can i apply for visa when i am in thailand ?

[bluebanana]

can i apply for visa when i am in thailand ?  or do i need to register in my home country ? 

 

im looking at either Non IMM thai spouse or the DTV visa, thanks 

[Upnotover]

You can convert to a non-O whilst in Thailand.  DTV must be done outside, but not necessarily in your home country.

 

Here is some information on the non-O conversion;

 

 

[DrJack54]

9 minutes ago, bluebanana said:

im looking at either Non IMM thai spouse or the DTV visa, thanks 

OP, correct advice above . 

 

Where are you currently? 

Do you have a Thai bank account. 

[bluebanana]

11 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

OP, correct advice above . 

 

Where are you currently? 

Do you have a Thai bank account. /

yes i do , non imm O spouse is 400k in bank for2 mths right 

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, bluebanana said:

non imm O spouse is 400k in bank for2 mths right

To obtain a Non O marriage inside Thailand from visa, exempt or tourist visa entry you require 400k in Thai bank on day of application. 

That would give you a 90 day stamp. 

After funds have been in the bank for 2 months you can apply for 12 month extension. 

 

So to clarify: 

You are currently in Thailand?  

What do you have in pp. A visa exempt entry or....? 

How many days remaining on current permission of stay? 

 

Regards DTV that visa is obtained outside of Thailand. Nearby country or pp country. 

Not obtained in Thailand. 

 

[bluebanana]

23 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

To obtain a Non O marriage inside Thailand from visa, exempt or tourist visa entry you require 400k in Thai bank on day of application. 

That would give you a 90 day stamp. 

After funds have been in the bank for 2 months you can apply for 12 month extension. 

 

So to clarify: 

You are currently in Thailand?  

What do you have in pp. A visa exempt entry or....? 

How many days remaining on current permission of stay? 

 

Regards DTV that visa is obtained outside of Thailand. Nearby country or pp country. 

Not obtained in Thailand. 

 

 

im currently not in thailand . so I guess would put in 400k first and then go over , wait for 2 mths after I will apply for the 90 days , and then subsqently for 12 mths .

 

did i get it right ? 

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, bluebanana said:

 

im currently not in thailand . so I guess would put in 400k first and then go over , wait for 2 mths after I will apply for the 90 days , and then subsqently for 12 mths 

No. 

If you wish to obtain the Non O in Thailand then you enter ie visa exempt and apply for the Non O with 400k in Thai bank. 

You do that with min 15 days remaining in your entry stamp. 

After obtaining the Non O you are given a 90 day stamp. In last 30 days apply for 12 month extension. 

 

Why not obtain Non O prior to entry. 

Are you in passport country? 

Do you have Thai bank account

[hotandsticky]

6 minutes ago, bluebanana said:

 

im currently not in thailand . so I guess would put in 400k first and then go over , wait for 2 mths after I will apply for the 90 days , and then subsqently for 12 mths .

 

did i get it right ? 

 

 

I don't think you did................you can apply immediately to convert from visa exempt to Non-Inn O the funds don't to be seasoned - just there on the date of the application....then you can let the funds season and apply in the last month of your 3 month entry.

 

Plan B is to get a Non Imm O in the UK? that will give you 90 days single entry...time to season your money before applying for a 12 month extension.

 

 

edit... posted before seeing Dr Jack's reply

[Upnotover]

Definitely get the non O in the UK. Easily done online, avoids trips to immigration for conversion and avoids airline hassles about onward tickets.

[Rob Browder]

On 7/8/2025 at 3:14 PM, hotandsticky said:

you can apply immediately to convert from visa exempt to Non-Inn O the funds don't to be seasoned

Except Jomtien - and ask for a 15K payoff to skip it.  Beware, if that is one's destination.

[Equatorial]

It gets confusing with many options. Unless you have a reason to do otherwise, I'd suggest considering the easiest option for marriage-based Non O (in terms of requirements and effort), which I believe is as follows:

 

1. Get a 90-day marriage-based Non O eVisa in your home country

2. ASAP after entering Thailand, open a bank account if needed, and deposit THB 400k so that it is seasoned for 2 months by the time you apply for Extension of Stay (EOS)

3. Apply for EOS before your 90-day Non O expires

[Liquorice]

38 minutes ago, Equatorial said:

3. Apply for EOS before your 90-day Non O expires

Apply for EOS before your 90 day permission of stay expires, not the visa.

[Maestro]

2 hours ago, Liquorice said:

Apply for EOS before your 90 day permission of stay expires, not the visa.

 

Correct. This is one of the situations where the distinction between visa and permission to stay is crucially important.

[Equatorial]

1 hour ago, Maestro said:

4 hours ago, Liquorice said:

Apply for EOS before your 90 day permission of stay expires, not the visa.

 

Correct. This is one of the situations where the distinction between visa and permission to stay is crucially important.

 

I agree that it is important to get the terminology right, and clearly the annual Extensions of Stay are just that and not visa, as they are sometimes called in error.

 

My thinking is as follows. The initial Non O is a proper "visa," which is defined as follows: 

1. an endorsement issued by an authorized representative of a country and marked in a passport, permitting the passport holder to enter, travel through, or reside in that country for a specified amount of time, for the purpose of tourism, education, employment, etc.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/visa

 

A visa is a permission to stay for a specified amount of time. In case of Non O, that period of time is 90 days. It is my understanding that that that visa, i.e. permission to stay, expires at the end of 90 days.

 

If that is incorrect, when does the 90-day Non O expire? 

[BrandonJT]

11 minutes ago, Equatorial said:

A visa is a permission to stay for a specified amount of time. In case of Non O, that period of time is 90 days. It is my understanding that that that visa, i.e. permission to stay, expires at the end of 90 days.

 

If that is incorrect, when does the 90-day Non O expire? 

The VISA is not permission to stay.  The visa determines how long your permission to stay will be when you do enter.  The VISA is valid for 90 days from the date is issued.  

 

Once you enter Thailand, the visa is marked as USED. The visa is no longer valid at this point and anything related to the visa is no longer applicable.  Any dates on the visa itself do not matter. So trying to do something before the non-O expires isn't relevant because there is no more non-O visa. It's done and gone.

You now receive a stamp that is your permission to stay.  This permission is granted based on the visa you had, and a non-O visa gives a 90-day permission to stay.  The only date that matters anymore is the date on this permission to stay stamp. This is the date you would need to apply for the extension by, not the date that was on the visa.

[Equatorial]

53 minutes ago, BrandonJT said:

The VISA is not permission to stay.

 

The reason this is confusing is that it is different from what we normally understand as visa. Here is how Grok breaks it down: 

 

In Thailand, a visa and a permission to stay are distinct concepts related to legal entry and residence:

• Visa:
  • A visa is a document or stamp issued by a Thai embassy or consulate before entering Thailand, allowing you to enter the country for a specific purpose (e.g., tourism, work, study).
  • It determines the initial duration and conditions of your entry (e.g., 30-day visa-exempt entry, 60-day tourist visa, or 1-year non-immigrant visa).
• Permission to Stay:
  • This is the actual period you are legally allowed to remain in Thailand, granted by an immigration officer at the port of entry (e.g., airport or border).
  • It is stamped in your passport upon arrival, indicating the date until which you can stay (e.g., "Admitted until [date]").

[Liquorice]

3 hours ago, Equatorial said:

My thinking is as follows. The initial Non O is a proper "visa," which is defined as follows: 

1. an endorsement issued by an authorized representative of a country and marked in a passport, permitting the passport holder to enter, travel through, or reside in that country for a specified amount of time, for the purpose of tourism, education, employment, etc.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/visa

Whilst that may be a general definition applicable to many Countries, that is not the case for Thailand.

Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains it thus;

https://www.mfa.go.th/en/page/general-information?menu=5e1ff6d057b01e00a6391dc5

 

7. Please note that the period of visa validity is different from the period of stay.   Visa validity is the period during which a visa can be used to enter Thailand. In general, the validity of a visa is 3 months, but in some cases, visas may be issued to be valid for 6 months, 1 year or 3 years. The validity of a visa is granted with discretion by the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General and is displayed on the visa sticker. 

8. On the other hand, the period of stay is granted by an immigration officer upon arrival at the port of entry and in accordance with the type of visa. For example, the period of stay for a transit visa is not exceeding 30 days, for a tourist visa is not exceeding 60 days and for a non-immigrant visa is not exceeding 90 days from the arrival date. The period of stay granted by the immigration officer is displayed on the arrival stamp. Travellers who wish to stay longer than such period may apply for extension of stay at offices of the Immigration Bureau

 

A Non Imm 0 visa issued today 10/7 by a Thai Embassy would be valid to enter Thailand before 9/10.

You could enter on 8/10 and still granted permission of stay for 90 days until 5th January.

The stamp received on entry often referred to as an entry stamp is a 'permit' allowing you to temporary stay for a period of time subject to the visa type.

As @BrandonJT points out, the visa is stamped as 'USED' on entry as you have used the single entry it permitted and no longer valid to enter Thailand.

In slight disagreement, the visa is still relevant in so far as it determines your Immigration status in Thailand.

When completing a TM7 form 'APPLICATION FOR EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY STAY IN THE KINGDOM' where it requests the 'type of visa' you state 'Non Imm O', although the visa is no longer valid, it informs the Immigration officer of your Immigration status > Non Immigrant, category '0', which defines the permitted extended period of stay. Extensions are 'permits' extending your permission of stay.

[Liquorice]

@Equatorial

In contrast to a Non Imm visa issued by a Thai Embassy, Thailand offers an alternative to apply for a Non Imm O at a local Immigration office if you entered visa exempt or with a tourist visa. To apply for a 1-year extension of stay, you must have Non Immigrant status.

Unlike a Non Imm O issued by a Thai Embassy, a Non O issued by Immigration does not permit any entries, although it does grant you permission of stay for 90 days just the same as if you entered with a Non O visa. Basically whether you entered VE and are applying for the Non O, or entered on a Tourist visa and applying to change the visa type, you are in fact merely applying to change your visa status to 'Non Immigrant', from the status of 'Tourist' in order to facilitate and meet part of the criteria for applying for 1 year extensions of stay.

[Issa Compass]

For the Non-Immigrant O (Thai Spouse) visa, if you’re already in Thailand on a tourist visa (still valid for more than 21 days) or visa-exempt entry, you can convert it to a marriage visa at the immigration office. You’ll need to show proof of marriage and meet financial requirements, typically 400,000 THB in a Thai bank account on the day of application. If your marriage certificate was issued overseas, it must be legalized by the embassy of the issuing country and the Thai MFA. For the DTV visa, current guidelines require applying from outside Thailand, inbox us for more detailed consultation for free. 

[persimmon]

7 hours ago, Liquorice said:

@Equatorial

In contrast to a Non Imm visa issued by a Thai Embassy, Thailand offers an alternative to apply for a Non Imm O at a local Immigration office if you entered visa exempt or with a tourist visa. To apply for a 1-year extension of stay, you must have Non Immigrant status.

Unlike a Non Imm O issued by a Thai Embassy, a Non O issued by Immigration does not permit any entries, although it does grant you permission of stay for 90 days just the same as if you entered with a Non O visa. Basically whether you entered VE and are applying for the Non O, or entered on a Tourist visa and applying to change the visa type, you are in fact merely applying to change your visa status to 'Non Immigrant', from the status of 'Tourist' in order to facilitate and meet part of the criteria for applying for 1 year extensions of stay.

Does this mean I could enter Thailand visa exempt , and before the 60 days is up , apply for a non O ( retirement ) with just proof of 800 k Bt in a UK bank account ? This might be easier than getting the non-O in the UK , doing 90 days , leaving the country , and re-entering for the 60 days VEE .

[DrJack54]

12 minutes ago, persimmon said:

Does this mean I could enter Thailand visa exempt , and before the 60 days is up , apply for a non O ( retirement ) with just proof of 800 k Bt in a UK bank account

No. The funds would need to be in Thai bank account. 

 

12 minutes ago, persimmon said:

UK , doing 90 days , leaving the country , and re-entering for the 60 days VEE

No. 

Obtain the Non O in the UK. 

On entry you will be stamped in for 90 days. 

ASAP open a Thai bank account and transfer 800k.

No need to exit Thailand. 

In last 30 days after funds have been in Thai bank for 2 months apply for 12 month extension. 

 

If you only wish to stay in Thailand for 5 months then get the Non O in UK then enter Thailand (90 day stamp) then do a border bounce (visa exempt currently 60 day stamp)