The two consulates in Lao (Vientiane AND Savannakhet) have mandatory interview for DTV visa approval, that's what's been taking the time, they have a lag between when you apply, go pay in person, and when they contact you and tell you to come for the interview

Sheesh you got answers all over the place

Just so you're clear there's NO one on this or any group to thailand that can tell you if you'll skate right in OR if they'll question you at passport control BUT your planned entries don't seem anything out of the ordinary

As people said, you get a new 60 day visa exempt entry every time they let you into the country

SO

Show up get a 60 day visa exempt entry,

(hopefully you'll have proof you're leaving before the 60 days is up)

come back in get a NEW 60 day entry stamp

(again hopefully you'll have proof you're leaving before the 60 days is up)

then go back to where ever you come from

these are the opening to apply for a Non-Imm visa out there in C-1,

@Joe *****

you can show up and queue up with the zombie horde waiting to get in

OR

You can book an appt online (both to apply for the initial 90 day Non-O and to do the year extension after you get the visa

you can go out to Chaengwattana Section C-1 and get the hand out listing all the documents you need to apply for the initial 90 day Non-O visa. That way you can get everything ready and be able to pull it off in one try 🙂 and obviously your thai wife goes with you when you apply both for the visa and the year extension (she doesn't need to go with you when you go back to get the 90 day Non-O inked in OR when you go back to get the year extension inked in)

It is a three step process to go from a 60 day visa exempt entry, to first a 90 day Non-O visa based on marriage and then a year extension of stay based on marriage inside the country at the Bangkok Immigration office

You need to meet the proof of funds 400K baht in a thai bank account in your name only on the day you apply for the initial 90 day Non-O visa, you need the photos, map, copies, bank documents, marriage documents, wife's documents, your copies AND you need a minimum of 15 days left on your current visa exempt entry or the 30 day extension from that entry in order to apply

You go to Chaengwattana Section C-1 with your wife, all the documents, (from visa exempt to in country Non-O you want form TM87), you apply for the 90 day Non-O visa, you pay the 2000baht, you get a receipt that tells you to come back in 2 weeks. On that date you go back with the passport, they ink in a Non-O visa stamp it used and give you a new 90 day stamp

THEN you wait until your 400K baht is seasoned in your bank account for 2 months and have 45 days or less left on that 90 day stamp, get all new documentation, photos, map, bank stuff, wife's stuff etc, along with form TM7, go to Chaengwattana Section L-1 and apply for the yearly extension for 1900baht

You will get a 21 day under consideration stamp, on that date you show up with your passport and go to Section L-2 and they'll ink in the year extension, after that you buy a re-entry permit if you need to exit/re-enter (1000baht for single and 3800baht for multiple)

There are some offices that require the 400K baht to be seasoned the same as a marriage to a thai extension <- 2 months before you apply for the extension

BUT

There is nothing written into the immigration rules about that raising thai child extension that actually says the funds have to be seasoned, only that they're IN a thai bank account in your name only when you apply for the year extension.

Also no office has 3 month seasoning for ANY extension (except the raising foreign child enrolled in school here and that's for the second yearly extension onward)

I think the O/P has more than enough information to decide what they want to do going forward

Best of luck to them, (y)

@Jonas ************

careful, "apply 3 weeks before your current stamp expires" is only a Chiang Mai office rule <- they require a minimum of 15 business days left on your stamp, where as most offices only require a minimum of 15 days

@Johnny ******

I said that they had TWO choices and remember not every immigration office in the country issues in country Non-Imm visas AND Jomtien makes the 800k baht for the initial Non-O application be seasoned 2 months which might mess up their timeline IF they show up free stamp