Non immigrant B business visa: Possible to change it in an Employment Visa in Thailand?

[Flying Saucage]

I currently have quite new 1 year Non-immigrant B visa for business, issues in October. But now, I will start working for a Thai company from January 1st on, and will work in Thailand.

 

To get a work permit, as far as I know, I need a Non-immigrant B Employment visa. Is it possible, to change the Business visa against an employment visa in Thailand, or do I need to apply for a Employment visa here at the Embassy in Europe?

 

If so, do I have to cancel my business visa, or is it void automatically, or are they active parallely?

[scorecard]

I guess you're aware that to work legally in Thailand you need:

 

- A Thai Work Permit (WP) and the primary item needed for a WP is a contract of employment from a Thai registered company. This is granted, administered, renewed by the Thai Labour Ministry.  (This is permission to work in Thailand only. It's not permission to physically be in Thailand, that's a different subject.) 

 

- A visa granted, renewed by a different / separate government agency, the Thai Immigration Bureau, gained through having a WP. (This is permission to physically be in Thailand with dates.)

Edited December 12, 2022 by scorecard

[asiaexpat]

A Non-B visa is the type of visa for employment in Thailand. There is no Employment visa. You have the correct visa to apply for a work permit.

[Bagwain]

22 minutes ago, asiaexpat said:

A Non-B visa is the type of visa for employment in Thailand. There is no Employment visa. You have the correct visa to apply for a work permit.

Correct.

2 options

- keep the Non - B but you will have to do a border run every 90 days. However the NON - B will give you 15 months.

 

- Change to a permission to stay stamp. Your employer should do this. Best option as no border runs and you already are into your first 90 days in your Non - B

[Flying Saucage]

5 hours ago, Bagwain said:

Correct.

2 options

- keep the Non - B but you will have to do a border run every 90 days. However the NON - B will give you 15 months.

 

- Change to a permission to stay stamp. Your employer should do this. Best option as no border runs and you already are into your first 90 days in your Non - B

After I will have started working for my employer, I will choose the permission to stay stamp.

 

Back to the visa: On the website of my Thai embassy (Berlin) they distinguish between a "Non-B for business" (which I have) and a "Non-B for employment". But maybe they mean the same Non-B for both purposes, and the application process is different? Not clear to me.

 

For a Non-B business they demand a letter of the German employer plus an invitation letter of the Thai business partner, whereas for the Non-B employment they demand that the future Thai employer sends an application form WP3 to the Ministry of Labour. Then the Ministry of Labour prepares an approval letter, and only then I will be able to get this Non-B employment.

 

So, my for current 1y Non-B, I applied for business purposes, whereas now it seems to me that I have to apply again, for a Non-B for employment purposes, and my future employer has to go through the WP3 hassle firstly.

 

Wonder if this is really necessary. And, of not, if the missing WP3 will cause trouble later when I apply for the work permit.

[Bagwain]

The company whom is offering to employ you is responsible for the docs required. There is only 1 Non - B visa! 

I have done this many times to help a few people get the Non - B.

 

[FriendlyFarang]

6 hours ago, Flying Saucage said:

So, my for current 1y Non-B, I applied for business purposes, whereas now it seems to me that I have to apply again, for a Non-B for employment purposes, and my future employer has to go through the WP3 hassle firstly.

It's the same non-B visa, there are just two ways to get one, no need to get a new visa.