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February 7, 2015
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How to get a Thai Visa: Stay in Thailand

How to get a Thai Visa: Stay in Thailand https://i0.wp.com/chiangmaibuddy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/How-to-get-a-Tha-Visa.jpg?fit=538%2C218&ssl=1 538 218 cmbadmin cmbadmin https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a0e7ec04d65a021865830fe3e536350b?s=96&d=mm&r=g February 7, 2015 February 7, 2015

How to get a Thai Visa to Visit or Stay in Thailand

Types of Thai Visa’s & How to Visit or Stay in Thailand

The Visa situation for Thailand have started to change with the introduction of Military Rule, although mainly just with the boarder run extensions being clamped down on. Those who intend to visit or stay in Thailand will still find this an easy process – so long as you do it correctly with the proper Visa.

Following is mini Thai Visa Guide for the kinds of visas and visa exemptions, work permits, and immigration issues in Thailand. Please Note: Rules and procedures subject to change at any time (and do). This is a guide only, it is prudent to check to see if these rules still pertain to your application at the time of applying.

Visa Requirements for coming to Thailand

Foreigners coming to Thailand for more than one month will require a visa which they can get in their home country from the Thai Embassy or Consulate Office. Depending on the purpose of your visit (studying, seeking business opportunities, wanting to work or just for a holiday) should apply for the specific Visa for that purpose.

N.B.

1) Arriving by Airplane you can obtain a 30 day tourist Visa. To do this you will need to show you have an exit ticket before the 30 days have expired. In today’s climate, people without the exit Visa are being turned away on the spot or asked to obtain a Visa on Arrival (see below if your country is eligible)

2) If you are coming for extended touring, study, retiring or employment in Thailand, you must all apply for the correct tourist or non-immigrant visas. A non-immigrant is to highlight that your stay is a temporary one

3) To obtain Permanent Residency, you would have to have lived in Thailand for 5 years before being able to apply

The five main categories of Visa’s available to foreigners planning to visit Thailand. They are:

Tourist Visa (TR)
Education Visa (ED)
Business Visa (B)
Dependent Visa
Retirement Visa

If you wish to come to Thailand for 1 to 6 months the most suitable of these is a double entry Tourist Visa. This will allow you to enter the Kingdom of Thailand twice for a period of 60 days, and extend the visa for 30 days while you are here. A total of 6 months. For longer stays you can repeat this process but you might also like to chose an Education Visa (and take a course of study) or for the Expats a Retirement Visa.

You do not need a Visa when:

The Visa Exempt Permission to stay is granted to citizens of certain countries when arriving via an international airport (30 days) and Land boarders (15 days – 30 days for citizens of G7 Countries). Even then, once you arrive this decision for a visa exemption upon arrival is up to the immigration officer on duty. To increase your chances provide evidence of:

You intention to visit as that of a tourist (onward travel tickets, hotel and any tours booked)
Sufficient funds (10,000 THB per person or 20,000 THB per family)

You should also ensure that you dress in modest attire and be very respectful. If you turn up chewing gum, in a wife beater and dreadlocks, there is a good chance now days you will be turned away.

Countries available for the Exempt Permission to Stay

1. Australia : Commonwealth of Australia
2. Austria : Republic of Austria
3. Belgium : Kingdom of Belgium
4. Brazil : Federative Republic of Brazil (****)
5. Bahrain : State of Bahrain
6. Brunei Darussalam : Negara Brunei Darussalam
7. Canada
8. Denmark : Kingdom of Denmark
9. Finland : Republic of Finland
10. France : French Republic
11. Germany : Federal Republic of Germany
12. Greece : Hellenic Republic
13. Hong Kong : Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
14. Iceland : Republic of Iceland
15. Indonesia : Republic of Indonesia
16. Ireland : Republic of Ireland
17. Israel : State of Israel
18. Italy : Republic of Italy
19. Japan
20. Korea : Republic of Korea (****)
21. Kuwait : State of Kuwait
22. Luxembourg : Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
23. Malaysia
24. Monaco : Principality of Monaco
25. Netherlands : Kingdom of the Netherlands
26. New Zealand
27. Norway : Kingdom of Norway
28. Oman : Sultanate of Oman
29. Peru : Republic of Peru (****)
30. Philippines : Republic of the Philippines
31. Portugal : Republic of Portugal
32. Qatar : State of Qatar
33. Singapore : Republic of Singapore
34. Spain : Kingdom of Spain
35. South Africa : Republic of South Africa
36. Sweden : Kingdom of Sweden
37. Switzerland : Swiss Confederation
38. Turkey : Republic of Turkey
39. United Arab Emirates
40. United Kingdom : United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
41. United States of America
42. Vietnam : Socialist Republic of Vietnam
43. Czech : Czech Republic
44. Hungary : Republic of Hungary
45. Liechtenstein : Principality of Liechtenstein
46. Poland : Republic of Poland
47. Slovak : Slovak Republic
48. Slovenia : Republic of Slovenia

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How to Get a Work Permit in Thailand

To Work in Thailand: is only possibly on a Business Visa or a Dependent Visa and is an additional category after your Visa has been obtain. English Teachers are able to obtain these via their employers with much less hassle, and other specialist categories can be apply for. Non-Immigrant B and O Visa holders allowed to have a work permit. Once the work permit is in hand, the visa can be extended to match the duration of the employment contract.

Educational Vocations (Teachers)

If you are qualified to work as an English Teacher, your school employer will usually, (after your probation period) apply for a work permit on your behalf. Both Work permits and Applications for new Visa for education purposes are much easier to come by. Most TEFL schools and Thai Language schools have dedicated staff who do all the administration and paper work for you.

Start a Business

If you are to start a business in Thailand with an official Thai company, your business can issue one work permit per 4 Thai nationals employed. The process to form a company can be done by yourself, but hiring a Lawyer to do this for you, will save you a lot of headache and the fee’s are very reasonably compared to other countries. In addition the legal expertise will be able to avoid or bypass some of the strict requirements.

To get a work permit via a business you will need

1) Company which is 51% Thai owned (you can only own 49%)
2) Two Million Baht Capital (of which 10% is required in a Thai Bank account)
3) 4 Thai employees (with paid salary) for every Westerner

There are a number of grounds upon which a work permit can be granted (this is on a discretionary basis and will take into account usual considerations such as suitability and qualifications of the foreigner for the position):

The company must have a fully paid-up registered capital of 2 million Baht to hire one foreigner, plus one person for every additional 2 million Baht (to a maximum of 10 people).
If the registered capital of the company is less than 2 million the company can hire one foreigner if its total corporate income tax payment had been at least 5 million Baht for the past three years. The company can hire one foreigner for every 5 million Baht paid in tax.
The employer has engaged in export which has brought into Thailand revenue of 3 million Baht in the previous fiscal year. The employer can hire one foreigner for every additional 3 million Baht up to a maximum of 3 people.
The employer has at least 50 Thai employees per foreign employee up to a maximum of 5 foreign employees.
A foreign employee must have paid personal income tax of at least 18,000 Baht in the previous personal tax year or if the foreign employee has not worked in Thailand previously, documents for potential employers confirming that, the foreign employee will obtain income in Thailand of at least 50,000 Baht per month for an employee who is single and 60,000 per month for a married person, must be presented.

Work for an Existing Business as a Freelance or Employee

Today there are a variety of business that have set up that can provide someone with the required qualifications a work permit to work for a local Thai company. Skilled digital media freelancers, consultants and other specialty service providers can either

1) Bring their client base and work under the umbrella company
2) Gain employment with the Thai based company in the Web and design based industries.

This type of employment is usually under a fixed term contract of a 1 year (minimum) and is attractive to illegitimate workers because of the cheaper tax rate and living expenses in Thailand. You can bring your existing customer base and continue to work on your client projects or you can work on existing projects the company is involved with.

The company will then take over the function of billing your services to your clients (or employer) for an agreed percentage share of the work you do. They provide you with medical, insurance and all of your visa requirements – allowing you to live and work in Thailand without having to invest the capital to start your own company..

This type of arrangement benefits you by increasing your actual earnings due to the lower tax rates of working in Thailand and providing you with a work permit. Recent changes in the Visa laws means that you will still have to do your 90 day reporting every three months

Iglu have offices in Chiang Mai and Bangkok and deal mostly with people from Europe. Thaiworkvisa.com works in conjunction with them and at the present time has a focus in the Finnish community. You can find more details by visiting the websites respectively.

Important to remember about Work Permits

The way the Work Permit works (excuse the redundancy) is that they are issued by the Ministry of Labour to the employer, not to the person with the name on the Work Permit. The work permit is issued for one position in one location (usually) and therefore can not be transferred from one place of employment to another. Moreover you can not move from one city to another and continue to do the same work unless multiple locations have been registered with the Labor department.

Once your employment ends, so too does your ability to work. You can not resume employment elsewhere.

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How to Apply for a Visa to Thailand

Each country will require different criteria and documentation. For example many African and Asian countries will require more photographs, applications and proof of medical safety. Most people from western countries however, will have a much easier time in the application process, and type of documents required. The following is an edited version from the Thailand Immigration Bureau without all the references to the short term stay options mentioned above.

1. A foreign citizen who wishes to enter the Kingdom of Thailand is required to obtain a visa from a Royal Thai Embassy or a Royal Thai Consulate-General.

a) You can make your application from any Thai Embassy in the world, regardless of being a citizen
b) Applications from your home country can be done via postal service (no repeated trips to Embassies)
c) Each Embassy have varying reputation for being more or less lenient in the granting of double entry Visa options.

Documents required to Apply for a Thai Visa

Passport or travel document with a validity not less than 6 months
Visa application form (filled out)
One recent 4x6cm. photograph of the applicant
Round-trip air ticket or e-ticket (paid in full)
Proof of financial means (20,000 baht per person/40,000 baht per family)
Processing fee (2000 baht per entry or your countries equivalent if applying from home)

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Types of Visa’s available in Thailand

Thailand Tourist Visa US$30

A tourist visa will be issued to applicants wishing to enter the Kingdom for tourism purposes. You are not allowed to work or conduct business with a tourist visa.

A tourist visa can be used to stay in Thailand for up to 30 days or up to 60 days and can be extended by 30 days at the nearest Immigration office. Normally there is a fee of 1,900 Baht

A tourist visa is needed when a person plans to stay in Thailand for tourism purposes longer than the 15 or 30 days that is allowed when entering under the visa exemption, or if a person is from a country that has no visa exemption agreements with Thailand.

Requirements for a Thai Tourist Visa

This type of visa will be issued to applicants who wishing to enter Thailand for tourism purposes .

Documents Required

– Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months
– Visa application form completely filled out
– One recent( 4 x 6 cm.) photograph of the applicant
– Air ticket or eTicket paid in full
– Financial means (20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht per family)
– Consular officers reserve the rights to request for additional documents as deemed necessary

Validity of a Tourist Visa

The validity of a visa is three months or six months after it has been issued. That means that you must utilize your visa within 90 or 180 days (dependent on number of entries).

Time Available to Stay

Upon arrival, travelers with this type of visa will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 30 days or 60 days.
Nationals of countries which are on Thailand’s Tourist Visa Exemption list or have bilateral agreements on visa exemption with Thailand will be permitted to stay for a period of not exceeding 60 days. Nationals from other countries who hold a tourist visa will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 30 days

Extending your Stay

Those who wish to stay longer or may wish to change their status of visa must file an application for permission at the immigration office. The extension of stay as well as the change of certain type of visa is solely at the discretion of the Immigration officer, the immigration officer may require sight of documentation where are staying (rent agreement/hotel bill/letter from friend etc)

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Thailand Non-Immigrant “ED” (Education) Visa US$80

A ED visa will be issued to applicants wishing to enter the Kingdom for Educational purposes. You are not allowed to work or conduct business with a Ed visa.

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The Education Visa used to be a way for people to pay to stay longer in Thailand, allowing an extension in after 3 months, repeated and then 6 months extension. It was used as a means of staying for longer periods but not any more. Now the Visa must be extended every 3 months and during the interview you are likely to get tested on your language skills.

The way around this is to get an Ed Visa to study Self defense or Mauy Thai Boxing or another language other than Thai. (They will not be able to check your Chinese speaking abilities for example.

Academic studies (e.g., university students)
Studying Thai language
Instructional projects or seminars
Conferences or training courses
Studying as a foreign Buddhist monk

Requirements for a Thai Education Visa

This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to study, attend seminar, training session, or internship in Thailand.

Documents Required

– Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months
– Visa application form completely filled out
– Recent (4 x 6 cm.) photograph of the applicant
– Recommendation letter addressed to the Consulate
– Letter of acceptance from the concerned academic institute/organization
For those wishing to study in a Private institution, an official letter from the Ministry of Education of Thailand, or other sub-authorities concerned, approving the enrollment of foreign students and a copy of registration certificate of the concerned academic institute are required
– Academic record and the Student ID (if currently studying)
– For those wishing to attend seminar, or training session, or internship, a recommendation letter from the concerned organization addressed to the Consulate is also required

Consular officers reserve the rights to request additional documents as deemed necessary

Validity of a Education Visa

The validity of a visa is 3 months. Extension of the Visa is done eery 90 days and may (almost certainly) will require a verbal or written test

Time Available to Stay

Holder of this type of visa is entitled to stay in Thailand for a maximum period of 90 days. He or she may apply for an extension of stay at the Office of the Immigration Bureau and may be granted such extension for a period of one year from the date of first entry into Thailand.

Extending your Stay

Visa has a time limit, a new Education Visa, and re-retry to the country is required.

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Thailand Business Visa (Non-Immigrant B) US$80

A Business Visa will be issued to applicants wishing to enter the Kingdom for Business and Work purposes. You are allowed to work or conduct business with a Business Visa with an additional Work Permit.

Thai Business Visa A Non-Immigrant B visa is the only business-approved visa accepted in Thailand (though a work permit can be issued to an O Dependent visa). It is useful for a variety of purposes, including:

Employment in Thailand
Conducting Business
Engaging in Investment Activities

Requirements for a Thai Business Visa

This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom to work.

Documents Required

– Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months
– Visa application form completely filled out
– Recent (4 x 6 cm.) photograph of the applicant
– Evidence of adequate finance (20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht per family)
– Letter of approval from the Ministry of Labour.

To obtain this letter, the applicant’s prospective employer in Thailand is required to submit Form WP3 (ตท. 3) at the Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour Tel. 02-2452745, or at the Provincial Employment Office in his or her respective province.

– Copy of Work Permit issued by the Ministry of Labour and alien income tax or Por Ngor Dor 91 (only in the case where applicant has previously worked in Thailand).

Corporate documents of hiring company in Thailand such as:

1) business registration and business license
2) list of shareholders
3) company profile
4) details of business operation
5) list of foreign workers stating names, nationalities and positions
6) map indicating location of the company
7) balance sheet, statement of Income Tax and Business Tax (Por Ngor Dor 50 and Por Ngor Dor 30 of the latest year)
8) value-added tax registration (Por Por 20)

Document indicating the number of foreign tourists (for tourism business only), or document indicating export transactions issued by banks (for export business only)

Validity of a Business Visa

The validity of a visa is 3 months, requiring a 90 day check in or leaving the country to re-enter

Time Available to Stay

Additional Information

Upon entry into the Kingdom, applicant or his or her appointed representatives must apply for a work permit at the Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour in which the applicant will be obligated to pay income tax accordingly. If the applicant’s associated company is located in the provinces, the applicant must apply at the Employment Office of that province.

Applicant’s family members (i.e., spouse, parents and children who are unmarried and under 20 years old) are eligible to apply for a Non-Immigrant Visa (category “O”) and will be allowed to stay for a period of 90 days but no longer than 1 year.

Foreign citizens who hold a Transit Visa (“TS”) or Tourist Visa (“TR”) and wish to engage in business activities in Thailand may apply for a change of type of visa (e.g., from Tourist Visa to Non-Immigrant Visa) at the Office of the Immigration Bureau Office located at Government Center B, Chaengwattana Soi 7, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Tel 0-2141-9889,

The granting of change of type of visa and extension of stay is at the discretion of the immigration officer.

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Ninety Day Reporting for Foreigners

90 Day reporting is required by holders of every type of Visa to let the Immigration Office know you are still currently residing in Thailand. For a more detailed description check out the 90 Day Reporting Article.

Some Visas (Business) require you to leave the country every 90 days and re-enter, although with Retirements Visa, Education Visas and Work Permits it is just a matter of going to the Immigration Office every 3 months. 90 Day reporting is usually a quick process and there is no need to head down to the office in the early hours of the morning. Better to wait until late morning and get a ticket number for later that afternoon.

Non-Immigrant Visa “O” — Voluntary Services US$80

This type of visa is issued to applicants who wish to participate in voluntary services in Thailand.

Documents Required

Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months
Visa application form completely filled out
Recent (4 x 6 cm.) photograph of the applicant
Recommendation letter addressed to the Consulate
Copy of registration certificate of the employer/foundation/organization
Copy of the previous/current work permit (if any)
Copy of the employment contract (if any)

Validity of the Volunteer Visa

The validity of a visa is 3 months.

Period of Stay

Additional Requirements

Nationals of certain countries are required to apply for a visa only at the Thai Embassy or Consulate-General in their home/residence country or at the designated Thai Embassy. Therefore, travelers are advised to contact the nearest Thai Embassy or Consulate-General to find out where they may apply for a visa to Thailand before departure.

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For Details about the Retirement Visa: Go here

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