I have a retirement visa at present, is it possible to change it to marriage visa in country ,?
Immigration said no
I will not have the 800k to extend it, but been married to a thai man for 13 years
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thank you 🙏
Answer summary
The process of changing from a retirement visa to a marriage-based visa in Thailand can be a bit complex. Although initial feedback from immigration officials may indicate it's not allowed, other expats share experiences of successfully making this transition. Key steps typically involve changing the reason for your extension rather than the visa type itself. If properly documented, including proof of marriage, many have noted that it is indeed possible to switch extensions in-country, especially for females married to Thai nationals who are exempt from certain financial requirements. It's advisable to gather all necessary paperwork and consult local immigration for guidance.
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Female married to Thai man you don't need the 400k in bank go to immigration they have a form with everything you need listed on it I'm going back at the end of the month just applied to go from retirement to marriage visa waiting on immigrations decision. But I went there before I applied they gave me a list of all the paperwork I needed
that's the thing we don't know all the facts OR why Samui is denying to allow her to change her address with the TM30 OR let her do 90 day reports there.
IF I was to guess I'd say the chonburi stamp is raising red flags with them thinking an agency got it for them via the back door..
If you're are married (papers from Amber) not Monk blessing..then you don't have to show money in the Bank. As of Thai lov is the husband duty to supply money..
I understand your issue as I had exactly the same issue. The crux is the visa you entered Thailand on.
I entered on a non immigrant O-A based on being over 50. I extended that visa a couple of times (this is important). Then I decided I wanted to change the reason of my extension to marriage.
I took advice from this group and my immigration office. What I needed to do was cancel my current extension and apply for a 60 day spouse visit extension. This is very simple to do and only requires proof of marriage and address. During that 60 day extension I put together the mountain of paperwork required for the marriage extension.
On the last of the 60 days I applied for an extension of stay based on marriage. I was successful in that application and that will be my method of extension going forward.
When I renewed my NON O marriage visa back in December there was a lady that was changing from Retirement to NON O because she just got married. Not sure why you can’t get it done. Just make sure you have all the paperwork needed. Good luck.
It's the Terminology that is screwing this post off the rails. First off you can't renew any visa/extension period, they run out and you apply for a new one. Second you can't change one VISA type to another, you can only change the reason for your extension <- meaing the person you saw when you were applying for your 'new yearly extension' was changing the reason for their yearly extension from one based on retirement to one based on marriage to a thai. <- That can be done
If you are already on an extension of stay you do not change the visa you change the reason for your extension of stay. Easy to do. All you have to do is meet the requirements for that type of extension and provide all the paperwork requested. If you change extension type (i.e. from reason of work to for reason of married to a Thai or vice versa) the new extension will start from the date of application, not added to your current extension. This only happens when you change type not for future extension if reason remains the same.
I had no problem changing in county at local immigration office. They will try and talk you out of it saying it’s no different, more paperwork for them to process. But I found based on marriage to a Thai carried more weight getting back into Thailand during this pandemic
It is possible there is a guy on YouTube called Teacher Thomas Thailand (TTT) he's been living in Thailand for 6 years. Non O extension for family support or marriage. 400k in the bank. He does it by having at least 40,000 THB per month being transferred from aboard per month without holding 400k in the account. I'm going to do it the same way. Contact him he's a fantastic guy always willing to help and no charge.
We are an American couple that have been on separate retirement visas for 10 years. We were told by immigration we could change and have one of us go on the others as a dependent but we needed a certified marriage certificate.
While I have not done it I have read several times that it is possible. People do it both ways. I read you just change your reason at the renewal. Instead of retirement it’s marriage to Thai.