Volunteer Visa

[wenshidi]

Is there any way to get a Non-O volunteer visa without having to pay 40,000 baht to an agent?

[cjinchiangrai]

Volunteer with a real NGO and then plan on doing real work for them.

[wenshidi]

Do you have any experience you can share?

 

Did immigration not require an agent?

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, wenshidi said:

Do you have any experience you can share?

 

Did immigration not require an agent?

Don't even think about non O volunteering.

Meaning one provided by agent. 

The grief comes later. 

[Onerak]

Volunteer visa is under scrutiny and changes will be made to report to immigration every month what work you're doing. Unless IOs who are unfortunate not to have access to dollars are well compensated for their bad luck why they would give you a visa to live in Thailand doing no volunteer work?

[HandsomeTallFarang]

Basically an impossible option from what I heard.

 

and even worse, I heard that if you get the volunteer visa, that you're disqualified from getting all kinds of other visas in the future. Not sure if true but wow if it is.

 

Education or Elite Visa or Border Bounce seem like non retirement visa options that are realistic.

Edited December 19, 2022 by HandsomeTallFarang

[FriendlyFarang]

The organization for which you volunteer should be aware of what is required, you are probably not their first volunteer. If they are unsure they can just call immigration, no agent required.

[DrJack54]

1 hour ago, FriendlyFarang said:

The organization for which you volunteer should be aware of what is required, you are probably not their first volunteer. If they are unsure they can just call immigration, no agent required.

The OP mentioned "agent"...

Pretty safe guess that no actual volunteering will take place. 

[BritTim]

To be a real volunteer, you need a sponsoring organisation. Some are genuine charities, some are out and out scams. The genuine charities vary tremendously in how they treat their volunteers. You can end up in awful accommodation, almost inedible food, and needing to pay for the privilege. Or, you may end up with one of the best charities (especially if you have skills they need) in good, clean accommodation, fed well, and provided a limited, but adequate salary. As a genuine volunteer with a visa, you work, and not just a token couple of hours a week. You may well (more likely than not) be posted to a remote, rural area.

[Maestro]

You do not need an agent to apply for a non-O volunteer visa and therefore there is no agent to whom to pay a fee. Check with the Thai embassy or consulate where you plan apply what their requirements are and take it from  there.