You might want to mention where in Thailand

The Thai embassy. They are the only ones who can "make" a visa

@Peter ********

I really don't understand what you're asking or where you even are. That's a visa for Laos. It has nothing to do with Thailand.

@Gary *********

no one will stop you from anything. It's just whether or not it affects your visa or not. Get the visa before you go and you don't have to worry about any of that until you are applying for your extension.

@Peter ********

You're already in Laos? Then you already got the visa on arrival, or they wouldn't have let you in. You don't do anything. You could have just turned around and went right back to Thailand.

@Gary *********

you can apply for it any time you want. But I find it hard to believe you are going to be leaving and returning 4 times in 70 days to justify the price of the multiple re-entry permit. Not to mention since you said you plan on converting in Thailand, you're going to be subject to an "under consideration period" that can last more than 30 days and will need to be available for an immigration visit to your home with you and your spouse.

I've never heard of a Thai joint bank account with 2 foreigners.

@Sai *******

why are you planning to arrive visa exempt? It's going to be all but impossible for you to open a bank account if you do that. And the bank account will be required for you to apply for the non-O visa.

Get the visa from your Thai embassy before traveling to Thailand.

@Billy *****

each embassy sets their own price. You would need to check with your Thai embassy

There's not really any visa that's going to fit 5 months. I suppose you could get a non-OA visa but that's going to be a lot of effort that isn't really necessary.

You could get a 90-day non-O visa and then when the 90 days are up, do a border bounce where you leave Thailand and return. Then you can get a new 60-day visa exempt stamp that should get the 5 months you're looking for. You can even apply for a 30-day extension on that visa exempt entry if you need a little more time.

And starting with the non-O visa should protect you from being questioned about spending too much time in Thailand as a tourist.