What is the process for a foreign spouse to obtain a Kor Tor 22 in Thailand, and can a Retirement Visa later be converted to a Spousal Visa?

And this is what happens when you fail to research it before traveling all the way to Thailand.

How much easier is to marry in Thailand, plus the wife does not change her name. Worked well everywhere.

No short cut, i got married in Danmark and had to do all the same.

No, there’s no shortcut. You have to follow all the steps. I was at immigration yesterday, and so many people were having the same problem, including me. I told them it’s been a long process, and I’m still waiting for the State Department to certify it and then for the Thai embassy. The officer was cool about it and explained what to do next. If you don’t want to wait and go through all that, I think your best option might just be the retirement visa or a DTV.

No, there is no shortcut. If you were married in a foreign country, then you must go through those steps to get everything done in your home country before you can even start the process in Thailand.

Once you get a 90-day non-O visa, the first 1-year extension must be for the same reason the visa was obtained. So if you get a retirement visa, your first extension must be for retirement along with 800,000 baht in your Thai bank account. If you get a marriage visa, then your first extension must be for marriage, along with 400,000 baht in your Thai bank account.

The only time you can change is for the 2nd year's extension. You simply apply for the extension based on whichever reason you want at that point. If for marriage, you still need to have all of the marriage certificate stuff done ahead of time, because you need your marriage to be registered in Thailand first.