I'm a British national

I have re-entered Thailand on a 30 day permission to stay. I used to have what's generally known as a 'retirement visa' which expires on 23rd Sept. I didn't start the process to renew it as i wasn't expecting to be here. However, my plans changed and i returned to Thailand, a couple of days ago. I didn't get a re-entry permit so my 'retirement visa' now invalid. Hence i'm here on the 30 day permission to stay.

It's not worth me starting the process of getting the 'retirement visa' again as i'll only be here for another 4 months.

My question is; can i get a 'non immigrant' visa for 60 days here without leaving the country? I believe i can then extend for 30 days. I read in another thread this can be possible, if i understood correctly.

Thanks for any help.

Edited August 25, 201114 yr by russianrobert

If you have enough time on your 30 day permission to stay I think around 15 days you can convert to a non-o visa but must show the requirements for a retirement extension of stay since the non-o will be issued on the basis of retirement.

I don't know what you read, but it was wrong or you misunderstood. Moe is correct, another option would be to apply for a single entry "O" at a neighboring consulate, or a Tourist Visa. A non "O" would get an entry of 90 days, a Tourist Visa would get an entry of 60 days, that could be extended for another 30 days for 1900 Baht, you could apply for a double. Of course you could still do the visa exempt method, 30 days by air, and 15 days at land crossings, but that doesn't seem very practical .

Edited August 25, 201114 yr by beechguy

If you have enough time on your 30 day permission to stay I think around 15 days you can convert to a non-o visa but must show the requirements for a retirement extension of stay since the non-o will be issued on the basis of retirement.

I was refering to this (below) which i've copied from a 'sticky' on this forum

Does it say it's possible to convert a 30 day permission to stay into a non immigrant visa in Thailand?

Note 3: If you are in possession of a valid tourist visa or a 30 day visa exempt entry stamp and qualify for extension of stay and plan on doing so, you may be permitted to change to a non-immigrant visa at an immigration office inside Thailand. This change of 'status' has certain restrictions depending on your particular circumstances therefore you should check with an immigration officer first.

The information given above is for guideline purposes only. Each individual's circumstances may differ to such an extent that a definitive description of the procedures involved is virtually impossible to present. And, the final decision on visa application/issue or entry into the Kingdom will always be at the discretion of the immigration officer.

If you have enough time on your 30 day permission to stay I think around 15 days you can convert to a non-o visa but must show the requirements for a retirement extension of stay since the non-o will be issued on the basis of retirement.

I was refering to this (below) which i've copied from a 'sticky' on this forum

Does it say it's possible to convert a 30 day permission to stay into a non immigrant visa in Thailand?

Note 3: If you are in possession of a valid tourist visa or a 30 day visa exempt entry stamp and qualify for extension of stay and plan on doing so, you may be permitted to change to a non-immigrant visa at an immigration office inside Thailand. This change of 'status' has certain restrictions depending on your particular circumstances therefore you should check with an immigration officer first.

The information given above is for guideline purposes only. Each individual's circumstances may differ to such an extent that a definitive description of the procedures involved is virtually impossible to present. And, the final decision on visa application/issue or entry into the Kingdom will always be at the discretion of the immigration officer.

Yes, as part of the one year extension process, I suppose you could start then discontinue when you go home.

If you have enough time on your 30 day permission to stay I think around 15 days you can convert to a non-o visa but must show the requirements for a retirement extension of stay since the non-o will be issued on the basis of retirement.

I was refering to this (below) which i've copied from a 'sticky' on this forum

Does it say it's possible to convert a 30 day permission to stay into a non immigrant visa in Thailand?

Note 3: If you are in possession of a valid tourist visa or a 30 day visa exempt entry stamp and qualify for extension of stay and plan on doing so, you may be permitted to change to a non-immigrant visa at an immigration office inside Thailand. This change of 'status' has certain restrictions depending on your particular circumstances therefore you should check with an immigration officer first.

The information given above is for guideline purposes only. Each individual's circumstances may differ to such an extent that a definitive description of the procedures involved is virtually impossible to present. And, the final decision on visa application/issue or entry into the Kingdom will always be at the discretion of the immigration officer.

Yes, as part of the one year extension process, I suppose you could start then discontinue when you go home.

So your saying, i could go to immigration on a 30 day permission to stay and ask for a non immigrant 'o' with a view to starting the 'retirement visa' process?

What is being said is you could take proof of 800k in bank or 65k per month income from Embassy and visit Bangkok or several other major immigration offices to obtain a non immigrant visa entry for 2,000 baht to replace your current visa exempt entry but it is only available to those intending to apply for one year retirement extension of stay and must be done with at least a week or two remaining on permitted stay. If you do not intend to apply for one year extension of stay it would seem to be a grey area.

Thanks for all the replies.