5 hours ago, Peabody said:

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.

"Easier access to my funds on passing...."

Could you clarify that.

12 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Their country their rules comes to mind..

Your point?

Other countries requirements?

I think my query ("my point") was made clearly, and has been answered by others.

34 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

I think my query ("my point") was made clearly, and has been answered by others.

You received two replies apart from my reply.

Neither gave satisfactory reason.

2 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

"Easier access to my funds on passing...."

Could you clarify that.

I can't cite anything solid, just believe that probate as a spouse must be easier than for some foreign girlfriend.

9 hours ago, Peabody said:

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

Yours is a different situation, 2 foreigners married in Thailand.
You have an extension based on retirement, which she 'piggybacks'.
You could never apply for an extension based on marriage, which is only available where one of the spouses is Thai.

9 hours ago, Peabody said:

Another advantage will be easier access to my funds upon my passing.

Your overlooking the fact that if you pass away (as the primary extension holder) then your foreign spouses permission of stay immediately ceases on your passing.
Immigration at their discretion could grant her a 30-90 day extension as a sympathy grace period, or could insist they leave and return on a TV to sort any affairs out.

As a legally married spouse she would under Thai law be entitled to your assets but would certainly require a Court Order for the bank to release funds.
Making a Will would be an adage to a quicker resolution.
Your spouse could not apply for an extension based on retirement in their own right as they are under 50 years of age.

1 hour ago, Peabody said:

I can't cite anything solid, just believe that probate as a spouse must be easier than for some foreign girlfriend.

It makes no difference in most cases.

Probate still has to be obtained whether GF or wife. (unless the bank agrees to release funds against a death certificate, marriage certificate and Will - unlikely).

Whilst illegal, most spouses/GF's are geared up to clean out bank accounts after death without the cost of Probate.

9 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

It makes no difference in most cases.

Probate still has to be obtained whether GF or wife. (unless the bank agrees to release funds against a death certificate, marriage certificate and Will - unlikely).

In my experience where a Will has been in place, the probate process has only taken 3-4 weeks.

12 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

Whilst illegal, most spouses/GF's are geared up to clean out bank accounts after death without the cost of Probate.

Only if it's in a Savings account, they have the debit card and know the PIN.

They can't do that if the funds are in a FTD account, unless they are a co signature to the account.

4 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

You received two replies apart from my reply.

Neither gave satisfactory reason.

Based on your comment "Neither gave satisfactory reason" either you know or your assuming that the responses to my query are not correct. So I'm hoping someone might offer the correct answer (as I'd like to know the answer).

11 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

Based on your comment "Neither gave satisfactory reason" either you know or your assuming that the responses to my query are not correct

Why for retirement extensions using money in bank why are you require to maintain level of funds in bank?

Answer: because "they" make the rules.

Why does a non Thai woman not require money for extensions if married to male thai?

Answer: because "they" make the rules.

18 hours ago, Liquorice said:

In my experience where a Will has been in place, the probate process has only taken 3-4 weeks.

Only if it's in a Savings account, they have the debit card and know the PIN.

They can't do that if the funds are in a FTD account, unless they are a co signature to the account.

Add electronic banking to the means of withdrawal.

On 4/10/2026 at 11:04 PM, Liquorice said:

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.

More likely down to a commonly-held (mis)perception among the locals (including those setting the marriage extension rules in the Immigration Bureau) that foreigners are inherently wealthier than they are, I strongly suspect.

@Bredbury Blue - I can't think of any other answer to your outstanding question!

6 minutes ago, OJAS said:

- I can't think of any other answer to your outstanding question

Outstanding in which way.

Why previously were alcohol sales not available between 2-5pm.

Why can't I get home delivery for booze.

Yes silly analogy but fact is their country their rules.

Let's not even go to ridiculous rules for expats living here..

90 reports... TM30 etc etc.

Currently have zero mobility due to broken back.

My next 90 report needs to be done in person after travel abroad. Will skip and pay 2k fine

Just accept their crazy rules.

Would a mailed notification be acceptable to immigration as a substitute for a personally submitted application.

3 hours ago, Maestro said:

Would a mailed notification be acceptable to immigration as a substitute for a personally submitted application.

Yes report via mail equivalent to in person unless a fine is due.

15 hours ago, OJAS said:

More likely down to a commonly-held (mis)perception among the locals (including those setting the marriage extension rules in the Immigration Bureau) that foreigners are inherently wealthier than they are, I strongly suspect.

@Bredbury Blue - I can't think of any other answer to your outstanding question!

While obviously 'it's their country, their rules', logically i considered that there must be a reason to "Why does a non Thai woman not require money for visa extensions if married to male thai?".

AI's answer is:
"A non-Thai woman married to a Thai male generally does not need to show financial proof (400,000 THB or 40,000 THB/month) for a marriage visa extension, based on the assumption that the Thai husband will provide financial support. This is a "gender-based" leniency, as a foreign male with a Thai wife usually must prove funds.

Key Takeaways regarding Financial Requirements:
• Wife is Foreigner, Husband is Thai: There are officially no strict financial requirements for the extension.
• Wife is Thai, Husband is Foreigner: The foreign husband must show 400,000 THB in a bank account or 40,000 THB monthly income.
• Consistency: While the rule often allows for no money, some immigration offices may still request documentation to prove the marriage is legitimate, but the strict 400,000 THB bank deposit is typically waived for foreign women"


So there we go.

8 hours ago, Bredbury Blue said:

While obviously 'it's their country, their rules', logically i considered that there must be a reason to "Why does a non Thai woman not require money for visa extensions if married to male thai?".

Clearly my opinion is polar opposite to yours and nonsense AI quote.

I could equally come up with nonsense reason..

Such as loss of face to Thai Male married to farang and requires farang financial support.

Who cares. Back to immigration rules.

Move on. Their country their rules

14 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Clearly my opinion is polar opposite to yours and nonsense AI quote

You seem to be repeatedly misinterpreting my posts on this thread. I obviosly have no opinion on the matter as I was QUERYING the matter. I therefore do not have a "polar opposite" to your opinion or anyone else's opinion who posted. I was merely trying to find out the reasoning 'Why does a non Thai woman not require money for visa extensions if married to male thai?', and AI offers a reasoning based on extracts from the Internet.

Move on.

14 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

You seem to be repeatedly misinterpreting my posts on this thread. I obviosly have no opinion on the matter as I was QUERYING the matter. I therefore do not have a "polar opposite" to your opinion or anyone else's opinion who posted. I was merely trying to find out the reasoning 'Why does a non Thai woman not require money for visa extensions if married to male thai?', and AI offers a reasoning based on extracts from the Internet.

Move on.

AI's reasoning doesn't take into account same sex marriages are now recognised in Thailand.
Immigrations orders have remained unchanged in this respect, so in the case of marriage to a foreigner, the foreigner must provide evidence of meeting the financial requirements, with the single exception of a female foreigner being married to a Thai male.

Liquorice thanks for engaging.

I posted the following question online "Why does a non Thai man require money for visa extensions if married to male thai?", and AI's answer (collated from various legal articles online):

"A non-Thai man married to a Thai man must prove financial stability to renew his marriage-based visa (Non-O) extension. Thai immigration requires proof of either 400,000 THB in a Thai bank account (for 2-3 months) or a monthly income of 40,000 THB to ensure the foreigner can support himself and won't be a burden.

Key Reasons for Financial Requirements:

Proof of Support:

Similar to heterosexual marriages, the Thai spouse (or the couple jointly) must prove they can support the household.

Preventing Dependency: The 400,000 THB or 40,000 THB/month rule is a standard requirement designed to show financial stability.

Equal Treatment: While Thai law historically recognized opposite-sex marriages more easily, immigration policies for extension of stay based on marriage/family often apply similar financial benchmarks."

If a foreign woman married to a Thai man IS NOT required to provide/prove financial stability, but foreign man married to a Thai man IS required to provide/prove financial stability, then can we expect to see that change in the future further to the Gender Equality Act B.E. 2558 (2015) as it seems grossly unfair to gay men.

6 hours ago, phitsanulokjohn said:

Well at least there's no money discriminations between whatever sex a person chooses to marry,the visa requirements remain the same.

Say what.

A farang woman married to Thai male does NOT require financials.

A farang trans married to Thai male requires financials.

A farang male married to Thai woman requires financials.

The AI quoted text in this thread is absolute nonsense.

There is no explanation for variations apart from Thai set the rules.

9 hours ago, Bredbury Blue said:

If a foreign woman married to a Thai man IS NOT required to provide/prove financial stability, but foreign man married to a Thai man IS required to provide/prove financial stability, then can we expect to see that change in the future further to the Gender Equality Act B.E. 2558 (2015) as it seems grossly unfair to gay men

A foreign woman married to a Thai woman also has to provide financial evidence. Gender equality in action.

Sometimes there is no reasoning behind Thai logic, and even AI can't answer that. TIT.

There are no problems with the same sex marriage visa runs smoothly. I switched from retirement to marriage last year.

Probably easier than heterosexual marriages because there's two males.

4 minutes ago, arick said:

There are no problems with the same sex marriage visa runs smoothly.

In the main the thread questions reason for different financial requirements for extensions based on marriage for different combinations.

There is no sound reason.

On 4/9/2026 at 2:54 PM, 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.

Indeed, Thai Wife visa is a lot more involved than the Thai Husband visa, this discrepancy needs addressing first before getting into same sex marriages.

On 4/9/2026 at 2:54 PM, 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.

Tell your wife it's going very smoothly. We were the second in the province to do same sex visa. Ours went better then the hetro couples in the same village.

49 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

In the main the thread questions reason for different financial requirements for extensions based on marriage for different combinations.

There is no sound reason.

6 minutes ago, arick said:

You are correct... The OP asked about reports of same sex marriage being able to obtain a Non O (based on marriage) and subsequent 12 month extensions.

@Tod Daniels pointed out no problem with that in his first couple of posts.

As somewhat a side issue was to why the financial requirements are different.

Farang male married to Thai woman has different financial requirements than Farang Woman married to a Thai man.

Also different requirements for same sex marriage.

BTW: it's not a "same sex visa" just a Non O based on marriage.

Nonsense trolling posts removed