Mario2008

He said or a ticket out of the country. Seems they want to ensure their regular costumers have enough money to live on.

I'm a volunteer at a governement school and I do need a workpermit. The advise of the big law firm is not suported by the factual situation, nor by the Thai labour law. But I guess some people have trouble reading the labour law, even when it is translated to English, which is cristal clear on this point. There are no exceptions.

I had a double entry tourist visa originally but when that ran out last month I did the first Cambodia run for the 30 day expemtion. I have 2 left. Just wanted to know after the 3rd and last 30 day stamp from Cambodia run if I could get an extra 7 days at imm?

The way I read it is he had already 2 tourist visa's, now is on a 30 day visa exempt entry and will do 2 more visa exempt entries. But that will only take him to 26 september. So he needs a 7 day extention after having used hier 90 days visa exempt entries.

No, it's good for a stay of 3 months (90 days).

The law is perfectly clear. It doesn't matter if you get money or another benefit or not. If you work, you need a workpermit.

Hard to tell if I don't know what the crime is. But if it involves a student, I would'n hesitate a moment to report it. I'm a volunteer teacher too, and the school and parents have entrusted their children to me. That means I protect my students.

You can not apply for her outside of Thailand while she is in Thailand, as she needs to cross the border to utilize the visa.

You might be able to get the visa for her in Thailand, but that depends on what kind of visa she is now staying in Thailand and how many days she has left to be permitted to stay.

For a dependency visa you don't need to show finances. The requirements you can find here:

http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/2notice/rtp606EN.pdf (page 6, point 7.10).

What you do (for both kind of visa) is, go to an embassy and get a 3 month visa for her. When she is in her last 30 days of her permitted to stay period you go to the immigration office and apply for an extension of one year there, and every other year after.

If you are here on a single enty or extension of stay, don't forget your re-entry permit. Otherwise you will have to apply for a visa yourself all over again.

You are not very clear about what kind of visa you now have. Assuming you are on visa exempt entries, (30 day stamps), than yes you can extend your stay with 7 days for 1900 baht. Take the airline ticket with you so they can see that you will indeed leave within that 7 days.

As for the 90 day rule. The rule is 90 days in a 6 month period, not 180 days.

I believe there is no Thai embassy in Ireland, so you would have to register the child with the embassy in the UK: http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk

Using this form: http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/forms/birthform.pdf

If you mean donating money, sure that is charitable too and a great way of suporting various noble causes. Indeed there are many groups of foreigners doing fundraising for noble causes and doing something to the benefit of Thailand in that way. But it isn't work, like volunteering to teach or helping at an orphanage. (And technicaly, fundraising could be considered work too if you ask money from others).

But I do recognize your point that donating money is also a good way to help.

Old Man River, I beleive you don't understand the concept of a workpermit. A workpermit allows you to work, at a specified company in a specified job. For every job you have, you need a separate WP. Even if you were to have 2 different jobs at the same company. My own WP allows me only to do volunteer work at my school. If I do volunteer work at another school without a WP for that school I break the law.

Yes, you can do charitable work and many do. But it is illegal to do so without a WP for that specific job. Meaning you can be arrested, convicted to a jail term, fined and deported.

Don't know anything about Oz nationality law. But in many countries it is possible to obtain citizenship if one of the parents is a national of that country. In case the parents are not married the father should often recognize the child as his and list that fact with the government. Register the child after it is born with both parents named and he is a citizen of the country.

Australia might have a similar law. Check with a lawyer or call the right government body for information. Or google something like "australian natiionality law"

To anwser AlarmGuy's question more directly: Your friend can go to an immigration office, but be sure to have his ticket out of the country with him. On show of that they will determine his overstay, fine him and sent him away. Than no more risk of being detained.

Alarmguy's friend needs an extension of 10 days, not 7. So he will be on overstay and it will be unlikely that he will get a 7 day extension as he doesn't have a flight out within 7 days.

The non-immigrant "O" visa is a rest category. O stands for other. There are oher grounds on which you can get a non-immigrant O visa. A non-immigrant visa must be based on a valid reason. Like education, having a thai wife, visiting relatives or working. Since you do not state on what grounds you would like to get a non-immigrant, your question can not be awnsered. But obviously you cannot get a non-immigrant based on marriage with a Thai when you are not married to a Thai.

With the non-immigrant B you don't need to show a WP to immigration. With a non-B you can apply for a WP. I think Sunbelt is your best bet.

Wintermute, regarding my first quote I think you didn't read that one very well. I'm saying it is the right of the Thai government and that that fact is not being discused.

Regarding your second remark, you don't seem to understand what a workpermit is. A workpermit only allows you to work for the job and employer specified in your WP. You cannot do anything on the side on your WP, as that would require another WP.

Your'e welcome. For now just focus on getting residency. That will be difficult enough and takes a lot of time. You never know if the rules for getting Thai nationality will change in the mean time.

Indeed a nice piece of work. But it is not the right of the Thai governement to regulate NGO's or volunteerwork that is being discussed.

I still don't see why the Thai government has to make it so difficult to volunteer with NGO's that are already established. Most of them are even Thai. Why should I have to pay 3,100 baht a year for a workpermit to help teach Thai children at a Thai governement school? (OK, in reality the school pays for it, but it is me who has to get the WP).

Secondly why do many Thai charities want foreign volunteers but fail to make the volunteers legal? Instead they make them brake the law and be subject to imprisonment, a fine and deportation.

In the digital age governments have more and more possibilities to check what your doing, so they also will make use of that possibility. And companies are willing to help them. Worried about customs checking your notebook. Make a print on a HP-printer and it will not only print your document, but also the type and serial number of your printer. Big Brother is watching you. For years already.

You are not a citizen. You are a potential criminal at best and terrorist at worst.

You can get a visa for 3 months and if you meet the requirements (a family income, that is you and/or your wife together of 40,000 a month) you can apply for an extension of stay for one year and every year after that, at the local immigration office. Do that in the last month of the period you are allowed to stay.

Volunteers get a non-immigrant O visa.

I have been volunteering in Thailand for 9 years now. For 4 years just on tourist visa's during my hollidays and I didn't care about the workpermit. You can't even get it on a tourist visa. And yes, normaly nobody cares. Army, Border Patrol Police, Police and Immigration al knew of my volunteer work without WP and just thanked me for it.

But it makes a big difference if you are permanantly living here. Since 5 years I live in Thailand on basis of my volunteer work and have a workpermit for that. Without a workpermit you are subject to imprissonment, a fine and deportation. Under the curent rules the charity it self could be fined 100,000 baht.

If someone has an argument with you or the charity they just have to pick up the phone and you can pack your things. That's the risk you take and I think a charity shouldn't ask that from a volunteer who is living in Thailand, but just arrange the workpermit.

That said, samskywalker, you and your wife do a great job and I have rgeat respect for that. I have done a lot of fund raising in Thailand and with embassies. If you need something I might be able to connect you with a company or organisation. Just write me a personal message.

I don't think the legality of the searches are being questioned. Regarding customs everywhere in the world you only have one right, the right to remain silence. What is being questioned is if it is right that the government holds so much power to invade our privacy without cause.

Well, beter wake up. Governments all over the world have that power for many, many years al ready and with laptops and all kind of digital devices we just take more and more private data with us when crossing a border.

Don't worry. With a non-immigrant visa you don't need a ticket out of Thailand. So you can just buy a return ticket BKK-country-BKK.

Don't forget to apply for a re-entry permit. otherwise your have to apply for a new non-immigrant visa. Have a nice holiday.