What visa options do I have for an extended stay in Thailand given my circumstances?

The need for a onward ticket (Pro forma ticket ) is when the visa or visa excempt period, don’t correspond with the dates on the flight ticket.

Thailand allows you to stay 60 days, and they want you to show them, that you complies to that agreement and show intend to leave Thailand within that period.

it's not a fake ticket, it's a ticket that can be canceled and refunded.

Nu 60 dagen en daar verlengen met 30 dagen. En tsja...dan wordt het een visa run volgens mij

Manuel Manuel . . . You don’t need a visa at all

You can enter visa-exempt, will get stamped in for 60 days. Then on Immigration, you can extend for further 30 days, the fee is 1900.- THB

This will get you until January 28.

The only problem could be the airline, they might want to see an onward travel proof within these first 60 days (a real, cheap one-way ticket out of Thailand or a fake “onwardticket”)

Before the last 30 days expire, visit Immigration and apply for the “60-days extension based on visit family”. The fee is 1900.- THB. You need a freshly printed marriage registry document for Immigration to prove your marriage. It’s called Kor Ror 22 (not to be confused with the Kor Ror 2, which is the rose bordered marriage certificate)

These 60 days would bring you until March 28

Then just do ONE MORE border run, enter visa-exempt and get stamped in for 60 days, again. You return flight is the perfect proof of onward travel in case you do this border run by air.

At age 50 you can apply for a retirement visa. Consult a visa agent as soon as you land in Thailand to get everything set up before your birthday. I was able to switch from a visa waiver to the retirement visa without even leaving the country.

why get a "fake" ticket. just book the cheapest one way real ticket to Cambodia "no checked luggage, etc" which when I did it a few years ago was around $70USD. don't assume Thai immigration can't figure out what's fake and what's not! it's not that difficult.

METV, apply in your own country before you depart, gives you upto 9 months here, you have to leave and re enter every 90 days.

So you’ll need 6 months. You could arrive with just a passport and you’ll get 60 days visa exempt. Then extend it another 30 at the immigration office for 1900 baht. Then take a border trip to Lao or Cambodia and on reentry get another 60 day visa exempt plus add another 30 for 1900 baht and you’re at 6 months with no visa. In case someone asks about your return you can book a bus leaving Thailand for $12 online and if asked show the bus ticket.

just take a bus to lao and come back in. *just bring marriage cert" should be ok.

Immigration will be fine. The airline may ask for a return or onward ticket. Use a dummy ticket, it is a real flight code, or a cheap budget airline ticket from Bangkok to a near country.

Just buy a real ticket to a nearby destination at 40-50 USD. Arrive on a 60 days visa exemption, do a 30 days extension and a border run to re-enter on a 60 days visa exemption and apply for a 30 days extension. As married Thai you can also apply for additional 60 days extension visiting Thai family if your marriage is registered in Thailand.