If I Want To Work In Thailand

[kean]

Hi guys, I am new to this forum. So If my questions had been asked previously, I hope you guys could just bear with me and your answers are highly appreciated.

I am a male Malaysian married to a Thai. Based on the legal marriage to a Thai, if I want to work in Thailand....

1. Shall I apply for a Non-B or Non-O in order to obtain the WP later on?

2. Do I have to show 400K in a Thai bank if I want to apply for a Non-O (and later on a WP)?

3. Do I have to obtain a job that the monthly wages must at least be 45K (as required by the new rules & regulations)? What if I could only get a job that the wages is less than 45K (say between 30K - 40K)? Can I still get a WP?

4. What should I do if I want to stay and work in Thailand for at least one year (don't prefer to go Visa Run for every 3 months)?

5. We have a six months old son and if we want to bring him along (he holds a Malaysian Citizenship) to Thailand, what should I (or my wife) do in order for our son to stay in Thailand? Under what visa can our son stays in Thailand?

Thank you very much.

[Indo-Siam]

Here are my recommendations:

1. Get a non-immigrant "O." Reasons: 1) You can get it by showing marriage and wife's identity documents - you do not need employment letter from Thai employer, and 2) If you extend your entry permit based on support of spouse, you can then be employed without regardto paid-in capital or Thai employee headcount at you employing company - and your salary can be less than required to extend from Class B status. You may routinely obtain a work permit from Class O entry status (that is my pesonal status)

2. You need show no Thai bank documents to obtain a Class O visa in home country. Just proof of marriage.

3. You can get a work permit without regard to meeting Immigration salary requirements. Long-term, they will generally expect you to earn at least 35,000 baht per month or so, if married.

4. To extend in Thailand, you will need to do so under either support of Thai spouse rules (400,000 baht in thai bank account, remitted from outside Thailand, or monthly salary of 40,000 baht), or under "by reason of employment for a company qualified to sponsor a long-term extension" rules - whereby company needs 2 million baht paid-in capital, and four Thai employees, for EACH foreigner employed - and they must be paying withholding taxes on your employment at 45,000 baht, minimum, per month.

5. Your son can come in on a Class O visa, and you can process his extension along with yours. Or - you can just bring him in on an "entry on arrival" - and ignore his visa status until he approaches six years of age - overstay penalties are waived for children under seven years of age.

Good luck!

Steve Sykes

Managing Director

Indo-Siam Group

Bangkok

[email protected]

www.thaistartup.com

[Sunbelt Asia]

overstay penalties are waived for children under seven years of age.

BTW, their now up to seventeen years that overstay penalties are waived. (If traveling with a parent)

The only problem may be for the parent to get the airline staff to allow the child to enter the plane for Thailand, without a visa, if the return ticket is past 30 days.

www.sunbeltasia.com

[kean]

4. To extend in Thailand, you will need to do so under either support of Thai spouse rules (400,000 baht in thai bank account, remitted from outside Thailand, or monthly salary of 40,000 baht), or under "by reason of employment for a company qualified to sponsor a long-term extension" rules - whereby company needs 2 million baht paid-in capital, and four Thai employees, for EACH foreigner employed - and they must be paying withholding taxes on your employment at 45,000 baht, minimum, per month.

5. Your son can come in on a Class O visa, and you can process his extension along with yours. Or - you can just bring him in on an "entry on arrival" - and ignore his visa status until he approaches six years of age - overstay penalties are waived for children under seven years of age.

Indo-Siam,

Your advices are very much appreciated. Thanks a lot.

Point no 1 to 3 - understood.

As for point no 4, I don't quite understand it. If I could obtain a Non-O and then a WP. Does the authority gives me a full 1 year Visa/WP? If yes, why would I bother about 40K baht monthly salary or a company needs 2 million baht paid-in capital and 4 Thai employees for each foreigner employed and they must be paying withholding taxes on my employment at 45K baht monthly (min.)?

Aren't all these requirement are for a Non-B holder? I thought you mentioned that one doesn't have to meet the above-mentioned requirement if one has a Non-O. Could you pls enlighten me about this point?

For point no 5, I could just bring my son on an entry on arrival and ignore his visa status until he approaches 6 years of age (or as per Sunbelt Asia, 17 years old if traveling with a parent) as overstay penalties are waived for children under the mentioned age. Meaning that there won't be any problem for my son to go out and enter into Thailand so long as he travels with me or my wife?

So each time we have to bring along our son's passport, birth cert, our marriage certificate, etc. in order to show the authorities that his is our son? Or can my Thai wife sponsor our son in any other way? I am just worried about the "overstay" and to avoid any possible hassle that could be happened. afterall, TIT

To Sunbelt Asia, thank you too for your input.

[kean]

Indo-Siam, Sunbelt Asia or others, can you kindly pls answer my queries. Thank you very much.