What visa to apply for?

[oyvind]

I am going to move to Thailand and then find a job there. I am a Norwegian citizen, and I currently work in Vietnam (expat). I have been to Thailand more than 130 times, always as a tourist. These are the circumstances:

1) My wife is Thai, and our marriage is registered in Thailand.

2) We have a two year old son, born in Thailand.

3) My wife works as a cabin attendant with Thai Airways (she is currently on maternity leave, we are expeting our second baby in August).

4) I bought a new condo in BKK in late 2001 (THB 4,100,000).

5) Both my wife and our son now lives in BKK.

I wonder which type of visa I should apply for?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Take evidence of purchase of the apartment,  marriage certificate etc to the Thai Embassy in Vietnam and ask          for a Non-Immigrant Business visa. Explain .....maybe in      letter form. that you are setting up business in Thailand        Present at the Embassy well dressed. That class of visa      will enable you to seek employment and become employed.   The new employer will obtain a work permit for you.

Be creative and polite. Hopefully you will pull it off. Chok     Dee na      

[oyvind]

Well, I did exactly as recommended. Brought a lot of papers, about 25 in all. The lady at the consulate just shook her head and said they can't do this. Not without me getting a job job first. Finally she agreed to keep the papers for a couple of days to let the consul look at it. When I came back two days later the story was the same. They only offered a single entry O-visa, which I rejected. Any advice?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

You had a chance if you had been creative about investing in Thailand ........that letter might have convinced them of your bona fides. Accept the single Non O and go to Immigration in Bkk with all paper and seek a 12 month extension of that single entry visa so as to take care of your Thai family. You will need to show a Thai bank account with at least 200,000 baht credit.