March 30, 20196 yr Popular Post Hi all, I just wanted to post something positive. Having lived and worked here for 23 years I recently had a year off from working in Thailand and have come back to work for a new company. I just received my digital work permit and 2 year visa (it is a BOI company). Had an appointment at 10am on Tuesday at the One Stop Service Centre. I was immediately called to have a photo taken, then signed on a digital tab. I then received an email with my username and password for the digital work permit app. Log in and there is my work permit complete with the photo and signature I had taken a minute or so earlier. Job done. Two minutes after that I had my passport returned with a two year multiple entry extension of stay. Out the door at 10.06am. Of course approvals etc were all done in advance through the single window (itself a great advancement) but I have to say all credit to them for a slick, efficient system. I have worked for several other BOI companies before and am used to being in there for several hours, but six minutes, in and out.
March 30, 20196 yr Chiang Mai still in the paper era, just having to pay 600 baht, several visits and numerous photocopies to replace one damaged by water!
March 30, 20196 yr This is great stuff, and a step in the right direction. What I want to know is how is the rest of Thailand going to catch up? What happens when you want to: Open a bank account Apply for a driving license Get a postpaid mobile phone contract Access the services of a government department who require a copy of your work permit How do any of these people who always ask for a copy of your work permit deal with it? Do they expect you to photocopy your phone, or can you download a pdf of the work permit? If anyone has any experience of this, please let us know.
March 30, 20196 yr Open a bank account Apply for a driving license Get a postpaid mobile phone contract i have all all these for many years. No need for a work permit
March 30, 20196 yr Author 21 minutes ago, blackcab said: This is great stuff, and a step in the right direction. What I want to know is how is the rest of Thailand going to catch up? What happens when you want to: Open a bank account Apply for a driving license Get a postpaid mobile phone contract Access the services of a government department who require a copy of your work permit How do any of these people who always ask for a copy of your work permit deal with it? Do they expect you to photocopy your phone, or can you download a pdf of the work permit? If anyone has any experience of this, please let us know. Yeah, one step at a time for Thailand, but a great start. I already have a bank account, a driving license, and a post paid mobile phone so can't answer that. But from the single window (web portal that combines BOI, immigration, and DoE) you can download a PDF of the digital WP. Not sure whether showing your phone would work, but it's easy to get a pdf. The PDF also has a QR code on it so maybe banks etc can scan that code. I think this only applies to BOI companies at the moment but no doubt it will eventually permeate to everyone.
March 30, 20196 yr Author I should note also that all the submissions, supporting documents etc were all submitted online through the Single Window. We never had to meet an officer or take a stack of paperwork anywhere (although there were still quite a lot of documents needed). During my time off working here I was working in Singapore. I thought their process to get an Employment Pass was pretty slick, but this was just as good and much quicker. In Singapore though once you get your employment pass (a credit card sized thing) you are automatically enrolled for the auto gates at Changi. So still room for improvement on that front here, but a massive leap forward nonetheless.
March 30, 20196 yr 7 minutes ago, josephbloggs said: Yeah, one step at a time for Thailand, but a great start. Did they also implant you with a microchip so your whereabouts could be digitally monitored at all times? You may laugh now, but don't be too surprised if we don't hear something about that from Immigration somewhere down the road. Just like the aborted tourist ID wristbands initiative.
March 30, 20196 yr 1 hour ago, josephbloggs said: But from the single window (web portal that combines BOI, immigration, and DoE) you can download a PDF of the digital WP. Not sure whether showing your phone would work, but it's easy to get a pdf. The PDF also has a QR code on it so maybe banks etc can scan that code. That sounds just the job for those that still need the paper copies. I really, really hope this is rolled out for the rest of those who apply for an extension of stay based on working for a company in Thailand.
March 30, 20196 yr Author 55 minutes ago, ExpatDraco said: 2 hours ago, josephbloggs said: . So, what's the job? ???? No particular reason (it is nothing mysterious) but I don't really want to put such personal information on here - it is not relevant to the thread. Hope you understand. The experience of the digital system has been the same for all our employees who've used it, regardless of job title or position.
March 30, 20196 yr No particular reason (it is nothing mysterious) but I don't really want to put such personal information on here - it is not relevant to the thread. Hope you understand. The experience of the digital system has been the same for all our employees who've used it, regardless of job title or position.No worries, I just was curious in what field you or your company was operating. ;)
March 30, 20196 yr Author 1 minute ago, ExpatDraco said: 7 minutes ago, josephbloggs said: No particular reason (it is nothing mysterious) but I don't really want to put such personal information on here - it is not relevant to the thread. Hope you understand. The experience of the digital system has been the same for all our employees who've used it, regardless of job title or position. No worries, I just was curious in what field you or your company was operating. ???? Ok, no problem, we are in the field of Post Production and Visual Effects - I don't mind saying that. ????
March 31, 20196 yr 17 hours ago, blackcab said: This is great stuff, and a step in the right direction. What I want to know is how is the rest of Thailand going to catch up? What happens when you want to: Open a bank account Apply for a driving license Get a postpaid mobile phone contract Access the services of a government department who require a copy of your work permit How do any of these people who always ask for a copy of your work permit deal with it? Do they expect you to photocopy your phone, or can you download a pdf of the work permit? If anyone has any experience of this, please let us know. Most of those don't require a work permit but that aside, digital work permits are useless for them - they don't include your address, only that of your employer. And even when a work permit is required - some banks prefer it for certain types of accounts, they struggle to deal with the digital work permit as well. SCB had to call their head office to work out exactly what my DWP was ???? You can obtain a print out of your work permit - I got mine from my employer so now any time I need a copy I take it with me.
Create an account or sign in to comment