Thai Visa Center "Business Visa" question

[visastruggler]

Hello, 

I recently got a 1-year "Business Visa" from this agency, but when I read in my passport, I cannot see any mention of a "business visa", all I can see is a 1 year "extension of stay" and a handwritten line on top with the name of a company, so no official stamp it seems

 

Have you experienced this before, is it normal?

And an additional question: Can i request a Tax Identification Number (TIN) with this type of Visa? The only necessary qualification for this seem to be having spent at least 6 months in thailand in the last year, but do you think that could be a problem when i bring my passport to the tax bureau's officer if he reads the visa page?
 

Thank you

[DrJack54]

Post picture of stamp

[OneMoreFarang]

The business visa is a stamp like a table with lots of lines. In the left bottom corner is written "Category Non-B".

The Extension of Stay does not contain a category. Just dates.

 

[visastruggler]

the only page of my passport containing a category is this one for the re entry permit. does it act as the visa?
(exactly like this picture, shows Category:Non-Imm)

[Caldera]

1 hour ago, visastruggler said:

the only page of my passport containing a category is this one for the re entry permit. does it act as the visa?
(exactly like this picture, shows Category:Non-Imm)

Why don't you post your actual EXTENSION stamp, redacted as necessary? We all know what an re-entry permit looks like, but it doesn't help answer your question.

 

If your agent got that in province A but you don't actually live there, you probably wouldn't have much luck rocking up at the revenue department of province B asking for a TIN. That's one potential issue I could see without seeing your stamp.

 

Don't worry about the 6 months, you could tell them you paid withholding tax on interest that you want to claim back or something. 

Edited June 7, 2023 by Caldera

[Neeranam]

Why did you want a business visa? 

How much did you pay? 

 

[BritTim]

It seems likely that you have an extension of stay based on working. Do you have a work permit that is associated with this? As posted above, it is easiest for us to know exactly what you have if you post a scan.

[visarunner]

The next crackdown is written on the wall. To OP, are you completely naive? You post Immigration stamp, clear Reentry permit and you have no idea what you have. 

[Caldera]

4 hours ago, visastruggler said:

It is indeed done in another province than the one that i live in. When you say it might be a problem, what's the worst that could happen like not getting a TIN or having troubles with the visa?

At the tax office, the worst that can happen is that they don't give you the TIN / send you to the "correct" tax office. Unless you can prove a change of residence and have documents for where you actually reside, they would almost certainly be of the opinion that you need to get your TIN in Trang, where your current extension was issued.

 

If you'll run into trouble with your "visa" elsewhere is hard to tell, this being Thailand. The process and circumstances you describe sound dodgy and evoke memories of the now infamous "volunteer visa" that was once popular. 

 

Did you enter the country with a non-immigrant visa, or is there another stamp from Trang Immigration in your passport that is a non-immigrant visa issued locally? I'm surprised that you don't have a work permit, was it explained to you by the agent why you don't need one? You don't work, I get it, but for that kind of extension they must have come up with some kind of a relationship between you and a company.

[BritTim]

My guess is that a fiction was created where you were made a director in a company. There are activities a director can perform that do not require a work permit. The argument was then used that the one-year extension facilitated being in Thailand for company meetings and so on.

 

This is all pretty murky, and not a dodge I see very often (which explains the high fee). You essentially received what you paid for: an extension of stay based on "your business activities" in Thailand. You will need a re-entry permit if you intend travelling.

[sallecc]

Another issue could come up when time comes to officially cancel this extension before it expires... Agent might say it's not necessary and suggest exit out of Thailand, but as I understand, extensions for work and study must be officially canceled before they expire?

[visastruggler]

6 hours ago, visarunner said:

The next crackdown is written on the wall. To OP, are you completely naive? You post Immigration stamp, clear Reentry permit and you have no idea what you have. 

I mean, nowhere on my passport it is written "Business" or "non immigrant B", at most it 's written "NON IMM" and there are multiple non imm visas, hence my question...

 

5 hours ago, Caldera said:

At the tax office, the worst that can happen is that they don't give you the TIN / send you to the "correct" tax office. Unless you can prove a change of residence and have documents for where you actually reside, they would almost certainly be of the opinion that you need to get your TIN in Trang, where your current extension was issued.

 

If you'll run into trouble with your "visa" elsewhere is hard to tell, this being Thailand. The process and circumstances you describe sound dodgy and evoke memories of the now infamous "volunteer visa" that was once popular. 

 

Did you enter the country with a non-immigrant visa, or is there another stamp from Trang Immigration in your passport that is a non-immigrant visa issued locally? I'm surprised that you don't have a work permit, was it explained to you by the agent why you don't need one? You don't work, I get it, but for that kind of extension they must have come up with some kind of a relationship between you and a company.

 

4 hours ago, BritTim said:

My guess is that a fiction was created where you were made a director in a company. There are activities a director can perform that do not require a work permit. The argument was then used that the one-year extension facilitated being in Thailand for company meetings and so on.

 

This is all pretty murky, and not a dodge I see very often (which explains the high fee). You essentially received what you paid for: an extension of stay based on "your business activities" in Thailand. You will need a re-entry permit if you intend travelling.

Yeah this is definetly murky, i traveled already once and it went without problem with their airport "vip service", but they dont really explain how exactly they can provide you this extension even though i asked multiple times. originally i entered the country with visa exemption.

 

38 minutes ago, sallecc said:

Another issue could come up when time comes to officially cancel this extension before it expires... Agent might say it's not necessary and suggest exit out of Thailand, but as I understand, extensions for work and study must be officially canceled before they expire?

Interesting point, ill look into it with them when times come.

[Caldera]

42 minutes ago, visastruggler said:

originally i entered the country with visa exemption.

So besides the extension stamp and the re-entry permit stamp that you have, you should have a few other stamps, one of them being a non-immigrant visa issued by the same immigration office (Trang).

 

That non-immigrant visa stamp has a line named "Category", and in your case that category would be "B" for business which should be clearly written on it.

[visastruggler]

2 minutes ago, Caldera said:

So besides the extension stamp and the re-entry permit stamp that you have, you should have a few other stamps, one of them being a non-immigrant visa issued by the same immigration office (Trang).

 

That non-immigrant visa stamp has a line named "Category", and in your case that category would be "B" for business which should be clearly written on it.

yeah that's what i thought, but there isnt. only the extension of stay & re entry permit

[Caldera]

1 minute ago, visastruggler said:

yeah that's what i thought, but there isnt. only the extension of stay & re entry permit

Were you already on a non-immigrant entry from something else before you applied for this extension? Such as studying on an education visa for example?

 

You can't go straight from a visa exempt entry to the extension you've posted. 

[JayClay]

OP

 

Have you checked your passport thoroughly? Including all the "blank" pages? It's not entirety uncommon for immigration officials to skip a couple of pages when stamping a passport.