Is it true that a 60-day tourist visa cannot be converted to a marriage visa in Thailand?

@Jack ***************

You can.

The process is called „change of visa type” and it is done on Immigration inside Thailand.

When you enter on the single entry 60 days tourist visa, first off you should open a Thai bank account in your sole name. Many banks won’t open one on a tourist visa, so it is faster if you use an agent.

Then wire a transfer of a minimum of 400.000.- THB to your bank account. Once the deposit sits there, get your bankbook and a fresh ATM receipt of a small sum of money, and visit Immigration.

Apply for the change of visa type from the Tourist Visa to a “90-Days Non-Imm-O family Visa”. There is no seasoning of the 400.000.- THB needed at this point. The fee for the application is 2000.- THB

Why this? Most Immigrations however require a proof that the funds came from abroad. This is very immigration specific.

The Immigration in Jomtien is known for making up their own rules – one of these being that the 400.000.- THB need to have seasoned for 2 month for the application to the initial 90 days visa!

But most other Immigrations only want to see the money in your account. The two months seasoning will be required when you apply for the 1-year extension of stay permit, from up to 30 days before the 90 days of the Non-Imm-O visa expire.

The Non-O visa will first get issued for 14 days “under consideration”. That’s why you need a minimum of 15 workdays left on your stay permit on the day you apply for the change. After the 14 days, visit Immigration and pick up the 90-days visa stamp.

Once you are only 30 days away from the expiration of the 90 days stay permit, and the 400.000.- THB have seasoned in your account for minimum of two months, you can apply for the “1-year extension of stay permit based on marriage to a Thai wife” The fee for this application is 1900.- THB

Your “1-year family Extension” will be issued “4 weeks under consideration”. During this period, Immigration will visit you at home, take pictures and ask your neighbors if they think that you are really married. Smile at everything and offer them some coffee or tea!

After the four weeks, visit Immigration and pick up your one-year extension stamp.

I included the .pdf of the Immigration website, listing the requirements for a “change” from the tourist visa to a “90-days Non-Imm-O family visa”

NOTE: do not travel out of Thailand during the two “under consideration” periods

NOTE 2: when issued the Extension of the Stay Permit, buy a re-entry permit, so you stay permit stays alive in case you exit Thailand and re-enter within this one-year extension. A single re-entry permit is 1000.- THB, a multi re-entry permit is 3800.- THB

/6.FOR-PROVIDING-SUPPORT-TO-OR-BEING-A-DEPENDANT-OF-A-THAI-CITIZEN-SPOUSE-VISA-NON-O.pdf