Thailand Marriage Visa is the type of visa granted to foreigner spouse of Thai citizens that entitles the holder to stay in Thailand for one calendar year.
You can qualify for a Marriage Visa if you are:
1. Legally married to a Thai national
2. Able to satisfy either of the following financial requirements:
You can renew a Marriage Visa annually at the Thai Immigration Office by showing the same documents as required in your first application. Your Thai Bank account must reflect the funds for 3 consecutive months prior to the visa renewal.
As a Marriage Visa holder, you have permission to stay in Thailand for 1 year from the date of granting your marriage visa. You must report to the immigration office in your area of residence every 90 days during your stay in Thailand. During this period, if you wish to leave and re-enter the country, you need to apply for and obtain re-entry permit (single or multiple) at the Immigration office before leaving the country. If you leave without a re-entry permit, the permit for you to stay for the rest of the marriage visa duration will become invalid.
You can start the marriage visa procedure outside Thailand, most preferably from your home country. Obtain a Non-Immigrant Visa which will be valid for 90 days from the date of entry. You can then extend or convert the Non-Immigrant visa to a “1 Year Visa Extension of Stay Based on Marriage” in Thailand during the last 30 days of your permitted stay. The 90- day validity of your non-immigrant visa shall give you enough time to deposit in a Thai bank the required amount of money which has to reflect for 2 months in the bank transaction certificate upon your visa application.
Marriage Visa holders can work in Thailand by obtaining a valid work permit before starting to work. This is an advantage to any foreigner’s employment prospects as they would only have to deal about the obtaining of work permit.
In the event of divorce, your marriage visa becomes invalid on the divorce date. However, in some cases, the visa holder may stay in the country until the expiration of the current marriage visa. So if you expect a divorce, you should consult a good law firm well in advance.
