Non B Application

[isanb]

I need to apply for a non immigrant B visa and having check different sources on internet, I’m a bit confused about the documents require to do so.

Right now I’m living in Thailand under a tourist via and I intend to go to Laos to make this step.

For what I understand the company needs to provide:

- Letter of recommendation

- Copy of registration documents

1) Did the need to provide me something else?

2) Do you have any idea about what they have to write on this recommendation letter?

3) Should I give the original letter to the consulate or give a copy and keep the original with me in order to be able to show this letter if requested?

4) What are these registration documents?

For what I know the Regional head office of the company is in Hong Kong but they have also a subsidiary in Bangkok so can I provide documents from the Head office in HK or do I need the Thai documents or both?

Can it be copies or only originals?

For what I understand I need to provide:

1) Filling the administrative form

2) Passport

3) Photo

4) Visa fee

Any help will be appreciated

Regards,

[PoorSucker]

You must have a work permit or have applied for one (Having form WP3).

Here's the rest of the paperwork:

2.1 Non-Immigrant Visa Category “B” (Business Visa) is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom to work or to conduct business.

(1) Foreigners who wish to work in Thailand must provide the following documents:

- Passport or travel document with validity of not less than 6 months.

- Completed visa application form.

- Recent passport-sized photograph (4 x 6 cm) of the applicant taken within the past 6 months.

- Evidence of adequate finance (20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht per family).

- Letter of approval from the Ministry of Labour. To obtain this letter, the applicant’s prospective employer in Thailand is required to submit Form WP3 at the Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour Tel. 02-2452745, or at the Provincial Employment Office in his or her respective province. More information is available at www.doe.go.th/workpermit/index.html

- Copy of Work Permit issued by the Ministry of Labour and alien income tax or Por Ngor Dor 91 (only in the case where applicant has previously worked in Thailand).

- Corporate documents of hiring company in Thailand such as:

1) business registration and business license

2) list of shareholders

3) company profile

4) details of business operation

5) list of foreign workers stating names, nationalities and positions

6) map indicating location of the company

7) balance sheet, statement of Income Tax and Business Tax (Por Ngor Dor 50 and Por Ngor Dor 30 of the latest year)

8) value-added tax registration (Por Por 20)

- Document indicating the number of foreign tourists (for tourism business only), or document indicating export transactions issued by banks (for export business only).

N.B.

- An alien who receives a Non-Immigrant visa can work in Thailand once he or she is being granted a work permit. An alien in violation of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979) concerning taking up employment without work permit or the Royal Decree B.E. 2522 (1979) concerning holding employment in certain restricted occupations and professions shall be prosecuted and imprisoned or fined, or shall face both penalties.

- It is recommended that the applicant should apply for visa at the Thai Embassy/ Consulate in the country where he/she has the residence

Source: MFA

[isanb]

You must have a work permit or have applied for one (Having form WP3).

Here's the rest of the paperwork:

2.1 Non-Immigrant Visa Category "B" (Business Visa) is issued to applicants who wish to enter the Kingdom to work or to conduct business.

(1) Foreigners who wish to work in Thailand must provide the following documents:

- Passport or travel document with validity of not less than 6 months.

- Completed visa application form.

- Recent passport-sized photograph (4 x 6 cm) of the applicant taken within the past 6 months.

- Evidence of adequate finance (20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht per family).

- Letter of approval from the Ministry of Labour. To obtain this letter, the applicant's prospective employer in Thailand is required to submit Form WP3 at the Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour Tel. 02-2452745, or at the Provincial Employment Office in his or her respective province. More information is available at www.doe.go.th/workpermit/index.html

- Copy of Work Permit issued by the Ministry of Labour and alien income tax or Por Ngor Dor 91 (only in the case where applicant has previously worked in Thailand).

- Corporate documents of hiring company in Thailand such as:

1) business registration and business license

2) list of shareholders

3) company profile

4) details of business operation

5) list of foreign workers stating names, nationalities and positions

6) map indicating location of the company

7) balance sheet, statement of Income Tax and Business Tax (Por Ngor Dor 50 and Por Ngor Dor 30 of the latest year)

8) value-added tax registration (Por Por 20)

- Document indicating the number of foreign tourists (for tourism business only), or document indicating export transactions issued by banks (for export business only).

N.B.

- An alien who receives a Non-Immigrant visa can work in Thailand once he or she is being granted a work permit. An alien in violation of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979) concerning taking up employment without work permit or the Royal Decree B.E. 2522 (1979) concerning holding employment in certain restricted occupations and professions shall be prosecuted and imprisoned or fined, or shall face both penalties.

- It is recommended that the applicant should apply for visa at the Thai Embassy/ Consulate in the country where he/she has the residence

Source: MFA

For what I understand I need first to apply for a temporary B visa (3 month) outside of thailand and then after, apply for work permit.

for the first step (temparary B visa) I am on my own a that why I want to have some advices , regarding the work permit the company

will provide me legal assistance.

thanks

[Mario2008]

That depends on where you apply. When you want to apply in laos, first go to the labour office and apply for the work permit and get the wp3 form.

[THAILIBAN]

in contrary to those strict Thai embassies and consulates in the ASEAN region, applying for a multiple-B at most European consulates, you don't need all that. One simple "invitation-letter" by the company will do.

I always bring tons of documents, including the companies registration, each of the pages signed and stamped, and the lady who usually issues the VISA ( no Thai national) gets annoyed when she sees that and only picks the invitation-letter, which is just one page, and asks me to take all that other crap back home...... hohoho...... lucky we r in Europe, aren't we

[PoorSucker]

You can apply for Work permit on tourist visa.

They will give you form WP3 that you present in Laos for getting a 3 month non-B.

For multiple entry KL will issue if you have a work permit.

[isanb]

I'm bit lost on this one !!

So if I understand well, I need first to apply for a work permit in the labour office even if right now I have a tourist visa then after go to laos to apply for a temporary B visa with the WP3 form then after go back to the immigration office in bkk for the 1 year b visa !!!!

Am I allowed to apply for a work permit in thailand even if I have a tourist visa right now (but will be able to provide all the documents )?

Can I sign an employment contract if this contract cleary indicates that the departure date will be depending the obtention of all the necessary permits (B visa and work permit) even if a have a tourist visa right now ?

In this case is it mandatory to go after the work permit application outside of thailand for the temporary B visa or can I go directly to the immigration office in bkk

for the 1 year visa assuming the my work permit application is ok?

I have so many friends who went first to apply for a temporary B visa (laos, singapour...) and then after engage the work permit process that I'm completly lost and I don't understand the need to apply for a work permit first, then apply for a temporary B visa after.

If your work permit application is successfull why do you have to apply after for a temporary B visa outside of thailand and not directly a one year visa in Bkk?

Once again, my questions are focus only on the temporary 3 month B visa obtention, not the one year B visa that you apply for after the work permit process.

[isanb]

You can apply for Work permit on tourist visa.

They will give you form WP3 that you present in Laos for getting a 3 month non-B.

For multiple entry KL will issue if you have a work permit.

Having so much contradictory information I contacted sunbelt to handle the process for me and they told me that I can not apply for a WP3

on tourist visa but have to go first in laos for a B visa !!!

I insisted on the fact that many people told me the contrary and that I will not be granted a B visa in laos without WP3 and the answer

was " no problems".

what to believe ??

Is sunbelt a company that I can trust ?

Do you advise me to contact another visa company ?

[PoorSucker]

My personal experience is that the Embassy in Stockholm could not give me a non-B with invitation letter, they demanded a WP3.

I Came to Thailand 5 years ago on a visa exempt stamp, applied for WP, got WP3, went to Penang and got a single entry non-B.

When I came back to Thailand I got my WP.

Went to Penang three months later and obtained a 1 year multiple entry non-B.

[isanb]

My personal experience is that the Embassy in Stockholm could not give me a non-B with invitation letter, they demanded a WP3.

I Came to Thailand 5 years ago on a visa exempt stamp, applied for WP, got WP3, went to Penang and got a single entry non-B.

When I came back to Thailand I got my WP.

Went to Penang three months later and obtained a 1 year multiple entry non-B.

PoorSucker, I really thank you for your advice.

What is confusing in this matter is that the more you try to get ready for this procedure (WP,Visa..) the more you get confuse having

so much contrary information.

I have no problem to obtain any documents but the more I try to gather information about the procedure the more I get lost !!!

If Sunbelt told me to do the B Visa first, I have no problems about it, I just don't want to come back from Laos with nothing because

I can not afford to lose time specially if I don't handle the process in the right way.

[jazzbo]

The net of this seems to indicate that your prospective employer has never before employed a Non-Thai in Thailand .... if so, not an easy situation.

[isanb]

The net of this seems to indicate that your prospective employer has never before employed a Non-Thai in Thailand .... if so, not an easy situation.

I don't understand why, as soon as i am able to provide the right documents in the right place and in the right order (labor first or B visa first) why should

I have some problems ?

In every companies in thailand employing foreigners there was a beginning, no ?

The company is willing to assit me by providing a visa processing agent (has in august the HR department is nearly empty and they are located in HK),

my concern I just to pick the good one as I just talk to sunbelt and their position regarding the process is completly different to

the one that many member went through.

[jazzbo]

I did not use the word 'problem' -- just that it is never easy when you are the first... It is true: for every company there was a first and you should have smooth sailing if their documents are in order...

However, on this forum, there seems to have been many who were intending to be the first... But the reason they may have been the first is because the company documents were never previously in order... and probably were not for them as well.

[isanb]

I did not use the word 'problem' -- just that it is never easy when you are the first... It is true: for every company there was a first and you should have smooth sailing if their documents are in order...

However, on this forum, there seems to have been many who were intending to be the first... But the reason they may have been the first is because the company documents were never previously in order... and probably were not for them as well.

That is why I have requested the assistance of a thai agency to help me to avoid this to happen and I try also to gather the more information I am able to.

The company already have a juridistic structure in thailand but the human resources dep is in HK, The Regional director is in Australia, the financial

controler in Malaysia and my line supervisor in Jakarta ..... and we are in august

I have no doubt about the capacity of the company to provide me the proper documents, I am just amazed to be confronted to so much conflicting

information and that is a problem for me and could also explain why the company documents are not in order when you apply.

Even for a basic information like : Where to begin ? WP3 or B Visa I have conflicting information depending who I am talking to and that is scary !!!

[PoorSucker]

From requirements for non-B.

- Letter of approval from the Ministry of Labour. To obtain this letter, the applicant’s prospective employer in Thailand is required to submit Form WP3 at the Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour Tel. 02-2452745, or at the Provincial Employment Office in his or her respective province. More information is available at www.doe.go.th/workpermit/index.html

Source: MFA

[PoorSucker]

I have conflicting information depending who I am talking to and that is scary !!!

All government officials like to interpret the rules their way.

Immigrations, Labour, Consulates.

Check with your local Labour office and the consulate where you are going to apply.

[isanb]

I have conflicting information depending who I am talking to and that is scary !!!

All government officials like to interpret the rules their way.

Immigrations, Labour, Consulates.

Check with your local Labour office and the consulate where you are going to apply.

Will meet sunbelt tomorrow so i wait to see but will ask a lot of question

[neuf]

All government officials like to interpret the rules their way.

Immigrations, Labour, Consulates.

Check with your local Labour office and the consulate where you are going to apply.

Will meet sunbelt tomorrow so i wait to see but will ask a lot of question

Just to throw more fuel on the fire of what-do-you-need, I got a single entry non-immigrant B visa in Singapore with all the company tax documents and registrations, and an invitation letter (no WP/WP application receipt). I've done this twice (second time with a new letter, they keep the invitation letter, which must be original, the company documents are signed copies.)