What proves to a Schengen embassy that you will return to Thailand?
Your ties to Thailand: a job, a business or studies you must come back to, plus family and property. Under EU rules, every Schengen consulate in Thailand checks whether you intend to leave Europe before your visa ends. The EU document list for Thailand asks employees for a statement of employment (position, monthly salary, days of leave) and the company registration, self-employed people for proof they own the business, and, where relevant, a title deed, marriage certificate or children’s birth certificates.
Weak ties are one of the most common reasons for a refusal. At Spoyzy in Bangkok, I check your ties documents and translate them into English before you apply.
Money and hotel bookings show that you can pay for the trip. Ties show something else: that your life is in Thailand and you will go back to it. This guide explains what the embassies ask for, what to give in your situation (employee, business owner, freelancer, student, retired, no job), and the mistakes I see most often.
In short
- “Ties” = reasons to come back: work, business, studies, family, property, regular income in Thailand
- Employee: employer letter with your position, monthly salary and approved leave, plus the company registration
- Business owner: company registration (หนังสือรับรองบริษัท) or commercial registration (ทะเบียนพาณิชย์)
- Everyone, if relevant: house registration, title deed, marriage certificate, children’s birth certificates
- No official document? A short, honest explanation with supporting documents
- A partner or family member in Europe can pay for the trip, but cannot replace your own ties
- Thai documents need an English translation
Why travellers choose Spoyzy
- I know what each embassy in Bangkok asks for: Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Italy
- I check that your employer letter has everything the embassy wants before you apply
- I translate your Thai documents into English for the visa file
- 200+ visa cases, rated 5.0 ★ on Google
1. What does “ties to Thailand” mean?
The EU Visa Code says every application must include “information enabling an assessment of the applicant’s intention to leave” before the visa ends (article 14). When the consulate decides, it gives “particular consideration” to the risk of illegal immigration and to whether you will leave on time (article 21).
The EU list of example documents (Annex II of the Visa Code) gives five kinds of proof:
| Kind of proof | Examples for a Thai applicant |
|---|---|
| Return ticket | A return flight reservation (not a paid ticket) |
| Money in Thailand | Your Thai bank statements, salary, rental income, pension |
| Employment | Employer letter, payslips, statements showing your salary |
| Property | Title deed (โฉนดที่ดิน), condo title (หนังสือกรรมสิทธิ์ห้องชุด) |
| Life in Thailand | Family ties (spouse, children, parents you care for) and your job or business |
Source: Regulation (EC) 810/2009 (EU Visa Code), articles 14 and 21 and Annex II.
2. Which documents for your situation?
All Schengen consulates in Thailand use the same EU list of supporting documents for Thailand. The Belgian, French, Dutch and Italian checklists follow it. Here is what to give:
| Your situation | Main proof | Also useful |
|---|---|---|
| Employee | Employer letter (หนังสือรับรองการทำงาน) with your position, start date, monthly salary and approved leave dates, plus the company registration | Last 3 payslips, bank statements showing your salary |
| Business owner | Company registration (หนังสือรับรองบริษัท from DBD) showing you as owner or director, or commercial registration (ทะเบียนพาณิชย์) | Company bank statements, tax filings, shop photos or lease |
| Freelancer or online seller (no company) | Personal tax filing (ภ.ง.ด.90/91) and bank statements showing regular income over 6–12 months | Contracts or invoices from clients, your shop or platform page |
| Student | Letter from your school or university confirming your registration, field and the holiday dates | Parents’ documents if they pay |
| Retired | Proof of your pension | Bank statements, property, family in Thailand |
| No job, homemaker | Marriage certificate and your spouse’s employer letter or business documents; proof you care for children or parents; proof of where your money comes from (for example your spouse’s transfers or rental income) | A short letter explaining why you do not or cannot work, with proof (for example children’s birth certificates, a medical certificate, a care need); house registration, title deed |
The employer letter is the document the embassy reads most closely. The EU list for Thailand asks for your position, your monthly salary and the number of days of leave granted. A letter that only says “works here” is weak.
Sources: Commission Implementing Decision C(2017) 5853, Annex V (list for Thailand); Belgian Embassy Bangkok checklists (2026); France-Visas for residents of Thailand; Netherlands Worldwide checklists for Thailand.
3. Family and property: proof for everyone
On top of your work, the EU list for Thailand asks, if relevant, for a copy of a title deed, a marriage certificate and your children’s birth certificates, “or other proof of social or financial ties in Thailand”. The Belgian embassy asks for “as much information as possible” about your family, job and property.
- House registration (ทะเบียนบ้าน) showing your address in Thailand
- Title deed of land, a house or a condo in your name
- Marriage certificate (ทะเบียนสมรส) if your spouse stays in Thailand
- Birth certificates (สูติบัตร) of children who stay in Thailand
- Proof that you care for a parent or relative in Thailand
You do not need everything. Give what is true for you, and make sure all documents tell the same story.
4. No official document? Explain it
Some people have real ties but no paper for them: family businesses with no registration, farm income, cash work. The Belgian embassy says that when an official document is impossible, you can give a serious, consistent explanation with supporting documents.
- Write a short letter in English: what you do, since when, how much you earn, why you will come back
- Add what supports it: bank statements, photos of the shop or farm, letters from customers, land lease
- Keep it honest. A simple true story is stronger than a document that does not match
5. Previous visas help
If you travelled to Europe before and came back on time, show it: old Schengen visas and the entry and exit stamps (or your travel history). The Visa Code rewards “lawful use of previous visas”: after 3 visas used correctly within 2 years, a consulate should give a multiple-entry visa valid for 1 year, and later 2 and 5 years.
Visas from the UK, the USA, Japan, Australia or Korea used correctly also show that you travel and come back.
Source: EU Visa Code, articles 14(6) and 24(2).
6. A partner or family in Europe does not replace your ties
Many of my clients visit a partner or family in Europe. The host can pay for the trip with a sponsorship form (Annex 3bis in Belgium, attestation d’accueil in France, the IND form in the Netherlands, the declaration of hospitality in Italy). That covers money. It does not show that you will return to Thailand.
So even with a host who pays, give your own employer letter or business documents, your own bank statements, and your family and property documents. A visit to a partner is exactly the case where the embassy looks hardest at the return.
7. Red flags I see in refused files
| Red flag | Better |
|---|---|
| You quit your job or started a new one just before the trip | Explain the change, add the new contract and the old employer’s letter |
| The trip is longer than your approved leave | Match the trip to the leave in the employer letter |
| Leave dates and flight reservation do not match | Same dates everywhere: letter, form, reservation, insurance |
| One large deposit just before applying | Show regular income over several months; explain where any large amount came from |
| Employer letter without position, salary or leave | Ask HR for a letter with all three, on company letterhead, signed and stamped |
| The traveller and the host tell different stories | Agree on the facts: how you met, the dates, who pays |
8. Refused for “intention to leave”?
The refusal form has a box: “your intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa could not be ascertained”. It means your ties did not convince the embassy. A refusal does not mean you can never get a visa: the Visa Code says a previous refusal “shall not lead to an automatic refusal” of a new application.
Before applying again, fix the weak point: a better employer letter, proof of business, property or family documents, and a short explanation. Read my guide on what to do after a refusal (appeal or new application).
Source: EU Visa Code, article 21(9) and Annex VI (refusal form).
9. How Spoyzy helps
- I look at your situation and tell you which ties documents to give
- I check your employer letter or business documents against the embassy list
- I translate Thai documents into English
- I help you write a short explanation letter when there is no official document
- Full file check, application form and appointment at TLScontact or VFS Global
Read also: Schengen visa from Thailand: complete guide, Schengen visa refused: appeal or reapply, Belgium visa from Thailand, France visa from Thailand, Netherlands visa from Thailand, Italy visa from Thailand Online visa services: document check and Belgium visa for a Thai girlfriend or boyfriend
Not sure your ties are strong enough?
Tell me on WhatsApp your job, the country and your travel dates. I will tell you what to give.
About Poy
Poy runs Spoyzy Co., Ltd. in Bangkok, a specialist for Thailand–Europe visas and official documents. Poy has handled 200+ visa cases and works in Thai, English, French and basic Dutch.
Frequently asked questions
What are “ties to Thailand” for a Schengen visa?
Reasons you will return to Thailand before your visa ends: your job, business or studies, family, property and regular income in Thailand. Every Schengen consulate must check this.
What should my employer letter say?
Your position, your start date, your monthly salary and your approved leave dates. Add the company registration. It should be on letterhead, signed and stamped.
I own a business. What do I give?
Proof that you own it: the company registration from DBD or your commercial registration, plus business bank statements if you have them.
I am a freelancer without a company. Can I get a Schengen visa?
Yes. Show regular income with your personal tax filing and bank statements over several months, plus client contracts or invoices, and a short explanation.
I have no job. Can I still get a visa?
Yes, if other ties are strong: a spouse working in Thailand, children or parents you care for, property, savings. Show where your money comes from, and explain why you do not or cannot work, with proof.
Is my house registration (ทะเบียนบ้าน) enough proof?
It helps, but on its own it is weak. Combine it with your job or business documents and, if you have them, family and property documents.
My partner in Europe pays for everything. Do I still need my own documents?
Yes. A sponsorship form covers the money, not your return. Give your own employer letter or business documents and your own bank statements.
Do old visas help?
Yes. Visas you used correctly, in Europe or elsewhere, show that you come back. After 3 Schengen visas used correctly in 2 years, a 1-year multiple-entry visa is the rule.
Do Thai documents need to be translated?
Yes, into English. I translate employer letters, house registrations, title deeds and certificates.
My visa was refused because my “intention to leave could not be ascertained”. What now?
Your ties did not convince the embassy. Strengthen them and apply again, or appeal. A previous refusal does not mean an automatic refusal next time.
Sources (checked 8 November 2026): Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (EU Visa Code), consolidated text, articles 9, 14, 21, 23, 24, 32, Annex II and Annex VI (EUR-Lex); Commission Implementing Decision C(2017) 5853, Annex V, list of supporting documents for Thailand; Belgian Embassy in Bangkok visa checklists (2026); France-Visas, requirements for residents of Thailand (checked 24 October 2026); Netherlands Worldwide, checklists for Thailand (checked 24 October 2026).
Last verified: 8 November 2026.
Written by Poy, founder of Spoyzy
Poy has handled 200+ visa cases, 150+ marriages and 800+ document legalisations for Thai–foreign couples and families. Poy speaks Thai, French and English (and basic Dutch), and explains every document to both partners in their own language.
Ask Poy on WhatsAppLast updated: November 2026
