Can a 30-day visa on arrival be converted into a retirement visa for a one-year extension in Thailand?

@Graham *******

nope, you can't get a year extension outside of thailand, you get that inside the country at the immigration office (just like you got the one in your passport now)

IF you're out of the country when this current one expires you'd have to start the whole process again.

What do you mean you would have to leave and come back. I think you're not understanding the process to go from a visa exempt, to a Non-O to a retirement extension inside the country

You'd come in on a 30 day visa exempt, apply for the in country 90 day Non-O visa for 2000baht, wait the under consideration period (14 days), go back get the Non-O visa and the new 90 day stamped inked in, wait until you had 30 days or less left on that stamp and then apply for a year extension for 1900baht.

and there is NO 30 day visa on arrival, you're talking about coming in without having bought a visa from the thai consulate in your country and getting stamped in here for free for 30 days without any visa <- that's a visa exempt entry 🙂