Hello,

I have a pretty specific visa situation I need to take care of and could use the forums expertise to get through it. I'm a 32 year old American. I have been in Thailand for the past two years on a non-imm ED visa learning Thai language. This expires on March 31st. I am getting married on March 26th to my Thai girlfriend. So I am looking to transition to the non-imm O with the marriage extension. I know the general requirements and I will have all the documents I need and the 400,000 in my thai bank account which has been there a year already. I'm just not sure how to make the transition to a different visa type. I would rather not have to leave Thailand.

I'll number my main questions here...

1. Can I go to bangkok with my new wife after March 26th and change my current ED visa to the non-imm O? What documents will I need for this? Are there a few different ways to do this? *This is where my situation is a bit tricky... I will be pulling out some of my funds (enough to put me under 400K) to pay the dowry but will be putting those funds back a day or two after the wedding as my fiancee's mom is giving it back to us. I'm pretty sure I need proof of these funds to change my visa so will I be able to get away with showing a letter from my bank and my bank book from before the wedding... how recent does that stuff have to be?

2. If I am way off base here and I have to leave the country to get the non-imm o visa what will I need for that and how about the timing with money going in and out of my account.

3. Once I switch to the non-imm O then I have 90 days until I ask for the extension based on marriage, right? So the money would have time to meet the 60 day requirements after that.

I think I can figure out everything after I've transitioned to the non-imm O to get the extension based on marriage. If not there are enough post on this forum to help. Thanks for any help I can get on this and I'll try to pay it forward.

You use the immirgation office for the area where you live. if you don't live in Bangkok, you can't use BKK immirgation.

1. during the seasoning period the money cannot be below 400,000 so if you take it out for two days, you will have a problem. The bank letter cannot be older than a few days, some immigration offices even want the same day as you apply!

You could do the official wedding at the amphur before doing the marriage ceremony.

2. if you need to go abroad, go to Loas or Malaysia and apply for a non-O visa based on your marriage, this will give you a stay for 90 days. Long enough to season the money again for 2 months.

But if you really need to withdraw the money, you can ask your immirgation office to give you a 60 day extension based on your marriage and at the end of these 60 days the money will be there for 2 months and you can apply for the 1 year extension.

When you recive the embassy certified letter from the Thai foreign Ministry make a few copies of the document. A scan is even better. You will have to give it to the amphur to get married, but immigration might also want a copy of it.

You can get a 60 day extension from Immigration based on having a Thai Wife.

This will give you a bit more time.

Sorry I am using my phone so cannot go into much detail

Thanks for the info...

So could I do a 60 day extension based on having a thai wife at my local immigration ( I live in Hua Hin) without showing the money information? Then do the change to the non-imm O having had the money in for the 60 days... and then get the 1 year extension?

Can you do the visa change at other immigration offices other than Bangkok?... I thought that specific thing could only be done in BKK.

Thanks

60 day extension in HH

They may well do the 12 month extension towards the end of that 60 days.

Go and have a chat with them.

Per above.

You are confusing with converting from a visa exempt entry or tourist visa to a non-immigrant visa, based on marriage. You already have a non-immirgant visa and only need to change the reason for education to marriage. That is a different situation.

Do not believe any visa change can be made from non immigrant ED but they may allow direct application for extension of stay and if not a trip to obtain a non immigrant O entry or tourist visa/visa exempt for change would be required.

Do not believe any visa change can be made from non immigrant ED but they may allow direct application for extension of stay and if not a trip to obtain a non immigrant O entry or tourist visa/visa exempt for change would be required.

The student visa can be cancelled and a seven day extension given ( 1,900 will have to be paid ). Then he can apply for a Non-O extension within the seven day period.

He does not have a non immigrant O visa entry so how can it be an extension of and O visa? Extensions are for specific reasons. There is no 7 day extension so if meeting requirements change should be available immediately (that 7 days only allows time for paperwork if required as it is actually a disapproved extension of stay that allows 7 days before you have to depart the country).