My renew of my retirement visa is due soon. I'm not sure with all the changes if I will qualify to extend another year. Is it possible to convert to a tourist visa?

My renew of my retirement visa is due soon. I'm not sure with all the changes if I will qualify to extend another year. Is it possible to convert to a tourist visa?

I don't think there is any conversation inside Thailand. You have to get out and come back with a tourist visa. Let people correct me if I am wrong.

Sent from my JKM-LX2 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Nup. Leave los and obtain setv. Depends where you live. Laos good option. 

No. You need to leave the country to get a Tourist Visa.

52 minutes ago, onera1961 said:

I don't think there is any conversation inside Thailand. You have to get out and come back with a tourist visa. Let people correct me if I am wrong.

Sent from my JKM-LX2 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Sorta right. You can do conversion from say setv or even visa exempt to a non o inside Thailand at imm office. But not for scenario op outlines 

Why are you unable to renew your retirement extension? Did you previously use an Embassy letter and are from UK/USA/Oz or Denmark? Or perhaps spent the 800,000 baht? 

You can not convert the extension to a tourist anything. You can leave and re-enter Thailand on a Visa waiver, or a Tourist Visa obtained in a nearby country. 

How about using an agent to help get another retirement extension?

Thank you everyone for your response. I am considering all my options and this truly helps!

can I add a question?  if you were in Thailand a long while, let's say more than a few years on a NON O and then you leave and within days or a few weeks apply for a tourist visa and/or get one and return to Thailand at an airport.... does anyone along the way say "hey!  you were living in Thailand!  you are not a tourist in the usual sense" and have some kind of problem.  or is this another one of those 'it's Thailand' so a tourist is merely anyone who wants to visit even if they had just been living here for 30 years and suddenly pop!  morph into a "tourist".   are there issues like this here?  or don't worry at all ever on this? 

Edited February 27, 20197 yr by WeekendRaider

23 minutes ago, WeekendRaider said:

can I add a question?  if you were in Thailand a long while, let's say more than a few years on a NON O and then you leave and within days or a few weeks apply for a tourist visa and/or get one and return to Thailand at an airport.... does anyone along the way say "hey!  you were living in Thailand!  you are not a tourist in the usual sense" and have some kind of problem.  or is this another one of those 'it's Thailand' so a tourist is merely anyone who wants to visit even if they had just been living here for 30 years and suddenly pop!  morph into a "tourist".   are there issues like this here?  or don't worry at all ever on this? 

Only would become an issue if tried to obtain few consecutive tourist visas with little time between them, entering at airports.

Leave just before it expires and either get a tourist visa from Thai Embassy or just fly back in and get a 30 day chop.

12 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Sorta right. You can do conversion from say setv or even visa exempt to a non o inside Thailand at imm office. But not for scenario op outlines 

Really when you do the conversion to a non Imm O inside Thailand you end up with a non Imm O permission to stay. The visa is not one that can be used to enter Thailand. Basically it's a legal fiction to pretend you already entered the country on a non imm O visa.With the 90 day permission to stay you can apply for an extension of permission to stay based on retirement.

11 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

Really when you do the conversion to a non Imm O inside Thailand you end up with a non Imm O permission to stay. The visa is not one that can be used to enter Thailand. Basically it's a legal fiction to pretend you already entered the country on a non imm O visa.With the 90 day permission to stay you can apply for an extension of permission to stay based on retirement.

Actually it is not fiction. A non immigrant visa category O visa valid only for the date it is issued and stamped in the passport and then a new 90 entry stamp is done that voids the existing entry stamp.

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

Actually it is not fiction. A non immigrant visa category O visa valid only for the date it is issued as a stamp and then a new 90 entry stamp is done that voids the existing entry stamp.

The fiction is not the visa. The fiction is that you entered the country using a non Imm O visa.

2 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

The fiction is that you entered the country using a non Imm O visa.

Not really fiction since the original entry is changed to a non immigrant visa entry. There is nothing that states you have physically enter the country using a non immigrant visa. 

3 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

 Not really fiction since the original entry is changed to a non immigrant visa entry. There is nothing that states you have physically enter the country using a non immigrant visa. 

OK.  So you're given  90 day non Imm entry even though you actually didn't enter using a non Imm O visa. No fiction involved. 

 

You entered without "physically" entering.  Love to know how you enter a country non-physically, but you have it your way.

 

le·gal fic·tion

Dictionary result for legal fiction

/ˈlēɡəl ˈˌfikSHən/

noun

1. an assertion accepted as true, though probably fictitious, to achieve a particular goal in a legal matter.
    

 

Why not get a 1 year multi entry you would have to do a border run every 90 days.

14 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Nup. Leave los and obtain setv. Depends where you live. Laos good option. 

Be sure not to have a valid re-entry permit as it keep you stay valid until the end of your extension.

So go out just before expiration of your extension and go get a tourist visa after it is expired and you are outside Thailand.

 

If you go out with no re-entry permit your extension of stay  become void. You then can request a tourist visa outside Thailand

15 hours ago, onera1961 said:

I don't think there is any conversation inside Thailand. You have to get out and come back with a tourist visa. Let people correct me if I am wrong.

Sent from my JKM-LX2 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Correct 100%

56 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

Why not get a 1 year multi entry you would have to do a border run every 90 days.

Penang will issue you with a one year (validity use visa) with multiple entry. The consulate like to see you have 400,000B in the Thai Bank of equivalent in other money .I keep mind in Pound Stirling in Bkk Bank.

50 minutes ago, Percy P said:

Penang will issue you with a one year (validity use visa) with multiple entry. The consulate like to see you have 400,000B in the Thai Bank of equivalent in other money .I keep mind in Pound Stirling in Bkk Bank.

Unless married to a Thai it would be 800k baht to get a multiple entry non-o visa.

D

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Why are you unable to renew your retirement extension? Did you previously use an Embassy letter and are from UK/USA/Oz or Denmark? Or perhaps spent the 800,000 baht? 

You can not convert the extension to a tourist anything. You can leave and re-enter Thailand on a Visa waiver, or a Tourist Visa obtained in a nearby country. 

How about using an agent to help get another retirement extension?

He can obtain  one year Visa or a multi entry no problem if one has 800,000B or equivalent of other currency in a Thai Bank.Mind is in 

Pound Stirling. 

13 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Unless married to a Thia it would be 800k baht to get a multiple entry non-o visa.

Not a 90day stay . I returned last week from Penang where I obtained a None I'mm o one year multi entrance validity use visa.and I did not have 800,000B.

23 minutes ago, Percy P said:

Not a 90day stay . I returned last week from Penang where I obtained a None I'mm o one year multi entrance validity use visa.and I did not have 800,000B.

What did you show for financial proof. That is certainly a requirement in Penang.

11 hours ago, jacko45k said:

"You can not convert the extension to a tourist anything."

You can convert a non-O (ED visa) to a tourist without leaving the country; it is called Thailand Elite.

2 hours ago, Sheist said:

13 hours ago, jacko45k said:

"You can not convert the extension to a tourist anything."

You can convert a non-O (ED visa) to a tourist without leaving the country; it is called Thailand Elite.

The PE visa from TE is not a Tourist Visa. It’s a Privilege Entry Visa issued under investment rules.

Edited February 27, 20197 yr by elviajero

23 hours ago, WeekendRaider said:

can I add a question?  if you were in Thailand a long while, let's say more than a few years on a NON O and then you leave and within days or a few weeks apply for a tourist visa and/or get one and return to Thailand at an airport.... does anyone along the way say "hey!  you were living in Thailand!  you are not a tourist in the usual sense" and have some kind of problem.  or is this another one of those 'it's Thailand' so a tourist is merely anyone who wants to visit even if they had just been living here for 30 years and suddenly pop!  morph into a "tourist".   are there issues like this here?  or don't worry at all ever on this? 

If that was the case,you just say you forgot to get a re entry visa.

18 hours ago, Sheist said:

You can convert a non-O (ED visa) to a tourist without leaving the country; it is called Thailand Elite.

That is a completely different Visa, not a conversion by any stretch.

On 2/26/2019 at 8:23 PM, WeekendRaider said:

so a tourist is merely anyone who wants to visit even if they had just been living here for 30 years and suddenly pop!  morph into a "tourist". 

It only matters to people who want to assert their privileges without earning it. For TI, they could still deny you entry. You could evade them by entering through land borders. You could play cat and mouse game with TI. But do you really want to live a life like that forever?

Edited February 28, 20197 yr by onera1961

On 2/27/2019 at 7:15 PM, elviajero said:

The PE visa from TE is not a Tourist Visa. It’s a Privilege Entry Visa issued under investment rules.

"Elite Visa is categorized under Tourist Visa which does not allow the holder to legally apply work permit to work in Thailand."

 

This information is provided by the official Thailand Elite website FAQ. 

 

So, according to Thailand Elite (and also selected when performing the 90-day report using the online system), it is a tourist visa.

2 hours ago, Sheist said:

On 2/27/2019 at 12:15 PM, elviajero said:

The PE visa from TE is not a Tourist Visa. It’s a Privilege Entry Visa issued under investment rules.

"Elite Visa is categorized under Tourist Visa which does not allow the holder to legally apply work permit to work in Thailand."

 

This information is provided by the official Thailand Elite website FAQ. 

 

So, according to Thailand Elite (and also selected when performing the 90-day report using the online system), it is a tourist visa

It is not a tourist visa. Their statement is to make it clear that, like a tourist visa, you can’t work.

 

The maximum stay under law for tourism is 90 days per entry. The reason they can get away with 1 year per entry is by categorising the visa/entry under investment rules.