Work Permit As A Scuba Instructor

[scubascuba]

Hi everyone,

I am on a year visa but my work permit's been cancelled.

Since I don't work for my old company any more, I'd would like to know if there's an "easy" way to open my own company therefore my own work permit.

thanks in advance for your help.

Stay cool

Sc.

[lopburi3]

First you need to be sure you have a one year visa and not a one year extension of stay. Are you on a 90 day permitted to stay stamp? If you are good. But if you are on a one year extension of stay that ended with the end of work.

[solo siam]

To start with I think yo have 7 days to leave the country after your work permit is officially cancelled, Not sure how this will relate to your Visa. Then its often a long and arduos process to open your own company and get a work permit.

[digitalchromakey]

This is not correct, scubascuba you only have a problem, if as Lopburi says you have a visa extension from thai immigration based on business (Thai Police order 606/2549 Section 7.1).

To start with I think yo have 7 days to leave the country after your work permit is officially cancelled, Not sure how this will relate to your Visa. Then its often a long and arduos process to open your own company and get a work permit.

If you are a current non B visa stamp, then cancelling your work permit has no implications on your duration of stay which will be until your stamp expires. There is also nothing stopping you leaving, then re-entering using your non B visa if it is still valid.

[digitalchromakey]

You could establish a Thai Limited Partnership as a mechanism for getting a new work permit. Such a limited partnership does not need 4 Thai employees, just 2 million THB Capitalisation per WP. The 2 million capitalisation can be initially set up for a few thousand baht.

Note that the capitalisation is the limit of liability for the company and does not have to be sitting in your bank (ever).

Using a reputable law firm, your initial company set up costs for such a partnership may be in the 10,000 to 30,000 THB range. You then have the costs for a Work Permit application, plus visa run costs.

The catch is that you need a Thai Managing Partner who is the partnersip's director and that person will have unlimited liability. Your liability would be limited to the extent of the partnersip's capitalisation. The ongoing running costs are similar to those of a Thai Limited Company.

Also you have running costs, taxes to pay and annual audited accounts to produce as well. All in all these costs are not that much different from those of a full Thai Limited Company.

This model has been successfully used by many dive instructors to set up small companies here in Thailand; you obviously need a Thai managing partner who you can trust 100%

[solo siam]

This is not correct, scubascuba you only have a problem, if as Lopburi says you have a visa extension from thai immigration based on business (Thai Police order 606/2549 Section 7.1).

To start with I think yo have 7 days to leave the country after your work permit is officially cancelled, Not sure how this will relate to your Visa. Then its often a long and arduos process to open your own company and get a work permit.

If you are a current non B visa stamp, then cancelling your work permit has no implications on your duration of stay which will be until your stamp expires. There is also nothing stopping you leaving, then re-entering using your non B visa if it is still valid.

Regardless, he still has to leave within 7 days.

[lopburi3]

He does not have to leave within 7 days unless he is on an extension of stay for work. If he is on a visa entry or extension for other reason (such as family) he can remain until the current permitted to stay until date.