A friend who is married to a Thai and has a house in Thailand has arrived from the UK on a Visa Exemption and has a 30 day stamp.

He has now decided that he wants to stay permanently in Thailand.

I have suggested that he takes a flight to Phnom Penh ( could be Vientienne, Penang etc) and gets a Non Immigrant O single entry visa. Then, with a 90 day stamp he can take time to arrange his marriage extension - over 400k has already been deposited and he has pension income he can evidence.

Two questions:-

1. Can anyone see any flaws in this plan.

2. Another friend has suggested that he takes his (friend No1) passport back to the UK next week and submits a Non-Imm O application to Hull (with supporting docs for a 50+ traveller with income). I am concerned that when he then (a) applies for a marriage extension or (b leaves Thailand at 90 days - some sharp-eyed immigration official will notice that he he not exited Thailand since 1 September but has a Non-Imm O visa dated, say, 20th September. Am I wrong to advice against this course of action ?

Edited September 9, 201114 yr by cardholder

"Am I wrong to advice against this course of action ?"

No, you're not. It is illegal to send a passport to get a Thai visa while you are still in Thailand.

If he was in Laos or Malaysia or..., it wouldn't be illegal.

Thread title mentions retirement extension, opening post mentions marriage extension. Which is he trying to get?

He can go from a 30-day visa exempt stamp to retirement extension without leaving Thailand: getting a retirement extension in Thailand

1. Nothing wrong with plan 1 to obtain non immigrant O visa and return for 90 days.

2. Everything wrong with plan 2 to have passport cross border as Consulate should never stamp a new visa in passport and if they did it would not be valid. Not to mention there is no need for such fraud.

3. Retirement would require 800k in bank so believe this is marriage. The same conversion to non immigrant visa entry can be obtained from Immigration for 2,000 baht if more than a week or two is remaining on entry. If not then plan 1 is best and be sure to take marriage certificate/wife id card copy and home register copy signed by her and as extra short note from her requesting visa be issued.

Thread title mentions retirement extension, opening post mentions marriage extension. Which is he trying to get?

He can go from a 30-day visa exempt stamp to retirement extension without leaving Thailand: getting a retirement extension in Thailand

Nice concise page, wpcoe. Very helpful.

Thanks, Sateev, much credit to lopburi3 for the info contained there. I kept getting it wrong, and he kept correcting me.

And, lopburi3, I don't think I ever knew that the in-country conversion to Non-Immigrant O worked for marriage, so thanks for that info!