Volunteering

[orientfan]

Hi,

What type of visa would you recommend for someone making 3 or 4 entries into Thailand over the next 12 months and staying up to 6 weeks at a time?

I'm a 48 year old British national working at a school run by a registered charity.

I'm so confused so thanks for any helpful information!

[Lite Beer]

Hi,

What type of visa would you recommend for someone making 3 or 4 entries into Thailand over the next 12 months and staying up to 6 weeks at a time?

I'm a 48 year old British national working at a school run by a registered charity.

I'm so confused so thanks for any helpful information!

Multi Entry Non Imm O Visa obtainable from the Thai Consulate in Hull. http://www.thaiconsul.co.uk/

Don't forget that you also need a Work Permit to work.

[PoorSucker]

1-year Multiple entry non-O, Apply from HULL with letter from your organisation.

Be also aware to get your necessary work permit in Thailand.

Work permit is a must, also for volunteer work.

[teddy_bare]

Your charity should sort all that for you. IMO

[thaiphoon]

Charity need to help the OP getting his WP, but cannot get the visa for him.

[ESB7]

Many large volunteer organisations that charge for the priveledge of volunteering do not provide W/P....are all these volunteers therefor volunteering ilegally? just a thought as most offer anything upto 20 different locations in Thailand and I have never read of any of them being arrested or deported......

[Lite Beer]

Yes they are working illegally.

[Mario2008]

Many large volunteer organisations that charge for the priveledge of volunteering do not provide W/P....are all these volunteers therefor volunteering ilegally? just a thought as most offer anything upto 20 different locations in Thailand and I have never read of any of them being arrested or deported......

They are working illegaly, often with the full knowledge of the organisation. i have asked several organisations about this, they just flatly deny that you need a WP or just say that I shouldn't complain. However, it carries a maximum jail term of 5 years for the volunteer.

Note that after the Tsunami the provincial government made it clear that volunteers would need a work permit.

[ESB7]

Thanks for clarifying that, a daughter of a friend of mine was looking at an agency and I mentioned about the W/P. Thats terrible most of them charge approx £1,500 for a month.

[jazzbo]

As both Kuhn LB and Kuhn Mario say, all the volunteers for those pay-to-volunteer groups (NGO or otherwise) without a WP are working in the Kingdom illegally but nothing ever happens. Kuhn M has been told don't make waves as the sponsors are making big Baht.

As also with everything else in the Kingdom, nothing will happen until some agrieved Thai national party sees these arrangements as a threat to their or their NGO's livelihood and complains to the appropriate provincial Labor Department.. and then one better not be caught working illegally when the s--t hits the fan.

[Paul123456]

Hi,

What type of visa would you recommend for someone making 3 or 4 entries into Thailand over the next 12 months and staying up to 6 weeks at a time?

I'm a 48 year old British national working at a school run by a registered charity.

I'm so confused so thanks for any helpful information!

Multi Entry Non Imm O Visa obtainable from the Thai Consulate in Hull. http://www.thaiconsul.co.uk/

Don't forget that you also need a Work Permit to work.

My thoughts (which will be opposed by some in here):

Similar to the above. Get a letter from the school and get an multi entry non immigrant O from Hull. Note: getting it from Hull is an important point, I think there is another Embassy in London, and they are less likely to get it.

If the school is a small charity - I wouldn't worry about the Work Permit - it will be beyond the school's capacity to achieve without severely draining their resources and interfering with the charity work they are doing. Anyway, Work Permits are done when you are in Thailand - so you can ask about it when you get here. But it is something more appropriate for larger profit making companies - you will be unlikely to be asked for one.

[cyb]

Hi,

What type of visa would you recommend for someone making 3 or 4 entries into Thailand over the next 12 months and staying up to 6 weeks at a time?

I'm a 48 year old British national working at a school run by a registered charity.

I'm so confused so thanks for any helpful information!

Multi Entry Non Imm O Visa obtainable from the Thai Consulate in Hull. http://www.thaiconsul.co.uk/

Don't forget that you also need a Work Permit to work.

My thoughts (which will be opposed by some in here):

Similar to the above. Get a letter from the school and get an multi entry non immigrant O from Hull. Note: getting it from Hull is an important point, I think there is another Embassy in London, and they are less likely to get it.

If the school is a small charity - I wouldn't worry about the Work Permit - it will be beyond the school's capacity to achieve without severely draining their resources and interfering with the charity work they are doing. Anyway, Work Permits are done when you are in Thailand - so you can ask about it when you get here. But it is something more appropriate for larger profit making companies - you will be unlikely to be asked for one.

It does not matter what charity you work for large or small, You need a work permit end of story.

As already stated you could face imprisonment if you are not in possesion of one charity or not.

[Daveyh]

If you are a volunteer charity worker I believe you can get permission to work without a Work Permit as long as you receive no form of salary. I seem to remember that members of the Pattaya Expats Club in Pattaya were allowed to do charity work without work permits at local schools as long as they were registered with the Immigaration/Thai police & received no rewards of any kind. Perhaps this was due to the low key status of service to the community (ie. Local charity work) it was possible to do this.

However, any work for registered charities in Thailand must provide work permits for volunteer charity workers. It has always puzzled me why "Urgent Needs" of this type are not exempt from all the red tape that exists here, especially work permits.

Any Thai consulate in the UK will issue you with the appropriate visa as long as your passport is in order. I obtained my OA visa from Liverpool, which only took a day by post. Excellent service. There was a fee for this but I cannot remember how much, but it was not expensive.

If you are going to be working in the Chonburi area check out: ([email protected]) Pattaya City Expats Club has loads of info about expats helping expats, plus a host of information of requirements for visas, driving licence, work permits etc. They meet every Sunday & if you go there with a problem there is always "Open Forum" for Q&A's, someone will have the right answer for you.

Whilst you are in the UK e-mail all your concerns to: enquiries (at) thaiconsul-uk.com

[PeaceBlondie]

The above post may be in error.

[jfchandler]

Presumably VOLUNTEER means the person is NOT receiving any kind of salary. Otherwise they are not a volunteer.

That said, Thai law and regulations on this are clear: any work inside the Kingdom is supposed to require a work permit... including volunteer work, charity work, etc.

Of course, like many things here, there can be rules and regulations that are not always enforced or are only enforced sometimes/selectively. But certainly, in general, one would not want to run the risk of being nabbed for illegal work/volunteering and have the consequences of that.

I've never heard of any process for "registering" with one's local immigration office as a means of enabling volunteer work without a work permit. If such a process exists, has anyone here actually ever done it???

If you are a volunteer charity worker I believe you can get permission to work without a Work Permit as long as you receive no form of salary. I seem to remember that members of the Pattaya Expats Club in Pattaya were allowed to do charity work without work permits at local schools as long as they were registered with the Immigaration/Thai police & received no rewards of any kind. Perhaps this was due to the low key status of service to the community (ie. Local charity work) it was possible to do this.

[cyb]

The above post may be in error.

peaceblondie How do you come to that conclusion?

Seems to be answering for this thread.

[Bearnagh]

It does not matter what charity you work for large or small, You need a work permit end of story.

As already stated you could face imprisonment if you are not in possesion of one charity or not.

Does one need a Work Permit to volunteer with the Tourist Police - or is there some sort of exemption for that??

[jfchandler]

I believe this question has been asked before...and had some comment back from some tourist police volunteers...

As best I recall, the volunteers have indicated they do not have and are not being required to obtain work permits....

Since there is no provision in the Thai law or regulations that allows for that kind of exception, the question was asked..how can that be... And I think the answer was.... the Thai immigration authorities here are police.... So if the police say it's OK...then presumably...it is.

I wouldn't generalize that unique kind of situation to other volunteering activities.

[Lite Beer]

The above post may be in error.

peaceblondie How do you come to that conclusion?

Seems to be answering for this thread.

He means some of the information contained in it is wrong.

[Lite Beer]

From the Dept. of Employment website. http://www.doe.go.th/service3_en.aspx

1. Definition

“Alien” means a natural person who is not of Thai nationality; “ Work ” means to engage in work by exerting energy or using knowledge whether or not in consideration of wages or other benefits.

- An alien who lives in the Kingdom or receives a non-immigrant VISA to live in the Kingdom can work in Thailand after having received a work permit. (Any violation thereof shall make the employee liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months, or to a fine not exceeding 5,000 Baht, or to both penalties)

- An alien who performs work that is prescribed by the Royal Decree B.E. 2522 which prohibits alien employment in certain occupations and professions is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or to a fine from 2,000 to 100,000 Baht, or both penalties.

[penandpaper]

From the Dept. of Employment website.

Any violation thereof shall make the employee liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months, or to a fine not exceeding 5,000 Baht, or to both penalties

Thanks to the mods for posting the bottom-line for any and ALL work permit issues for ALL foreigners in Thailand with no exceptions.

[RPCVguy]

From the Dept. of Employment website.

Any violation thereof shall make the employee liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months, or to a fine not exceeding 5,000 Baht, or to both penalties

Thanks to the mods for posting the bottom-line for any and ALL work permit issues for ALL foreigners in Thailand with no exceptions.

AGREED!! The wording as to "work" in Thailand is so broad as to likely cover giving tips to a friend on a golf course. This is what I've concluded after recently reading the same law quoted by LiteBeer and Penandpaper above. So I've taken to staying home, reading, internet, and weeding our/wife's flower beds. (though this last is likely still a violation??)

That said, most forms of short term, spontaneous, free assistance are not likely to cause complaint. No harm/ no foul. The rules do list exemptions for classes of people, such as diplomatic staff, and "authorized" other entities, but where is there a list of such, and how can an entity apply? I applaud the work of expat groups, and have heard mention of waivers obtained for some activities, (like helping the tourist police, or specific schools) but the longer I am here the more skeptical I am as to the validity of such claims. In this instance, I hope I am wrong.

[PeaceBlondie]

Actually, based on everything I've ever read, I'm sure a WP is required for a single minute of volunteer work. But, I'm often mistaken.

[RPCVguy]

From the Dept. of Employment website.

Any violation thereof shall make the employee liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months, or to a fine not exceeding 5,000 Baht, or to both penalties

Thanks to the mods for posting the bottom-line for any and ALL work permit issues for ALL foreigners in Thailand with no exceptions.

AGREED!! The wording as to "work" in Thailand is so broad as to likely cover giving tips to a friend on a golf course. This is what I've concluded after recently reading the same law quoted by LiteBeer and Penandpaper above. So I've taken to staying home, reading, internet, and weeding our/wife's flower beds. (though this last is likely still a violation??)

That said, most forms of short term, spontaneous, free assistance are not likely to cause complaint. No harm/ no foul. The rules do list exemptions for classes of people, such as diplomatic staff, and "authorized" other entities, but where is there a list of such, and how can an entity apply? I applaud the work of expat groups, and have heard mention of waivers obtained for some activities, (like helping the tourist police, or specific schools) but the longer I am here the more skeptical I am as to the validity of such claims. In this instance, I hope I am wrong.

PS. If I could have a work permit to allow me to volunteer here in my own rural town without forfeiting my retirement visa, I'd consider it. BUT, to give up one visa so as to be able to "do good works" AND to Pay extra for it AND to loose one's visa when the "volunteer" activity ends - these just exceed my desire/ability to adapt myself. So, for now I tell those who ask for assistance that by Thai law I can not assist them.

In the long run, this fits with Thai culture IF one places conformity above all else. Surely the risk of having foreigners supply ideas and training throughout the country, teaching people to individually seek information and understanding before action - that would challenge the core fabric of the society. All things are connected, and the usual peacefulness and honesty of life in this neighborhood is not something I'd like to see lost either.

[RPCVguy]

Actually, based on everything I've ever read, I'm sure a WP is required for a single minute of volunteer work. But, I'm often mistaken.

Which is why I'm skeptical of any mention of "waivers"

[penandpaper]

Actually, based on everything I've ever read, I'm sure a WP is required for a single minute of volunteer work. But, I'm often mistaken.

Which is why I'm skeptical of any mention of "waivers"

There's no such thing as waivers for tourist police volunteers or anyone else in an NGO or charity. At least not one has ever been produced.

[Arkady]

Although it doesn't happen often people have certainly been arrested for working for charities without WP. Foreign musicians have also been arrested for performing in bars, even just playing for free in jam sessions, usually, of course, because a Thai had a score to settle with the bar owner. The foreign tourist police volunteers are clearly illegal without WPs but the police choose not to enforce the law because they find them useful. As soon as they piss off some influential Thai or a senior cop in some other unit, or more of them are arrested for drug dealing or other criminal activities, like the Norwegian former police volunteer in Pattaya, their goose will be cooked as well.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Foreign Tsunami volunteers were certainly threatened about their violations.

[martyboy]

There is no doubt that a WP is required by law to volunteer. The volunteer organization I am communicating with send volunteer teachers to rural schools who can't afford to pay full-time native English speakers. One could therefore describe the volunteer services as an essential service for those schools. I have been told not to worry because none of his teachers apply for a WP and no action has ever been taken. Furthermore he would incur a larger fine than the volunteer so maybe he has it 'sewn up' with the local police/immigration.

Incidentally, does anyone know the procedure for obtaining a WP and how much it costs?

[lopburi3]

You have to have sponsorship of a Thai company/school and you otain from Labor Office of the area you are going to be working in. Believe the current cost is a bit over 3,000 baht.