A good friend of mine with a work permit and non B visa has been told by his boss and staff at his company that he must leave and re-enter Thailand every 90 days. I have a work permit and I go to the new immigration offices at Chaeng Wattana every 90 days to report and extend. He is adamant that he has to leave for Cambodia tomorrow and going to Chaeng Wattana is not an option. Is there any reason why this may be correct or can somebody please reply with details that I can show him so that he stops wasting his time?

I also knew a guy a couple of years ago that told me he had to leave the country every 90 days even though he had a WP. Are there different types of WP? Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks.

To get an extension in-country you need to make at least the minimum salary required by immigration. This has nothing to do with Labor dept. Also the company needs to hand over more paperwork than is needed for a new NON-B at a consulate.

So some companies just go with the easier "New NON-B every three months" route. Vientiane will happily give you a new NON-B if you can show a WP.

Minimum salary varies per country of origin, for EU it's 65,000/month at present.

If he has a Non-B Visa (granted by a Thai consulate outside Thailand), as opposed to an extension of stay (granted by an Immigration Office inside Thailand), then he must travel outside Thailand every 90 days.

Are you sure he has a work permit? I know someone who travels throughout Asia as a company representative, but has his base, with partner and child, here in Thailand. He has a non-B visa issued in Europe on the basis of making business visits to Thailand, and he returns to Europe every 12 - 15 months to get another one. He doesn't have a workpermit for Thailand.

If he does have a work permit, he should be able to get an extension of stay and avoid the need for border runs

Edit:- Jdietz's post explains the probable reason.

Edited May 18, 201214 yr by Eff1n2ret

If he has a Non-B Visa (granted by a Thai consulate outside Thailand), as opposed to an extension of stay (granted by an Immigration Office inside Thailand), then he must travel outside Thailand every 90 days.

Are you sure he has a work permit? I know someone who travels throughout Asia as a company representative, but has his base, with partner and child, here in Thailand. He has a non-B visa issued in Europe on the basis of making business visits to Thailand, and he returns to Europe every 12 - 15 months to get another one. He doesn't have a workpermit for Thailand.

If he does have a work permit, he should be able to get an extension of stay and avoid the need for border runs

Edit:- Jdietz's post explains the probable reason.

There may be reasons why his company doesn't qualify for extensions of stay. A work permit itself doesn't mean anything in regards to staying in Thailand.

Edited May 18, 201214 yr by beechguy

When I first started working in Thailand, I had a 12 month multi-entry non-B visa issued in UK. I had the choice to either get the one year extension, or retain my own visa for the first 12 months. If you go for the extension, your visa is then tied to the work permit, and if your work finishes the visa is cancelled. As I was unsure of the job/company I retained my own multi-entry non-B for the first 12 months even though I had a work permit, as this kept my visa 'independent' of my job, and if the job finished I would still have the visa.

This could be one scenario, the above answers are also valid.

To get an extension in-country you need to make at least the minimum salary required by immigration. This has nothing to do with Labor dept. Also the company needs to hand over more paperwork than is needed for a new NON-B at a consulate.

So some companies just go with the easier "New NON-B every three months" route. Vientiane will happily give you a new NON-B if you can show a WP.

Minimum salary varies per country of origin, for EU it's 65,000/month at present.

That is wrong. The minimum income requirement is 50,000 a month for most western country nationals.

1. European countries (except Russia), Australia

continent, Canada, Japan, and U.S.A.

Baht 50,000/month

2. South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong Baht 45,000/month

3. Asian countries (except Japan, South Korea,

Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Cambodia,

Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam), South America

continent, Countries in Eastern Europe, Countries in

Central America, Mexico, Turkey, Russia and South

Africa

Baht 35,000/month

4. African countries (except South Africa), Cambodia,

Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam

Baht 25,000/month

Why is the minimum wage different for different countries except for cheap labour from surrounding countries ?

Ask the writer of the Immigration Act 2545.

Why should the minimum income for a married foreigner (to a Thai) be THB 45,000/month and for a retiree THB 65,000/month?

Similar question.........must be Thai logic.

Ask the writer of the Immigration Act 2545.

Why should the minimum income for a married foreigner (to a Thai) be THB 45,000/month and for a retiree THB 65,000/month?

Similar question.........must be Thai logic.

The required income for a man married to a Thai woman is actually 40,000 a month.

Ask the writer of the Immigration Act 2545.

Why should the minimum income for a married foreigner (to a Thai) be THB 45,000/month and for a retiree THB 65,000/month?

Similar question.........must be Thai logic.

Actually it's 40,000 THB for male foreigner married to a Thai.

And for a Lady foreigner married to a Thai man it is Zero.

To get an extension in-country you need to make at least the minimum salary required by immigration. This has nothing to do with Labor dept. Also the company needs to hand over more paperwork than is needed for a new NON-B at a consulate.

So some companies just go with the easier "New NON-B every three months" route. Vientiane will happily give you a new NON-B if you can show a WP.

Minimum salary varies per country of origin, for EU it's 65,000/month at present.

That is wrong. The minimum income requirement is 50,000 a month for most western country nationals.

Retirement visa income if not married too a thai is 65,000 per month or 800,000 in the bank or can be made up of both

Employment visa have to be earning 50,000 baht per month to get extension of stay those earning less have to do a visa run every 90 days

And for a Lady foreigner married to a Thai man it is Zero.

Unbelievable.........

had this same situation, entered with a non imB & got my work permit then thought it would be simple process to get an ext of stay for 1 year... yea for a simple fee of 27000 baht! So I just left every 3 months & came back, no need for new visa if you have multi entry visa.

Look at the stamp in his passport, that will tell you if he needs to go or not.

And for a Lady foreigner married to a Thai man it is Zero.

Unbelievable.........

Quite believable and typically sexist!

Look at the stamp in his passport, that will tell you if he needs to go or not.

Are you serious? Do you know how many times the immigration officers put the wrong stamp in a passport?

Look at the stamp in his passport, that will tell you if he needs to go or not.

Are you serious? Do you know how many times the immigration officers put the wrong stamp in a passport?

Never! in my experience

And for a Lady foreigner married to a Thai man it is Zero.

Unbelievable.........

Yes do the powers that be think foreign men only marry poor Thai women? My wife earns nearly as much as me, and her income alone would be enough to qualify for my extension of stay if I was on a marriage visa......and why 40K...why is there a limit at all? Plenty of Thais survive on much less than this.

And for a Lady foreigner married to a Thai man it is Zero.

Unbelievable.........

Quite believable and typically sexist!

More Thai tradition than sexist. The man is considered the bread winner and head of household.

The naturalization act clause that allows the foreign wife of a Thai man to apply for citizenship immediately after marriage or arrival in Thailand was challenged as unconstitutional because it was discriminatory but the court ruled that it wasn't.

Look at the stamp in his passport, that will tell you if he needs to go or not.

Are you serious? Do you know how many times the immigration officers put the wrong stamp in a passport?

If there is only a non-immigrant B stamp, then they should be good for a year, unless there is another stamp telling them they must leave every 90 days (as you can have with the O-visa).

had this same situation, entered with a non imB & got my work permit then thought it would be simple process to get an ext of stay for 1 year... yea for a simple fee of 27000 baht! So I just left every 3 months & came back, no need for new visa if you have multi entry visa.

Same situation for me - but my local immigration office wants a 17,000thb "fee" for the extension service.

I choose to do the visa runs rather than support this kind of tea money nonsense.

I might be wrong, but I also thought the company needs to have a certain paid-up and actual net equity. I remember several years ago, I was not able to get an extension of stay as our accounts did not show sufficient net equity. I had paid the 2 million, but well... its easy to lose money, thats for sure

Look at the stamp in his passport, that will tell you if he needs to go or not.

Are you serious? Do you know how many times the immigration officers put the wrong stamp in a passport?

If there is only a non-immigrant B stamp, then they should be good for a year, unless there is another stamp telling them they must leave every 90 days (as you can have with the O-visa).

No, if there is only a "B" Visa stamp, each entry is 90 days, single or one year multi-entry. An extension of the permission to stay is what allows a stay longer than 90 days.

Look at the stamp in his passport, that will tell you if he needs to go or not.

Are you serious? Do you know how many times the immigration officers put the wrong stamp in a passport?

If there is only a non-immigrant B stamp, then they should be good for a year, unless there is another stamp telling them they must leave every 90 days (as you can have with the O-visa).

A non immigrant B visa only allows a 90 day stay and will be so noted on entry stamp. Only if you have an extension of stay from immigration would a longer period of stay be allowed. And that would also be noted with a stamp allowing stay up to a specific date.

And for a Lady foreigner married to a Thai man it is Zero.

And female can become Thai with a Thai man...

Can you say that any Non immigrant kind of visa should work with extensions, if there is not an extra stamp telling you can't?

Look at the stamp in his passport, that will tell you if he needs to go or not.

Are you serious? Do you know how many times the immigration officers put the wrong stamp in a passport?

If there is only a non-immigrant B stamp, then they should be good for a year, unless there is another stamp telling them they must leave every 90 days (as you can have with the O-visa).

No, if there is only a "B" Visa stamp, each entry is 90 days, single or one year multi-entry. An extension of the permission to stay is what allows a stay longer than 90 days.

Thanks I just checked my passport, most of the stamps are extension of stay - but only one small non-imm B stamp from 2007 at the front of my passport, which i got when I got a new passport and I guess they transferred over the stamp.

Is it something to do with having a years worth of tax reciepts of an adequate amount as well ?

On that sort of money you would only pay a tiny amount of tax if any wouldn't you ? You pay some sort of tax on entry don't you. Is this seen as some sort of top up ?

Edit: No amount stated , but if earning below the minimum amount for a visa.

Edited May 20, 201214 yr by arthurwait