Work Visa, what benefits and coverage does Thailand offer ?

[Nellaa]

Hi. I am interested in finding out what should you be aware of after receiving a work visa. In Europe, someone with residency receives a number of benefits and rights from the government, such as universal health care, ability to open a credit card, receive unemployment benefit, etc. What about Thailand ?

 

Thanks for your input.

 

[ubonjoe]

There is really no work visa. You need a work permit, non-b visa or a extension of stay based upon working.

When working you are eligible for Thai Social Security. You make a monthly payment for it. It provides for medical care and if you work long enough retirement benefits.

[Nellaa]

What I meant was Work Permit. My bad. So basically Thai Social Security and Pension, is this correct ?

What about banking, can I open a credit card ?

 

Also, am I free to move around Thailand without all the TM card business? 

 

[overherebc]

18 minutes ago, Nellaa said:

What I meant was Work Permit. My bad. So basically Thai Social Security and Pension, is this correct ?

What about banking, can I open a credit card ?

 

Also, am I free to move around Thailand without all the TM card business? 

 

To be brutally honest. The only benefit you get with a work permit is a wage.

Health cover will be at a local hospital. Some are good some not so good.

Your WP does not allow you to travel around Thailand. It covers you to work for a company in one province basically. You can't get a work permit for a company in Bangkok and then decide to move to Chaing Mai. That means a new job, a new visa and a new work permit..

Most Thai banks will not give a credit card unless you give them a large deposit up front to use for your card.

The pension you get will probably buy you a bowl of fried rice a day.

[terminatorchiangmai]

If you are a business owner you get a tax number and can pay tax here , no benefits.

[problemfarang]

For work permit part:

As Ubon mentioned, all you can do will be, stay in thailand without any visa problem, WP will give you non-b visa (note that some immigration want WP before non-b some after), if you quit from your work you need to leave thailand in 24 hours or 7 days (2000 baht). There are 22 countries which they cannot get non-b in thailand, must go back to their hometown and get it from thai embassy there. Social security which you can get around 100 or 200K in your retirement (1 time). In some cases you can transfer your WP to your new work but its all about your visa situation. If you have non-o (thai wife) you can use your non-o to get WP.

 

For bank part:

Well, you can get a ATM card but probably no credit card unless your income is 100K (for bangkok bank. other banks asks other income, but mostly starting from 50K). You can open saving accounts. You can get AVEON (not sure about the name, its the pink colour thing. not a bank) but it will be your 1 month salary. If you are getting ATM card dont even bother with Bangkok Bank, they stopped VISA for ATM cards and use another one which is useless for international online buying or shopping. Even for some thai websites. And they are getting some serious negative comments about this even from thai citizens. I suggest you krungthai

[RBOP]

With a work permit it makes it easier to get a credit card, open bank accounts, buy mutual and other types of funds, get a car loan, pay tax, get social insurance. You still have to do your do your yearly renewal/extensions, 90 day reporting and TM30. 

[problemfarang]

31 minutes ago, RBOP said:

With a work permit it makes it easier to get a credit card, open bank accounts, buy mutual and other types of funds, get a car loan, pay tax, get social insurance. You still have to do your do your yearly renewal/extensions, 90 day reporting and TM30. 

 

not agree with the credit card part. I tried it with all banks recently but they dont accept only WP, thai wife and a normal income. ATM is no problem, in 5 mins. For credit card Bangkok Bank wants 100K income, Kasikorn and other wants 50K. So it doesnt makes easier but yes open the doors because if you dont have WP you cannot have credit card. The only option if your income is less than 50K is that AVEON. But your limit will be as much as your 1 month base salary and they want to see last 6 months salary slip + letter from your work showing your income. But i heard that the interest is high because they give this AVEON card to almost.. everyone.

[overherebc]

21 minutes ago, RBOP said:

With a work permit it makes it easier to get a credit card, open bank accounts, buy mutual and other types of funds, get a car loan, pay tax, get social insurance. You still have to do your do your yearly renewal/extensions, 90 day reporting and TM30. 

And if your job suddenly ends and you are under 50 and want to stay long term you have the option to buy a visa for 5 years for 500,000 baht you have saved from your job, but, you can't work if you have that visa.  You then get into the 'tourist visa' thing that may end up with you being refused entry because they 'might' decide you are working illegally. So all your money etc etc will be in Thailand and you will have to start looking for land crossings to get back for 30 days at a time to sort things out.

All the plus bits pointed out are obviously real, but, it's worth knowing the minus points as well.

[problemfarang]

5 minutes ago, overherebc said:

And if your job suddenly ends and you are under 50 and want to stay long term you have the option to buy a visa for 5 years for 500,000 baht you have saved from your job, but, you can't work if you have that visa.  You then get into the 'tourist visa' thing that may end up with you being refused entry because they 'might' decide you are working illegally. So all your money etc etc will be in Thailand and you will have to start looking for land crossings to get back for 30 days at a time to sort things out.

All the plus bits pointed out are obviously real, but, it's worth knowing the minus points as well.

 

thats why i truly believe credit card must be a very very emergency thing. Like health problems or likewise when you dont have enough money. And interests are high. 

[RBOP]

14 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

 

not agree with the credit card part. I tried it with all banks recently but they dont accept only WP, thai wife and a normal income. ATM is no problem, in 5 mins. For credit card Bangkok Bank wants 100K income, Kasikorn and other wants 50K. So it doesnt makes easier but yes open the doors because if you dont have WP you cannot have credit card. The only option if your income is less than 50K is that AVEON. But your limit will be as much as your 1 month base salary and they want to see last 6 months salary slip + letter from your work showing your income.

I said it makes it easier not impossible. I only showed my WP and letter from employer indicating my monthly salary. Got 200K credit limit off the bat.  Also helps when you have cars and condos as assets they think they can seize. 

[problemfarang]

9 minutes ago, andy said:

Do you really want a Thai credit card?  I've heard they offer nothing in terms of consumer protection and require a deposit.

YES! trust me you dont want to use your credit card from your own country. Especially if your not from the UK or USA. i saw my payment bill when i used my HSBC here and i was... omg

[problemfarang]

4 minutes ago, RBOP said:

I only showed my WP and letter from employer indicating my monthly salary. Got 200K credit limit off the bat.  Also helps when you have cars and condos as assets they think they can seize. 

 

as i said its because of your salary. Sorry to mention here but its probably your income is more than 50K thats all. its not about the WP. But you were right about if you dont have a WP you cannot get a credit card. also yes condos, house or cars helps ONLY if they on your name.

If you get your 200K credit card less than 50K salary it means you got it like 10 years ago

as i said i tried like 4-5 months ago with all banks. they dont give any credit cards if you dont have 50K income

 

could you please tell me the bank name. i will go and apply today, seriously. thanks

[RBOP]

3 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

 

as i said its because of your salary. Sorry to mention here but its probably your income is more than 50K thats all. its not about the WP. But you were right about if you dont have a WP you cannot get a credit card.

If you get your 200K credit card less than 50K salary it means you got it like 10 years ago

Maybe. 

[problemfarang]

2 minutes ago, RBOP said:

Maybe. 

if your limit is 200K it means your income is around 180 - 200K. Yes thats why you got your credit card.

sadly i cant because they want min 50K which i get only 48K

 

can you tell em the bank name please? will try my luck again. lol

[OneMoreFarang]

19 hours ago, overherebc said:

To be brutally honest. The only benefit you get with a work permit is a wage.

Health cover will be at a local hospital. Some are good some not so good.

Your WP does not allow you to travel around Thailand. It covers you to work for a company in one province basically. You can't get a work permit for a company in Bangkok and then decide to move to Chaing Mai. That means a new job, a new visa and a new work permit..

Most Thai banks will not give a credit card unless you give them a large deposit up front to use for your card.

The pension you get will probably buy you a bowl of fried rice a day.

I think your information is not up to date.

 

About a year ago (not sure when exactly) the work permit law changed drastically. Before it was restricted to one work in one location. The way I understand it now if someone has a work permit for work type A for company B he can also work in work type C for company D.

 

And about the credit card: The bank asks for payments slips for the last 3 months, passport with business visa and work permit. That seems to be enough to get a credit card. Deposit is not required. Maximum CC limit is about 3 month salary - but details might vary from bank to bank.

At least a couple of years ago it seems K-Bank was one of the easiest to get this done. 

[OneMoreFarang]

38 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

For credit card Bangkok Bank wants 100K income, Kasikorn and other wants 50K.

I think the minimum farang salary with work permit is 55k per month.

[problemfarang]

Just now, OneMoreFarang said:

I think the minimum farang salary with work permit is 55k per month.

Like i said it changes bank to bank. Bangkok Bank 100K... Kasikorn and others 50K i tried to apply like 4-5 months ago. All they care was my income.

 

And the limit of your card will be your 1 month salary not 3 months salary.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 minute ago, problemfarang said:

3 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I think the minimum farang salary with work permit is 55k per month.

Like i said it changes bank to bank. Bangkok Bank 100K... Kasikorn and others 50K i tried to apply like 4-5 months ago. All they care was my income.

 

And the limit of your card will be your 1 month salary not 3 months salary.

The 55k I mention has nothing to do with the bank. That is, as far as I know, the minimum salary for foreigners in Thailand working with a work permit. I think you can't get a work permit with a salary of i.e. 40k. But that's just what I heard from people who work here in Bangkok. Not sure if that applies all over Thailand, maybe certain jobs, etc.

[problemfarang]

6 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I think your information is not up to date.

 

About a year ago (not sure when exactly) the work permit law changed drastically. Before it was restricted to one work in one location. The way I understand it now if someone has a work permit for work type A for company B he can also work in work type C for company D.

 

And about the credit card: The bank asks for payments slips for the last 3 months, passport with business visa and work permit. That seems to be enough to get a credit card. Deposit is not required. Maximum CC limit is about 3 month salary - but details might vary from bank to bank.

At least a couple of years ago it seems K-Bank was one of the easiest to get this done. 

Well i cant understand what you mean by work type work permit, but i can confirm that you can have a 1 work permit from 1 work place. If you apply for a 2nd work permit they will tell you, you cannot do it. Again its the same thing, if you sign a contract with a company, you cannot sign another contract with a different company. Part-time... no problem. you can apply or do any part-time job even you are working with a work permit in any other company.

 

BUT its up to your visa situation, in some cases you can use your same work permit book to transfer your new work. If you have enough time in your visa.. which is usually a no because your visa ends with your WP

[overherebc]

5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I think your information is not up to date.

 

About a year ago (not sure when exactly) the work permit law changed drastically. Before it was restricted to one work in one location. The way I understand it now if someone has a work permit for work type A for company B he can also work in work type C for company D.

 

And about the credit card: The bank asks for payments slips for the last 3 months, passport with business visa and work permit. That seems to be enough to get a credit card. Deposit is not required. Maximum CC limit is about 3 month salary - but details might vary from bank to bank.

At least a couple of years ago it seems K-Bank was one of the easiest to get this done. 

The changes to the WP only really apply to workers from neighbouring countries. It doesn't mean that a WP can allow you to work anywhere for anyone.

If a company has a factory in BKK and a factory in CM it means they can move employees from one to the other as required. They don't need to apply for a new WP for each employee, they just have to register the worker and WP with the labour office in the new area.

If you want to work for 3 different companies you will need 3 different sets of paperwork and WP's and that just won't happen.

[problemfarang]

Just now, OneMoreFarang said:

The 55k I mention has nothing to do with the bank. That is, as far as I know, the minimum salary for foreigners in Thailand working with a work permit. I think you can't get a work permit with a salary of i.e. 40k. But that's just what I heard from people who work here in Bangkok. Not sure if that applies all over Thailand, maybe certain jobs, etc.

No. Your salary is totally up to your contract. if it says 10K it is 10K, if says 55K it is 55K. thats all.

 

But thai government says, i think the phone number is 1111, and they can speak really good english, in some work places its up to your nationality your salary should start ... amount. but the reality is all up to your contract. For example; if your a british or american and working in a school your salary must start from 70-80K, if your a filipino and teacher at the same school your salary should start from 55K (this 55K is what you mentioned i think).

 

But again its all up to your contract. what they put there... you get that

[dcnx]

No real benefits.

[ubonjoe]

Just now, OneMoreFarang said:

The 55k I mention has nothing to do with the bank. That is, as far as I know, the minimum salary for foreigners in Thailand working with a work permit. I think you can't get a work permit with a salary of i.e. 40k. But that's just what I heard from people who work here in Bangkok. Not sure if that applies all over Thailand, maybe certain jobs, etc.

The minimum salary is only to apply for an extension based upon working for a company.

For most western countries it is 50 baht for other countries it can be less.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

No. Your salary is totally up to your contract. if it says 10K it is 10K, if says 55K it is 55K. thats all.

 

But thai government says, i think the phone number is 1111, and they can speak really good english, in some work places its up to your nationality your salary should start ... amount. but the reality is all up to your contract. For example; if your a british or american and working in a school your salary must start from 70-80K, if your a filipino and teacher at the same school your salary should start from 55K (this 55K is what you mentioned i think).

 

But again its all up to your contract. what they put there... you get that

And can a farang with a 10k salary get a work permit? I don't think so.

[jackdd]

@problemfarang and @overherebc

As a consequence, any foreigner who has a work permit in Thailand may now, work anywhere, for anyone, and do any type work, that is not excluded by the Official List.

https://duensingkippen.com/thailandbusinesslawblog/?p=270

 

They give sources, i assume they are correct, i did not go through the sources myself so i don't guarantee their correctness ????

[jackdd]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

And can a farang with a 10k salary get a work permit? I don't think so.

Afaik a work permit doesn't have a required minimum salary, so it should be possible.

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

For example; if your a british or american and working in a school your salary must start from 70-80K, if your a filipino and teacher at the same school your salary should start from 55K (this 55K is what you mentioned i think).

There is no minimum salary for getting an extension stay for teaching. It is only for a working for a company.

Their no minimum salary to get a work permit for any job.

[overherebc]

35 minutes ago, jackdd said:

@problemfarang and @overherebc

 

 

https://duensingkippen.com/thailandbusinesslawblog/?p=270

 

They give sources, i assume they are correct, i did not go through the sources myself so i don't guarantee their correctness ????

Lawyers quoting their interpretation.

[jackdd]

6 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Lawyers quoting their interpretation.

Is this a problem? Are they wrong?