@Bill *********

right, you can get 2 years of stay out of that visa in thailand without having to bank ANY money here at all. 🙂 You show proof of funds in your country (y)

𝗗𝗼 𝗜 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆?

Nope, you're more than a little mixed up on how the OA visa works 😕

It's a year long, multi-entry visa you get from a thai consulate in your country before you come here.

You are correct it requires you showing proof of funds (in that country is fine), having 100K USD mandatory medical insurance (with the printed certificate showing you're covered) requires a back ground check and a medical certificate.

Now that visa is good for unlimited entries for the year it's valid for, each entry getting you stamped in for a year OR as long as your mandatory insurance is valid for (up to one year).

Most people get TWO years of stay out of a visa valid for a year by doing this;

Just before the visa itself expires (not the year entry stamp you're here on) you get a new year mandatory 100K USD insurance, you exit/re-enter thailand and you will get stamped in for a whole new year (or as long as your insurance is valid for up to a year)

You would need to buy a re-entry permit if you wanted to exit/re-enter that second year because the original re-entry that was sold with the visa runs out when the visa does

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮.

After that you either bank the money and get an in country yearly extension at the immigration office OR you wing your way back to your country and buy another Non-OA visa to start the 2 years of stay over again.

This thread is just turning in to a train wreck. AND I can't see any upside to keeping it open

Not to mention the O/P

@David ********

hasn't responded back.

Thanx one and all for the comments (both good and bad)

Believe me, I was not trying to scare monger, I was trying to let the O/P know how it can be flying in.

@Jack *******

was correct about one thing, and that is the O/P's age will definitely count in their favor as we don't see a lot of old people milking 60 day stamps to live here

All the O/P can do is have the marriage certificate copy, have his wife's number on his phone and be ready in case they are pulled aside and questioned.

There's not a person on this or any other group/forum/reddit thread related to thailand on the inter-web who can say without a doubt that this person will skate in when they arrive here. Just hope for the best and be ready is about the best the O/P can do

@Jack *******

he might skate thru OR he might get pulled aside and questioned, and believe me comin' in free stamp with his previous entry/stay history, no matter what he's gonna do once he's here is what's going to after he gets here is what's gonna flag him

@Dave **************

totally FALSE< vientiane and savannakhet are fine for 90 day single entry Non-O visa based on marriage or retirement or business, and they are wicked fast

you need to upload PROOF you're IN lao when you apply (visa / entry stamp) but anyone on a tourist visa can apply there without issue

you will be able to get the Non-O there no issue at all and way faster than most consulates in S/E Asia

If you're up in Udon and they can't do it, I'd say GO to Vientiane and apply for the Non-O.

That consulate is wicked fast on 'regular' visas (Non-ED, O, B etc)..

you go to Lao, log in, upload proof you're in lao, upload your documentation, submit it, you get a confirmation you take to the embassy in person so you can pay for the visa and MANY people have reported getting the approval email before they even got back to their hotel after paying 😮 or at least the very next day

Go there Sunday, apply online, Show up Monday to pay, and I bet you'd be approved by Tuesday the latest 🙂

You could also check with your immigration office as soon as you hit the ground on the 60 day visa exempt entry. Most offices sell in country Non-immigrant visas and you might be able to just apply thru your office (unless it's one of the ones that can't do in country Non-Imm visas 😕 )

Sadly the fact you're married to a thai cuts no ice with immigrations when you're trying to come in to the country "free stamp" entry as a tourist, no matter what you tell them you want to do after you get stamped in

That is especially so if you have an extensive entry/stay history on free stamp entries <- which it appears you do have 😕

Why not just getting the 90 day single entry Non-Immigrant Visa based on marriage before you wing your way back here from the thai consulate in the US that serves the state you're in?

That would get you in for 90 days without any issue at all,

Then you could just work on getting the funds in place, waiting the 2 months required for it to 'season' and apply for the yearly extension based on marriage from the immigration office after that

That way you're sure to get in without any issue at all, versus fly in free stamp and hope for the best

You'd want this choice on the eVisa online web-portal when you apply

Since those consulates in Malaysia went to the eVisa online system they sure aren't know for speedy processing (like they used to be when you walked up to them)

I would say you could get the 90 day Non-O visa from Kuala Lumpur, Penang or Kota Bharu, but I'd plan on being their the processing time they post on their website (which you would have to look at for the one you select)

Shouldn't have much trouble other than the processing time. The system is straight foward, GO to malaysia, select the consulate based on where you're staying there, log in, upload proof you're in Malaysia (visa/entry stamp) upload the documentation, proof of funds, submit the application and pay online. Then you wait for them to email you as far as if it's approved or rejected.

The proof of relationship is your marriage certificate to a thai 🙂 That's all they care about,

The proof of where you are can be anything and that it has your thai husbands name on it shouldn't make a difference, although if it makes you feel better about the application you can use a bill only in your name.

I would say you're over thinking it just a bit and will have no problem with the application.

Good luck with it (y)