Thai Consulate in Penang are now advising applicants for new Non Immigrant B Visas that along with the other required paper work, they no longer consider the WP3 Receipt alone to be satisfactory evidence of the WP3 Work Permit Application process being complete.

Applicants are now being asked to additionally produce a Letter of Acceptance from their local Labour Dept proving that their WP3 Work Permit application papers have been successfully filed.

This is a new move and was certainly not the case as recently as February of this year, when the WP3 receipt was still accepted in its own right.

My local Labour Department (Phuket) advises that they are now being asked by agents to produce such a letter of Acceptance, which if it is requested takes them Seven working days from the date of issue of the WP3 Receipt.

Thanks for sharing this important news. Very helpful for others.

I found out that new rules are going into effect when i tried to renew as well ... here is what I was told, but none of this seems to apply the same as what you wrote:

I found out that new rules are going into effect when i tried to renew as well ... here is what I was told, but none of this seems to apply the same as what you wrote:

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__4513879

Current Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs full list of requirements for a Non Immigrant B Visa:

- 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 ofthe 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).

Actual paper work demanded varys markedly from Consulate to Consulate; but particularly in the S.E.Asia region, most of the above paperwork will be required.

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I can confirm this as well. Ran into the same problem in Penang on the 4th. (grumble)