I have "transferred" from a retirement to marriage visa and am married to a Thai citizen. Have been living here for 12 years and plan to continue to do so. I never really paid much attention to all these categories till I was obliged to change visas for financial reasons. Your point 4) is very interesting. What does the A in OA stand for? (How I "transferred" is a long story which I posted about earlier, not relevant for this thread in case anyone wants to enquire).
What I was concerned about was a) whether I should get a re-entry permit before leaving Thailand in case my plan fell down, or would that just confuse immigration at Suvarnabhumi if I returned with a new visa? b) can a single entry non-immigrant visa be converted to a marriage visa and I guess the answer is yes ("Phew").
OK - thanks for all the replies. Here's my plan. [My retirement extension expires 17 Jul] Comments welcome. a) IO says she can grant me a 60 day extension if I can supply her with more documentation (I will tomorrow) b) this would get over the fact I need to be in the UK 3 Aug to 25 Aug c) while in the UK (far from London) I visit the local consulate and apply for a single entry non-immigrant visa d) I enter Thailand using the new visa which is valid for 90 days e) 30 days before it expires I apply for conversion to marriage visa. Would this work?