Best Visa For Asia Traveler Based In Bkk?

[mahjongguy]

My best friend in the US is getting a promotion; instead of flying around seeing clients in the US every week, he will be flying around Asia. The best place for him to live will be Bangkok. On average he will take two trips a month, staying gone an average of 18 days a month. It is possible that he might stay in-country a bit over 30 days at a stretch, though not likely. Thailand is one country where he has no clients. While here, he will not do any work other than some emails and talk to his boss on the phone from time to time. He is 55 years old.

It seems that:

1) he could get an O-a for retirement,

2) get by on visa waivers and keep careful track of the day count.

Since he will not often visit the US, getting a 90-day tourist visa won't help much (and I don't think you can get a stack of four as in the past).

Which option would be the best "fit" for such person?

[lopburi3]

Multi entry non immigrant O visa valid for one year of up to 90 day stays would be the best. He might be able to obtain in Singapore with proof of 800k or more in a bank account somewhere or he might be able to obtain in home country.

If he is working for a home country business they might be able to provide him paperwork for a multi entry non immigrant B visa which would also work and be more in line with his international business travel.

[mahjongguy]

If he is working for a home country business they might be able to provide him paperwork for a multi entry non immigrant B visa which would also work and be more in line with his international business travel.

Ah. That sounds like the right thing. Thx.

[jstumbo]

If he is working for a home country business they might be able to provide him paperwork for a multi entry non immigrant B visa which would also work and be more in line with his international business travel.

Ah. That sounds like the right thing. Thx.

but technically he would be working in Thailand. Working via email and talking with the home office in the US would be considered working.

I kind of have the same boat. We have factories that we purchase from throughout Asia, and I will be traveling to them, as well as a couple in Thailand to check up on progress of orders. I work via email and the phone. Problem is that I do not work for a Thai company and have no one to sponsor a work permit. I might have to create a company just for it, which then opens up all the stuff with company capitalization and Thai employees and all that. It has got to the point now where I am considering seeing if one of the Thai factories can put me on the payroll, get me a WP, and I would just pay the taxes on the salary that I would not be getting. But then again, this would probably not be legal, since I would not really be working for that factory, and then what would happen when I went to the other factory, or if I talked with the US office or answered emails. Just a mess all around.

[mahjongguy]

Although I would need confirmation from lopburi3, I think he was referring to a B-Business visa. Here's the MFA link: http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2498

1) This visa type says "Employment of any kind is strictly prohibited for holder of such visa". In the context of the document, I read this to mean that you cannot work FOR a company in Thailand. Doesn't mean you can't work WITH them. It is a visa for the purpose of conducting business. You've seen these guys, the traveling salesman with so many pages added to his passport that it looks like a pocket-sized Bible.

2) Lopburi3 suggested that the Thai embassy/consulate in the USA might accept documention from my friend's US employer, rather than the Thai company documentation listed on the webpage.

Maximum stay is 90 days. Validity is three years.

[cougar52]

If he is from the US it is easy, I have used the 1 year multiple entry visa three times, the cost is now 150 dollars it used to be 125. It is a non o visa and you must exit the country with in 90 days and return, I used to go to Cambodia and return in a couple of hours. You can get the visa in a council in the states.

[tracer5050]

This sounds like the way to go , A big help

[akaika]

If he is from the US it is easy, I have used the 1 year multiple entry visa three times, the cost is now 150 dollars it used to be 125. It is a non o visa and you must exit the country with in 90 days and return, I used to go to Cambodia and return in a couple of hours. You can get the visa in a council in the states.

In my experience, different consulates may follow different rules. Previously, Los Angles refused to give any visa for "business" because they consider it "working." I discussed this with the MFA and they made efforts to correct the problem. Previously, LA and Chicago would not provide service without some proof of domicile in their region. LA actually recommended I try for the non-O visa for buisiness from Chicago as they were less restrictive if I could somehow satisfy the Chicago consulate's domicile requiremnet (which I could). However, the company letter was addressed to "Royal Thai Consulate, Los Angeles" so it was still a no-go in Chicago! Since then, I only get letters addressed to, "to whom it may concern"

[jstumbo]

Although I would need confirmation from lopburi3, I think he was referring to a B-Business visa. Here's the MFA link: http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2498

1) This visa type says "Employment of any kind is strictly prohibited for holder of such visa". In the context of the document, I read this to mean that you cannot work FOR a company in Thailand. Doesn't mean you can't work WITH them. It is a visa for the purpose of conducting business. You've seen these guys, the traveling salesman with so many pages added to his passport that it looks like a pocket-sized Bible.

2) Lopburi3 suggested that the Thai embassy/consulate in the USA might accept documention from my friend's US employer, rather than the Thai company documentation listed on the webpage.

Maximum stay is 90 days. Validity is three years.

1) I am from the US, and I have one of those passports with the extra pages. 125 pages and counting in my passport and it is not even 4 years old yet. I have the type of visa that you are talking about. I am living for the most part in China at the moment. I come to Bangkok about every 4 weeks and stay for a couple of weeks checking in on the factories we purchase from there. Of the two weeks, I probably am only at the factory about 4 days. The rest of the time I relax, communicate with factories and employees throughout Asia and the US.

From what I have been told by several informed people on TV, this could be classified as working, even though I am not employed by a Thai company. Now I am going to be relocating to BKK as my home base, so I will be there even more. I worry about it and am trying to figure out how I can get a WP when I don't work for a Thai company.

If you do volunteer work at a school, you need a WP even though you do not get paid and are not employed by the school. From what I have been told, just answering work email while on vacation could be considered working and need a work permit. On another thread here, a guy was busted by immigration for working on his own car at a gas station. He had a WP for another job, but he did not have one for working on cars or working at the gas station.

2) I believe Lopburi3 is suggesting that he could get a business visa by supplying letters from his company in the US to the consulate. Normally, to get a business visa, you need letters from Thai companies that say that you need to come to Thailand to discuss business, that they will be responsible for your costs and things like that. If he is not doing business with a Thai company, then he can't get letters from them, so the only way he can do it is to get a letter from his company. That is for a business visa which only allows you to come into the country, not work while you are in the country.