Friend With Work Permit Is Leaving Country Every 90 Days

[lopburi3]

Off-topic post removed - this is about the need for visa entry rather than extension of stay - it should not be used as a platform for politics or further off-topic speculations. Thanks.

[EarthAlien]

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.

Whilst this would appear to fall into the category of Thai "logic" it in fact does make sense.

I am married to a Thai and can vouch for the fact that we as a family live more able to make funds stretch further as she knows how to buy most things cheaper and negotiate better deals overall when making any purchase.

On the other hand a retiree without such support is more likely to incur a higher cost of living and theirin lies the logic which isn't too hard to accept when you've been through both experiences.

[Fgis]

Hello,

I heard that it is easy to get a 1 year B visa that allows you to stay in Thailand 3 months and come back after going out at a border.

Do you now any lawyer / company that will make all the paperwork for me and what they usually declare that you have to do in Thailand to get this visa ? (can be a sale representative for a foreignn company,etc ... ?) Or do they register you as employee of a compay they own ? (if you do not get a work permit they do not need to pay you anything, right ?)

Thank you for help to get a 1 year B visa, and also if you know how much it will cost.

[tombkk]

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.

What? I paid around THB 6,000 for the extension, I think. Make sure you get official receipts, and if you use a company to do the extension for you, that their fees are reasonable.

In which province did you have this experience?

[tombkk]

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

Me neither, in the past 22 years. But I do check the stamp each time I enter the country. Stories around wrong stamps come up every so often, and the immigration officers are only human. I don't know anybody who got a wrong stamp, though.

[tombkk]

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).

It has already been clarified that any entry stamp will be valid for 90 days at the most. However, some non-B multiple entry visas are valid for one year - this does not mean that you can stay for a year, but that the last entry must be before the year is over.

[tombkk]

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

Yes, 2 million Baht and four Thai employees are needed per work permit. But that is not what the OP asked, he asked about the visa and extension of stay.

A non-B visa does not allow you to work - it allows you to apply for a work permit. These are two different things.

(Yes, you can apply for a work permit and get the non-B later; the work permit will then be issued after you get the visa. It's complicated.)

[tombkk]

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

Personally, I believe it is roughly based on cost of living in the origin countries. But that's just a guess. We will relay your question to the Labour Department, though.

[guavagirl]

As far as I understand (as told by immigration and I have a WP) the company you work for needs to be worth at least 4 million and you must pay a minimum of 2,500 baht a month to get an extension of stay. Otherwise you must do a border run every 90 days. Unless of course you are a teacher.

This is not a labour board requirement, it is an immigration requirement.

[lopburi3]

The immigration requirement is specific income by nationality in the range 25k-50k per month and nothing to do with 2,500 baht. Extension of stay costs 1,900 baht per year.

[trevorg]

Whilst the rules, regulations and costs may appear quite complicated. They are actually very simple, if you know who you are, what you are doing, and what you intend to do!

When it becomes complicated, is when you don't know who you are (in terms of both the Thai Immigration (visas/ extensions) and the Labour Department (Work permits/Tax....)), your current (or recent past) situation, and the situation that you may be in, in the future!

There are plenty of ways to 'beat the system' to save a few thousand Baht, or avoid 'border runs'. The bottom line is, if you don't know why or how you're beating the 'system' when you do it, then there's a good chance you'll get it wrong, at some point!

To answer the original question a Non Imm B visa is valid for 12 months, but you must leave the country every 90 days (a multi-entry is as it says - but may be used to get an extra 90 days - give or take 15 months)!

In my experience a Non Imm B visa may be Extended (in my case marriage) and then there is only a requirement to report to Immigration every 90 days and not 'border run' or leave the country. If you want to do that on an Extension, then you must have a Re-entry Permit (either single or mullti) -cost wise, you'd have to be planning to leave 4 times a year for the multi to be worth it (hence, you go back to the 90 day thing)!

My point is, plan ahead, and if you can't, then flexibility is the key!

[visarunner]

Based on original OP question , if he has a multiple yearly non b, which requires him to leave the country every 90days, and some times the company will tie the work permit to these 90days, than the advise from company is correct.

[Honkytowner]

So many "experts"; so little reliable information.

[beechguy]

So many "experts"; so little reliable information.

Actually, reliable information has been given by the experts, some others just don't know what they are writing about.

[tombkk]

Based on original OP question , if he has a multiple yearly non b, which requires him to leave the country every 90days, and some times the company will tie the work permit to these 90days, than the advise from company is correct.

The company doesn't tie it, the law does. The non-B visa does not allow you to work, it allows you to apply for the work permit. Listen to lopburi3, he is one of the experts.