CONVERT A 30 DAY VISA EXEMPT TO NON O VISA

CONVERT A 30 DAY TO NON O VISA. You will need at least 15 days left because that’s how long they want to process the application. About two weeks after applying for the visa you return to immigration to have the visa stamped in your passport and receive a new 90 day permit to stay. Towards the end of that 90 day stay you return to immigration to apply for a 1 year extension of stay based on retirement. At no time do you need to leave the country.IF APPLYING VIA A PROCESS OF CONVERSION WITHOUT LEAVING THAILAND, You will need to use one of three methods to prove finances. 1.a letter from your embassy stating that you have 65,000+ baht average monthly income; or 2. 800,000 baht in a bank account in Thailand, together with the transfer details that prove the money came from abroad; or 3. a combination of income and money in bank coming to 800,000 baht annualized.IF APPLYING OUTSIDE THAILAND.I suggest you do it in Savannakhet in Laos.They will issue you with a single entry Non O (50+) with the income letter and/or money in the bank (and I believe the money in the bank can be in an overseas account). If you want to apply in Vientiane, it is best to use the income method, which I think obviates the need for proof of retirement. If applying there based on money in the bank, you need to also be able to show some income from something like a pension (they worry about illegal working in Thailand).If applying via a process of conversion without leaving Thailand, the details will vary a bit depending on your local immigration office. Some may make it difficult. At a minimum, you must have 15 days left on your current permission to stay, but some offices may insist on at least 21 days left. One way or another (whether through conversion or visa from a consulate outside Thailand) you will have a 90-day entry. Towards the end of those 90 days, you apply for a one-year extension of your permission to stay (If applying for the extension with money in the bank, this money must be in an account in Thailand, and must have been there for 60 days.). If you want to leave Thailand (either during the initial 90 days, or during the one-year extension, you must get a re-entry permit to keep your permission to stay intact when you return to Thailand.