It's my understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) that along with marriage equality happening in Thailand, it became possible for foreigners married to a same sex Thai to qualify for a marriage visa in Thailand, the same as a heterosexual couple.

However, I don't recall hearing any real case reports about that to see if that indeed is going along smoothly.

So thus this topic.

Any reports?

I haven't seen any reports either. It would be quite interesting, because: there has always been a big difference in requirements between having a Thai husband and having a Thai wife.

2 minutes ago, Caldera said:

I haven't seen any reports either. It would be quite interesting, because: there has always been a big difference in requirements between having a Thai husband and having a Thai wife.

Yeah I remember the controversy around that.

I recall hearing the language for all married visas had changed (again, correct me if I'm wrong).

There is no issue at all with foreign/Thai same-sex couples getting either an initial 90-day non-obisa or the year extension at the immigration office

The way the rule is interpreted is:

No matter what sex the foreigner is in same sex marriages they have to have the 400k banked in the Thai bank account in their name only for 2 months before they apply for the extension.

This holds for foreign women married to thai women and foreign males married to thai males.

In same sex marriage visa/extension the foreigner banks the money..

And there is no issue getting the non-o visa from a Thai consulate with same-sex marriage as long as you show proof of funds, which you can do with funds in your own country

I probably know of more than a dozen thai/foreign couples countrywide who have same-sex marriages and have gotten visa/extensions from their immigration office without any issues...

If you're married inside Thailand you need the kor ror 2 and 3 and if you were married outside Thailand you need to get the marriage registered and have a kor ror 22.

Thanks for that.

It sounds as this has been going smoothly which might explain a lack of posts on this forum from people having problems with it.

One other question. Is there any issue with foreigners from nations without marriage equality getting married here and getting a marriage visa?

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Thanks for that.

It sounds as this has been going smoothly which might explain a lack of posts on this forum from people having problems with it.

One other question. Is there any issue with foreigners from nations without marriage equality getting married here and getting a marriage visa?

No issues at all. The only possible time it could be a problem was if they were trying to get a non-O visa from the Thai embassy in their home country, but even then it would probably be fine.

In the past, sometimes, Thai embassies would issue a non-O based on same sex marriage if the laws in the country where the embassy was allowed such. But then once the couple arrived in Thailand they wouldn't be able to extend because it was not legalized in Thailand yet. Now that it is legalized, the opposite may be true in some countries where it's not legalized but Thailand recognizes it. Not really an issue if you just continue getting extensions in Thailand though.

Thanks.

I remember reading about that issue when it's not legal in the home country, but it may well have been about another country.

No, I'm not planning on marrying anyone of any sex .. EVER, but I was curious about how this worked out here.

4 hours ago, Jingthing said:

One other question. Is there any issue with foreigners from nations without marriage equality getting married here and getting a marriage visa?

If your home country doesn't issue you the required paperwork to marry in Thailand, there's probably little if anything that can be done. I don't think a Thai district office would waive the requirement for a foreigner to produce "freedom to marry" documentation for any reason.

7 hours ago, Caldera said:

If your home country doesn't issue you the required paperwork to marry in Thailand, there's probably little if anything that can be done

That is exactly the problem for people who come from countries where same-sex marriage is not legal, they cannot get the affirmation of freedom to marry issued from their Embassy here in Thailand so they can register the marriage and as such cannot get married here.

4 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

people who come from countries where same-sex marriage is not legal, they cannot get the affirmation of freedom to marry

The Philippines is one country that doesn't permit such marriage. However, there are reports of a number of Filipinx couples having successfully married in Bangkok. For example

https://www.reddit.com/r/Thailand/comments/1kne1qi/gay_marriage_in_thailand_for_filipino/

4 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

That is exactly the problem for people who come from countries where same-sex marriage is not legal, they cannot get the affirmation of freedom to marry issued from their Embassy here in Thailand so they can register the marriage and as such cannot get married here.

But surely a certificate of 'freedom to marry' has nothing to do with whether the marriage you have in mind is same-sex or not! The authorities in such countries don't need to know! and you don't need to take your partner along!

I think this question has come up before... But with this whole same sex marriage thing, how would this translate into the requirements for naturalization to Thai citizen (based on marriage with Thai national). As we all know there has been always a big discrepancy between how a foreign women (married to Thai husband) could apply for Thai citizenship as opposed to a foreign man (married to a Thai women). The amount of paperwork / requirements vary much... So now that same sex marriage 'is equal', how equally will be this applied in regards to application for naturalized citizenship? I think this is a very controversial topic for foreigners who are long-term residents interested to go down the path of naturalization...

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

But surely a certificate of 'freedom to marry' has nothing to do with whether the marriage you have in mind is same-sex or not! The authorities in such countries don't need to know! and you don't need to take your partner along!

That really depends on the country. Some just certify that you declared that you are single, others request paperwork that includes the personal details of BOTH spouses-to-be.

I remember that a German friend had to submit his future Thai wife's certificate of birth to the German authorities, so that they could make sure that he's not attempting to marry his sister. Germany obviously wouldn't have a problem with a same-sex marriage, but just imagine Ghana has a similar requirement.

If you re British you just need to get Certificate Of No Impediment (CONI). This can be done by authorised lawyers/solicitors. This will then allow me to marry my boyfriend sometime in 2026/27

As an aside, FWIW. Within my group of friends none of the foreigners are here on a marriage/visa extension. We all had work permits or were on retirement extensions already. We didn’t see the need to complicate things by switching over to a marriage extension.

Trolling post removed

57 minutes ago, MarkBR said:

If you re British you just need to get Certificate Of No Impediment (CONI). This can be done by authorised lawyers/solicitors. This will then allow me to marry my boyfriend sometime in 2026/27

If you are British and you wish to marry in Thailand you need an appointment at the British Embassy and you will need to be issued with a ' Freedom to Marry Certificate ' and a certified copy of your passport.

I obtained these at The British Embassy in February 2026 and was married in Thailand mid February 2026.

To obtain the Freedom to Marry Certificate your intended spouse has to provide their Thai I.D card and when you receive the certificate it states their name and what sex they are.

1 minute ago, mlkik said:

If you are British and you w8sh to marry in Thailand you need an appointment at the British Embassy and you will need to be issued with a ' Freedom to Marry Certificate ' and a certified copy of your passport.

I obtained these at The British Embassy in February 2026 and was married in Thailand mid February 2026.

To obtain the Freedom to Marry Certificate your intended spouse has to provide their Thai I.D card and when you receive the certificate it states their name and what sex they are.

Thank you, I did not realise it could also be done in the Embassy. I imagine damn site cheaper than UK lawyers

20 minutes ago, MarkBR said:

Thank you, I did not realise it could also be done in the Embassy. I imagine damn site cheaper than UK lawyers

To be married in Thailand you also need a certified copy of your passport and it has to come from the British Embassy.

3 hours ago, mfd101 said:

But surely a certificate of 'freedom to marry' has nothing to do with whether the marriage you have in mind is same-sex or not!

Careful broad brushing with your comment.

More than a few countries embassies here require you submit the I/d, passport, etc of the person you getting married to when you apply for the affirmation of freedom to marry document.

I'm not saying every country does that but I have messaged with a few people (I think from one of the Arab countries) who were required to provide that information and as such couldn't get the freedom to marry document.

23 hours ago, Caldera said:

I haven't seen any reports either. It would be quite interesting, because: there has always been a big difference in requirements between having a Thai husband and having a Thai wife.

There was a female member, with a same sex wife, who posted some time ago about her experience applying for the 1 year extension of stay and her surprise that as a foreign female married to a Thai female, how in comparison to a foreign female being married to a Thai male, she was still subject to the financial requirement of requiring 400KBHT.

22 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

No matter what sex the foreigner is in same sex marriages they have to have the 400k banked in the Thai bank account in their name only for 2 months before they apply for the extension.

This holds for foreign women married to thai women and foreign males married to thai males.

In same sex marriage visa/extension the foreigner banks the money.

Tod is absolutely spot on.

23 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

There is no issue at all with foreign/Thai same-sex couples getting either an initial 90-day non-obisa or the year extension at the immigration office

The way the rule is interpreted is:

No matter what sex the foreigner is in same sex marriages they have to have the 400k banked in the Thai bank account in their name only for 2 months before they apply for the extension.

This holds for foreign women married to thai women and foreign males married to thai males.

In same sex marriage visa/extension the foreigner banks the money..

And there is no issue getting the non-o visa from a Thai consulate with same-sex marriage as long as you show proof of funds, which you can do with funds in your own country

Interesting thread.

So all the following require b400k to get married extension:

Farlang male & Thai female

Farlang male & Thai male

Farlang female & Thai female

Anyone know the reasoning behind why Farlang female & Thai male don't require b400k to get married extension?

6 hours ago, Front Row said:

As an aside, FWIW. Within my group of friends none of the foreigners are here on a marriage/visa extension. We all had work permits or were on retirement extensions already. We didn’t see the need to complicate things by switching over to a marriage extension.

That's my situation. Thai spouse and I got married in the US in 2016. We've talked about getting married in Thailand, too, but haven't gotten around to doing anything about it yet. Does anybody know if there is any benefit other than only needing to keep 400,000 in the bank? It's not a problem for us keeping 800,000 in the bank.

56 minutes ago, newnative said:

That's my situation. Thai spouse and I got married in the US in 2016. We've talked about getting married in Thailand, too, but haven't gotten around to doing anything about it yet. Does anybody know if there is any benefit other than only needing to keep 400,000 in the bank? It's not a problem for us keeping 800,000 in the bank.

Maybe in the future if they change things regarding the Non O retirement extension,perhaps a Non O based on being married to a Thai Spouse may be advantageous .

However that is pure speculation.

1 hour ago, mlkik said:

Maybe in the future if they change things regarding the Non O retirement extension,perhaps a Non O based on being married to a Thai Spouse may be advantageous .

However that is pure speculation.

The extension can be changed in basis of extension.

So if someone married to Thai national was doing extensions based on 50+ then they could change to based on marriage for next extension.

So dreams mention of increased money in bank for retirement or insurance requirement.

Chill

5 hours ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Anyone know the reasoning behind why Farlang female & Thai male don't require b400k to get married extension?

Thai societal norms. The man is expected to support his wife.

6 hours ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Anyone know the reasoning behind why Farlang female & Thai male don't require b400k to get married extension?

Their country their rules comes to mind..

Your point?

Other countries requirements?

3 hours ago, BrandonJT said:

Thai societal norms. The man is expected to support his wife.

That doesn't explain why a female foreigner in a same sex marriage has to evidence 400K.

I think it's more a case of Thai men aren't held financially accountable for their responsibilities.

Here's a report...

Last August, my long-term transgender Filipina GF and I were married in Thailand at the Amphur in Pattaya. Complicated and expensive, but doable. She is in her 30s and got a non-immigrant O visa based on marriage to the holder of a non-immigrant O visa (me, of course) through the Thai Embassy in Manila last January. We've already gotten her 1-year extension, which is stamped "Retirement" in her passport. She did NOT have to show any funds in the bank. I supplied 3 months of bank statements, showing >800K.

She got the official Freedom to Marry certificate (CENOMAR) in the Philippines, and had it notarized at the Philippine Embassy on Sukhumvit Rd. in Bangkok. It then needed to be apostilled through the Philippine Embassy. I simply got an affidavit from the US Consulate in Bangkok that I was eligible to marry and had the affidavit notarized by the Consulate. 21 pages of documents to be translated into English and 3 trips to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Central Festival, followed by 3 trips to the Amphur, twice with Thai witnesses that we paid. We kept our original names, rather than go through the hell of changing a boatload of documents and the inevitable problems that might result.

Since her visa is based on my non-immigrant O visa, it was supposed to expire when mine does, in October of this year. However, when we got the extension, they gave her a full year, so hers doesn't expire until April 2027. So she got an "extra" 6 months, but now we MUST be in Thailand twice a year for our extensions, rather than doing it once together. She now has a Thai bank account in her name at SCB, and our condo lease is in both our names. She will get a Thai driver's license sometime in the future.

The marriage is not recognized in the Philippines, but is fully recognized here. That's OK for us, as she will not have any problems remarrying after I pass (or have to deal with annulment in the PI! Damn Catholics.). The O visa allows her to exit the Philippines with no questions (she was denied boarding twice in the 13 years we've been together) and no more visa runs or difficulty entering at Suvarnabhumi (denied entry once in 2024). Another advantage will be easier access to my funds upon my passing.