Ama Rylls

Thank you all for your contributions and helpful suggestions. I will do the needful on my part. Your help was greatly appreciated. 

Hi Everyone,

Does any kind soul know if foreigners can renew a Thai Driving License without a work permit or non-immigrant visa here?

I'm here on a visa on arrival that will expire next Tuesday the 21/06/2022. 

I'd be very grateful if you could guide me on where to go, what documents to prepare and timings in BKK to make it all happen if it's at all possible.

Thank you for your kind support,

Ama

19 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

If you had good relations in that company you could type up the letter

and they will like sign it....as long as your title and salary and duration of service is correct

you could probably state your reasons for departure in favourable terms even if they weren't.

This is probably the best way forward, I did leave on good terms. Also, if I let them write it there are bound to be grammatical errors.

Dear Forum,

Today I wanted to seek some counsel on an employment letter after termination of my employment contract at a Thai company in Phuket. 

I've heard that by law, the company is required to provide me with a letter confirming my job title, salary, start & end date, and an official company stamp. The company may not state the reason I'm no longer at the company, whether I left by choice or it was a dismissal etc.

1. Is this true? 

2. If so, by when is the company obligated to provide me with this letter? 

3. What should the contents of this letter include? 

Any useful links to official pages would go a long way.

Thank you for taking a moment to reply, your support is greatly appreciated.
 

Hello,

I would be very grateful for some counsel.

I was let go from my company yesterday with no formal warning or one month's notice. Additionally, I was sacked 7 days (5 working days and two weekend days) after the salary cut off point. I was due to complete my full year in 2 weeks from the day I was sacked.

I was promised two months' severance, 1 month for letting me go, another 1 for no prior notice. That seems fair seeing I didn't see out the year.

Should I also be paid some form of severance for no official warning, and the 7 extra days I worked after the salary cut off point? 

Thank you for your advice.

Many thanks to all who have pitched in, I spoke to my HR manager who said I should leave it with them if I'm worried as well. I would urge anyone who is worried about losing their WP to keep it at work if their HR department is reliable and trustworthy. 

I will certainly sleep sound at night knowing it's not my responsibility! 

10 hours ago, sanmyintmaung said:

has a warning to keep it either on yourself or at the place of work.

 

Thanks for sharing this, that was very helpful!

5 hours ago, MarcB said:

by law I have 4 days time to go to the police station.

Very interesting, I had no idea this was the law. I'll tell them the same thing if this every happens to me! I agree with your concern completely, it's kind of the end of the world if you lose your work permit. It helps me sleep sound at night knowing my WP is secure, I think I'll probably leave it with my HR department.

2 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

Why would anyone want to hand over essential documents to their employer like some trafficking victim? It's very thin and lightweight so why not keep in whatever bag you carry to work?

Thank you for sharing your opinion, I do appreciate it. My concern is precisely that it is very thin and lightweight meaning it can be easily misplaced! Could you please elaborate how it makes me a 'trafficking victim' if I hand over my WP to the HR dept? I can access it whenever I need as I did in the past. I only work at once office everyday as well ????

3 hours ago, varun said:

If I remember correctly, WP should be physically located at the place of work.

Either you can keep it with you or give it to HR - your choice.

 

 

Yea I recall being told the same thing, thank you for your input. Would be great to hear other thoughts/opinion! 

Hi All,

I work in Phuket, my HR department held on to my Work Permit (WP) for me for  5 months. They recently gave it back to me to hold onto since I moved to a new office just down the road - they said it's better if I keep it in case the Immigration Officer comes to check.

I nearly had a bit of a scare the other day because I thought I had lost it, so I would really like to leave my WP at home. I've also been told if the immigration office comes I should tell him to speak to the HR manager first before showing him or saying anything. 

Would it be better to leave my WP with HR in the office close to mine or can I just leave it at home? 

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! 

Thank you all for chipping in, I ended up buying some things from Lazada. Although I'm not really sure if they were cheap because of Black Friday or if it was just normally cheap! Either way I didn't spend much!

Thank you all for your support!

Hi All, 

I just want a rough estimate on how much income tax I should be paying. 
 

Let's say I've been at a job for 8 months, I didn't get my Work Permit till 2 months a go.

How much income tax should I paying for: 

- THB 30,000/month bracket 

- THB 60,000/month bracket 

- THB 90,000/month bracket 

I noticed this month they added 200 baht extra to the tax I was deduced since last month, and it's my 2nd month after receiving the work-permit. Last month tax was 1 baht more expensive than the month before that, but my base salary hasn't changed at all.

I don't see why I should pay more tax.I pay 750 baht each month in social security as well, would be nice to know if that's the right amount to pay.

Something doesn't seem right. I would truly be grateful for any guidance on the topic ????

Hi All,

I'm looking for some tips as this will be my first Black Friday in Thailand. Any pointers on the best website or even physical store to get Black Friday deals would be greatly appreciated! 

I'm aware of Lazada and Shopee, just want to know which one of the two is better for Black Friday, if either are even good, what else is out there ????

I'm looking to buy a whole bunch of stuff like: 

- A screen cover for my iPhone

- A new lightning charger cable 

- A new pair of earphones

- Cheaper shaving blades (lord knows they're too overpriced!) 

- Potentially some clothing like shorts, socks etc 

I get the feeling Black Friday isn't that much of a thing here.. hoping I'm wrong!

Thank you to everyone who shared their 2 cents! I've initiated the name change process already, it will take about two weeks but it's in process. I bought it off my landlord already, it was quite an easy process.

We both went down a DLT closer to our area and just signed a few documents, the guy had a quick look at the bike, and asked for my original passport. I didn't have my original work permit with me so I showed him photos on my phone, and that was enough.

I'll take it to the mechs this weekend to get a full breakdown of the condition of all the parts, hopefully it doesn't cost much.

I suspect it's probably a good deal for it's price, wouldn't mind so much even if I have to buy another bike again in 8 months. 

Best wishes ????

On 11/13/2019 at 12:17 PM, eisfeld said:

How many km does the bike have? Does it rattle? Any oil leaks? Check all crevices etc. Take a look at the service book to see if and when it has been serviced.

Thanks for your recommendation. The bike is 13 years old and has 50625 km, the engine doesn't rattle but is slow to start-up when the fuel is running low. I had it checked out from a colleague I trust and got the green light, so I'm moving ahead with the purchase. 

Had the brake adjusted at no cost, but will be taking it down to the shop this weekend to have everything examined once again.

I think even if it lasts me 6 months, it would be worth the cost.  

Thank you so much for your input guys - helpful!

I should've mentioned that I've actually been using this bike since August, the landlord just had it collecting dust, and apart from puncturing the back tire, I haven't really had too many issues with it. It runs out of fuel quite quickly though!

As I said, it's just slow, speedometer's broken, the sponge from the seat near the backside is visible, and a few weeks after having the brakes oiled for free, they went back to not being great again.  

So the servicing costs I'll be looking at would be: 

1. Fixing the speedometer

2. Getting the brakes repaired properly (no idea how much that costs) 

3. A possible seat replacement in the future, but that's not really essential 

4. Something to make it go faster 

CharileH - I was thinking the same thing, servicing is a good call but I'm not really sure if they could increase the top speed. Guess I'll find out. 

Eisfield - Ok so I'm assuming my landlord will have to come with me to the Dept. of Land Transport in Phuket to make this happen? 

Hi All,

My landlord has a scooter for sale, I would greatly appreciate some advice as I've never bought a vehicle in Thailand before. 

I am currently working in Phuket, have a work permit and a Thai motorcycle driving license.

Firstly, what legal paperwork will I need from the landlord to ensure I have proper/legal ownership of the scooter?

• I wish to know if there is anyway I could be duped into thinking I own the bike when actually the ownership wasn't transferred to me through some loophole.

Secondly, the scooter is quite an old Honda Click model with a broken speedometer, somewhat ok brakes, slow top-speed, and poor acceleration. Is THB 6000 a good price for such a scooter? 

I'm looking to save some money on buying a THB 20,000 second hand Honda Click from a bike shop, new ones are around THB 50,000 - 60,000. 

I'd be very grateful if someone could offer some advice. 

23 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Immigration does not issue work permits and has nothing to with them other than checking you have a valid one when applying for an extension of stay.

The DOE of the Labor Ministry issue work permits.

Thank you to everyone for your help!

I checked with a lawyer who tells me that I can have one work permit with two employers. But if the first company that hired me is the one that let's me go, then regardless of having a second employer on my work-permit, I still need to re-enter the country.

In this case my question is, will I face any issues at Suvarnabhumi Airport immigration when re-entering the country? 

23 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

The new work permits don't mention your employer or address anymore. You don't get a book but a digital on your phone now.

Thank you for your response! I got my work permit in Phuket over a month ago, it's still a book. I believe it's digitised in Bangkok now.

Hello Everyone,

Wishing you all a very good morning from Phuket. I wanted to ask if it's possible to obtain two work permits from different companies in Phuket? 

I'm an Indian passport holder and I currently have a job with a company in Phuket, but if they let me go then I basically have 24 hours to get out of the country. 

This is why I want to have a second work permit as a back-up plan. Does Phuket immigration allow this? 

Alternatively, I have heard that I can have an extra address added to my current work permit, so that I will have two addresses from one company. This would mean that if one company lets me go, I don't have to leave the country because I still have my other work-permit. 

Apparently the work-permit is owned by immigration and not individual companies. Is this possible?

I would be very grateful if someone could clear that up for me.

Warm regards!

Thank you all for your helpful tips, much appreciated.

Best Wishes.

12 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Is this an "extension of stay" from immigration?  If so, it becomes invalid the day your job ends.  If it is permitted-stay from a "Visa" issued from from a Thai consulate, you can stay until April 15th on it, even if your current work ends sooner.

 

Thanks Jack,

It was not an extension of stay from immigration, that would be a work permit I believe. I acquired a non-immigrant business visa before coming to Thailand and that is a 90 day period I am about to see out on April 15th.

12 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Did they give you a debit-card with a Visa or MasterCard stamp on it?  Perhaps this can be used in ATMs abroad (mine from Bangkok Bank worked in Cambodia), but best if someone with a debit-card from that bank could confirm.

Krungsri bank gave me a debit card, I spoke to them and they have told me that if I pay 500 baht I can withdraw money in my country, subject to overseas charges.

Thanks again for your help.