BritTim

I am really confused as to how the embassy can update your old passport when everything is done online. How exactly does this work?

You can try. If you have never previously had a tourist visa from Vientiane (visible in your current passport) and meet all the requirements, you might get lucky. Your chances are not good, and you should decide what you are going to do if the application for a tourist visa is denied. Since you have already burned your land based visa exempt entries, your options will be limited. Perhaps, spend a month in Laos and then fly from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai. Trying to enter visa exempt through either Bangkok airport is very likely to result in a denied entry.

According to the latest guidance (unfortunately not followed by all immigration offices) you only need to submit a fresh TM30 report if (i) your permanent residence changes; or (ii) you leave Thailand and re-enter with a fresh permission to stay. As far as I know, there has been no official word on whether re-entering with an LTR visa should be treated as a fresh entry under the guidance. (It has been explicitly stated that coming back with a re-entry permit is not a fresh entry.)

It is unclear to me exactly what is happening. The extension application for marriage must be taken under consideration, and being told this will all be approved within a few days is unusual (as you know). Immigration pointed at a sign that explained, and asked his wife to photograph it. I expect seeing that photograph will clarify matters a bit at least.

Immigration cannot transfer a visa issued by a consulate to a new passport. What they will do is transfer information about your immigration status from the old to the new passport. You then use both passports to travel. All new stamps go in the new passport, but the visa is in the old passport and needs to be shown each time you enter Thailand. It appears that there is an office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that can transfer visas from old to new passports. I have never done this so do not know the exact procedure. Few people ever bother arranging this. It is easier just to travel with both passports.

My guess is that a fiction was created where you were made a director in a company. There are activities a director can perform that do not require a work permit. The argument was then used that the one-year extension facilitated being in Thailand for company meetings and so on. This is all pretty murky, and not a dodge I see very often (which explains the high fee). You essentially received what you paid for: an extension of stay based on "your business activities" in Thailand. You will need a re-entry permit if you intend travelling.

Unfortunately, Mae Sot has closed again since Songran because of fighting near Myawaddy. The Nok Air flights to Mae Sot airport (near the border) still exist, but are of academic interest right now.

It seems likely that you have an extension of stay based on working. Do you have a work permit that is associated with this? As posted above, it is easiest for us to know exactly what you have if you post a scan.

If, as I suspect, you have spent limited time in Thailand as a tourist, you will be able to apply for a tourist visa in Vientiane. As advised above you need an appointment (see https://www.thaivisavientiane.com/ThaiConsular/). When you apply for the visa, ensure you meet the requirements specified in https://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/en/page/tourist-visa-2?menu=63bcd875e8b39d00fd0e7513.

The last I heard, a Non B visa takes an extra day. Applying for a tourist visa in Phnom Penh is often a little unpredictable. However, your explanation that you just want a tourist visa to fill the gap between jobs should satisfy them, I would think. The only possible issue is if they suspect you are intending to work on the tourist visa.

If you want to use a Lao e-visa, obviously Nong Khai is a better option. On your other points, it is the very fact that Chong Mek is a relatively quiet, walkable crossing that makes me suggest it. I have used both Chong Mek and Nong Khai on multiple occasions, and find Chong Mek much less of a zoo. In the end, though, either option should work out. Maybe, there are more flights to Udon, but there are about seven a day from Don Muang to Ubon. Travel from Ubon airport to Chong Mek is not a major challenge (though I might choose Udon Thani if keen on public vans).

When your wife dies, your extension of stay remains valid until its expiry date. It is not the same as with divorce. However, you will not be able to extend further based on marriage to a Thai. In the worst case, use an agent to simplify getting and appropriate extension.

If Ban Phu Nam Ron or Mae Sot was open, I would recommend going there. He is to the North of Bangkok, and dislikes vans and buses. That suggests going somewhere close to a border by air from Don Muang. There are no great options, assuming you would not recommend Aranyaprathet/Poipet.

Post the sign photographed by your wife. Someone here can decipher for you what it means.

Be careful! The Lao e-visa is not useable at all crossing points. I believe Chong Mek is one of the crossings where it is cannot be used. An alternative to the Lao e-visa is a visa on arrival. If you have clean, undamaged US dollars this actually saves you about 300 baht but takes up more space in your passport.

It is still closed. From Pathum Thani, one option might be to fly from Don Muang to Ubon and do the border bounce at Chong Mek.

Experience has shown that the Thai authorities do not care about missed reports in this kind of situation. That appears to me to be illogical. A 90-day report with a grace period of 7 days to make a late report is not the same as a 97-day report. However, you can omit the report without fear of repercussions.

If the money has already been in the bank for several months, almost all immigration offices will waive the requirement of proof that the money originated abroad. That requirement was to prevent people using the dodge of a 24-hour loan.

My understanding is that the process remains unchanged. With a letter from your company specifying the date when they no longer wish you to have an extension based on working (often, but not necessarily, a termination letter) you can go to Immigration and have your permission to stay adjusted. If on the date your permission to stay based on working ends, you do not have a new extension which allows working, Immigration will want to see confirmation that your work permit is cancelled. Yes, this does require a modicum of cooperation from your employer.

If your plan is to spend 100% of your time in Thailand with zero travel, it makes sense to bring the bulk of your assets to Thailand and avoid the need for annual extensions. The LTR WP visa is then ideal. Do most financially secure retirees fall into that category?

First, do confirm whether you are entitled to a visa exempt entry, or whether you are only eligible to purchase a visa on arrival. It makes a huge difference. I am assuming that you can get a 30-day visa exempt entry. There is no good option right now for a border bounce from Hua Hin. You might consider going to Ranong for a same day border bounce to Kawthoung.

Indeed, and if simply focussing on the cost of the visa, 10 years of regular retirement extensions of a Non O entry is 19,000 baht. There is an annual hassle with the extension, but a lot less than for the (admittedly one time) application for the LTR visa. I think all options (LTR WP, Non O extensions and Elite) have their pros and cons, and different solutions will appeal to different people.

That is a bit simplistic isn't it? Keeping a lot of money in Thailand (investment plus self insurance) for 20 years will not be cost free for most.

I am a little surprised you are touchy about being termed a "husband". I am not in your position, so I might be lacking empathy. However, same sex marriage ceremonies I have seen have always used language like "I now pronounce you husband and husband". Is there something objectionable about a male spouse being called a "husband"?

The family has not chosen to make that public, a decision that should be respected. It is clear that he had been ill for some time.