Question About Changing Visa from Retirement to Marriage

[MeanUncleBuck]

Greetings everyone,

I posted last week about coming to Thailand on multi-entry tourist visa and later in the year getting married and then converting the tourist visa to a non O based on marriage. I have heard of people having trouble at the DC embassy when you don't have a return ticket so I that I would go another route.

I am 50 and I have the funds to apply for a Non O-A long stay visa. After my Thai fiancé and I are married and I am ready to get a job I will want to change the basis of my stay from retirement to marriage so I can get a work permit. I presume that after one year this won't be a problem, rather than showing the financials for retirement I will show them half of that as well as the marriage certificate and the other documentation required of me and my wife. What I really would like to know is if I can make this change before the year is up and if I can what would be the process? The reason I might want to do this before a year is up is I will try to bet a job as soon as I can after we are married. I appreciate the collective knowledge of the people on this forum I look forward to your replies.

MeanUncleBuck

[ubonjoe]

You cannot change non immigrant visa classes.

If you get a OA visa from an embassy or consulate you would not be able to apply for an extension based upon marriage until the last permit to stay ends. After your visa expires you could leave and re-enter the country without a re-entry permit that would cancel out your last entry. While outside the country it would be best to apply for a non-o visa.

If you apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement you will not be able to change the reason for the extension until it ends unless you were to leave the country without having a re-entry permit and then getting a single entry non-o visa based upon marriage and then applying for a new extension.