My friend came from Canada on a muti entry from the Thai Ottawa Embassy in early Nov. He has the letter from the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok verifying his sufficant income. Him and his girl have a 6 month lease on a condo in Jomtien. He has been told by a Soi 5 consultant that he has to go to Bangkok Immigration to first change the Tourist Visa to a O-Type or pay them 22,000 baht and they can get it done in Jontien. There was no foreigner at the help desk at Soi 5 Immigration today. Cannot this be all done at Jomtien Immigration?

Jomtien immigration can no longer do a change from a tourist visa entry to a non immigrant visa. It can only be done in Bangkok now and it will take 2 trips to get it. The 1st trip is to apply for the change and the 2nd trip 15 days later is to get the visa/entry stamps.

Conversion must now be done in Bangkok and can no longer be done at Jomtiem. He must apply with at least 15 days left on his permission to stay and return after 15 days to get the actual conversion.

And also note that these 22.000 baht-suggestion is purely a criminal act, and you will be running the risk of being thrown out of the country, or go to jail...

Glegolo

A single return trip from Pattaya to Savannakhet to obtain a non-O visa from the Royal Thai Consulate there would probably not only prove less stressful for your friend than a double return trip to Bangkok but also cost in total rather less than the 22,000 THB quoted by the Soi 5 consultant - which, as the previous poster has pointed out, is of dubious legality in any event. The thread at http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/697299-worry-free-non-o-visa-savannakhet/?hl=%20stress contains useful info if your friend is interested in going down this route.

Is it that difficult to make a couple trips from Pattaya to Bangkok? Especially since it seems the man in question has a Thai GF to help navigate the buses, etc.

Does Bangkok Immigration keep your passport for the 15 days? Its not too difficult to get there, just look on the web.

They do not keep you passport for the 15 days.