Tourist Visa To Non O + Marriage Extension?

[Greenside]

I have had a Non-O with annual retirement extensions for 6 years and with my renewal coming up in two weeks I asked CM Immigration what I needed to change to a marriage extension. They looked at my passport and said that since my current non-O was issued for reason of retirement, I'd have to leave the country to get a new one for "family" and then apply for the extension at their office.

I can really do without the hassle and expense of travelling to Vientiane or Phnom Penh so I'm wondering if I can go the border at Masai and re-enter on a tourist visa then ask the CM office to convert it to a Non-O which is what I did years ago when I first got my retirement extension. I should have asked at the office today but they were hugely busy and it didn't occur to me that this might be an option. I have no problems complying with all the requirements of a marriage extension.

Can anyone confirm this is still possible?

[Mario2008]

CM should just give you an extension of stay based on your marriage without any problem, a new non-O visa is not necesarry. Just ask a higher ranking officer or call immirgation hotline and ask your question at 1178.

Conversion from tourist visa/visa exempt entry to a non-immigrant visa for reason of marriage is not done in Chiang Mai, they will send you to Bangkok for that. (Conversion for reason of retirement is done in Chiang Mai).

[Greenside]

Thanks.

I delighted to hear that I don't have to get a new visa, but dismayed at the prospect of having to challenge the officers at CM Immigration. The guy at the desk passed my passport to two different officials and both agreed, so there's going to be some face losing if I show up, suggest they are wrong and ask for the boss.

I bet the people at 1178 don't give you their name as a reference, do they?

[Greenside]

Is it possible they are saying they can't use my O visa because they were the ones that issued it hence it's only good for a retirement extension? That could make sense in a strange kind of way.

[Mario2008]

The poeple at immigration htline will, if necesarry, even call the officer in question and tell them what to do.

On your other point, it that might indeed be that they think the conversion was for retirement so you should stick to retirement since it was converted for that reason. If that is a valid point the immigraiton hotline call tell you.

[lopburi3]

If you indeed obtained the visa entry for the process of retirement extension of stay from immigration rather than a visa issued by a consulate it could well be the reason they will not accept it for Thai wife extension of stay and do not believe immigration would overturn that decision. But was not aware immigration was providing such visas six years ago.