Changing from Non-immigrant B visa to O visa without leaving Thailand

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, LatPrao said:

For either of these applications 30 day visa exempt or single entry non-O - is there any requirement about the number of days remaining on the current visa?

For the visa exempt entry you must have 15 days remaining of the 30 days or the 30 day extension of it to apply for the visa.

For the non-o visa you can apply for the extension up to 45 day before the 90 days entry entry from it ends or the last day of it if you want to. It is the same for 90 day entry you will get from the visa applied for at immigration.

[LatPrao]

Thanks all.  Sounds those are all limits when applying for the non O at Chaengwattana once you've got the 30 day visa exempt.  Or the non-O Visa extension at Chaengwattana once you've got the non-O out of Penang.    It's time to jump the fence quickly and get back in.

[LatPrao]

I exited Thailand yesterday at Khanchanaburi (Myanmar) and received a 30 day  visa. Only requirement was paying a fee and presenting my US passport.    Is this the 30 day visa exempt?  Assuming it is, in pursuit of the retirement visa, do I now have 15 days to go to Chaengwattana and submit the TM86 or is it the TM87? to change the visa to a Non- O imm.   

[ubonjoe]

45 minutes ago, LatPrao said:

I exited Thailand yesterday at Khanchanaburi (Myanmar) and received a 30 day  visa. Only requirement was paying a fee and presenting my US passport.    Is this the 30 day visa exempt?  Assuming it is, in pursuit of the retirement visa, do I now have 15 days to go to Chaengwattana and submit the TM86 or is it the TM87? to change the visa to a Non- O imm.   

You got no visa. You got a 30 day visa exempt entry. You have 15 days to to do the visa application using a TM87 form.

The TM86 is for a entry from a tourist visa issued by a embassy or consulate.

[LatPrao]

Okay, thanks.  Explains why the only thing the Thai border agent could say,  and kept saying, in English was "No Visa".   When filing the TM87 form:   Can I use the guarantee letter from US Embassy I just got on 6 August?  With that guarantee letter from the embassy that exceeds the minimum monthly income requirement of 65,000 THB,   there is no need for additional proof of funds/deposited money in Thai account/etcetera?

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, LatPrao said:

Okay, thanks.  Explains why the only thing the Thai border agent could say,  and kept saying, in English was "No Visa".   When filing the TM87 form:   Can I use the guarantee letter from US Embassy I just got on 6 August?  With that guarantee letter from the embassy that exceeds the minimum monthly income requirement of 65,000 THB,   there is no need for additional proof of funds/deposited money in Thai account/etcetera?

All you will need is the original of the income affidavit you did to prove your income.

No need for a bank account.

[LatPrao]

Again, thank you.   Assuming the TM87 filing is accepted is this the progression?:  Non -O- Imm 90 day visa issued>>>On earliest return date allowed to file for 1 year extension, return to Chaengwattana and file for a 1 year extension using form TM86?  Is another / new income affidavit required for this filing?>>>Can receive the extension on day of filing or must return after  X  days to have extension stamped in passport?

Edited August 11, 2018 by LatPrao
correction of the questions

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, LatPrao said:

Again, thank you.   Assuming the TM87 filing is accepted is this the progression?:  Non -O- Imm 90 day visa issued>>>On earliest return date allowed to file for 1 year extension, return to Chaengwattana and file for a 1 year extension using form TM86?  Is another / new income affidavit required for this filing?>>>Can receive the extension on day of filing or must return after in X days to have extension stamped in passport?

A TM7 form is used to apply for the extension of stay. You can do it within the last 45 days of the 90 entry from the visa. The extension stamp will be done in your passport while you wait for it to be done after they accept your application.

You will be able to use the same income affidavit for the extension. They make a copy of the original and stamp it when they process the visa application or they will pull the original from the file for the visa application.

[LatPrao]

Thanks again and for putting my mind at ease.  Onward.

[LatPrao]

Just to update this thread in case it's helpful information.   As noted earlier, after attempting to get Chaengwattana to convert the Non-B-visa to a Non-O-visa and denied I took the most expedient route to get back into the progression of getting a Non-O-Imm visa by a one day excursion to the Burmese border at Kanchanaburi, receiving a 30 day exempt stay at the border; then back to Chaengwattana at the earliest date  filing TM87 for a 90 Day Non-O-Imm, application, using the Embassy income statement.  Application accepted, advised to return in 15 days for Results.  Within a few days I get a phone call from a poor english speaker of "immigration" checking documents.  I thought i needed to return to Chaengwattana, called him back - they were coming to my home, verified the address.  They finally arrived, in dark blue uniforms wanted to see my apartment.  We sit at the table, a picture taken,  one is  thumbing my passport, the other one wanted to know why the trip to Kanchanaburi.  Without going into details I said I'd been advised to do that.  At this point the owner of the building turns up at the front door and sits in, a lengthy chat in Thai ensues. I have lived at the address 5 years.   No more questions to me. They decide they're through and leave the apartment, at the front door another picture of myself next to the number on the door.  The landlord continues to 'talk their leg off', and finally at the entrance to the building the one who asked me about Kanchanaburi leans in and says "No problem". After a week or so I return to Chaengwattana on the  Results date.  Ticket, wait, number called, an officer in khaki, medals, gold bars steps up before I could sit down to take my passport, the woman manager says we'll call you.  I wait and watch, finally I'm pretty sure I see the manager stamping the hell out of my passport, at noon I step up to check and first they were advising go to lunch then an older manager appears, the one apparently that signs off on things that they'd been waiting for, told me to wait, the old one was guided to my passport and signed, the manager was super solicitous, handed me the passport and pointed out the return date to get the extension.   What any of all that was really about I have no clue.  There was never a question of why I was letting the Non-B visa lapse and applying for a new Non-O-Imm.  Never any question directed at me that explained why the extra attention.  My only advice if you get similar  would be - only answer their questions, don't offer anything outside that, stay cool, don't get rattled or show signs of anger, frustration, bitterness and especially arrogance.  Infinite patience.