Questioner: Jenny
My husband will get his non-immigrant O single-entry visa tomorrow at Phuket immigration. He meets all the requirements to convert this into a retirement visa.
Can he now leave and re-enter the country once on this non-immigrant O visa before it is converted into a retirement visa? It is not clear to us at immigration…
I ask this because I want to follow him as “dependent”. I can no longer convert my visa exemption here in Thailand into non O. He would like to travel to Kuala Lumpur with me in about a month so that I can apply for my non O there.
Kind regards.
Reaction RonnyLatYa
If your husband has converted his Tourist status to a Non-immigrant, he will not obtain a Non-immigrant O Single entry visa. If permitted, he will obtain the status of Non-immigrant O, but without entries
Tomorrow he will first receive a 90-day stay. Just as he would have entered on a Non-immigrant O visa. If he wants to leave Thailand during those 90 days, he will have to buy a re-entry and ensure that he is back in Thailand before those 90 days are up. He can then extend those 90 days by a year. If he wants to leave Thailand that year, he will have to apply for re-entry again.
As for yourself.
You can normally also request your conversion to Non-immigrant at immigration. You are normally eligible because your husband now has a non-immigrant residence period, but for the correct requirements you will have to contact immigration if you have not already done so.
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