Almost everyone who ends up on a long stay extension passes through a Non-Immigrant O first. It is the foundation, not the destination: the O entry gives you an initial period of stay, and it is during that period that you apply for the one year extension based on retirement or marriage.
Many people arrive in Thailand on a tourist entry, discover this too late, and are told they have to leave the country. In most cases they do not. Conversion inside Thailand is possible if you have enough days left on your current stamp, and that time limit is exactly why you should talk to us early.
Two ways to get one
- From abroad, at a Thai embassy or consulate, applied for through the e-visa system before you travel. Cleaner, but you have to be outside Thailand.
- By conversion, from a tourist entry or visa exemption stamp, at immigration inside Thailand. This is what we do most often, and it has a hard deadline: you need a minimum number of days remaining on your current permission to stay.
If you are already here on a tourist stamp
Check the date stamped in your passport today, not next week. Conversion requires days on the clock, and every day you wait removes an option.
If you have already fallen below the threshold, you are not stuck, but the route changes: an extension of your tourist stay first, or a trip to a Thai consulate abroad. We will tell you which one applies and what it costs before you buy any ticket.
How it works
- 1
Read your stamp
Send us a photo of your current entry stamp on LINE. That single image tells us which routes are still open to you.
- 2
Choose the basis
Retirement, marriage or a dependant relationship. The basis determines the documents and the financial requirement.
- 3
Prepare and file
We build the file, book the appointment at Jomtien and attend with you.
- 4
Then the extension
The O entry is the first half. We diary the date and file your one year extension inside the correct window.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need left on my stamp to convert?
There is a minimum, and applications below it are refused at the counter. Send us a photo of your stamp and we will tell you immediately whether you are inside the window. This is genuinely time critical, so do not leave it until the last week.
Single entry or multiple entry?
If you will leave and re-enter Thailand before your extension is issued, the entry type matters a great deal. In most in country cases we pair a single entry with a re-entry permit, which is usually cheaper and simpler. We will work out which is better for your travel plans.
Is the Non-O the same thing as a retirement visa?
No, and the confusion costs people money. The Non-O is an entry category. What people call a retirement visa is an extension of stay granted on top of it. You need both, in that order.
Send us a photo of your entry stamp
One photo on LINE and we will tell you today which routes are still open, how many days you have left, and what each option costs.
Related services
- Visa servicesThai retirement visa in PattayaThe one year extension of stay based on retirement, prepared, filed and renewed for you, without the Jomtien Immigration queue.
- Visa servicesThai marriage visa in PattayaThe extension of stay based on marriage to a Thai national, with a lower financial requirement than the retirement route and no minimum age.
- Visa servicesChanging your visa type inside ThailandConverting a tourist entry or exemption stamp into a Non-Immigrant category without leaving the country, while you still have the days to do it.
- Visa services90 day reporting in PattayaYour address notification filed for you at Jomtien Immigration, usually the same day, without you setting foot in the building.