Working In Thailand For Uk Company

[bifftastic]

Hi,

I'm intending to come to The Kingdom and work for a UK based company. This company will not be registered in Thailand, I will be the company's representitive in Thailand, do I need or, indeed, is it possible to get a W/P under these circumstances? I will be paid by the company in the Uk so I presume a certified letter from the embassy will satisfy Immigration requirements as to the monthly income needed for extension of stay but does anyone know if it is possible to live and work in Thailand under these circumstances? The work would be the sourcing and shipping of goods to the UK.

I have read in other threads that if a Thai national does the actual 'work' ie arranging the payments and organising the shipping and all I do is basically point at what I want then technically speaking I won't be working but I know that 'working' can be anything including volunteering. Would that mean i could not enter into any negotiations regarding the price? Is that regarded as working?

The other issue would be if I'm being paid by a UK company but not officially working (ie no W/P) would anyone ask the question 'so how come this company pay you but you don't do any work?' or is that question unlikely to arise? I understand that officials who check income for extension of stay are interested only in that and wouldn't necessarily want to see W/P if they had a certified letter of income from the UK embassy. I wouldn't need/want an office or shop front for this work, it would be done from my home.

I want to do everything the right way and be 100% legal as i don't want the rug pulled from under my feet, so 'proper planning and preparation prevents p*ss poor performance will be my mantra'

Any help/previous experiences much appreciated.

Thanks

Biff

[lopburi3]

You need to be working for a Thai registered company/have a work permit to have any basis for extensions of stay within Thailand. This could be a branch set up for that purpose but it has many if/and/buts so proper legal advise should be obtained.

[Guest]

I believe they are some rules governing a "representative office" for companies based outside Thailand. Take legal advice as mentioned above.

[Soutpeel]

I'm intending to come to The Kingdom and work for a UK based company. This company will not be registered in Thailand, I will be the company's representitive in Thailand, do I need or, indeed, is it possible to get a W/P under these circumstances? I will be paid by the company in the Uk so I presume a certified letter from the embassy will satisfy Immigration requirements as to the monthly income needed for extension of stay but does anyone know if it is possible to live and work in Thailand under these circumstances? The work would be the sourcing and shipping of goods to the UK.

You need legal advice on this one as regards representative office set up..but my 2 penneth..

Yes you need a work permit.

If you are not getting paid a salary here, ie paying tax etc etc..dont believe you will not be granted an extension of stay based on employment.

[PoorSucker]

You need to set up a company in Thailand that you work for.

Because it's a representative office, it's easier to get a WP (no need for four Thai Employees)

Contact one of ThaiVisa sponsors on top of this page.

[InterestedObserver]

I'm intending to come to The Kingdom and work for a UK based company. This company will not be registered in Thailand, I will be the company's representitive in Thailand, do I need or, indeed, is it possible to get a W/P under these circumstances?

1. Legally, working in Thailand requires a work permit. What you describe is working, the management function is indeed classified as work.

2. The question thus becomes who or what is going to sponsor you for the work permit.

3. As mentioned elsewhere on this Forum, I believe the rules for representative offices have recently changed.

4. You are unlikely to qualify for an extension of stay based on business from immigration because you won't be able to furnish the necessary documentation.

5. Legal advise would be mandatory.

[thaiphoon]

Agree with everything said. If your employer isn't willing to open a representative office your only option is to set up your own Thai company and work for UK employer as contractor. You would not be able to apply for extension of stay based on employment for 2 years+ under either option, as immigration requires sight of 2 years audited accounts of Thai company plus tax receipts in addition to you meeting financial requirements, so in the interim you would have to operate on multi-entry non-B visa and do border runs every 90 days.

Edited October 4, 2009 by thaiphoon

[bifftastic]

Thanks to everyone for the helpful and informative replies.

I will get legal advice regarding the representative office regulations and visa/work permit legislation.