Change Of Visa From Extension To O Visa ...

[Jingthing]

OK, I know these things:

With at least 21 days left on your permission to stay, you can do a visa change from

-- 30 day stamp to O visa in Thailand

-- tourist visa to O visa in Thailand

as part of a two part process where the second part is an application for an annual extension based on retirement.

Here is my question, and I have never heard it asked before.

If you have an used expired visa and are now in Thailand on an extension to stay based on retirement, can you do a conversion to a new O visa IN Thailand as part of the two step process with the second step being an application for extension based on retirement?

The reason someone may wish to do this is if they have failed to qualify for their current new extension but will be able to qualify later using a new O visa.

Before you say the answer is definitely no because you do not have a current visa to convert to a new visa in this scenario, well either do people doing conversion based on 30 day stamps! I would guess the answer is no, but still want to know the answer if anyone has it.

[astral]

If you have an used expired visa and are now in Thailand on an extension to stay based on retirement, can you do a conversion to a new O visa IN Thailand as part of the two step process with the second step being an application for extension based on retirement?

That would mean converting a Non Imm O visa to a Non Imm O visa??

I cannot see that being a possibility.

Immigration will be using the word Extension and asking to see 800K in the bank or 65K a month,

and I assume you do not have that at the present time?

I believe you will need to travel outside LOS and get a new visa.

[lopburi3]

You can only convert from a tourist visa or a visa exempt entry. This comes up often for people trying to change from/to ED visas and B visas but agree have not seen it in this context before. You have to leave and obtain a new non immigrant visa.

[Jingthing]

That would mean converting a Non Imm O visa to a Non Imm O visa??

Actually not so. The scenario described involves someone here on NO CURRENT visa at all, only an EXTENSION of an old used expired visa.

You can only convert from a tourist visa or a visa exempt entry. This comes up often for people trying to change from/to ED visas and B visas but agree have not seen it in this context before. You have to leave and obtain a new non immigrant visa.

As I suspected. However until someone actually TRIES to do this, where is it written you cannot?

I believe you will need to travel outside LOS and get a new visa.

Actually you can do this with a 30 day stamp, no visa, as long as there are at least 21 days left in the stay, at least that is my current understanding ...

Edited August 6, 2009 by Jingthing

[lopburi3]

To get that amount of time you would have to fly out/back and then go through the extra process of change. I advise just getting the visa as the change process is going to require financial paperwork twice and that has been expensive for those doing it that way. But yes you could get a 30 day visa enempt stamp and do the conversion and then do the extension.