I have a non-immigrant B visa but the company I was supposed to start working with have pushed my start date back several months, so won't apply for the work permit for a while. I am already in Thailand an intend to stay here, but will I have any problems when I leave the country after 90 days and come back? Just say I haven't started work yet?

If your visa is single entry you will need to obtain a new visa from a consulate in a neighbouring country. If your visa is multi-entry, you will receive a new 90 day permission to stay on re-entering the country as long as your visa is valid.

You can then extend your permission to stay on the basis of employment during the last 30 days of your permission to stay if your employer has been trading for more than 2 years and can provide audited accounts. If not, and if you currently have a single entry Non-B visa, you should apply for a multiple entry Non-B visa next time. This can be obtained from the consulate at KL with appropriate paperwork, and you will have to do a border run every 90 days.

If your visa is single entry you will need to obtain a new visa from a consulate in a neighbouring country. If your visa is multi-entry, you will receive a new 90 day permission to stay on re-entering the country as long as your visa is valid.

You can then extend your permission to stay on the basis of employment during the last 30 days of your permission to stay if your employer has been trading for more than 2 years and can provide audited accounts. If not, and if you currently have a single entry Non-B visa, you should apply for a multiple entry Non-B visa next time. This can be obtained from the consulate at KL with appropriate paperwork, and you will have to do a border run every 90 days.

I do have a multi-entry and it's still valid. That's good news then. I'm only going to be here for a short time so shouldn't need to extend it after the year. Thanks!

Yes! Just do a border run before your permission to stay expires and you're good for another 90 day stay.

Word of caution though, I have a multi-entry myself, and when crossing a land border (no problem at airport borders) they sometimes looked dumbfounded and didn't know what to do to it or how to handle it, and was held up for a long time as they call a supervisor and asked what to do, who then calls another supervisor, who then... ...you get the picture.

I wouldn't be surprised if one of the supervisors in the future asks to see the work permit "as part of the requirement" for having the multi-B (I know, I know... it's not needed and not tied together... but I wouldn't be "surprised" at a land border if it happened). So I carry the work permit at land borders, just in case.

On a side note, on an airport border this time, the immigration official almost stamped "USED" on my multi-entry (they shouldn't do that, or else you will not be able to use it again) but I quickly alerted her right before she stamped and she stopped and laughed.

... immigration official almost stamped "USED" on my multi-entry (they shouldn't do that, or else you will not be able to use it again) but I quickly alerted her right before she stamped and she stopped and laughed.

I just hate that idiotic laugh (also shown at other bureaucratic screw-ups and traffic accidents) when a serious apology would be much more in order. I know, it's the culture.

take it with a grain of salt.. i found it funny.

of course, it wouldn't have been funny had she succeeded in stamping the USED on it.

of course, it wouldn't have been funny had she succeeded in stamping the USED on it.

And you would have gotten the same laugh! No resolution or fix. Just that laugh.

Edited August 28, 200916 yr by toptuan