Guardian Visa Thailand: Requirements & Who Qualifies
Who qualifies for the Thailand guardian visa, the financial requirements, which schools qualify, and what happens when your child finishes school.
A complete overview of who qualifies for Thailand’s guardian visa, what’s required, and what happens at the other end when your child’s schooling changes.
Who is the guardian visa for?
Expatriate parents or legal guardians whose children attend a recognised Thai school. Unlike the retirement visa, there’s no age restriction on the applicant: single parents, guardians, and adoptive parents can all qualify.
Financial requirements
500,000 THB held in a Thai bank account, or 40,000 THB monthly income. The bank deposit requires 2 months of seasoning before your initial application, and 3 months before renewal. Immigration reviews your transaction history closely, not just the final balance.
Which schools qualify?
The school must be Ministry of Education-approved. This covers Thai government schools, accredited private schools, and international schools holding ministry accreditation. Language centres and online-only programs typically do not qualify.
Documents required
- Valid passport
- Thai bank confirmation of your financial evidence
- School enrolment letter, issued within the last 30 days
- Your child’s passport, with their own visa status
- Birth certificate or legal guardianship documents
- Proof of your residential address
The one-parent rule: what happens to the second parent?
Only one parent or guardian can hold the guardian visa for a given child. The second parent needs an alternative visa basis: marriage visa (if married to a Thai national), retirement visa (if eligible), or DTV (if they have qualifying remote income).
What happens when your child finishes school?
The guardian visa basis ends when your child graduates, turns 20, or leaves the qualifying school, whichever comes first. Plan your transition to a different visa category well before this happens, not after.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from your other guardian visa pages? This is a general eligibility overview; see our document checklist, cost breakdown, and renewal guide for the specific detail on each part of the process.
Can both parents live in Thailand if only one holds the guardian visa? Yes. The second parent needs their own visa basis (marriage, retirement, DTV, or another applicable category), but there’s no restriction on both parents living in Thailand together.
What if my child’s school loses its accreditation? This would affect your visa basis. Contact us immediately if this happens so we can advise on next steps, ideally before any renewal is due.