Company Chop?

[RDN]

On the home page of ThaiVisa (http://www.thaivisa.com ) there is a link (about the 10th one down) with the name: "Example letter for NON-Immigrant "B" visa". The link itself is: http://www.thaivisa.com/332.0.html .

What it says is:

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Example letter Non-Immigrant "B" visa

Instructions for preparing a BUSINESS LETTER (required for all business visas)

Letter must be TYPED on the COMPANY LETTERHEAD which is sponsoring the applicant. Letter must be addressed to the appropriate Embassy or Consulate. Street address is not necessary, as the letter will be hand delivered.

The first paragraph of the body of the letter should introduce the applicant and state the specific nature of business to be conducted.

The next paragraph should indicate the names of companies an persons to be contacted by the applicant in the country, along with the address of contact(s).

Guarantee of financial support for the applicant must be stated -- i.e.; XYZ Company guarantees financial responsibility for Mr. Smith while in your country.

The letter must be signed by someone other than the applicant, with their name and title typed below. It does not necessarily have to be signed by an officer of the company. Stamp the company chop on the letter!

One business letter per applicant is required for each embassy or consulate.

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I'm probably being very thick here and am getting prepared for some horrendous flaming, but I will ask anyway: what is a "company chop" (2nd to last line)?

[Indo-Siam]

The "chop" is an ink stamp that is unique to the company - and which appears in the public record copy of the company incorporation documents that may be accessed at the Commercial Registration Office by anyone. It - along with the signature of a director authorized to bind the company with his signature - must appear on all transactions executed by the company - including certifying copies, and on company bank checks.

So - in your case, this means that two original ink entries must appear on the employment letter - an ink signature of a directir, and an ink impression of the company stamp/seal.

Cheers!

Indo-Siam

[opalhort]

Indo Siam,

do you think it may be helpfull for the applicant to also have a copy of the cover page of the memorandum stating who has the rights to sign on behalf of the company?

opalhort

[john b good]

The "chop" is an ink stamp that is unique to the company - and which appears in the public record copy of the company incorporation documents that may be accessed at the Commercial Registration Office by anyone. It - along with the signature of a director authorized to bind the company with his signature - must appear on all transactions executed by the company - including certifying copies, and on company bank checks.

So - in your case, this means that two original ink entries must appear on the employment letter - an ink signature of a directir, and an ink impression of the company stamp/seal.

Cheers!

Indo-Siam

And here was me thinking that it must have been a pork chop or a lamb chop.

My mouth was beginning to water at the mere thought of a few delicious lamb chops.

Where from ?

"Gods Own" of course. Lamb chops from NZ are like the All Blacks, very hard to beat

[thaihome]

do you think it may be helpfull for the applicant to also have a copy of the cover page of the memorandum stating who has the rights to sign on behalf of the company?

That's the point of the company chop. Signatures are a western concept that has yet to gain full acceptance in Asia.

TH

[BKK_banger]

When you register a company you need to give both the name and the chop which have to be unique to that company.

These are easy to have made in Thailand and can be quite intricate. If you took a photocopy of your design to a chop maker he could make it in a few hours.

The chop is a closely guarded tool and will usually be locked away from those tempted to borrow it.

If you receive a letter with a chop on it then you do not need to concern yourself with the authorisation of the signor as long as you have no reason to doubt the authority thereof.

Of course forgery of documents, signatures or chops is a major crime in Thailand and quite stiff penalties are handed out. Nevertheless it is rampant......

[RDN]

And here was me thinking that it must have been a pork chop or a lamb chop.

My mouth was beginning to water at the  mere thought of a few delicious lamb chops.

Where from ?

"Gods Own" of course. Lamb chops from NZ are like the All Blacks, very hard to beat 

Quite agree about NZ lamb chops - I used to love 8 slowly grilled lamb chops, with mint sauce, roast potatoes with white pepper, Farrows marrowfat peas and Bisto gravy....(but no Marmite)

Anyway, back to the "CHOP"... anyone know why it is so called?

[Jangot]

Anyway, back to the "CHOP"... anyone know why it is so called?

I first encountered the term in Singapore many years ago. I think it originated from the trade between the European and Chinese merchants, and was an onomatophaic (or however you spell it) term to describe the sound of the carved stamp impacting the paper when the deal was "signed".

I understand that there is a big problem in Japan at the moment where as a matter of honour, the chop has to be taken at face value or risk great offence - but forgery is easy and rampant.

[Indo-Siam]

The list of signatory directors, their signatures, and the image of the company seal are all public record documents that can be ontained for any Thai Private Co. Ltd. for a 500 baht fee payable to the Commercial Registration Department. But - it is not the obligation of the bearer of a signed/stampede document to have to carry along proof of the validity of signature and stamp. That is the burden on the receiver of a document, if he wants to challenge the authenticity.

At Thai diplomatic posts worldwide, I have never heard of an employment or sponsor letter ever being challenged, if it "looked right" - and I do not believe they perform the due diligence to check - they typically do not even make a phone call to the issuer, to check.

Cheers!

Indo-Siam

[opalhort]

But - it is not the obligation of the bearer of a signed/stampede document to have to carry along proof of the validity of signature and stamp.  That is the burden on the receiver of a document, if he wants to challenge the authenticity.

you are right Indo-Siam, but have you ever tried to renew a WP or obtain a company VAT refund without this paper? Here in Thailand the burden of proof appears to rest with the applicant.

of course an embassy/consulate would never ask for this paper but I thought it may be a helpful addition especially if there are some doubts in the minds of the embassy staff. an official document issued by a Thai ministry may sway their decision in favour of the applicant.

opalhort

[mijan24]

RDN flamers in this instance would have received some very negative responses I would hope.

A very good question and the responses were very very informative those who knew so be it, I would say with much confidence the majority did not and now we are all the wiser - "one is never to old to learn"

A good post

Regards

Mijan24

[Explorer]

Chop

An official stamp or permit in the Far East.

A mark stamped on goods or coins to indicate their identity or quality.

Quality; class: first chop.

Stamp

The act of stamping. 7. To put a stamp on, as for postage; as, to stamp a letter; to stamp a legal document.

Well, these stamp or chop is what makes the legal papers valid or official. It's the same thing as when you come in into Thai, you MUST get your passport stamped or chop by the immigration.

So in your case, the company "chop" or stamp that is require is to insure that the company is aware of the letter and it is official.

Hope this help

Explorer

[Axel]

While in the 'West' you put your signature on any paper of importance in the 'East' it is the chop.

Your own signature waries from day to day, depends on your mood.

The chop def. is always the same. Forgeries? Very difficult, as long as the chop is handcarved it will be next to impossible to make a same one without detecting different lines, at least under enlargement. Banks in Japan and Taiwan do check such.

[RDN]

....the responses were very very informative those who knew so be it, I would say with much confidence the majority did not and now we are all the wiser - "one is never to old to learn"

Yes, I thought I would be told something like "What a <deleted>! A 'chop' is a ......" and then I would feel very stupid! But it's been very interesting reading about the origins.

On a similar vein, I used to work in the computer industry and was always on the receiving end of TLAs - Three Letter Acronyms. I would hear new ones nearly every day and got sick and tired of it. So when I heard a new one, I would say "I'm so sorry, what does that stand for?" And you should see the look on the faces of those who didn't know what the **** they were talking about, but thought it would impress me by sprinkling TLAs in their conversation. W@ankers!

[astral]

The relevant thai word is PUM,

meaning stamp.

[Explorer]

The relevant thai word is PUM,

meaning stamp.

Hey! That's my wife's name

explorer