If you are legally married to a Thai national, the marriage route is usually the better option. The financial threshold is meaningfully lower than the retirement threshold, and there is no minimum age requirement, so it works for people in their thirties and forties who would not qualify to retire.
The trade off is paperwork. Immigration verifies the marriage itself, not just your bank balance. That means photographs, a house visit in some cases, your spouse attending with you, and documents from the district office. We prepare all of it.
What immigration actually checks
There are two separate tests and both have to pass. The first is financial: money in a Thai bank in your name, or a documented monthly income, at the level set for the marriage category.
The second is the genuineness of the marriage. Immigration wants evidence that you live together as a couple. In practice that means photographs of you together at your home, a map to your address, your spouse's identity documents and household registration, and sometimes a visit from an officer.
- Marriage certificate, either issued in Thailand or registered here if you married abroad.
- Your spouse's Thai ID card and house registration book.
- Photographs of the two of you at the registered address.
- Proof of the financial requirement in the correct format.
- TM30 residence notification for your address.
Married abroad?
A marriage celebrated outside Thailand is valid here, but immigration will want it recognised through the Thai system before it will support a visa extension. That means translation, legalisation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and registration at the district office.
We handle that whole chain, and we do it before your visa deadline rather than in a panic the week of your appointment.
How it works
- 1
Eligibility review
We check your marriage documents, your entry stamp and your finances, and tell you whether the marriage route or the retirement route is better for you.
- 2
Fixing the foundations
If the marriage was registered abroad, or if your entry is the wrong type, we correct that first. This is the step most people discover too late.
- 3
Building the file
Bank documents on the right date, spouse's documents, photographs, TM30, forms and the map to your home that immigration asks for.
- 4
The appointment
You and your spouse attend with us. We present the file and answer the officer in Thai.
Frequently asked questions
Do we have to live in Pattaya to apply here?
You need to be registered as living within the jurisdiction of the immigration office where you apply. If your registered address is in Chonburi province, Jomtien Immigration is your office. If you live elsewhere, we will tell you where you should be filing.
Does my Thai wife or husband need to come with me?
Yes. Immigration interviews the couple, not just the applicant. Your spouse also signs several of the Thai language forms. We prepare them in advance so the appointment itself is short.
Will an immigration officer visit our home?
It happens, particularly on a first application. It is not something to be nervous about. What matters is that your registered address is genuinely where you live and that your paperwork matches it.
Can I work in Thailand on a marriage visa?
The extension itself does not grant the right to work. Being married to a Thai national does make it easier to obtain a work permit, because the company requirements are relaxed compared to other categories. Ask us and we will walk you through what your specific plan requires.
Married to a Thai national?
Send us a message on LINE with where you married and your current visa status. We will tell you today whether the marriage route is your cheapest option.
Related services
- Visa servicesThai retirement visa in PattayaThe one year extension of stay based on retirement, prepared, filed and renewed for you, without the Jomtien Immigration queue.
- Visa servicesNon-Immigrant O visa in PattayaThe entry category that unlocks the retirement and marriage extensions, obtained abroad or converted from your current stamp inside Thailand.
- Legal servicesRegistering your marriage in PattayaThe legal marriage at the district office, with the embassy affirmation, translations and legalisation prepared in the right order.
- Visa services90 day reporting in PattayaYour address notification filed for you at Jomtien Immigration, usually the same day, without you setting foot in the building.