Money & Law for Same-Sex Couples in Thailand

You said 'I do.' Now comes the part nobody puts on the wedding invitation: the mortgage, the life-insurance form, the will, the visa renewal, the tax return. For same-sex couples in Thailand, these were once legal grey zones — workarounds, 'friend' loans, and documents that quietly didn't count. That changed on 23 January 2025, when Thailand's Marriage Equality Act took effect and made Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to give every couple the same marriage register, and the same rights that come with it.

This guide walks through the money-and-law questions married and engaged same-sex couples ask most: which banks allow joint home loans, whether you can insure each other, prenuptial agreements, wills and inheritance, the marriage visa for a foreign partner, tax filing, and how to record a marriage you registered abroad (Kor Ror 22). It is written for couples and for the banks, insurers and firms that serve them.

What rights married same-sex couples now have

The Marriage Equality Act did not create a separate 'civil partnership' tier. It amended Book V of the Civil and Commercial Code — the family-law book — replacing gender-specific words like 'man and woman' and 'husband and wife' with the neutral 'spouse' and 'two persons' across more than 60 sections. The practical effect: a registered same-sex marriage is, legally, a marriage, with the same package of rights as any other.

Two people aged 18 or over can register a marriage at any district office (amphoe / khet). Once registered, the rights below attach automatically — you don't apply for them separately.

Two things the 2025 Act did not, by itself, settle: full automatic parental rights for both partners in every situation, and the recognition of your Thai marriage in your home country if you or your spouse is foreign. Adoption and parentage in particular can still need separate legal steps — get specific advice if children are involved.

Joint home loans — which banks, and what you need

A joint home loan (กู้ร่วมซื้อบ้าน) lets two incomes count toward one mortgage, which usually means a larger loan and a better shot at approval. The headline change is that you no longer have to dress the application up as a 'friend' or unrelated co-borrower arrangement — as a registered spouse, you apply as a couple.

GH Bank (Government Housing Bank)

The state housing bank moved first and furthest. It pioneered LGBTQ+ joint lending with its 'My Pride' programme back in 2022, and has continued with packages such as 'GHB Home for You 2025.' GH Bank lets same-sex couples — salaried or self-employed — apply jointly for any of its mortgage products with no minimum income requirement, for applicants roughly 20–70 years old, where both partners co-own the property. Promotional first-year rates in its 2025 campaign were advertised as low as around 2.30% for payroll-deduction borrowers (about 3.50% otherwise), but promotional rates and windows change constantly — check the current campaign.

Commercial banks: SCB, Krungsri, KBank

Commercial banks have aligned too. SCB (Siam Commercial Bank) accepts same-sex couples as joint borrowers; it had already been lending to LGBTQ+ applicants as non-related co-borrowers, and a marriage registration makes you straightforwardly eligible as spouses. Krungsri (Bank of Ayutthaya) offers a home loan for partners who want to live together, with both names on the property. KBank (Kasikornbank) allows spouses as co-borrowers, and a registered marriage now confirms that relationship cleanly. Each bank sets its own rates, age caps, loan-to-value limits and documents — they are not identical, so compare.

Typical documents for a joint application: both partners' ID cards, house-registration papers, your marriage certificate, income proof (payslips or, for the self-employed, bank statements and business documents), and the property's sale documents. Co-ownership of the home is usually a condition — both names go on the title.

Insurance & naming your partner as beneficiary

Two questions matter here: can you insure each other, and can you name each other to receive the payout? Under equal marriage, the answer to both is now yes.

Life insurance pays out to a named beneficiary (ผู้รับประโยชน์). Traditionally Thai insurers wanted an 'insurable interest' — a recognised relationship such as spouse, parent or child — between the policyholder and the person insured or benefiting. A registered marriage gives you exactly that. Insurers including Allianz Ayudhya have publicly confirmed that a spouse can be named as the beneficiary on a life policy after marriage equality, with relationship documentation no longer the obstacle it once was. Health insurance and employee spousal benefits follow the same logic: a same-sex spouse must be treated like any other spouse.

Practical steps: if you took out a policy before you married — or named a sibling, parent or no one because a partner wasn't accepted — review and update the beneficiary now. For workplace cover, ask HR to register your spouse for spousal health benefits, pension and life cover; equal marriage means they should be added on the same terms as any opposite-sex spouse.

Prenuptial agreements

A Thai prenuptial agreement (สัญญาก่อนสมรส) lets a couple set their own rules for property — what stays separate, what is shared — instead of relying purely on the default marital-property regime. Same-sex couples can now make one on exactly the same terms as anyone else, under sections 1465–1469 of the Civil and Commercial Code.

The formalities are strict, and Thailand is unforgiving about timing. The agreement must be in writing, signed by both partners and at least two witnesses, and entered in the Marriage Register at the same time the marriage is registered. You cannot add a valid prenup after the wedding — under section 1466, a prenup made before but not registered with the marriage is void. If a prenup matters to you, sort it out before the registration day, not after.

• In writing, signed by both spouses and two witnesses.
• Registered together with the marriage at the district office — same day, same act.
• Cannot be created or made valid after the marriage is registered.
• Best drafted with a lawyer, especially where foreign assets, businesses or cross-border issues are involved.

Wills, inheritance & estate

Here is one of the biggest wins of equal marriage. Before 2025, if a same-sex partner died without a will, the surviving partner was not a statutory heir — assets could pass to blood relatives, leaving the partner with nothing. Now a registered spouse is a statutory heir under the Civil and Commercial Code, alongside children and other class heirs.

That said, statutory inheritance is a default, not a plan. A will (พินัยกรรม) lets you decide who gets what, name a guardian for children, appoint an estate administrator and avoid disputes — and it is especially important for couples with property, a business, foreign assets, or children from a previous relationship. Marital property (sin somros) and personal property (sin suan tua) are treated differently on death, which is exactly the kind of detail a lawyer should map for you.

• Make or update a will after marrying — don't rely only on statutory shares.
• Foreign assets may be governed by another country's law; you may need a will in each jurisdiction.
• Keep the beneficiary on life insurance and provident funds consistent with your will.
• Review everything again after a major change: a new property, a child, a move abroad.

Spouse / marriage visa for a foreign partner

If one of you is a foreign national, equal marriage opened the Non-O marriage visa to same-sex couples on the same terms as opposite-sex couples. This is the visa that lets the foreign spouse of a Thai national live in Thailand long-term on the basis of the marriage.

The marriage must be validly registered (in Thailand, or registered abroad and then recorded in Thailand via Kor Ror 22 — see below). Financially, the well-known thresholds are either THB 400,000 held in a Thai bank account — seasoned for two months before the first application and three months before each annual extension — or a monthly income of about THB 40,000 certified by your embassy or bank. The visa typically starts as a 90-day entry and is then extended to a one-year permission to stay at a Thai immigration office, renewable yearly; Thailand's e-Visa portal handles many initial applications online.

Tax

The Revenue Department aligned the tax rules with equal marriage in a notification dated 6 February 2025, switching to gender-neutral 'spouse' language. Registered same-sex spouses now get the same treatment as any married couple.

In practice that means the THB 60,000 spouse allowance is available where one spouse has no assessable income, and couples can choose how to file. Where only one spouse has income, a joint return can be filed and the spouse allowance claimed. Where both have income, they generally file separately (with options to combine certain categories of income), so it is worth running the numbers both ways. Other allowances tied to family life — and the way marital income and deductions interact — also now apply equally.

If you married abroad — Kor Ror 22

Plenty of Thai–foreign and Thai–Thai couples married overseas before or after the law changed. A foreign marriage is not automatically reflected in the Thai family-status register, and that gap can block things that depend on Thai records — a marriage visa, certain bank or property steps, inheritance clarity. The fix is Kor Ror 22 (คร.22): recording your foreign marriage in Thailand's family-status register.

You do this at a district office (amphoe / khet) in Thailand, or through a Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate abroad. You'll generally need your foreign marriage certificate, legalised and translated into Thai (translations and legalisation via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs / the relevant embassy), plus both partners' identity and house-registration documents. With marriage equality in force, same-sex couples use the same Kor Ror 22 process as any other couple — the procedure didn't change, only who is eligible.

1. Obtain your official foreign marriage certificate.
2. Have it legalised/authenticated and translated into Thai (MFA / embassy channels).
3. Submit the Kor Ror 22 application at a Thai district office or Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate.
4. Keep the recorded family-status document — it's what other agencies (immigration, banks) will ask for.

Frequently asked questions

Can a same-sex couple really get a joint home loan in Thailand now?

Yes. GH Bank, SCB and Krungsri are among the banks that lend jointly to same-sex couples, and a registered marriage lets you apply as spouses rather than as unrelated co-borrowers. Eligibility is not the same as approval — income, debt ratio and credit history still decide the outcome. Confirm current rates and rules with the bank.

Can I name my same-sex spouse as my life-insurance beneficiary?

Yes. With a registered marriage you have the insurable interest insurers look for, and a spouse can be named as beneficiary. If you have an older policy, review and update the named beneficiary, and confirm the change in writing with your insurer.

Do we need a prenuptial agreement, and when must we sign it?

A prenup is optional, but if you want it, timing is critical: it must be in writing, witnessed, and registered at the same time as the marriage. A prenup signed before the wedding but not registered with the marriage is void under section 1466, and you cannot add one afterward. See a lawyer well before your registration date.

My partner is foreign — can they get a marriage visa?

Yes. Since 23 January 2025, the Non-O marriage visa is open to a foreign same-sex spouse of a Thai national on the same terms as any couple, subject to the usual financial thresholds (around THB 400,000 in a Thai bank or THB 40,000/month income) and documents. Confirm the current requirements with Immigration.

We married overseas. Is our marriage valid in Thailand?

Your foreign marriage can be recognised in Thailand, but you should record it in the Thai family-status register via Kor Ror 22 (at a district office or Thai embassy) so it shows up in Thai records — which you'll need for things like a marriage visa or inheritance. The procedure is the same one used by all couples.

Will my Thai same-sex marriage be recognised in my home country?

That depends entirely on your home country's law, which Thailand cannot control. Some countries recognise a valid Thai marriage; others don't. Check with that country's authorities or a lawyer there before relying on cross-border recognition.

Where to go from here

Equal marriage gave same-sex couples in Thailand the legal scaffolding — joint loans, insurance, inheritance, visas, tax. Turning that into a sound financial life is the next step: choose inclusive, well-rated institutions, and get the paperwork right with licensed professionals.

Sources

• Library of Congress — 'Thailand: Law Recognizing Same-Sex Marriage Takes Effect' (18 Mar 2025): https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2025-03-18/thailand-law-recognizing-same-sex-marriage-takes-effect/
• United Nations in Thailand — 'One year of marriage equality': https://thailand.un.org/en/310202-one-year-marriage-equality
• Bangkok Post — 'Government Housing Bank offers mortgages for LGBTQ+ couples': https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/2955260/government-housing-bank-offers-mortgages-for-lgbtq-couples
• Nation Thailand — 'Thai govt bank launches housing loans for LGBTQ+ couples': https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40017100
• Allianz Ayudhya — 'กฎหมายสมรสเท่าเทียมผ่านแล้ว สิทธิด้านการเงินและประกันชีวิต': https://www.allianz.co.th/th_TH/did-you-know/life-unitlinked-insurance-article/marriage-equality-law-with-financeial-and-insurance.html
• HLB Thailand — 'Thailand's Revenue Department updates tax rules to align with the Marriage Equality Act': https://www.hlbthai.com/thailands-revenue-department-updates-tax-rules-to-align-with-marriage-equality-act/
• Forvis Mazars Thailand — 'Personal Income Tax Returns – New Guidelines for Spouses': https://www.forvismazars.com/th/en/insights/doing-business-in-thailand/tax/personal-income-tax-returns-spouses-guidline
• ThaiLawOnline — 'Thai Marriage Visa (Non-O) 2026: Complete Guide for Foreign Spouses': https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-marriage-visa-non-o-2026-complete-guide-for-foreign-spouses/
• Thailand Law Online — 'A Prenuptial Agreement in Thailand before Marriage' (CCC ss.1465–1469): https://www.thailandlawonline.com/article-older-archive/a-prenuptial-agreement-in-thailand-before-marriage
• Royal Thai Embassy / Ministry of Foreign Affairs — recording a foreign marriage (Kor Ror 22): https://brussels.thaiembassy.org/th/page/บันทึกทะเบียนฐานะแห่งครอบครัว-คร-22