I'm European, 27, single, and NOT looking to be a teacher or a journalist. (Not that there's anything wrong with those two occupations, I just am not a teacher, or a journalist kind of guy.)

Anyway ---

What's the salary requirement for getting a work permit?

Is it still 30k baht a month?

I know it says "pay at least 18k a year in taxes" + "at least 30k" on various places, but is the salary figure now 50k baht a month from new regulations? I read somewhere that they were requiring Europeans to have a salary of 50k ... but is this still uncomfirmed or what?

I searched through this board, the site articles, articles on the internet, the Labour Department, and even the companies who help you with processing work permit documents, and I'm getting relatively different answers.

I called the Labour department up three times and I got different answers (one said 30k, one said there is no salary requirement but you just have to pay the tax, and the last one kind of evaded the question by saying hold on a moment and then just leaving me hanging while the phone mysteriously hung up ), so I am terribly confused.

I'm also kind of wondering how can they run a government organization with people seeming to give all sorts of different answers, but I guess that's Thailand. I should be used to it by now (been here a few times over the past years) but it still amazes me.

Even volunteers must have work permits, so how can they have income limits?

The only enforced income requitements I'm aware of are the income requirements for a one year stamp in your passport..

Firm salary requirements now only exist in the IMMIGRATION rules - that si where the 50,000 baht monthly minimum for Europeans is stated.

The 18,000 baht personal income tax threshhold for renewals is no longer formally on the books. I know that 40,000 baht works for married Europeans - we have not submitted anything lower since last October, when the rules changed.

Good luck!

Steve

Indo-Siam

Firm salary requirements now only exist in the IMMIGRATION rules - that si where the 50,000 baht monthly minimum for Europeans is stated.

Wait, so this means that for me, if I'm on a non-imm B visa and want to apply for a work permit to work for a firm (that meets all the requirements of course), I don't need to find a company that's going to pay me 50k? I don't have any plans to settle here, just some work for a year or so.

That is correct - although you will not be able to get a work permit for longer than 90 days at a time - because work permits are only valid until the expiration date of the entry permit you have when you go to pick up the approved work permit - and you will not be able to get an extended entry permit unless you meet Immigration requirements.

Practically speaking, this means that on the day you receive your work permit, it will typically be valid for 80 days or less. You probably have no problem with making a border run every 90 days, and then revalidating your work permit. But - most employers are not interested in supporting such a sequence.

Also - many employers are mistakely under the impression that they must pay you the Immigration-specified wage.

So - about the only job open to you under the 90-day condition will be ...... English teacher.

Good luck!

Steve

Indo-Siam