I'm Non-B Work Extension. Spouse is Non-O Dependent Extension. Convert Non-O Retirement?

[Hocus Pocus]

Hoping to tap the forum expertise. As the title says, I arrived 8 years ago on Non-B Visa for employment and have been on 1-year employment extensions ever since with the same company. My spouse arrived on Non-O Visa as a dependent and had tandem 1-yeardependent extensions with me. Early Jan'25 we will go for our 9th 1-year extension at Chamchuri with company visa agent. Chamchuri is the only experience we have had with Thai immigration. However, I am now confirmed that I will complete my employment on 28FEB25. The visa agent will provide me a timeline for work permit cancellation in February, but don't have the firm dates yet. Both my spouse and I come from visa exempt qualified countries. My company, work visa and work permit matters have always been done in Bangkok. We will be in Bangkok for all matters going forward.

 

Both my spouse and I want to migrate to Non-O Retirement. Both of us are over 50yo. Both of us have separate Thai bank accounts opened years ago with deposits exceeding THB800k (but the funds have NOT been transferred from overseas, they are from my Thailand salary account). Both of us have a multi-year contract under both our names for the condo we currently occupy and intend to occupy going forward. As I have been under a BOI company dealing with Chamchuri, we have never had to do a TM30. All 90-day reports are up to date for both of us.

 

Ideally we want to convert from current visas to Non-O Retirement without leaving the country. Besides convenience, my primary driver is that my spouse has just had  a knee replacement and she has limited mobility. Question #1: Is there a legal process that can accomplish this? The reason I ask is that I have approached several visa agents and they all reply with vague no-need-to-leave quotations (ranging from THB25 to THB110k per person!), but when I probe details and hear things like "no need to show bank funds" or "no need to come to immigration in person", it tells me that the process they are using is not above board. Honestly I don't want to start my retirement with this kind of process as I have heard many stories about how dodgy processes can lead to rejections in later extensions. IF a legal process exists to convert without leaving the country, I am all ears for the details!

 

Question #2: IF it is absolutely necessary to leave the country, then what is the most efficient way to do so? Worst case I had been provisionally planning to ask the company visa agent to cancel everything on 28FEB25 and request a 7-day extension. Then we would fly to Laos with my spouse and take a 3-day trip to apply for the 90-day non-O Retirement there. However, I now read that the system will change to e-visa and Laos requires payment in person before processing, so using Laos appears too difficult. Question 3: Given the e-visa scheme, is there a nearby country (Cambodia, Malaysia, etc.) for us to apply/pay/get approved in advance (say early February) while we are in Thailand, then once our cancellations are done end February, fly out first week of March to that country and immediately fly back using our pre-approved e-visas? We honestly don't want to fly out, apply and then wait in a hotel for "up to 15 days" for an e-visa to be approved (assuming we are not asked for more paperwork).

 

Question #4: Failing all of the above, what alternative(s) would be advisable? I have really tried to read all past threads on this process. Whilst there are claims that they "know someone who was able to convert in the country", I see no details to support how the process would work (or it seems like some things were done years ago or during COV19 extenuating circumstances).

 

Apologies for the long post, but wanted to add as much detail as possible. Really appreciate any guidance. Kind regards!

[DrJack54]

9 hours ago, Hocus Pocus said:

#1: Is there a legal process that can accomplish this? The reason I ask is that I have approached several visa agents and they all reply with vague no-need-to-leave quotations (ranging from THB25 to THB110k per person!), but when I probe details and hear things like "no need to show bank funds" or "no need to come to immigration in person",

The agents you dealt with are covering the financial requirements 

You indicate that you don't want that so ignore that part of your research.

9 hours ago, Hocus Pocus said:

#2: IF it is absolutely necessary to leave the country, then what is the most efficient way to do so?

You can change what your non O is based on so in other words no need to exit Thailand.

Here is a thread. Tod Daniels is second post.

Suggest you avoid the idea of exit to Laos and obtain eVisa Non O retirement.

It comes in start of 2025 and would like to see process times for the eVisa..

Note if you change what extension is based on to retirement that funds in bank do Not need to shown to come from abroad. 

Seems you have done lot of research. Indeed you can both can live in Thailand on extensions retirement using money in the bank.

Alternatively your wife can piggyback on your extension based on retirement as dependent spouse. 

 

A left field plan B is to exit Thailand and reenter with 60 day visa exempt and obtain a Non O retirement and subsequent extensions at local immigration office. 

 

Bumping your thread as you didn't receive a reply.

Hopefully someone who has actually changed from Non B to extensions based on retirement will chip in. 

 

This thread has useful information 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1311349-non-imm-b-to-non-imm-o-during-extension-of-stay/