Visa Options

[mark666]

Hi Guys,

I have heard many good things about how helpfull everybody is on here so big thanks in advance for taking the time to give me advice.

I am british and currently working in a resort in Thailand doing web marketing and encoraging the guests to get drunk and making sure they have a good time! Best job in world but I do not have a working visa and I am not officially employed by the guesthouse.

The situation is that I came to the country on the standard one month entry visa and to my knowledge in this situation I can leave and re-enter as many times as I want and get the fresh 30 day stamp as long as I leave by air. For land I get 15 days but can only do this 3 times in 6 months. Is this correct?

Further than this I would also like to know if there are any other options avaialbe to be so i can get a longer visa or if it possible to leave by land and still get the 30 day stamp? I have heard if go to Laos at the moment I can get a 2 month visa for free somehow? Also I heard that if i travel to Cambodia by bus I can go to the immigration office in Phnom Phen and get the month visa in my hand before I return on the bus??

I will really appriciate some advice to clarify my situation guys. At the moment I have the best job in the world in a country I love but my only concern is that it costs my employers alot of money to pay for me to fly out of the country once a month and also that one day I may not be allowed back in when I visa run.

Thanks loads in advance.

Mark (UK)

[PoorSucker]

Your employer should get a proper Non immigrant B visa for you.

They should also get you a working permit.

Working without a work permit 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.

[whatchamacallit]

If you are working for a Resort - then your employer should have applied for a Non-Immigrant-B visa for you from day 1 that you worked for them. Being caught without one can put you and your employer in a lot of trouble.

[Jingthing]

The OP has already established he is OK with his working status. He asked about visas to stay longer. Its good to warn about legal issues with working illegally, but can't that be separated from visa advice on how to stay longer term using tourist visas? I suspect his "employer" is not the type that is going to get him a WP anyway ...

[jazzbo]

AS posted by Member: ... he is OK with his working status. He asked about visas to stay longer.

My suggestion: Stay out of sight and do more of web marketing and less of encouraging the guests to get drunk and making sure they have a good time! unless you can do the latter in a manner that one thinks you are just another resort guest.

[mark666]

Hi Guys. Appriciate the warnings but I have no problem here. We have discussed the working visa option at length and I decided against it. The owner is very prominet in the area so I have no problem with local police. I am not in a major city, just a small area.

Like I say, thank you very much for the warnings but could someone please advise me on my visa options.

Thank you.

[jazzbo]

Your available options -- without a work permit -- are: A one-year Non-O Visa from someplace like Hull in UK with 90-day visa runs, turn age 50, or marry the boss's daughter... or that the resort starts a Thai language school and you qualify for an ED visa. Maybe one of your employer's Police friends can arrange the Ministry of Education registration for the school with 4 hour per week attendance optional for a good time! guy like yourself..

As I mentioned to someone else today, there are NO special situations for Visas and extensions thereof: just TR, O, B, ED with some basis for extension (Unless, of course, are you a diplomat per chance?)

[PoorSucker]

Don't worry about the local police.

It's the Immigration police you must stay away from.

[mark666]

Oh I should have thought. My diplomat status can be used!!!! Why didnt I think of that!! Maybe I could arrange a militery coup and take over the country. that would probley be my best course of action perhaps???

Seriously the main thing I wanted to know and the easiest way for me I think is if it is possible to get a 2 month toursit visa for Thailand from Laos? I have heard from a couple of people now that this is possible at the moment but I here different stories about visas everyday. does anybody know if this is possible and if so where in Laos would I obtain it from? Also if it is possible and I get the visa in my hand will it cause me problems re-entering Thailand by land?

thanks

[mark666]

Don't worry about the local police.

It's the Immigration police you must stay away from.

Ok man thanks for the advice. when you say immigration police do you mean the police at the boarders?

[PoorSucker]

Don't worry about the local police.

It's the Immigration police you must stay away from.

Ok man thanks for the advice. when you say immigration police do you mean the police at the boarders?

No, It's a special branch.

You can find them at your immigrations office.

It's under their jurisdiction to control foreign workers.

They can come in plain clothes and ask to see your passport and work permit.

Ask them for identification, normal police can not ask to see your work permit.

[Lite Beer]

Don't worry about the local police.

It's the Immigration police you must stay away from.

Ok man thanks for the advice. when you say immigration police do you mean the police at the boarders?

Any Immigration Officer.

Yes you can get a double entry Tourist Visa at Vientienne Laos. Free of charge up to March 4th.

As said you cannot legally work with that. Up to you.

[TerryLH]

By all reports, Laos is still issuing 2 entry tourist visas for free. The 'free' ends Mar ?? 2010.

Each 60 day entry can be extended at immigration for another 30 days for 1900฿.

There shouldn't be any problems returning here with a visa.

Laos Embassy, Vientiane.

[jazzbo]

I was just trying to enumerate the various classes of visas in Thailand and Diplomatic Visa is one of them along with 'B' (work permit) O, and ED ... If you read the 'Red Stamp' Vientiane topic herein you will see that guys have been coming and going from LOS to Laos for years with 2 month Tourist Visa no problem. You are a UK citizen and TTBOMK for the cost of all your visa runs you caould fly to UK and get a one year 'O' visa from Hull... or maybe Perth with 90 day visa run.

.. And if that's all you wanted to know there was really no reason to describe in detail your work situation... again, as I mentioned to you earlier, you should be more circumspect friendly police or otherwise... and the best course of action is not to start a coup but to marry the boss's daughter.

BTW based on NGO work I CAN qualify for a Diplomatic Visa but the annual extension process is onerous.

[mark666]

nice one guys Laos it is. Thanks loads for all your help.

mark

And sorry Jazzbo, I am very tired and thought you were being a prick but having read again I can see you were most certainly not. I would love to marry the bosses daughter but she is a lesbian. I understand it would maybe work out better to fly back to UK or Perth but I take things one day at a time and I may wake up tomorrow and decide to leave and travel again. This is also the main reason I decided not to go down the work permit route as I cannot gaurentee to my bosses I would stay for the duration.

[jazzbo]

A large employer of Thai citizens (as in a resort) in a small town with good rapport with the local officials can often get by with one or a few under-the-table foreigners... I have said in a different situation that it is more likely that you will have lunch with the police than they will turn you in.

It was just that there are distinct categories for visas and you have to fit them to a 'T'... and just as you say, TR visas in PDR Lao are a one day at a time thing; you may get one this time and the next time who knows? Good luck.

[PoorSucker]

Illegal workers get caught when someone has a grudge and inform immigrations.

So don't tell anyone that you don't have a WP, including girlfriends.

Only you and your boss should know, just pretend that you have a WP.

[alyx]

Pretend you are not working would be the safest position....if no one knows, no one tells

You are also talking about a "guesthouse"....therefore unlikely for you to be employed there (with a WP I mean)

So let's consider you are looking for a long stay with no work in mind (as it would be reprehensible to encourage you to be illegal) : isn't there a language school over there?