Transferring Work Permit

[ianwuk]

I want to transfer my current work permit from my old permit to my new company. Is this possible?

If so, how is it done? How long does it take and how much does it cost?

Thanks.

Ian

[Briggsy]

It can be done.

The new company should do it for you. It is not straightforward and involves a large amount of documentation. You may well be told it would be easier to cancel the old work permit and just apply for a new one. This may entail you having to go to Vientiane/Penang with the documents from your new company to get a new non-imm B.

If you were accumulating years for PR or couldn't be bothered with a visa run, then a transfer would be preferable for you and you may want to press for that.

[thaiphoon]

If you are dealing with the same labour office it can be done. You/new employer would need to go to the labour office on your last day of working with company 1 taking with you a letter of employment termination from company 1 and all the necessary paperwork/employment contract etc for company 2.

[dantilley]

You can't actually transfer the Work Permit itself to a new company, you still have to cancel your current one and get a new one for the new company; but this can be a seamless process without you having to leave the country if you do a bit of preparation. It is much less hassle than getting a new one from scratch as you don't have to leave Thailand so I'd definitely go down this route. The only extra thing you'll need additional to the stuff you'd need anyway if doing it from scratch is a signed letter from your current employer confirming what your last working day is.

All the other paperwork should, hopefully, be taken care of by your new company's legal department. So the only thing you should have to do is to arrange the aforementioned letter, and then the other admin tasks you'd have to do anyway: i.e. go to a hospital to get a medical certificate, provide a copy of your degree certificate, get some passport-style photos done (but they need to be a bit bigger for the work permit), make one (or at the most two) trips to Immigration on Chaeng Wattana and one trip to the Ministry Of Labour.

Then you should have a new work permit valid for a year and a new visa extension also valid for a year.

[thaiphoon]

The WP itself is not 'attached' to a specific company, but rather names who you can work for. It is possible to work for more than one employer and have details of both employers recorded in one work permit. So, if both employers are covered by same labour office, it is possible to do.

[TerryLH]

"The WP itself is not 'attached' to a specific company, but rather names who you can work for. It is possible to work for more than one employer and have details of both employers recorded in one work permit. So, if both employers are covered by same labour office, it is possible to do."

I believe the original employer must give permission to have the second employer added. Many place won't do that.

If the original employer does give permission, it's still the same amount of paperwork for the second job. No shortcuts for being added to an existing WP.

[thaiphoon]

I believe the original employer must give permission to have the second employer added.

That is true. Some places will, some places won't. But going back to the Op's question, if old and new employers use the same labour office it is posible to change work permit details contemporaneously at work end/work start without having to issue a new WP (agree paperwork for new company will have to be provided, but suspect medical certificate is not required as is just employment change).

[ianwuk]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I am still getting head around it all.

ianwuk

[chrisdom]

The WP itself is not 'attached' to a specific company, but rather names who you can work for. It is possible to work for more than one employer and have details of both employers recorded in one work permit. So, if both employers are covered by same labour office, it is possible to do.

This is all totally contrary to the guidance I have been given.

This is:

1) Cancel old work permit and visa

2) Leave the country and apply for new Visa (Non-imm

3) Re-enter the country

4) Apply for new WP

A lot of hassle to basically move WP to a different company with no other changes so I would appreciate knowing that the above advice is current and is possible to avoid any problems.

[dantilley]

Hi Chrisdom - no, the advice you mention above is not current as will give you all the extra hassle of leaving the country, applying for the non immigrant B visa in the Thai consulate of the country you go to, and then still having a mountain of paperwork back in Bangkok to prepare for the work permit.

If you get it transferred over you also have the same mountain of paperwork (or, rather, your new company's lawyers will have a mountain of paperwork), and the only extra thing you have to do it get the aforementioned letter from your previous employer.

So: leave the country, apply for a non-immigrant visa, stay out of Thailand for a few days while it's processed then come back, if the visa gets accepted; or remain in Bangkok and just ask your boss to sign a letter for you. No contest, really, as to which is less hassle.

[munns]

The WP itself is not 'attached' to a specific company, but rather names who you can work for. It is possible to work for more than one employer and have details of both employers recorded in one work permit. So, if both employers are covered by same labour office, it is possible to do.

i do not think what you are saying is correct,it all depends on the office you are dealing with,some make it very hard some make if a little less hard

[chrisdom]

Hi Chrisdom - no, the advice you mention above is not current as will give you all the extra hassle of leaving the country, applying for the non immigrant B visa in the Thai consulate of the country you go to, and then still having a mountain of paperwork back in Bangkok to prepare for the work permit.

If you get it transferred over you also have the same mountain of paperwork (or, rather, your new company's lawyers will have a mountain of paperwork), and the only extra thing you have to do it get the aforementioned letter from your previous employer.

So: leave the country, apply for a non-immigrant visa, stay out of Thailand for a few days while it's processed then come back, if the visa gets accepted; or remain in Bangkok and just ask your boss to sign a letter for you. No contest, really, as to which is less hassle.

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply!

I am between the devil and the deep blue sea!

The MoL are insisting that I must leave the country and get a new visa.

I suspect this is some fairly junior official who has no real idea of what else he/she can say and is taking the easy way out but unless I can get higher up the tree I am being given no choice.

Crazy to have to leave and go through all of that time / expense just to move companies.

Will report back if it ever gets sorted easily - otherwise it's KL, Penang or HK/ Singapore for a very inconvenient and unwanted excursion.

[dantilley]

Sounds like maybe your work permit for your previous job has already been cancelled, could that be the case? If so then I don't think there's any option other than leaving the country.

[chrisdom]

Sounds like maybe your work permit for your previous job has already been cancelled, could that be the case? If so then I don't think there's any option other than leaving the country.

No not cancelled - still working until transfer can be made.

[dantilley]

Best thing to do then is get the lawyer of your new company on the case. He/she should know the right people to speak to at the MoL and should know what's required to do the switch. There may also be something particular about your case which means you can't make the easy switch - their lawyer should know about this. All I can go on is my own situation, in which case it was all sorted out last month as above with the letter from my old company and no trip outside of Thailand.