Changing From Non-b To Non-o

[minimart]

I'm married with a Thai wife and leuk-kreung daughter and working on a non-B visa. For certain reasons I'm considering changing this to a non-O marriage visa and have a few questions (sincere apologies if this has been covered on other threads)

1. If i give all the necessary paperwork to a company like Sunbelt is it a straighforward matter for them to convert my B to an O or do I have to reapply for a new (O) visa outside Thailand?

2. My work permit is tied to my non-B visa. Do I have to reapply for a new work permit?

3. If my non-B gets changed to a non-O do I get a full year visa or an initial 3 month one which i then have to extend to get one year?

4. On a year non-O visa do I have to leave the country every 90 days or can i stay in Thailand for the full year period without having to leave at all the same as my non-B?

5. If for some reason i lost my job (unlikely but you never know with my European parent company) and therefore have to relinquish my work permit would I lose my visa as well or would it not be affected seeing as it's a marriage one?

Thanks for any advice and sorry if some of my questions are a bit dumb!

[Maestro]

Whether you are in Thailand on a non-B visa or a non-O visa makes no difference.

However, if you are in Thailand on an annual extension of stay it does make a difference. After changing to an extension for the reason of “living with Thai wife”, your permission to stay will no longer be tied to the validity of your work permit.

In other words, you do not change your visa, but you change the reason you indicate on your next application for annual extension of permission to stay.

--

Maestro

[lopburi3]

Believe you will find your answer in a Sunbelt Asia post today to another poster asking about change - basic is why? My only reason would be if you expect the marriage requirement of 40k family income to increase and want to likely be grandfathered.

1. It can be done in Thailand.

2. Yes.

3. You extend for one year using the 40k family income provision.

4. You will have an extension of stay, exactly the same as you seem to have now (you must have an extension of stay rather than just a B visa). No exit of country but 90 day address reports due.

5. Not immediately. But you would still have to meet the 40k family income three months prior next extension date.

[ldma]

Good thread...possibly the first time I've come to TV with a specific question in mind and bang...there's a guy with exactly the same circumstances as me asking the exact same question I had in mind there on the front page . Good info guys!

I'll give one more very good reason for wanting to convert from Non-B status to Non-O status.

Incompetant Thai school admins who botch up extension applications every time, and leave everything til the last minute leaving me wondering whether I'm going ot be forced out of the country to get a new visa.

At least with Non-O, most of the onus of getting my extension is on my wife and I, plus I'm not going to get my visa cancelled should I change my job and they screw that up too. (As happened two weeks ago at my school!)

I need to know that my living in Thailand is because of my family not because of the whim of my school.

Incidently like the site redesign....has Invision Power Board had an upgrade just lately then?

[minimart]

Many thanks for the replies.