Elite visa or a similar visa question

[problemfarang]

Hi

I have a friend from Azerbaijan. He is doing some kind of work between there and thailand. His office pays all the expenses. The problem is everytime he enters thailand with a tourist visa. Before it was not a problem for him but he told me now its becoming a problem. 

 

He wants to get elite visa or any other similar visa which will help him for entering thailand without any problem. 

 

He wants to know how to get and the needed documents or any info about elit visa or any other visa.

 

Obviously Ed visa is not an option plus its not the right visa type.

 

Thanks

[Sigma6]

Its not really clear: is he coming to Thailand to work? 

It's not legal to work on an elite visa.  You can not get a work permit on an elite visa.

If all work was online, doesnt involve thai companies and no financial aspects were done in Thailand, then in reality; how would they know?

www.thailandelite.com

 

He can apply directly there.

[Caldera]

22 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

Obviously Ed visa is not an option plus its not the right visa type.

As he works in Thailand, the Elite visa isn't the right visa type either.

[problemfarang]

53 minutes ago, Caldera said:

As he works in Thailand, the Elite visa isn't the right visa type either.

he is not working. its like he comes and do some work for his company based in his own country and go back to his country. to be honest i dont know what he is doing.

[problemfarang]

57 minutes ago, Sigma6 said:

Its not really clear: is he coming to Thailand to work? 

It's not legal to work on an elite visa.  You can not get a work permit on an elite visa.

If all work was online, doesnt involve thai companies and no financial aspects were done in Thailand, then in reality; how would they know?

www.thailandelite.com

 

He can apply directly there.

thank you

 

he is not working. its like he comes and do some work for his company based in his own country and go back to his country. to be honest i dont know what he is doing.

 

i will pass him the link

 

[Celsius]

1 hour ago, problemfarang said:

thank you

 

he is not working. its like he comes and do some work for his company based in his own country and go back to his country. to be honest i dont know what he is doing.

 

i will pass him the link

 

 

So he is working in Thailand.

 

 

[Pink Mist]

He could apply for the LTR visa for working from Thailand if his company has the correct financials.

 

https://ltr.boi.go.th/

[JustAnotherHun]

10 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

So he is working in Thailand.

 

 

Are you sure?

It would mean your acting illegaly if you're hollidaying on a TV in Thailand  and holding team meetings via skype, maintain company-pcs via teamviewer or manage your investments online.

[DrJack54]

16 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

So he is working in Thailand.

 

 

Yes.

Using tourist visas . 

[richard_smith237]

Everyone getting their panties in a twist about someone else working... 

 

It seems the guy is working on rotation overseas and when he visits Thailand he also does some remote work online.

This is exactly the same as the online worked carried out by ‘digital nomads’ - officials have no issue with this in Thailand. 

 

The Thai Elite visa would be perfect for him.

 

The official website: https://www.thailandelite.com

(note thats the only official website - anything else is an agent or intermediary). 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2023 by richard_smith237

[Misty]

3 hours ago, problemfarang said:

thank you

 

he is not working. its like he comes and do some work for his company based in his own country and go back to his country. to be honest i dont know what he is doing.

 

i will pass him the link

 

 

5 hours ago, problemfarang said:

Hi

I have a friend from Azerbaijan. He is doing some kind of work between there and thailand.

He is working or he is not working?

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

Are you sure?

It would mean your acting illegaly if you're hollidaying on a TV in Thailand  and holding team meetings via skype, maintain company-pcs via teamviewer or manage your investments online.

Holding team meetings via Skype (or another platform) is working hence illegal.

Maintaining company-pcs via teamviewer  (or another platform) is working hence illegal..

Conversely managing your investments online is not work, so legal.

if you are replying to work emails it is working hence illegal.

 

That you are very unlikely to be found out is irrelevant to its illegality 

it really is very simple.

[problemfarang]

2 hours ago, Celsius said:

 

So he is working in Thailand.

 

 

Sorry wrong post

Edited May 20, 2023 by problemfarang

[problemfarang]

2 hours ago, Pink Mist said:

He could apply for the LTR visa for working from Thailand if his company has the correct financials.

 

https://ltr.boi.go.th/

Thank you. I will pass the link to him

[problemfarang]

54 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Everyone getting their panties in a twist about someone else working... 

 

It seems the guy is working on rotation overseas and when he visits Thailand he also does some remote work online.

This is exactly the same as the online worked carried out by ‘digital nomads’ - officials have no issue with this in Thailand. 

 

The Thai Elite visa would be perfect for him.

 

The official website: https://www.thailandelite.com

(note thats the only official website - anything else is an agent or intermediary). 

 

 

Thank you

[sometimewoodworker]

58 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

It seems the guy is working on rotation overseas and when he visits Thailand he also does some remote work online.

This is exactly the same as the online worked carried out by ‘digital nomads’ - officials have no issue with this in Thailand. 

There is no official position on that kind of work.

That officials have largely ignored it means nothing.

At some point it will become something to address, probably because doing so will help a politician. When that time comes it will either be stamped on hard or be made legal, your guess is as good as mine as to when and which way the decision goes.

You have probably been hear long enough to know that because something was done before means little to what will happen in the future 

[JustAnotherHun]

52 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

it really is very simple.

Is this your interpretation of the law or is it to read somewhere in official papers?

[richard_smith237]

40 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

There is no official position on that kind of work.

That officials have largely ignored it means nothing.

At some point it will become something to address, probably because doing so will help a politician. When that time comes it will either be stamped on hard or be made legal, your guess is as good as mine as to when and which way the decision goes.

You have probably been hear long enough to know that because something was done before means little to what will happen in the future 

You're seriously over egging your response here.... 

 

People doing a bit of ‘online work’ from home has never been an issue here, neither is it ever likely to be.

 

Thailand is simply not interested in people working online for overseas companies.

Thailand’s employment laws specifically revolve around ’taking jobs from Thai’s’....  

The 'over egged’ from yourself is similar to those who tell someone that they can get arrested for paining their house !!!.... 

 

OP... Ignore the curtain twitchers and the anally retentive - there really is no issue if your friend is doing a little bit of online work from home....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, Sigma6 said:

If all work was online, doesnt involve thai companies and no financial aspects were done in Thailand, then in reality; how would they know?

It's his frequent visits on TVs that are the issue, not how to hide his work.

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, problemfarang said:

Hi

I have a friend from Azerbaijan. He is doing some kind of work between there and thailand.

 

5 hours ago, problemfarang said:

he is not working. its like he comes and do some work for his company based in his own country

 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Holding team meetings via Skype (or another platform) is working hence illegal.

Maintaining company-pcs via teamviewer  (or another platform) is working hence illegal..

Where is that mentioned in any of Thailands Laws ?... 

 

Thats simply your interpretation of what Thailand would consider ‘working’ from an Immigration point of view. 

 

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Conversely managing your investments online is not work, so legal.

Your own interpretation again ?

 

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

if you are replying to work emails it is working hence illegal.

Every guy on a  beach replying to a work e-mail while on holiday is a law breaker !!!... You people make me laugh !

 

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

That you are very unlikely to be found out is irrelevant to its illegality 

Its wholly relevant...    unless you’re the sort of person who is going to worry so much about such things they’re scared to ever do anything. 

 

1 hour ago, sometimewoodworker said:

it really is very simple.

Agreed - its really is very simple... No one will care. 

[richard_smith237]

4 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

It's his frequent visits on TVs that are the issue, not how to hide his work.

Exactly... such frequent visits are an issue for many people, especially those who work a lot overseas and / or rotate to overseas work. 

 

 

For those under 50 who are not married there are limited options - Thai Elite Visa conveniently fills that gap (for a cost of course).

 

 

 

 

[sometimewoodworker]

21 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

Is this your interpretation of the law or is it to read somewhere in official papers?

I do not interpret the law, I can understand the law.
 

If you can quote the law that permits working in Thailand without a work permit I would like to be corrected.

[JustAnotherHun]

2 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

I do not interpret the law, I can understand the law.
 

If you can quote the law that permits working in Thailand without a work permit I would like to be corrected.

In short: you can't provide a link that confirms your interpretation about what the law states as "work" and what not. Thank you.

 

[richard_smith237]

17 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

I do not interpret the law, I can understand the law.
 

If you can quote the law that permits working in Thailand without a work permit I would like to be corrected.

 

No you don’t... you just make up your own examples of what Thai Immigration would consider ‘work’. 

 

You are basically making stuff up and trying to suggest that Thailand has a 'black and white’ outlook on this rather than the ‘grey area’ it permits.. 

[sometimewoodworker]

1 minute ago, JustAnotherHun said:

In short: you can't provide a link that confirms your interpretation about what the law states as "work" and what not. Thank you.

 

As I said I have no interpretation about what the law states.

It seams that you have difficulty in understanding the you are not permitted to work without a work permit.

It also seams that you are desperately trying to say that working on line is somehow not working when it clearly is.

That, for the moment, no official is going to push and bother to enforce the law doesn’t make it legal. TIT so at any time it can change.

You also seem to think that there are voluminous lists of what is and isn’t work, there aren’t, TIT officials will interpret in a way that benefits them either financially or in not having to be industrious. Laws are often deliberately written to allow wiggle room. 
This is not Germany or other Teutonic countries where the law is rigidly defined.

 

Find a law that exempts online workers from requiring a work permit, hint, I will be amazed at the flying porcine’s if you can.

[richard_smith237]

22 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Find a law that exempts online workers from requiring a work permit, hint, I will be amazed at the flying porcine’s if you can.

Find a law that prevents online workers from requiring a work permit ???... Hint, you can’t because Thailand's laws were written before ‘online' was a thing...

 

This link containing an interview with the Labour Specialist Senior Professional at Chiang Mai Provincial Employment office highlighted what is and isn’t considered work from Thailand Immigration / Work Permit perspective. 

https://www.chiangmailocator.com/wiki-can-digital-nomads-legally-work-in-thailand-p177

 

 

People ‘continuing’ their overseas work online while in Thailand is not considered work unless their online work involves products or a market that are mainly from / in Thailand. 

 

Businessmen can also come to Thailand and hold meetings etc on behalf of his overseas company, this is also not considered work from an immigration point of view even though by ‘everyones standards’ it would be considered ‘work’.

 

 

 

 

 

[JustAnotherHun]

27 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

It seams that you have difficulty in understanding the you are not permitted to work without a work permit.

It also seams that you are desperately trying to say that working on line is somehow not working when it clearly is.

I do know that one needs a work permit to work in Thailand. Quite easy to comprehend.

But it seems you have difficulties to understand that it is your interpretation of the law  and nothing else if you claim all proessional activities are defined as "work", even if it has nothing to do with Thai labour market, Thai tax system, Thai laws and the only possible connection to Thailand is to use a domestic ISP.

It would be more than your opinion, if you had ONE example of a foreigner was charged for illegal work because he took part in anonline meeting or wrote a software script for his company at home while relaxing besides his pool.

 

And by the way "retired but working more"? Do you have a work permit? or is  your work no work?

Edited May 20, 2023 by JustAnotherHun

[BritTim]

It is vital to clarify exactly what he is doing in Thailand.

 

If he is doing any work that involves a Thai company or Thai customers, he needs a work permit. If the authorities become aware of what he is doing, they will take action.

 

On the other hand, if he is doing only 100% remote work for a foreign employer, there is no problem in practice. The Thai authorities at the highest levels have decided to tolerate this. He can use any visa he can get without any worries. He may, though, discover that his company's legal department want something better than "what he is doing is fully tolerated" as security that the company would never be held liable for illegal working.

[HandsomeTallFarang]

I have an elite visa and I suggest using the agents provided by the company. It's a very easy process and it can all be handled via email. Just takes up to 90 days to complete the process.