CO-CO
Rather wrinkly & occasionally cantankerous member
I haven't had time to read through this yet, but AI produced a PDF guided for me. (I can't get that to load at moment - I will)
Please accept it at face value until it has been fact checked.
THAILAND EXPAT IMMIGRATION GUIDE
RETIREMENT & THAI-MARRIAGE EXTENSIONS
Practical Guide for Expatriates in Surin & Buriram
Thailand-wide immigration rules with practical local guidance
Edition: August 2026
IMPORTANT: This guide is general information, not legal advice. National rules are administered by the
Immigration Bureau under the Royal Thai Police. Local Immigration officers may request additional evidence.
Official instructions in force at the time of application take precedence.
Thailand Expat Immigration Guide — Surin & Buriram | August 2026 Page 2
1. VISA ≠ PERMISSION TO STAY ≠ EXTENSION
Visa: issued through Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Thai diplomatic missions/e-Visa system and used to
seek entry for the relevant purpose.
Permission to stay: the period granted by Immigration on entry, shown by the permitted-until date.
Extension of stay: an application in Thailand to extend the existing permission. It is not a new visa.
Simple sequence: Visa → Entry → Permission to stay → Extension of stay → Further extension.
2. RETIREMENT VS THAI MARRIAGE
RETIREMENT THAI MARRIAGE
Main basis Age + finances Thai spouse + relationship + finances
Minimum age 50+ No 50+ requirement
Monthly income THB 65,000 THB 40,000
Bank route THB 800,000 THB 400,000
Combination THB 800,000/year THB 400,000/year
Thai spouse Not required Required
Relationship evidence No Yes
Annual extension Normally Normally
90-day reporting Where applicable Where applicable
Re-entry issue Yes Yes
Key point: a person aged 50+ who is also married to a Thai national may potentially qualify under either basis,
subject to the applicable criteria.
3. RETIREMENT EXTENSION
The standard retirement extension requires the applicant to be 50 or older, hold appropriate non-immigrant
status, and satisfy the financial criteria.
Financial routes
A — Income: qualifying income of at least THB 65,000 per month.
B — Bank deposit: THB 800,000 in a qualifying Thai bank account, with prescribed timing and post-approval
retention conditions. Under the published criteria, after the applicable three-month period following approval,
the balance may be reduced but must not fall below THB 400,000.
C — Combination: qualifying annual income plus qualifying bank deposit totaling at least THB 800,000, with
applicable deposit conditions.
O-A distinction: the published retirement criteria specifically identify health insurance requirements for persons
holding Non-Immigrant O-A. Do not automatically treat every retirement extension as an O-A case.
Thailand Expat Immigration Guide — Surin & Buriram | August 2026 Page 3
4. THAI-MARRIAGE EXTENSION
A foreign national legally married to a Thai national may apply on the Thai-family basis. Immigration requires
evidence of the relationship and states that, for married couples, the relationship must be both de jure (legal)
and de facto (in fact).
Financial routes
A — Income: average annual income of at least THB 40,000 per month.
B — Bank deposit: THB 400,000 in a Thai bank account for the prescribed period; the current published
Thai-spouse criteria specify the preceding two months for the annual case.
C — Combination: qualifying income and deposit totaling at least THB 400,000 annually.
Marriage documentation
☐ Passport and current immigration status
☐ TM.7 and required photograph
☐ Kor Ror 3 (Marriage Certificate)
☐ Kor Ror 2 (Marriage Registration)
☐ Thai spouse's ID card and house registration
☐ Financial evidence
☐ Residence/house evidence where applicable
☐ Family/couple photographs and house map
☐ Both spouses available for interview where required
The Immigration Bureau's published checklist also refers to TM.30/90-day documentation, residence evidence, photographs and a
house map, and states that the applicant and spouse must attend in person for interview.
Thailand Expat Immigration Guide — Surin & Buriram | August 2026 Page 4
5. RETIREMENT CHECKLIST
Bank method
☐ Passport and copies
☐ TM.7 and photograph
☐ Thai bank certificate
☐ Updated bank book/passbook
☐ Evidence of required deposit history
☐ Evidence of current balance
☐ Residence/TM.30 documentation where applicable
☐ Fee and any locally requested documents
Income method
☐ Evidence of income source
☐ Pension/income documentation where applicable
☐ Bank evidence where relevant
☐ Embassy certification where applicable
☐ Documents covering the required period
Combination method
☐ Annual income calculation
☐ Qualifying bank deposit
☐ Deposit history
☐ Combined total reaches THB 800,000
☐ Supporting evidence is consistent
6. THAI-MARRIAGE CHECKLIST
☐ Passport and copies
☐ TM.7 and photograph
☐ Kor Ror 2 and Kor Ror 3 where applicable
☐ Thai spouse's ID card
☐ Thai spouse's house registration
☐ Financial evidence
☐ Bank certificate/passbook where applicable
☐ Income evidence where applicable
☐ Residence/lease/house-owner documents where applicable
☐ Couple/family photographs
☐ House map
☐ Both spouses prepared to attend interview
☐ Divorce documentation if previously married, where applicable
Thailand Expat Immigration Guide — Surin & Buriram | August 2026 Page 5
7. 90-DAY REPORTING, TM.30 & RE-ENTRY
90-day reporting (TM.47): an address-reporting obligation. It does not extend a visa or annual permission to
stay.
TM.30: accommodation notification is a separate matter from 90-day reporting and extension applications.
Re-entry permit: before leaving Thailand, an extension holder should determine whether a re-entry permit is
required to preserve the current permission to stay. Do not assume a one-year extension automatically survives
departure.
8. SURIN & BURIRAM — NATIONAL RULES VS LOCAL PRACTICE
There are no separate 'Surin retirement laws' or 'Buriram retirement laws.' The eligibility rules are national. The
provincial office processes applications within its jurisdiction and determines whether the evidence submitted
adequately establishes compliance.
NATIONAL RULE LOCAL ADMINISTRATION
Retirement and Thai-family eligibility Application processing and document review
Financial thresholds Bank certificates/passbook evidence checked
Forms such as TM.7 Current local filing procedure
90-day reporting obligation Reporting handled by responsible office
Re-entry system Local service channel
Evidence standards in national criteria Officer may request additional supporting evidence
Practical rule: another expatriate's experience is useful background, not authority. Different visa histories,
financial methods, marriages and residence circumstances can lead to different document requests.
9. BUILD A PERMANENT IMMIGRATION FILE
☐ Passport copies and prior visas/extensions
☐ 90-day reports and TM.30 records
☐ Re-entry permits
☐ Bank certificates/passbook copies
☐ Pension/income evidence
☐ Marriage documents, if applicable
☐ Thai spouse ID and house registration, if applicable
☐ Residence/lease/house-owner documents
☐ Previous Immigration receipts and correspondence
Thailand Expat Immigration Guide — Surin & Buriram | August 2026 Page 6
10. ANNUAL TIMELINE
3–6 months before expiry: review basis, financial method, bank balance/history, marriage documents and
passport validity.
1–2 months before expiry: confirm financial evidence, residence documents and local procedure.
Before application: prepare originals, copies, forms, photographs, financial evidence and fee.
After approval: record the new permitted-until date, next 90-day report date and re-entry requirements.
12. FINAL ADVICE
Prepare for Immigration as a compliance exercise, not merely a formality. The objective is to demonstrate
clearly that you have the correct status, qualify under the correct legal basis, have maintained the required
financial position, and can support the application with consistent documentation.
Where this guide conflicts with an official instruction issued by the Immigration Bureau or the responsible
provincial Immigration office, follow the official instruction.
13. OFFICIAL SOURCES
Immigration Bureau — Royal Thai Police: published criteria and document checklists for retirement and
Thai-family extensions.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand: visa categories, including Non-Immigrant O and O-A.
Surin and Buriram Provincial Immigration offices: local administration and current filing procedures.
Office-specific contact details should be verified immediately before publication or use, because web-indexed
official contact information was not reliably retrievable during preparation of this edition.
Reference note: The Immigration Bureau's published Thai-spouse criteria specify THB 40,000 monthly income, THB 400,000 held in a
Thai bank for the preceding two months, or the qualifying combination; they also list Kor Ror 2/3, spouse identification/house
registration, residence evidence, photographs, house map, personal interview and a THB 1,900 fee.
Please accept it at face value until it has been fact checked.
THAILAND EXPAT IMMIGRATION GUIDE
RETIREMENT & THAI-MARRIAGE EXTENSIONS
Practical Guide for Expatriates in Surin & Buriram
Thailand-wide immigration rules with practical local guidance
Edition: August 2026
IMPORTANT: This guide is general information, not legal advice. National rules are administered by the
Immigration Bureau under the Royal Thai Police. Local Immigration officers may request additional evidence.
Official instructions in force at the time of application take precedence.
Thailand Expat Immigration Guide — Surin & Buriram | August 2026 Page 2
1. VISA ≠ PERMISSION TO STAY ≠ EXTENSION
Visa: issued through Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Thai diplomatic missions/e-Visa system and used to
seek entry for the relevant purpose.
Permission to stay: the period granted by Immigration on entry, shown by the permitted-until date.
Extension of stay: an application in Thailand to extend the existing permission. It is not a new visa.
Simple sequence: Visa → Entry → Permission to stay → Extension of stay → Further extension.
2. RETIREMENT VS THAI MARRIAGE
RETIREMENT THAI MARRIAGE
Main basis Age + finances Thai spouse + relationship + finances
Minimum age 50+ No 50+ requirement
Monthly income THB 65,000 THB 40,000
Bank route THB 800,000 THB 400,000
Combination THB 800,000/year THB 400,000/year
Thai spouse Not required Required
Relationship evidence No Yes
Annual extension Normally Normally
90-day reporting Where applicable Where applicable
Re-entry issue Yes Yes
Key point: a person aged 50+ who is also married to a Thai national may potentially qualify under either basis,
subject to the applicable criteria.
3. RETIREMENT EXTENSION
The standard retirement extension requires the applicant to be 50 or older, hold appropriate non-immigrant
status, and satisfy the financial criteria.
Financial routes
A — Income: qualifying income of at least THB 65,000 per month.
B — Bank deposit: THB 800,000 in a qualifying Thai bank account, with prescribed timing and post-approval
retention conditions. Under the published criteria, after the applicable three-month period following approval,
the balance may be reduced but must not fall below THB 400,000.
C — Combination: qualifying annual income plus qualifying bank deposit totaling at least THB 800,000, with
applicable deposit conditions.
O-A distinction: the published retirement criteria specifically identify health insurance requirements for persons
holding Non-Immigrant O-A. Do not automatically treat every retirement extension as an O-A case.
Thailand Expat Immigration Guide — Surin & Buriram | August 2026 Page 3
4. THAI-MARRIAGE EXTENSION
A foreign national legally married to a Thai national may apply on the Thai-family basis. Immigration requires
evidence of the relationship and states that, for married couples, the relationship must be both de jure (legal)
and de facto (in fact).
Financial routes
A — Income: average annual income of at least THB 40,000 per month.
B — Bank deposit: THB 400,000 in a Thai bank account for the prescribed period; the current published
Thai-spouse criteria specify the preceding two months for the annual case.
C — Combination: qualifying income and deposit totaling at least THB 400,000 annually.
Marriage documentation
☐ Passport and current immigration status
☐ TM.7 and required photograph
☐ Kor Ror 3 (Marriage Certificate)
☐ Kor Ror 2 (Marriage Registration)
☐ Thai spouse's ID card and house registration
☐ Financial evidence
☐ Residence/house evidence where applicable
☐ Family/couple photographs and house map
☐ Both spouses available for interview where required
The Immigration Bureau's published checklist also refers to TM.30/90-day documentation, residence evidence, photographs and a
house map, and states that the applicant and spouse must attend in person for interview.
Thailand Expat Immigration Guide — Surin & Buriram | August 2026 Page 4
5. RETIREMENT CHECKLIST
Bank method
☐ Passport and copies
☐ TM.7 and photograph
☐ Thai bank certificate
☐ Updated bank book/passbook
☐ Evidence of required deposit history
☐ Evidence of current balance
☐ Residence/TM.30 documentation where applicable
☐ Fee and any locally requested documents
Income method
☐ Evidence of income source
☐ Pension/income documentation where applicable
☐ Bank evidence where relevant
☐ Embassy certification where applicable
☐ Documents covering the required period
Combination method
☐ Annual income calculation
☐ Qualifying bank deposit
☐ Deposit history
☐ Combined total reaches THB 800,000
☐ Supporting evidence is consistent
6. THAI-MARRIAGE CHECKLIST
☐ Passport and copies
☐ TM.7 and photograph
☐ Kor Ror 2 and Kor Ror 3 where applicable
☐ Thai spouse's ID card
☐ Thai spouse's house registration
☐ Financial evidence
☐ Bank certificate/passbook where applicable
☐ Income evidence where applicable
☐ Residence/lease/house-owner documents where applicable
☐ Couple/family photographs
☐ House map
☐ Both spouses prepared to attend interview
☐ Divorce documentation if previously married, where applicable
Thailand Expat Immigration Guide — Surin & Buriram | August 2026 Page 5
7. 90-DAY REPORTING, TM.30 & RE-ENTRY
90-day reporting (TM.47): an address-reporting obligation. It does not extend a visa or annual permission to
stay.
TM.30: accommodation notification is a separate matter from 90-day reporting and extension applications.
Re-entry permit: before leaving Thailand, an extension holder should determine whether a re-entry permit is
required to preserve the current permission to stay. Do not assume a one-year extension automatically survives
departure.
8. SURIN & BURIRAM — NATIONAL RULES VS LOCAL PRACTICE
There are no separate 'Surin retirement laws' or 'Buriram retirement laws.' The eligibility rules are national. The
provincial office processes applications within its jurisdiction and determines whether the evidence submitted
adequately establishes compliance.
NATIONAL RULE LOCAL ADMINISTRATION
Retirement and Thai-family eligibility Application processing and document review
Financial thresholds Bank certificates/passbook evidence checked
Forms such as TM.7 Current local filing procedure
90-day reporting obligation Reporting handled by responsible office
Re-entry system Local service channel
Evidence standards in national criteria Officer may request additional supporting evidence
Practical rule: another expatriate's experience is useful background, not authority. Different visa histories,
financial methods, marriages and residence circumstances can lead to different document requests.
9. BUILD A PERMANENT IMMIGRATION FILE
☐ Passport copies and prior visas/extensions
☐ 90-day reports and TM.30 records
☐ Re-entry permits
☐ Bank certificates/passbook copies
☐ Pension/income evidence
☐ Marriage documents, if applicable
☐ Thai spouse ID and house registration, if applicable
☐ Residence/lease/house-owner documents
☐ Previous Immigration receipts and correspondence
Thailand Expat Immigration Guide — Surin & Buriram | August 2026 Page 6
10. ANNUAL TIMELINE
3–6 months before expiry: review basis, financial method, bank balance/history, marriage documents and
passport validity.
1–2 months before expiry: confirm financial evidence, residence documents and local procedure.
Before application: prepare originals, copies, forms, photographs, financial evidence and fee.
After approval: record the new permitted-until date, next 90-day report date and re-entry requirements.
12. FINAL ADVICE
Prepare for Immigration as a compliance exercise, not merely a formality. The objective is to demonstrate
clearly that you have the correct status, qualify under the correct legal basis, have maintained the required
financial position, and can support the application with consistent documentation.
Where this guide conflicts with an official instruction issued by the Immigration Bureau or the responsible
provincial Immigration office, follow the official instruction.
13. OFFICIAL SOURCES
Immigration Bureau — Royal Thai Police: published criteria and document checklists for retirement and
Thai-family extensions.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand: visa categories, including Non-Immigrant O and O-A.
Surin and Buriram Provincial Immigration offices: local administration and current filing procedures.
Office-specific contact details should be verified immediately before publication or use, because web-indexed
official contact information was not reliably retrievable during preparation of this edition.
Reference note: The Immigration Bureau's published Thai-spouse criteria specify THB 40,000 monthly income, THB 400,000 held in a
Thai bank for the preceding two months, or the qualifying combination; they also list Kor Ror 2/3, spouse identification/house
registration, residence evidence, photographs, house map, personal interview and a THB 1,900 fee.
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