On 5/18/2026 at 10:39 PM, GvanH said:

Q: My 800K has already been seasoned, so can I apply for the 365-day extension immediately, or do you think they will make me wait until the 90 days is almost up? My guess is that they will just start the yearly timer from the end of the 90 days, regardless of when I apply.

I'm trying to time things so that my annual extensions are done around September or October.

TIA

The old way was that the 365 days would be counted from your date of entry into Thailand, so that the first extension was for 9 months, and every later extention for 365 days would be to the anniversiry of your original date of entry.

26 minutes ago, placnx said:

The old way was that the 365 days would be counted from your date of entry into Thailand, so that the first extension was for 9 months, and every later extention for 365 days would be to the anniversiry of your original date of entry.

Don't know when those, old ways were.

When you enter Thailand with a Non O you will be given a 90 day stamp.

When you apply for extension up to 30/45 days prior to its expiry you will be given 12 month stamp starting from expiry of Non O entry stamp

1 hour ago, placnx said:

The old way was that the 365 days would be counted from your date of entry into Thailand, so that the first extension was for 9 months, and every later extention for 365 days would be to the anniversiry of your original date of entry.

I have to concur with DrJack54. For my old Non-O, I entered in early January on a 60-day visa-exempt, so I would've got the 90-day extension mid-February, and the 365- mid-May, which is when I've been doing my annual extensions.

On 5/19/2026 at 4:23 AM, Caldera said:

I'd start with asking a local visa agent in Chiang Mai, it should be possible for them to overcome this local rule. That way you wouldn't have any issues later, with a visa and extension obtained by an agent elsewhere in Thailand.

Went around to a few agencies today, and nobody had any idea about this new rule about not issuing a Non-O if you had one before. One girl rang immigration to check if they would accept an application (via her agency), and I asked her if they also confirmed the new rule. She couldn't quite get the English out, but I think she said that while they didn't confirm it, they didn't deny it either 😀

Everyone was confident that they could get the application through. I asked how they could be so sure, and it seems that the agencies deal with "a different department", possibly Central Festival, which matches up with vague memories I have of posts here (search didn't show anything).

4 hours ago, GvanH said:

Everyone was confident that they could get the application through

Just my observation.

If someone asked me what is most weird immigration offices..

I would state CM and Jomtien.

I see in this thread post re Phuket offering Grease for 19k

Update what you end up doing

On 5/20/2026 at 3:20 PM, DrJack54 said:

If someone asked me what is most weird immigration offices..

I would state CM and Jomtien.

I've only ever dealt with Chiang Mai, so this is normal for me 😀

I also asked at the agencies about the banks being unhappy with me only having a visa-exempt stamp, but everyone said it would be OK. If the banks had been getting stricter in recent times and clamping down, they would be the first to know about it, but no-one said "oh yes, that might be a problem". And it was fine, the staff noted that I had the "wrong" kind of visa, but they were quite OK with my explanation that I was in the process of getting a new Non-O.

I might have a go at getting an eVisa myself. I know that DrJack54 recommended HCM, but does anyone have any info on Hanoi? There are direct flights from Chiang Mai, which makes it much easier. I found a bunch of reports online of things going well for DTV's and tourist visas, so it seems that they may be "reasonable" there (IIRC, that wasn't always the case).

Although it did occur to me that I could go to Hanoi, but apply in HCM 😀 It'd be a drag if I get called in, but it's probably unlikely. I've been in Thailand on a Non-O for years, everything's above board (especially the financial requirement), the only issue is that my old Non-O just expired.

30 minutes ago, GvanH said:

I know that DrJack54 recommended HCM, but does anyone have any info on Hanoi?

I often suggest Saigon however more directed to folk located Bangkok.

You are CM.. Perhaps Laos is better option.

See attached thread.

https://aseannow.com/topic/1387733-non-o-marriage-visa-from-laos-how-to-book-time-slot/

Good posts in that thread from Upnotover and Tod Daniels

1 hour ago, GvanH said:

Although it did occur to me that I could go to Hanoi, but apply in HCM 😀 It'd be a drag if I get called in

Just apply in Hanoi. Not because they might call you in, but because you need to provide them with your current address. If they ask for proof (e.g. your hotel booking), you should actually be where you claim you are.

38 minutes ago, Caldera said:

If they ask for proof (e.g. your hotel booking), you should actually be where you claim you are.

I wasn't thinking about misrepresenting anything. You have to be outside of Thailand to apply, Hanoi counts 😀 I only thought about applying at Saigon because that's what DrJack54 recommended, but it seems that's because most people are coming from Bangkok.

But yes, applying at Saigon from Hanoi is likely to cause more problems than it solves 🙄 I thought about it if, say, Saigon was known to be "friendly" and Hanoi "difficult", but that doesn't seem to be the case. From what I find online, they all seem to be similar: officially about 5-7 working days, but in practice maybe 2-4.

Incredibly, there doesn't seem to be a direct flight to Vientiane, they all go through Bangkok! For Savannakhet, you have to fly to Nakhorn Nowhere, then take a taxi to the border, then on to Savannakhet. So, it looks like Hanoi is the place to go.

4 minutes ago, GvanH said:

So, it looks like Hanoi is the place to go.

If you haven't been to Hanoi make sure you stay in "Old Quarter"

I like the car pick service that most hotels offer as an extra.

1 hour ago, GvanH said:

I wasn't thinking about misrepresenting anything. You have to be outside of Thailand to apply, Hanoi counts

You do have to be outside of Thailand, that's correct. But you also have to apply to a specific Thai embassy or consulate, depending on where you are located.

For Vietnam, your location within Vietnam at the time of your application determines if you have to apply in Hanoi or in Ho Chi Minh City. To be clear, you would use the eVisa system for both, you don't go there in person. If you're in Hanoi, apply in Hanoi.

Here's the relevant information from the Royal Thai Embassy Hanoi:

สถานเอกอัครราชทูต ณ กรุงฮานอย

Launch of e-Visa - สถานเอกอัครราชทูต ณ กรุงฮานอย

Launch of e-Visa