If you were wishing there were more red tape around non B visas, your dreams have come true yet again: going forward, you can't get back to back 90 day non-B visas, you HAVE to extend at the Chaeng Wattana Internment Camp i mean Immigration. 

for those of us who recently started their own very small company this is a real pain in the ass. getting a Non B at Penang had been a breeze: show up at 10 am on day one, drop off papers, and pay, no queue. day 2, pick up at 2.30 and skip town if you want to (i usually don't want to, i like Penang). 

Chaeng Wattana require more documentation, especially regarding your salary in relation to your revenue (i'm waiting to hear back on the details of this requirement). i'm hoping to get a 1 year Work Permit extension (instead of 6 months, which the MOL gave last time) in May. if this happens, my lawyer thinks i can go to Penang and get a one year multiple entry Non B. If not, i can expect to be incarcerated in Chaeng Wattana for a day. and no, you can't send someone in your place. 

if anyone's got more details, please drop 'em here. I'll drop anything i find out but it doesn't get real for me til May. 

 

Edited February 26, 20206 yr by zeusbheld
image was messed up, reloaded

I have always understood that visas are non meant to be used back to back, and was warned of this by multiple embassies and consulates for nearly 10 years already. For the same reason it becomes harder to get a multiple entry visa, unless it’s clear you travel in and out a lot and may not be in the position to apply for an extension locally, or don’t spend the majority of the time in Thailand. Immigration offers several options for an extension, should you wish to reside (full-time or most of the time) in Thailand. 

However, my local immigration office refuses to grant me an extension since a few years now, being that the company I work for is not making a profit. Hence I do the 3 monthly visa run, either nearby or whenever I travel for work to Europe. Yesterday I came back from Penang to get a new NonB visa. I used an agent so didn’t see any notice as the OP received, but when I went through immigration I was hassled even more than usual, and specifically why I no longer get an extension. I explained that my local immigration office refuses to grant an extension when the company one works for doesn’t make a profit. The immigration officer grudgingly accepted this and let me in. 

i've been advised that any overseas consulate, including Penang, is unlikely to issue a second back-to-back Non B visa regardless of length. as Gulfsailor says, an old rule, now enforced apparently. 

therefore, expect to go to Chaeng Wattana no matter what. there may be loopholes, but do you want to take that chance? i won't. 

if you have your own company, you *need* to show enough revenue to cover salaries, at least break even. otherwise, maybe no Non B at all going forward. 
 

and PS yeah you still need 4 Thai employees per Work Permit that's a given. 

it's also worth noting that Gulfsailor got a visa *before* i got this notification. 

penang are still issuing them back to back if you have a WP,KL isn't 

Edited February 26, 20206 yr by ScottBooth

8 minutes ago, ScottBooth said:

penang are still issuing them back to back if you have a WP,KL isn't 

I received single entry visas back to back for over 3 years. Most from Penang and KL, mixed with the occasional European one. Most recent at KL 3 months ago and from Penang yesterday. It’s very much appreciated to read a heads up on Thaivisa as soon as someone is denied a nonB visa for a back-back reason. 

1 hour ago, zeusbheld said:

if you have your own company, you *need* to show enough revenue to cover salaries, at least break even. otherwise, maybe no Non B at all going forward. 
 

And what is wrong with that, unless you are using it to abuse the system?

15 minutes ago, saakura said:

And what is wrong with that, unless you are using it to abuse the system?

Problem is that I work for a 100% Thai owned company that makes regular losses. They have continued investments and can pay my salary. Up to them. Not according to immigration unfortunately. 

1 hour ago, saakura said:

And what is wrong with that, unless you are using it to abuse the system?

this being Thai Visa, quite unsurprising that the self-righteous twaddle would start within the first few posts. 

ever start a business? you might find you don't make a profit right away, especially if you have hopes of scaling. 

that said, at what point did i say there's something wrong with it? merely reporting facts. it wasn't enforced, now it is. 

 

1 hour ago, Gulfsailor said:

I received single entry visas back to back for over 3 years. Most from Penang and KL, mixed with the occasional European one. Most recent at KL 3 months ago and from Penang yesterday. It’s very much appreciated to read a heads up on Thaivisa as soon as someone is denied a nonB visa for a back-back reason. 

2 years for me. i wouldn't rely on that continuing if you have a choice. call Penang (or wherever you go) before you fly next time...