Non-B Visa Questions

[jillkite]

Hi, so happy to find this forum again!
Understand this is the rebrand of thaivisa.com which I was searching for as I used it a few times years ago to get info and found it very helpful.

I've been offered a short work contract (2 months) with a Thai Company in 2025 and it is required that I get a non-B visa; I've never done this before.  The company are experienced in this and have already given me plenty of information.  From this I understand it would be best if I apply for the visa in my home country (UK), however I travel a lot for work and I won't be in my home country for the 5 months prior to my contract in Thailand starting.

From research I have done so far it looks like you need to enter Thailand within 3 months of being granted the Non-B visa.  Does anyone know if that is the case whether the visa is single or multiple entry?

I will be in Australia before I need to arrive in Thailand, so maybe I can apply for the Non-B there?  However I'll only be in Australia as a tourist for about 5 weeks.  Do you think this will this work?

Many thanks if anyone has any advice.  I would really like to accept this contract but the visa situation looks tricky... Maybe it's not as bad as it looks...?!?

[OneMoreFarang]

People have to apply for a Non-B visa outside of Thailand. So anybody who lives inside Thailand must visit any country outside of Thailand to get that visa. This is why many of us apply in neighboring countries like Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, etc.

You can apply in any Thai embassy anywhere on this world for a Non-B visa. You certainly will be able to do that in Australia.

But make sure you read all the details on the website of the embassy which you want to visit. Some want that you come in person without appointment, others want that you apply online first and after a while get an appointment, and many other differences.

And in some embassies it is relative easy and in others it's headache because of all the little differences.

But if you have an experienced company hiring you then hopefully they know what you need.

 

[bigt3116]

5 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

People have to apply for a Non-B visa outside of Thailand.

 

Incorrect, you can apply for a Non-B or convert a tourist visa INSIDE Thailand at Immigration.

 

Here is one such visa issued inside Thailand

[OneMoreFarang]

32 minutes ago, bigt3116 said:

 

Incorrect, you can apply for a Non-B or convert a tourist visa INSIDE Thailand at Immigration.

 

Here is one such visa issued inside Thailand

 

Do you know under which condition you can do that? Maybe BOI company or something like that?

I spoke with enough people who should know, and nobody ever suggested any possibility to do it in Thailand.

And I know many people who traveled to neighboring countries to go to the Thai embassy in those countries to apply for Non-B visa. Those were people with legitimate new jobs and the correct documents. All went for a couple of days to neighboring countries to get that visa because they couldn't do it within Thailand.

 

 

[Ralf001]

16 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

Do you know under which condition you can do that? Maybe BOI company or something like that?

I spoke with enough people who should know, and nobody ever suggested any possibility to do it in Thailand.

And I know many people who traveled to neighboring countries to go to the Thai embassy in those countries to apply for Non-B visa. Those were people with legitimate new jobs and the correct documents. All went for a couple of days to neighboring countries to get that visa because they couldn't do it within Thailand.

 

 

 

Things may have changed recently... but yeah I have had to leave Thailand (tourist visa entry) and go to Singapore to get Non-B.

 

This was years ago though.

 

[bigt3116]

58 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

 

Do you know under which condition you can do that? Maybe BOI company or something like that?

I spoke w

58 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I spoke with enough people who should know,

e who should know, and nobody ever suggested any possibility to do it in Thailand.

And I know many people who traveled to neighboring countries to go to the Thai embassy in those countries to apply for Non-B visa. Those were people with legitimate new jobs and the correct documents. All went for a couple of days to neighboring countries to get that visa because they couldn't do it within Thailand.

 

 

 

Anyone for any employer can do it, I did it for a teaching job.

 

Some employers will send you abroad because it is less paperwork for them.

 

"I spoke with enough people who should know," - clearly they did not know as much as they thought :-)

 

41 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Things may have changed recently... but yeah I have had to leave Thailand (tourist visa entry) and go to Singapore to get Non-B.

 

This was years ago though.

 

 

Nope nothing has changed, did my first in country Non-B over a decade ago

 

You did not HAVE to leave, it was just easier for your employer that way

Edited January 21 by bigt3116

[OneMoreFarang]

30 minutes ago, bigt3116 said:

 

Anyone for any employer can do it, I did it for a teaching job.

 

Some employers will send you abroad because it is less paperwork for them.

 

"I spoke with enough people who should know," - clearly they did not know as much as they thought :-)

 

 

Nope nothing has changed, did my first in country Non-B over a decade ago

 

You did not HAVE to leave, it was just easier for your employer that way

Do you have any link to a website with information about this in country Non-B procedure?

Why does (almost) everybody go out of the country to do that?

I don't know how many farangs I know with Non-B visa, but it might be 100. I don't think I ever heard anybody talking about getting that visa inside of Thailand. The exception might be BOI approved companies. I know there are lots of special regulations for them.

[Gulfsailor]

16 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Do you have any link to a website with information about this in country Non-B procedure?

Why does (almost) everybody go out of the country to do that?

I don't know how many farangs I know with Non-B visa, but it might be 100. I don't think I ever heard anybody talking about getting that visa inside of Thailand. The exception might be BOI approved companies. I know there are lots of special regulations for them.

The process and documents required to obtain a non-b within Thailand is very similar to those for the 1-year extension of stay based on employment. For a lot of companies the extension application is too much to handle themselves so they hire an agent, accountant or lawyer to handle the extension, with 50k would be considered cheap. An agent would charge the same rate for the non-b conversion, so sending a new hire abroad to get a fresh non-b saves the company a lot. 

Also only the main regional immigration offices will do a conversion. 
 

[bigt3116]

28 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Do you have any link to a website with information about this in country Non-B procedure?

Why does (almost) everybody go out of the country to do that?

I don't know how many farangs I know with Non-B visa, but it might be 100. I don't think I ever heard anybody talking about getting that visa inside of Thailand. The exception might be BOI approved companies. I know there are lots of special regulations for them.

 

I already stated that it has nothing to do with BOI

 

 

https://www.immigration.go.th/en/?page_id=2537

 

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, bigt3116 said:

 

Anyone for any employer can do it, I did it for a teaching job.

 

Some employers will send you abroad because it is less paperwork for them.

 

"I spoke with enough people who should know," - clearly they did not know as much as they thought :-)

 

 

Nope nothing has changed, did my first in country Non-B over a decade ago

 

You did not HAVE to leave, it was just easier for your employer that way

Immigration told me I had to leave country to get Non B.

I returned, got work permit and extension.

Edited January 21 by Ralf001

[bigt3116]

12 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Immigration told me I had to leave country to get Non B.

I returned, got work permit and extension.

 

That would depend on what entry you were on at the time

 

[Ralf001]

1 minute ago, bigt3116 said:

 

That would depend on what entry you were on at the time

 

 

As I said in my previous post. I was in country on a tourist visa.

[jillkite]

Many thanks for the helpful information.  I think the company definitely want me to get the visa outside of Thailand as they mentioned me getting it in my home country.  From reading the thread I understand this is common as it is easier for them to do it that way.
 

If it is relatively straightforward and common for a foreigner to get a Non-B in Malaysia, Singapore or Cambodia I am now thinking I could pass through one of these countries on the way to or from Australia to get the visa sorted.  Two questions:

 

- Which of the embassies/consulates in these countries would be the easiest for a UK passport holder to get the visa?
- How many days will it take?

Many thanks if you can please let me know. 

Edited January 21 by jillkite

[bigt3116]

41 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

As I said in my previous post. I was in country on a tourist visa.

 

Then you did not have to leave, you would use form TM86 Application for change of visa

[jillkite]

9 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

People have to apply for a Non-B visa outside of Thailand. So anybody who lives inside Thailand must visit any country outside of Thailand to get that visa. This is why many of us apply in neighboring countries like Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, etc.

You can apply in any Thai embassy anywhere on this world for a Non-B visa. You certainly will be able to do that in Australia.

But make sure you read all the details on the website of the embassy which you want to visit. Some want that you come in person without appointment, others want that you apply online first and after a while get an appointment, and many other differences.

And in some embassies it is relative easy and in others it's headache because of all the little differences.

But if you have an experienced company hiring you then hopefully they know what you need.

 

 

Many thanks for the helpful information.  I think the company definitely want me to get the visa outside of Thailand as they mentioned me getting it in my home country.  From reading the thread I understand this is common as it is easier for them to do it that way.
 

If it is relatively straightforward and common for a foreigner to get a Non-B in Malaysia, Singapore or Cambodia I am now thinking I could pass through one of these countries on the way to or from Australia to get the visa sorted.  Two questions:

 

- Which of the embassies/consulates in these countries would be the easiest for a UK passport holder to get the visa?
- How many days will it take?

Many thanks if you can please let me know. 

(Sorry for double post, but was trying to figure out the 'quote' thing...)

[Ralf001]

27 minutes ago, bigt3116 said:

 

Then you did not have to leave, you would use form TM86 Application for change of visa

 

I'll see if I can find the immigration officers name so you can inform her she is doing her job wrong.

[OneMoreFarang]

9 minutes ago, jillkite said:

 

Many thanks for the helpful information.  I think the company definitely want me to get the visa outside of Thailand as they mentioned me getting it in my home country.  From reading the thread I understand this is common as it is easier for them to do it that way.
 

If it is relatively straightforward and common for a foreigner to get a Non-B in Malaysia, Singapore or Cambodia I am now thinking I could pass through one of these countries on the way to or from Australia to get the visa sorted.  Two questions:

 

- Which of the embassies/consulates in these countries would be the easiest for a UK passport holder to get the visa?
- How many days will it take?

Many thanks if you can please let me know. 

(Sorry for double post, but was trying to figure out the 'quote' thing...)

The official, and maybe some unofficial, regulations are different between different embassies.

I was several times in Phnom Phen. Years ago, they wrote they need 3 working days for the Non-B visa and that was the case at that time.

Maybe half a year ago the Thai embassy in Phnom Phen had a sign outside that Non-B would take (I think) 5 working days. That means one week in real life. I was there on a Monday and applied for a visa. I had already booked the hotel for a week. When I applied, they told me to come back to pick up the visa on Thursday, and it was ready on that day.

Another confusing part (for me) was that on the little piece of paper which they gave me to pick up the passport was written "1". I interpreted that as 1pm to pick up the passport and I arrived at that time. But the embassy was closed. I think it opened at 1:30 or 2pm. When I finally was in the embassy, I asked them about the "1" and they told me that means 1 passport and not 1pm. I wasn't the only person waiting outside at 1.

All in all there is sometimes little or bad or confusing information, and that makes it a hassle if you have to schedule your flights.

I guess in your situation I would apply in Australia where you will be before you will travel to Thailand. That should work just fine.

Good luck.

 

[jillkite]

9 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The official, and maybe some unofficial, regulations are different between different embassies.

I was several times in Phnom Phen. Years ago, they wrote they need 3 working days for the Non-B visa and that was the case at that time.

Maybe half a year ago the Thai embassy in Phnom Phen had a sign outside that Non-B would take (I think) 5 working days. That means one week in real life. I was there on a Monday and applied for a visa. I had already booked the hotel for a week. When I applied, they told me to come back to pick up the visa on Thursday, and it was ready on that day.

Another confusing part (for me) was that on the little piece of paper which they gave me to pick up the passport was written "1". I interpreted that as 1pm to pick up the passport and I arrived at that time. But the embassy was closed. I think it opened at 1:30 or 2pm. When I finally was in the embassy, I asked them about the "1" and they told me that means 1 passport and not 1pm. I wasn't the only person waiting outside at 1.

All in all there is sometimes little or bad or confusing information, and that makes it a hassle if you have to schedule your flights.

I guess in your situation I would apply in Australia where you will be before you will travel to Thailand. That should work just fine.

Good luck.

 

Thank you!
I'll be in India for a month before going to Thailand, but I think best not to apply there...
I'll be in Australia before that.  Just thought they might be more fussy in Australia, and perhaps it would be easier to go somewhere more 'standard'.  But yes, it's always stressful waiting for a visa when you've got flights and other plans.  I'll do some research re: getting it in Sydney/Canberra.  Again, many thanks.
 

[sikishrory]

On 1/21/2024 at 6:21 AM, bigt3116 said:

 

Incorrect, you can apply for a Non-B or convert a tourist visa INSIDE Thailand at Immigration.

 

Here is one such visa issued inside Thailand

Same. I did mine from in Thailand too

[brianp0803]

I think the confusion here is about time left on your tourist visa.

I forget if you need to have 30 or 45 days left on your Visa before they will convert it to a non-immigrant visa. I don’t know why they care about these left, but I know they care.
 

Recently we had a teacher without enough days left on his visa and they  had to pay for an extension for 30 days and then pay for the conversion to Non-B.

[jillkite]

On 1/21/2024 at 8:47 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

I guess in your situation I would apply in Australia where you will be before you will travel to Thailand. That should work just fine.

So I have been doing further research. 

When I look at the list of documents required for a Non-B visa for Business in Phnom Penh, KL, Singapore or Penang, it doesn't mention anything about the need for a proof of residence for that country where I am applying.  (For Singapore it says 'If applicable, a copy of the applicant’s long-term pass' and for KL it says 'A copy of Malaysian pass. (If Applicable)' so it looks like it's ok not to have that in both cases.)

However, to apply for a Non-B in Delhi or Mumbai it says that 'Proof of residence in India (if not Indian national)' is required.  I do not know what constitues a 'proof of residence' but I guess I would need more than a hotel booking which is all I could provide.

To apply for a Non-B in Australia it states that I must provide 'Australian Electronic Visa (VEVO) for a proof of residence in Australia (only for non-Australian passport holders)' however you only get a VEVO for a work or study visa, not for a tourist visa.  I will only have a tourist visa.

Therefore I think that I cannot apply in Australia or India, and I will need to apply in Singapore, Malaysia or Cambodia.

Please can anyone tell me: Once the Non-B visa (single entry, 90 days) is approved does the clock start ticking on the 90 days straight away?  Or do you enter Thailand and then the clock starts ticking?  If it is the second case, how long do I have from the visa being granted to enter Thailand? (i.e. how long is the visa valid?)

Many thanks if anyone can tell me.

(P.S. I know it is possible to get a Tourist Visa converted to a Non-B but the company I'm working with don't want to do it this way.) 

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, jillkite said:

So I have been doing further research. 

When I look at the list of documents required for a Non-B visa for Business in Phnom Penh, KL, Singapore or Penang, it doesn't mention anything about the need for a proof of residence for that country where I am applying.  (For Singapore it says 'If applicable, a copy of the applicant’s long-term pass' and for KL it says 'A copy of Malaysian pass. (If Applicable)' so it looks like it's ok not to have that in both cases.)

However, to apply for a Non-B in Delhi or Mumbai it says that 'Proof of residence in India (if not Indian national)' is required.  I do not know what constitues a 'proof of residence' but I guess I would need more than a hotel booking which is all I could provide.

To apply for a Non-B in Australia it states that I must provide 'Australian Electronic Visa (VEVO) for a proof of residence in Australia (only for non-Australian passport holders)' however you only get a VEVO for a work or study visa, not for a tourist visa.  I will only have a tourist visa.

Therefore I think that I cannot apply in Australia or India, and I will need to apply in Singapore, Malaysia or Cambodia.

Please can anyone tell me: Once the Non-B visa (single entry, 90 days) is approved does the clock start ticking on the 90 days straight away?  Or do you enter Thailand and then the clock starts ticking?  If it is the second case, how long do I have from the visa being granted to enter Thailand? (i.e. how long is the visa valid?)

Many thanks if anyone can tell me.

(P.S. I know it is possible to get a Tourist Visa converted to a Non-B but the company I'm working with don't want to do it this way.) 

I am pretty sure the following it true.

When you get your passport back from the embassy it contains the visa sticker.

That sticker has dates valid from and valid until. In my case the from was the date when I received the passport from the embassy and the valid to was 3 months in the future.

That is the date range when you have to enter Thailand to use this visa. So in my case I had 3 months time.

When you enter Thailand then the 60 days or 90 days start counting.

When you are already in Thailand and start working then likely your company will go to immigration to extend your stay to a year. And after that you can get extensions from the immigration in Thailand as long as you work in Thailand.

 

About the address: I live in Thailand since forever and I was in Cambodia only for a few days to apply for the visa. When I applied there, I filled in my current address as my hotel in Cambodia. Because that is where I stayed at that moment. The embassy accepted that.

 

Edited January 22 by OneMoreFarang

[jillkite]

21 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

About the address: I live in Thailand since forever and I was in Cambodia only for a few days to apply for the visa. When I applied there, I filled in my current address as my hotel in Cambodia. Because that is where I stayed at that moment. The embassy accepted that.

 

Many thanks again for your replies and helpful information.

Yes, to put a hotel as current address sounds fine to me, but not sure about using a hotel reservation as a document showing  'Proof of Residence' as requested by the embassies in some countries, so I am still erring on the side of applying at a neighbouring country.

One more question:
On the application form it asks for 'Name and address of Local Guarantor'.  If I am applying in Malaysia/Cambodia/Singapore/Laos what can I put for this??

(For 'Name and address of Thai Guarantor' I guess I can put the information of a representative of the company that I will be working with.)

Many thanks if you have any suggestions.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, jillkite said:

On the application form it asks for 'Name and address of Local Guarantor'.  If I am applying in Malaysia/Cambodia/Singapore/Laos what can I put for this??

I leave it empty. Nobody ever complained.

 

That also reminds me of your earlier question, I think it was about a permanent address in that country. Maybe you can just write: non.

Years ago we had here thread about covid certificates. It seems one of those certificates required some kind of number from the doctor who provided that certificate. One member here searched long and hard to find a doctor with such a number.

Later when he was in the embassy and told them about his problem they just replied that the number was not necessary. He could have left that field blank. So whatever they ask, maybe you don't need to provide that information.