Hi,

Was about to go to imm. with wife to apply for 12 month extension based on marriage (for the first time). Have about 6 weeks left on my 3 month non-o visa that i got form Thai consulate in Vientiane. Thai lady at imm. told my wife (over the phone) that I needed to have less than 1 month left on my current visa before i apply. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me since I read on this forum that it usually takes more than 1 month for a 12 month extension to be approved, so i would be 'visa-less' for some time then, depending on how fast my 12 month visa extension is granted. Could anyone please shed light on this?

Thanks

You go to immigration in the last 30 days of your permission to stay and ask for an extension of stay. When you apply, they will tell you to come back after about 30 days. If necessary they will give you a permission to stay for an additional 30 day, while your request is under consideration. When you return, they will give the rest of the 1 year extension.

If they don't approve immediately, you'll get an "Under Consideration" stamp with a date to report back.

Got ya. Thanks for clear and concise answer. : )

Marriage extension of stay is not approved until after a decision by committee is made which is normally during the 30 days under review period. Normal application is during the last 30 days of a permitted to stay. You are provided a stamp allowing your stay upon application and you come back at the end of that period to either obtain your extension (almost always) or obtain another under review period or be told it is not approved.

Less than a month does not mean 1 week. They usually like it when there's 3 weeks left on the visa.

Actually it can be the last day - but you should make sure you have all the paperwork if it is. Best to do a week or two early to allow time for any new requirement.

ok. will go there 4 weeks before expiration. Thanks again y'all.