Can I switch from a Retirement Visa to a Marriage Visa and what challenges might I face?

Go ask Immigration!

Here you only get lots of hearsay.

@William ********

You mostly received bad info so far (except from Wylie below). You have to cancel your visa with your current agent, bounce, and come back to start over on marriage visa. Boucing alone is not enough, the visa need to be canceled (voided) before bouncing. Since you used an agent to by-pass financial requirement, this is the procedure to not get into any trouble while applying for Non O based on marriage. You have to cancel the visa before leaving no matter what. You will get a 2 weeks grace period when the visa get canceled where overstay doesn't count (a 2 weeks stamp).

If you don't have 400k baht, why did you get married? Is your wife HiSo?

If you get divorced anytime with marriage visa you have to leave Thailand.

Every immigration office is different. Go to your local office and ask them. It is the only way. They are usually very helpful.

From what I understand at Ratchaburi immigration, you need to deposit B400k for the first year of a marriage visa. Then you can switch to the B40k per month deposit to your account.

If one can’t get B400k or B800k, then that person who has little money needs to spend an extra B25k-B60k additionally every year. Without my Thai wife I could not have gotten it done on a timely basis.

Simply.

Because you used an agent to "fix" the money issue, you will not likely be able to "change reason of extension ".

You did not qualify and cannot prove you did.

This will be compounded if the agent did not arrange this visa in your current location.

Check your stamp and see if it is from your local office, if it is not your chances of success is even slighter.

You will have to leave and start again.

OR talk to your agent again and continue on the "hamster wheel".

Best advice , try BUT have plan B ready if it fails.

Maybe the office will make it possible ata cost of course.

TIT

For the monthly option you need to show in your THAI bank account, monthly money transfers from overseas, you must also have a minimum of 12 months of this happening

Seems to me there are a number of issues here and they will all need addressed in one way or another. I'm guessing you used an agent due to not having the 800k baht in a Thai bank account? If so it is normal for immigration to check that you have honoured the requirements for your current extension and you will fail this check if you didn't have 800k baht in your account for 3 months after obtaining the extension and never going below 400k baht at any point during the year, that's why people get stuck with agents. Usually the only way to get out from under the agent is to leave the country and start over. But let's assume you did have the money in the bank...

Will you have a full 12 months of a minimum of 40k baht each and every month at the time you will apply for the next extension? If not you can't use monthly income as the US embassy won't certify your income. If you do have the full 12 months will your local immigration office accept monthly income? An increasing number of offices will no longer accept that for an extension based on marriage.

I had no problem doing myself after first year of retirement visa . Done it all with the wife's help .

Rubbish

You are absolutely correct that going from using an agent is hard but it isn't impossible. The first two things you need to look at are:

1. Because you have a 1 year extension based on 800k Baht in a Thai bank. When you apply for your next extension you must show 800k in a Thai bank on the day you applied (2024) and that 800k Baht was maintained for the next 3 months. Then for the remainder of the year the balance did not drop below 400k.

2. Will your immigration office allow you to extend for the reason of being married to a Thai national based on income. Some (most) offices require the money to be generated in Thailand therefore you will probably need a work permit. Some offices also require you to be married for a minimum amount of time.

If you can satisfy the above then ask for a list of requirements. It is a much longer list than the retirement but once you have done it once you can just repeat in future years.

Good luck.

The married visa is no problem at all, a few foto copys 3 pitures and your bank statement with at least 40k a month.

Find the nearest immigration office to where you live, go and ask them for the paperwork for a extension of visa being married you need 400,000 buats in account for 3 months before the renewal ,(second time of renewal) first time 2months)

Classic example of a d1ck doing things the wrong way, and wants to correct it... you made your bed.. get out of Thailand if you do not satisfy the requirements.... ps. Immigration troll these FB groups.. so hope you not using your real name haha

You will be switching both the reason for the visa.. from retirement to marriage.. as well as the financial obligation.. from savings to income.. at the same time.. if you were simply extending on the same basis.. ie. for retirement.. then you shouldn't have a problem.. but there is a possibility that immigration consider the switch of basis to marriage as a first application under that category.. and then deny you use of the income method.. because it can only be used from the first extension onwards.. so you need to check this out.. if you did not have your own funds in place when you submitted your last application.. and used an agent to solve that problem.. then you should also be aware that immigration may want to check that the funds remained in the account for the requisite period after the visa was issued.. which could lead them to re-checking that the seasoning of funds was also met last time around.. if you now have the 400k sum in the bank it may be better to abandon the idea of 'switching' altogether.. if you just leave and re-enter the country near the visa expiry date.. without a re-entry permit.. you will re-set the clock.. and can apply for the married visa without connecting it to your previous retirement visa.. thereby alleviating the scrutiny that a conversion might draw.. but again , your original plan might work.. provided the IO you get on the day is not as diligent as one of his colleagues may be!

I think when most people talk about it being difficult to switch from an agent to DIY all it means is you will unlikely be able to simply apply for another extension since the agent got you around the financial requirement. When you go to get your new extension you will need to prove you fulfilled the requirements of the last one. You will need to show that the 800k remained in your account for 3 months after you got your last extension and it didn't go below 400k the rest of the year. If you can't provide the documents to show that, then you will have to start over.

Unfortunately the only way you will know if your going to have difficulties is when the immigration officer checks your passport. There have been several cases reported that the agent has used an office outside the province and they have been told to ho back there.

You may not want hearsay, but unless you specify the actual office you use then others direct experience will probably be useless as each office has their own requirements that can differ quite a bit.

If you didn’t have the ฿800k then do you have the ฿400k for the marriage visa?