Can I convert a NON O retirement visa to a NON O marriage visa in Thailand without leaving the country?

NON O visa Thai visa types marriage visa retirement visa visa conversion Thailand immigration expat issues

Nov 25, 2020

4 years ago

ORIGINAL POSTER

Hi, is it possible to covert from NON O retirement visa in Thailand, or do I need to leave the country and apply for a NON O based on marriage?

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The user is inquiring about whether they can convert a NON O retirement visa to a NON O marriage visa while in Thailand, or if they must leave the country to apply for the marriage visa. They provide details about their situation, including their age, visa eligibility, and future plans regarding their marriage and work in Thailand.

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Tony ********

Following

4 years ago

Tod *********

And thus we see how not bothering to say their nationality, whether they were inside or outside the country IN their post can throw answers totally off the railz.

I'm deleting my previous comments,

@Da**

, the answer I gave you is correct under your clarification post :)

4 years ago

Dave ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

Sorry guys I should have outlined my situation more precisely.

I am 51, still in Australia, can meet the financial and health requirements for retirement visa, marriage visa, STV or TV.

My Thai girlfriend and myself had planned to marry in April 2021, but I won't marry until my Australian son and his wife can travel to Thailand to be a part of the big day.

I do not need to work in Thailand for financial reasons, only to stay active. As such my girlfriend and I have started a goat farm, so untimately I would like to get a work visa to actively participate on the farm without falling foul of the legal system.

My concern is if I come to Thailand on an O-A visa, I may not be able to swap it over to a marriage visa easily, or that I would need to wait for the O-A retirement visa to expire before I could go for a marriage visa.

Really I am open to suggestions if anybody has a better plan to help me get done what I want to achieve.

4 years ago

Kool *******

@Dave *******

, you do have a more serious problem with working on your goat farm than getting the marriage extension. Agriculture jobs, including animal husbandry, are on the list of restricted occupations for foreigners. This means the only thing you can do is supervise, you can not do any of the physical work. If someone files a complaint, and eventually someone will, you could at an extreme be deported, but in most cases for first offence it is just an expensive fine. Also notice the manual labor restriction. You can not even dig a ditch, or do any physical labor. You can't even nail up a board.

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4 years ago

Steven ***************

@Dave *******

. A spouse visa doesnt automatically allow you to work here. Paid or free. It Grant's you access to a work permit though which has it's own rules and farm work isn't allowed for foreigners. You may need to register a business to obtain the work permit. The capital funds and minimum thai staff is halved for a spouse of a thai national opening a business on a spouse visa/extension.

It can get complicated.

I agree with Tod. Get over here and see what happens a year from now. But but stay under the radar if you decide to ' help' on the farm. Especially on a retirement visa. All you need is one person to complain and immigration will visit . Being legally married asap will be a big benefit in that respect.

4 years ago

Tod *********

@Dave *******

Come in on an O-A, that will stamp you in for a year (or as long as your mandatory health insurance is valid for up to a year), THEN down the road worry about what you're going to do next year after you're married. There's no reason to run and switch to a marriage extension the second your married.

Just so you're clear though you can't go from a year entry stamp on an O-A visa to a year EXTENSION based on marriage :/ You have to get one extension based on the reason you got the visa.

4 years ago

Dave ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Tod ********

thanks Tod.

I want to switch to Married visa so I can have a work permit. I dont know how I will cope watching my lady working at the farm and me basically sitting around watching.

4 years ago

David ********

@Dave *******

I'm not sure of farm work is allowed for a western foreigner. I'd say it isn't. Your only option might just be to idly sit there and watch your wife, as even handing her a tool could be considered violating the terms of your visa.

4 years ago

Andrew *********

@David *****

Not sure helping your wife on her farm, foreigners cannot own farms is classed as working. You are just helping your wife not being employed?

4 years ago

Reply to

Andrew *********

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