One of the first questions families ask when planning a move to Phuket: "Do my partner and kids just come on tourist visas?" For a short holiday, yes. For a proper move — a year or more of school, work, and settled life in places like Bang Tao, Rawai, or Chalong — you need proper dependent visa status for your family members.
This guide covers how the Thai dependent Non-O visa works for spouses and children accompanying a primary visa holder, what documents you'll need for Chalong Immigration, and the important distinctions between different types of "family" visa in Thailand.
Thailand has two distinct family-based visa categories that are often confused. Non-O dependent is for foreign family members (spouse, children) accompanying a primary foreign visa holder. Non-O marriage is for foreign nationals who are married to a Thai national. This guide covers the dependent category. If your partner is Thai, see our marriage visa guide instead.
Who Qualifies as a Dependent?
For dependent Non-O status in Thailand, qualifying relationships are:
- Spouse — legally married spouse (same-sex marriages are not currently recognised by Thai immigration for visa purposes, though this may change with the Marriage Equality Act)
- Children under 18 — biological or legally adopted, unmarried
- Stepchildren under 18 — may be accepted with additional documentation
The primary visa holder — the person your dependents are "depending" on — must hold a qualifying long-stay visa. Most commonly:
- Non-B (business/employment)
- Non-OA (retirement)
- Non-ED (student)
- LTR (Long-Term Resident)
- SMART Visa (T/I/E/S)
Dependents on a tourist visa holder don't qualify. The primary visa must itself be a long-stay category.
Documents Required
Document requirements vary slightly depending on whether you're applying for a spouse or a child, and what the primary visa type is. Here's the typical package for the Chalong Immigration extension application:
Spouse — Required Docs
- Passport (original + all pages photocopy)
- Marriage certificate (original)
- If non-English/Thai: notarised translation
- Primary holder's passport copy
- Primary holder's current visa/extension copy
- Proof of shared address (rental contract)
- TM.7 extension form
- 2× passport photos (4×6 cm)
- ฿1,900 extension fee
Children — Required Docs
- Child's passport (original + copy)
- Child's birth certificate (original)
- If non-English/Thai: notarised translation
- Primary parent's passport copy
- Primary parent's visa/extension copy
- Proof of address
- TM.7 form (per child)
- 2× passport photos per child
- ฿1,900 per child extension fee
Marriage certificates from most Western countries are accepted at face value. However, if your certificate is from a country with a language Thai officers don't recognise, a notarised English translation is required. Your embassy or a Thai-certified translator in Phuket Town can provide this.
When extending your own visa at Chalong, bring your dependents' passports (or the dependents themselves) at the same time. Officers at Chalong will often process all family members in the same sitting. Going separately means separate queues on separate days — unnecessarily complicated.
What Dependent Status Does (and Doesn't) Give You
| Category | What's Included |
|---|---|
| ✅ Stay in Thailand | Same duration as primary visa holder — typically 1 year, renewable annually |
| ✅ School enrollment | Children can enroll at Phuket international schools (BISP, UWC, HeadStart) or Thai schools |
| ✅ Re-entry | With a multiple re-entry permit (฿3,800 per person), travel freely in and out of Thailand |
| ✅ Medical care | Access to Bangkok Hospital, Siriroj, Vachira with international insurance |
| ❌ Work rights | Dependent status gives no permission to work. A separate Non-B + work permit is required for employment |
| ❌ Independent validity | If the primary visa holder leaves Thailand permanently, dependent status becomes invalid |
| ❌ Age limit | Child dependent status ends at 18 — requires transition planning |
Dependent Visa for LTR and SMART Visa Holders
The LTR (Long-Term Resident) and SMART Visa programs have their own dependent provisions that differ slightly from standard Non-O dependent arrangements:
LTR Dependent
The LTR Visa allows up to 4 dependents (spouse plus up to 3 children) to be included in a single application. LTR dependents are issued their own LTR stamps — which carry a 10-year validity matching the primary holder. The LTR process is managed through the BOI, not Chalong Immigration, and the application is done as a family package from the start.
SMART Visa Dependent
SMART Visa holders' spouses and children receive a SMART dependent stamp with matching validity. One significant benefit: SMART dependents can apply for a SMART Dependent work permit, allowing the spouse to work in Thailand without a separate Non-B sponsorship. This is a meaningful advantage for dual-income families and one of the underappreciated benefits of the SMART Visa over standard Non-O dependent arrangements.
The Re-Entry Permit Question
This is the most commonly missed step for new families in Phuket. Your annual extension stamp is a permission to stay in Thailand — if you leave Thailand without a re-entry permit, your extension is cancelled and you start from scratch at the border.
For families, this means every family member needs a multiple re-entry permit (MRP) if they're going to travel internationally. With kids in school at BISP or UWC, international travel happens multiple times a year — holiday trips back to the UK, Europe, Australia, the US. Without the MRP, each departure wipes the extension.
Cost: ฿3,800 per person for a multiple re-entry permit (valid for the duration of the current extension). Single re-entry permits cost ฿1,000 but only allow one exit before becoming void. For families with children, the ฿3,800 MRP is always worth it.
When you go to Chalong for annual extensions, add the multiple re-entry permits for the whole family in the same sitting. It's an extra queue number, but you're already there. The cost is ฿3,800 per person and it's valid until the extension expiry date.
Costs: Annual Family Immigration Budget
Planning for a family's annual immigration costs in Phuket:
| Item | Cost (per person) | Family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual extension fee | ฿1,900 | ฿7,600 |
| Multiple re-entry permit | ฿3,800 | ฿15,200 |
| Agent service fee (if used) | ฿2,500–3,500 | ฿10,000–14,000 |
| Document copies, photos, transport | ฿200–400 | ฿800–1,600 |
| Total (with agent) | - | ฿33,600–38,400 |
| Total (DIY) | - | ฿24,200–26,400 |
This is a meaningful annual cost — roughly ฿24,000–38,000 per family per year just for immigration maintenance. Factor this into your Phuket cost of living budget. The LTR Visa at ฿50,000 once for 10 years starts looking very attractive for families when you run these numbers over a decade.
Using a Visa Agent for Family Immigration
Family immigration is one of the most compelling use cases for Phuket visa agents. When you're managing extensions for 3–4 family members, documents for children, marriage certificates, re-entry permits, and 90-day reporting across multiple passports — the admin load is significant.
A good Phuket agent will handle the whole family as a package, knows which documents Chalong officers want for each person, and will pre-check everything before submission. Expect ฿8,000–14,000 for a family of 4 annual extensions (agent fee only, government fees separate).
Family Immigration Help in Phuket
Trusted Phuket agents who handle dependent visa extensions for the whole family — children, spouses, re-entry permits all coordinated.
Find a Visa Agent →Frequently Asked Questions
Phuket Visa Guide 2026 · Children's Visa Guide · Switching Visa Types · LTR Visa Guide · Chalong Immigration · Phuket International Schools
