I was on the case.

You would be a first in Chiang Mai! They don't know about it.

You can't get a work permit without having a non o volunteer visa from outside of Thailand.

Change of status for non o retirement is 3 weeks.

Volunteer is out of the country and back.

I was volunteer coordinator for up to 170 volunteers in one foundation. No one ever got it in country in Chiang Mai.

It can take an hour. You need a full copy of the old passport, every page with a stamp and face page of your new passport. Also you have to complete and sign every page. And you need to fill out forms as well.

Some idiot at the border stamped wherever he wanted instead of in neat spaces where they should have previously stamped, anyways it wasted a full page adding to the 2 visas pages and I was gone. New passport required.

I suggest get a new passport unless you have a lot of space on other pages.

It's simply stopping shadiness where people don't want to go to immigration.

New style and nothing to worry about. They have been using stamps for most of the year, probably while making stickers. Congratulations!

I think every night they destroy any passports they are holding.

Go now! Go early! There are holidays tomorrow and next Monday.

Just get a new one.