DTV with family: bringing your spouse and children to Thailand

Yes. The MFA's 2024 measures allow DTV dependants: a spouse and children under 20. Missions add details:

• Spouse: no age limit, per Munich. You must be legally married.
• Children: under 20. Singapore says they must also be unmarried.
• Adopted children: qualify with an adoption certificate, per several mission lists.

Dependants get the same type of visa as the main holder. They may not work in Thailand on it. Each person files a separate application on the Thai e-Visa portal and pays the 10,000 THB fee or its local equivalent.

The dependant route follows the main holder. If the main holder's DTV ends, plan for the family's status to end with it.

Parents, adult children and unmarried partners are not covered as DTV dependants. They need their own route. Use the checker for each person.

This is the most disputed DTV family question. Here are the two positions and the evidence for each.

The official source is the MFA DTV checklist and your mission's dependant page. The MFA checklist sets the 500,000 THB test. It does not say whether one statement can cover a family. So missions decide.

What we recommend:

1. Find your mission's dependant page. Search "DTV spouse and children" on its site.
2. If it does not clearly allow a shared statement, plan for 500,000 THB per person.
3. If you rely on a shared statement, ask the mission to confirm in writing first.

A family of four could need 2,000,000 THB on the conservative reading. That alone may change your plan. Compare the ED visa for children who study, or the retirement and LTR routes.

Expect the standard DTV file for each person, plus proof of the relationship.

Police certificates for children: London is reported to allow dependants under 16 to submit the main holder's certificate. Oslo asks for a certificate only from applicants over 20. Fukuoka accepts evidence that a child is too young to get one. Check your mission.

Translations: documents not in English or Thai need a translation. Singapore also requires foreign-issued documents to be certified by the issuing country's embassy before you submit. Other missions may ask for legalisation. Thailand does not use the apostille system.

1. Main holder first. Apply for your own DTV, or apply together if your mission allows it.
2. One application per person. Each spouse and child gets their own e-Visa application and fee.
3. Link the files. Upload the main holder's passport and DTV or application reference to each dependant file.
4. Same mission. Apply where the family is a national or permanent resident. Since 31 August 2026 this applies to everyone. See DTV new rules.
5. Keep the timing tight. Bank statements and police certificates have age limits. Collect them in the same few weeks.

Each dependant's stay follows the DTV pattern: 180 days per entry, with one extension of up to 180 days in Thailand at 1,900 THB. Every family member files 90-day reports if they stay 90 days in a row.

A child qualifies as a dependant only while under 20. We found no official rule on what happens to a valid visa on the birthday. Plan for the child to need their own status from age 20: a DTV in their own right (with their own funds and activity), an education visa for study, or another route.

Many families on long stays use international schools in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and other cities. We found no official DTV rule that bars a dependant child from attending school. We also found no rule that confirms it.

Practical points:

• Ask the school which visa it accepts for enrolment. Some schools prefer a student (ED) visa for the child.
• An ED visa for a child is a separate route that ties the stay to the school. See DTV vs ED visa.
• School fees are not set by any visa rule. Compare them directly with each school.

Staylong does not list schools until we have verified them. See how we verify.