Can I apply for a 90-day Non-Immigrant O visa from inside Thailand after entering on an exemption visa?

What time does the immigration people leave the airport in Bangkok I need to get my return stamp in my passport. Thank you.

You can apply for the "change of visa type" from a tourist visa or a visa-exempt entry, to the initial 90-days Non-Imm-O retirement visa, after you arrived, on Immigration inside Thailand.

The requirements are posted on the Immigration website under Number 9

click onto it, a .pdf list of requirementns will open.

The most important requirement is a bank account, a deposit of a minimum 800,000 THB already sitting in it, and a proof that the money came from abroad. And you will need a rental contract

The fee for the application to the visa is 2000.- THB. It will be issued for 14 days “under consideration”. After this waiting period, you visit Immigration and pick up the stamp.

As soon as the 800,000 THB have seasoned in your Thai Bank account for 2 months, you can apply for the “1-year extended stay permit”.

The “1-yearExtension of Stay” is not a “visa”. It is not a “retirement visa” or a “one year visa”. The 1-year Extended Stay Permit is a simple STAY PERMIT, and that’s what the stamp says!

The fee for the application to the 1-year Extension of the Stay Permit is 1900.- THB



Here find a report from somebody who did the change:

STEP-BY-STEP DO-IT-YOURSELF INSTRUCTIONS -- APPLYING FOR RETIREMENT STAY AFTER ARRIVAL IN THAILAND

(Must be over age 50):

1. You may arrive either Visa Exempt (currently 60 days), or on a 60-days Tourist Visa.

2. Then, immediately after your arrival, you must promptly open a Thai Bank Account, and transfer 800,000 Baht into Thai Bank Account (if married, some Immigration Offices like CM, accept Joint Account with 1.6 Mil. Baht. Also Note, that either Passbook Savings or Fixed Deposit is acceptable, but not Investment Account. Finally note, that some Immigration Offices, but not all - e.g. CM, require proof of foreign source of funds. WISE is an inexpensive, easy & reliable service to transfer funds).

iii. Then, you apply for a 90-day Non-O Visa at local Thai Immigration Office. If on Visa Exempt, you use Form TM87, if on Tourist Visa TM86. You are required to apply with minimum 15-21 days remaining on permitted Stay, depending on Office (Chiang Mai, requires 21 days).

Requirements: TM87 or TM86 (Note: Fear not, only 1-page Form simple to fill out in English with only basic info., name, address, passport info., arrival info, and stated purpose: "For Retirement"),

Must be Over Age 50, 2000 Baht, Copy of all relevant pages of Passport (i.e. Facepage, and Entry Stamp); copy of TM30 (that is the required arrival form that is either completed by your Hotel or Condo, or you do yourself at Immigration Office within 24 hours of arrival); copy of proof of residency (Rental Agreement, or Hotel Reservation -- some offices may not allow if only staying at a hotel); and most importantly proof of the money in Bank (Copy of Bank Book, and a certified Letter from the Bank usually costing 100 Baht).

Above is all simple and straightforward, so no need for spending money on a Visa Service.

iv. If all docs. in order, Immigration Office will put a Sticker in your Passport that you are "under consideration", and a date to return to pick up your Visa Stamp (prior to your Stay expiration).

Next, when you have 30 days remaining on the Non-O (and your Bank Money has "seeded" 60 days -- i.e. stayed on deposit), you go back to Immigration Office to apply for the 1-yr Retirement Extension.

Requirements.: TM7 (Req. for Extension of Stay); 1900 Baht, and all other same docs. as above (newly updated of course). And, you will receive 1-yr Extension of Stay -- usually same day, if you arrive in morning.

Note: For both processes above, your Bank Passbook Balance must be updated same date as application, and the Bank Letter should be no more than 7 days old -- easiest just to do both same day just before going to Immigration Office).

Finally, you should/must get a Re-Entry Stamp -- easiest/best to just do immediately after you get your 1-yr. Extension stamp. It can be single Re-Entry for 1000 Baht, or 3800 Baht for unlimited multiple Re-Entry. The Re-Entry Stamp allows you to leave and return to Thailand, without invalidating your 1-yr Extension. If you fail to do that, then your Extension of Stay is nullified, and you must start the process again.

(IMPORTANT: If you want or need to leave Thailand while on the initial 90-Day Non-O, same same, you must get a Re-Entry Stamp) Hope that is all clear.

I have a 90 day o visa can I get this turned into a multi entry visa. I have only been here for a week. I normally come on visa free. I’m never quite sure how visas work. Please help.

@Graham *****

the immigration are wrong, you can apply in-country and you can't apply to your home country from inside Thailand. That said the office is also right, because they can do whatever they like. Which office is it? I had a similar situation in Udon, I asked what I needed and they advised me to apply for the 'non-O in your country'. They advised me because that particular office was under some sort of 'internal measures' that meant they were under scutiny and every application has to be signed off in Khon Kaen and needed to thai witnesses etc. I posted that on here and was told I was lying or a criminal by some feckwit know-it-alls. If you have a vpn and the right documents you could apply to your home embassy, it is super simple. They will however want to see a flight, so perhaps you could book a flight with say air malaysia via KL and cancel the bit from London to KL and just fly in from KL. However the easiest (and most frustrating) thing to do is go back to your home country and apply from there.

Graeme, I can’t advise you on what steps to take, but after many years of learning about Thai culture, I can recommend try to not express emotions when working with the immigration system. It’s painful because often times what they say makes no sense to our western culture and thinking. My wife explains it after we get home, then I begrudgingly understand. Good luck.

You have a lot of answers in this thread already, but just know that the immigration officer was wrong about the e-visa. You CANNOT apply while you are in Thailand. You have to go to another country, and then once you are there you apply for the e-visa through the Thai embassy in that country. They will require proof that you are inside of the country when you apply, and you are expected to wait in that country until your visa is approved.

Immigration officers have no idea how embassies work, as they are completely different government agencies. NEVER listen to what an immigration officer tells you about applying for a visa at an embassy, and NEVER listen to what an embassy tells you about immigration department matters inside Thailand. They are always wrong.

Things here change every day

@Graham *****

Y'r absolutely right but.....I read before that not all imm offices do this. Maybe this is one of them 🤷‍♂️

Maybe a solution (but terrible, I understand) to go to another imm office and before, you take care that you book a hotel in the neighbourhood and that they submit a TM30. 🤷‍♂️

What is an “exemption visa”. Where did you speak to someone ?

There's 2 requirements you need to meet to apply for the 90 day Non-O visa inside Thailand. 1. 800k baht transferred from overseas if its a Non-O based on being over 50 or 400k baht if based on being married to a Thai. Both need to be in a Thai bank account in your name only

2. A minimum of 15 days left on your current stamp (21 days in a few places)

As others have said you can 100% apply for this inside of Thailand. The issue that makes it difficult now is if you don't already have a thai bank account to meet the financial requirement for application inside of Thailand. Banks used to give them to people that only had a tourist visa or visa exempt but have all but stopped that recently. Even agents can likely no longer help you open a bank account. Not sure if they can still help you "bypass" having an account altogether though.

Whoever you spoke to has a lower than average IQ and informed you incorrectly. A 90 day Non-O based on retirement 100% CAN be applied for inside Thailand at any immigration office. You'll need 800k in a Thai bank account and you're passport.

Wrong, you can apply and get a 90 day Non-O from inside Thailand if you meet the requirements and the 90 day stay is stamped in your passport, no need to leave to activate it