 2026. That is a named embassy example; an in-Thailand extension uses Immigration's own criteria and document timing.
Both partners are foreign nationals
DTV principal and dependant
The MFA's official DTV summary and its current official checklist include a DTV holder's spouse and children under 20 years old. As checked on 1 August 2026, the sources publish financial evidence of at least 500,000 THB, proof of relationship, a 5-year multiple-entry visa, up to 180 days per entry, and one extension not exceeding a further 180 days per entry. Each person still receives an individual visa and the responsible mission decides the evidence for each application.
The MFA summary states a visa fee of 10,000 THB as checked on 1 August 2026. Overseas missions charge local-currency fees and may request different statement periods or extra documents, so that figure must not be treated as a universal consular charge.
LTR principal and dependant
BOI's Announcement Por. 3/2568 includes a legitimate spouse, parents, children under 20 years old and legal dependants. Its 2025 LTR brochure says there is no numerical dependant limit. Legally married same-sex spouses are included; an unregistered partnership is not described as a spouse. The general LTR homepage still carried the former four-dependant summary during the 13 September 2026 check, so applicants should use the current formal announcement and confirm the live portal requirements.
Each dependant must meet BOI's health-evidence route: medical insurance covering Thailand for at least USD 50,000 with at least 10 months remaining when the endorsement letter is issued, qualifying Thai social security, or a deposit of at least USD 25,000 per dependant held for at least 12 months.
As checked on 1 August 2026, BOI describes the LTR as 10 years in two stages: an initial 5 years and another 5 years if qualifications remain met. BOI's issuance page publishes a 50,000 THB per-person fee when collected in Thailand; overseas and e-Visa collection fees may vary.
Two independent statuses
Two retirees, two DTV workcation applicants, or partners on different categories each need to meet their own route. Immigration's in-country retirement-conversion checklist says the account evidence must be in the applicant's name. It does not publish a rule that one shared balance automatically satisfies two applications.
Reporting and travel are individual
- Ordinary Non-O and DTV stays: the Immigration Bureau's bilingual TM47 form and online manual returned 403 responses during the 1 August 2026 check, so the more-than-90-days reporting statement is retained as last confirmed on 30 July 2026, not freshly re-verified; see the verified reporting guide.
- LTR: BOI publishes annual reporting instead of 90-day reporting and an exemption from a separate re-entry permit, as verified on 1 August 2026.
- Extension-based Non-O: travel can end the permission to stay unless it is preserved with the appropriate re-entry permission; see the verified re-entry guide.
- Address reporting: TM30 concerns each foreign guest at the residence; see the verified TM30 guide.
What remains office-specific
Consular fees, financial-document look-back periods, translations, appointments and additional evidence can differ by mission. Jomtien also decides local extension files on the documents presented. This page does not average those variations or promise that two applications can be processed together.
Information only: this comparison is not legal advice and does not predict an embassy, BOI or Immigration decision in an individual case.