Some Questions About Work Visa And Work Permit

[ChristianPFC]

Some questions about work visa and work permit

I am a 32 year old German and I am preparing to apply for a work visa and work permit in Thailand. I have been to Thailand for holiday seven times and speak basic Thai (including reading and writing). Two months ago, I sent an initiative application to a research institute in Bangkok and visited them (on my suggestion) two weeks ago while on holiday in Thailand. They can employ me, starting with a one-year contract, according to my education (doctor of chemistry) for a monthly salary of 37,000 Baht. (I know, it’s not brilliant, but I can comfortably live on that in Thailand.) My knowledge of visa is limited to one single entry tourist visa from England and one from Lao.

Now my questions:

The visa I need would be an Non Immigrant Visa type EX (expert visa) rather than type B (business and work)?

Is non immigrant visa type B for business and/or work? I don’t want to do business in Thailand, I want to work in Thailand.

For non-immigrant B visa, a minimum salary of 50,000 Baht/month is required for people from Europe, this does not apply here?

Should I apply for one entry with a 90 days stay and extend the visa to one year once in Thailand or multiple entry?

How can I avoid giving flight connections when applying for visa (I prefer getting the visa first and book flights later, and booking a one-way flight to Thailand, i.e. I have no ticket out of Thailand).

Several websites say I will need a health certificate and a police certificate, but on the website oft the Thai embassy in Germany, this is not required for non immigrant type B, so obviously I don’t need them?

Thanks for your help.

Edited October 3, 2012 by ChristianPFC

[noob7]

Afaik:

First:

The monthly salary is not important for the Labor office!

They need a employer, willing to hire you, and a reason, that a Farang is needed!

It matters, as soon it comes to extension of stay at the immigration!

37.000 will 'usually' not qualify for extension of stay, as a European!

So you will need a multiple entry visa, anyway.

Second:

The future employer need to give you some paperwork.

Also they should be able, to tell you, what visa you would need to apply for.

Maybe they should ask the labor!

But long story short:

Imho a multiple Non-B will do, also it will get you over the year.

Every 90 days a visa run, but maybe they can extend you on 90 day basis or so.

(up2employer contacts to immigration, I think.)

You need as minimum a letter, that they wanna hire you, officially, stamped, ....!

In Germany, the Stuttgart consulate should be the best address, to get the multiple visa.

I got told, easy doing there, others denying multiple visa on wp reason, 'cause you should extent in Thailand.

You can send the passport, don't need to go there yourself.

Call them, ask them, what they need,want.

In case, the Expert visa is the better one for your case (there are experts around, in TV, knowing it) tell your future employer, they need to write the letter for this visa, then.

In Englisch, please!

Good luck

oops: The labor will need the health certificate, issued in Thailand. The police thing, I don't know!

Edited October 3, 2012 by noob7

[Mario2008]

Your salary of 37,000 will not allow you to apply for a 1 year extension of stay, so you will need to do a borderrun every 90 days.

But it does depend on the research institution: If it is an educational facility or a government facility the minimum income requirement does not apply. Ask if the institution has other foreigners and how they go about the immigraiton requirements.

[Soutpeel]

Non-imm B or EX visa will get you to the same place, I would think the Non-imm B will be easier on the consulate/embassy issuing the visa as they will be very used to issuing these, would suspect the EX are not issued that much, so may end up with them asking for addtional documentation

As regards the THB 50,000 for a Non-imm B visa, the THB 50,000 refers to extension of stay not your initial visa issue

Edited October 4, 2012 by Soutpeel

[ChristianPFC]

Thanks for all your advice. I got a non-immigrant single entry RS visa (Research Visa, the staff at the embassy decided which visa to give me based on my letter of invitation) at the Thai embassy in Berlin (closest to my hometown, processing takes 3 days).

Digging deeper into the subject, several new questions arose:

I have a job offer in Thailand (Bangkok, Rangsit) and will arrive on 08.01.2013 with a non-immingrant research visa single entry. After reading on the internet about work permit and extension of stay, I still have some questions.

My salary will be „no less than 37,000 Baht per month“, which is below the 50,000 Baht threshold which is enforced or not? I will work in a research institute and not in a commercial business.

Why is the „form WP1“ (WP = work permit?) called „แบบ ตท. ๑“ in Thai (what is ตท?)?

My employer has to apply for a work permit for me? Will he send the application to the Thai labor department or will he give me the required documents so I can add them to my application for work permit?

I want to start working on 01.02.2013, how much time do I have to plan for obtaining work permit (as far as I know, it takes 7-10 working from the day I apply until I can pick it up, but how long in advance does my employer have to apply)?

My employer is a research institution linked to the royal family, will this help simplify and speed up the process?

Should I wear a tie for the picture and when I go to the department of labor or to the immigration bureau?

Logical order of events:

My employer applies now for a work permit for me

When I arrive in Thailand:

Get health certificate, take picture of working place for WP,

sign work contract,

submit application for work permit,

look for accommodation,

open Thai bank account (requires work contract),

visa extension to one year (requires work contract and work permit; if there is anything I can do now please let me know, otherwise I will deal with it when I have the work permit). If they don’t extend (because I earn only 37,000 Baht), I am a little trouble, as I have only one entry and will have to apply for a new visa.

[digitalchromakey]

Thanks for all your advice. I got a non-immigrant single entry RS visa (Research Visa, the staff at the embassy decided which visa to give me based on my letter of invitation) at the Thai embassy in Berlin (closest to my hometown, processing takes 3 days).

Digging deeper into the subject, several new questions arose:

I have a job offer in Thailand (Bangkok, Rangsit) and will arrive on 08.01.2013 with a non-immingrant research visa single entry. After reading on the internet about work permit and extension of stay, I still have some questions.

My salary will be „no less than 37,000 Baht per month“, which is below the 50,000 Baht threshold which is enforced or not? I will work in a research institute and not in a commercial business.

Why is the „form WP1“ (WP = work permit?) called „แบบ ตท. ๑“ in Thai (what is ตท?)?

My employer has to apply for a work permit for me? Will he send the application to the Thai labor department or will he give me the required documents so I can add them to my application for work permit?

I want to start working on 01.02.2013, how much time do I have to plan for obtaining work permit (as far as I know, it takes 7-10 working from the day I apply until I can pick it up, but how long in advance does my employer have to apply)?

My employer is a research institution linked to the royal family, will this help simplify and speed up the process?

Should I wear a tie for the picture and when I go to the department of labor or to the immigration bureau?

Logical order of events:

My employer applies now for a work permit for me

When I arrive in Thailand:

Get health certificate, take picture of working place for WP,

sign work contract,

submit application for work permit,

look for accommodation,

open Thai bank account (requires work contract),

visa extension to one year (requires work contract and work permit; if there is anything I can do now please let me know, otherwise I will deal with it when I have the work permit). If they don’t extend (because I earn only 37,000 Baht), I am a little trouble, as I have only one entry and will have to apply for a new visa.

A lot of questions:

1) 50,000 THB pcm salary is enforced for National Police Order 777/2551 Case 2.1, but you may be able to apply under Cases 2.2, 2.3 which have less exacting criteriae.

2) What is ตท? Dtor Tor - Acronym for Dept of Labour.

3) Your employer can apply now to Labour on your behalf using form WP3, you may need to sign a power of attorney to facilitate this.

4) If you have supporting paperwork from the institution it will help you both with the WP application and with an application for Extension of Permission to Stay at Immigration once you have been in Thailand for about two months.

5) 6x4cm Colour Photos with Suit and Tie (can be added by Photoshop!) will be required when the application is made for your WP.

6) Broadly agree with your list, however you can often open a Thai savings account (with internet banking and an atm acrd) with only minimal paperwork. As regards the Visa, it is very difficult now to obtain Multiple Entry Non Immigrant B Visas in the SE Asia region and it would be very expensive to make visa runs every 3 months to get a single entry RS or even 'B' visa. However your working for what appears to be a prestigious Royal Supported Thai Research Institue will almost certainly open doors and you may well be able to get a one year extension under cases 2.2, 2.3 at your local Immigration Dept.

Good Luck.

Edited December 30, 2012 by digitalchromakey

[Soutpeel]

Thanks for all your advice. I got a non-immigrant single entry RS visa (Research Visa, the staff at the embassy decided which visa to give me based on my letter of invitation) at the Thai embassy in Berlin (closest to my hometown, processing takes 3 days).

Digging deeper into the subject, several new questions arose:

I have a job offer in Thailand (Bangkok, Rangsit) and will arrive on 08.01.2013 with a non-immingrant research visa single entry. After reading on the internet about work permit and extension of stay, I still have some questions.

My salary will be „no less than 37,000 Baht per month“, which is below the 50,000 Baht threshold which is enforced or not? I will work in a research institute and not in a commercial business.

Why is the „form WP1“ (WP = work permit?) called „แบบ ตท. ๑“ in Thai (what is ตท?)?

My employer has to apply for a work permit for me? Will he send the application to the Thai labor department or will he give me the required documents so I can add them to my application for work permit?

I want to start working on 01.02.2013, how much time do I have to plan for obtaining work permit (as far as I know, it takes 7-10 working from the day I apply until I can pick it up, but how long in advance does my employer have to apply)?

My employer is a research institution linked to the royal family, will this help simplify and speed up the process?

Should I wear a tie for the picture and when I go to the department of labor or to the immigration bureau?

Logical order of events:

My employer applies now for a work permit for me

When I arrive in Thailand:

Get health certificate, take picture of working place for WP,

sign work contract,

submit application for work permit,

look for accommodation,

open Thai bank account (requires work contract),

visa extension to one year (requires work contract and work permit; if there is anything I can do now please let me know, otherwise I will deal with it when I have the work permit). If they don’t extend (because I earn only 37,000 Baht), I am a little trouble, as I have only one entry and will have to apply for a new visa.

A lot of questions:

1) 50,000 THB pcm salary is enforced for National Police Order 777/2551 Case 2.1, but you may be able to apply under Cases 2.2, 2.3 which have less exacting criteriae.

2) What is ตท? Dtor Tor - Acronym for Dept of Labour.

3) Your employer can apply now to Labour on your behalf using form WP3, you may need to sign a power of attorney to facilitate this.

4) If you have supporting paperwork from the institution it will help you both with the WP application and with an application for Extension of Permission to Stay at Immigration once you have been in Thailand for about two months.

5) 6x4cm Colour Photos with Suit and Tie (can be added by Photoshop!) will be required when the application is made for your WP.

6) Broadly agree with your list, however you can often open a Thai savings account (with internet banking and an atm acrd) with only minimal paperwork. As regards the Visa, it is very difficult now to obtain Multiple Entry Non Immigrant B Visas in the SE Asia region and it would be very expensive to make visa runs every 3 months to get a single entry RS or even 'B' visa. However your working for what appears to be a prestigious Royal Supported Thai Research Institue will almost certainly open doors and you may well be able to get a one year extension under cases 2.2, 2.3 at your local Immigration Dept.

Good Luck.

I am quite suprised they never asked for a multiple-entry Non-imm B, as certainly if the extension becomes a problem, ie the financial side (salary) of things, this would be the visa the OP would need, as as you have said...very difficult to get one of those in SEA if your not a national of that particular country.

Work permit should be handled by the employer and by rights should be applied for before you apply for your visa, and the receipt is submitted to the embassy/consulate along with all the other documents, it can take 7-10 days, it can take 6 to 8 weeks, no hard and fast rule, this is your employers responsibility to get sorted out not yours

Opening a Thai Bank acc, doesnt require a contract, however some banks want you to have a WP

Yes for the photos....wear a tie, they like to see this... and dont smile on the photo...they dont like this...

BTW, you should be signing your contract before you leave Germany, not on arrival in Thailand...this is Souties top tip of the day, after 25 years working all over the world...make sure you have everything in writing and signed before you leave your home.

Based on your comments around WP's etc....the bottom line is....you shouldnt be messing around with the WP yourself, the employer needs to get this sorted out, they should telling what you need to do, and what paperwork you need to supply them....

they should send you a big chunk of paper work, including the receipt for your WP application which you take to the Thai embassy/Consulate in Berlin along with your PP, one assumes you will pay the fee, (which you will claim back from the employer of course)...wait a day or two and pick you PP up....you are now free to travel to Thailand...

On arrival, they will tell you what you need to do as regards your WP, you may or may not have to attend the DOL with a representaive of the employer, but typically start work and within some time frame, whether 7-10 days or 6-8 weeks, you will receive your new shiny blue WP book..

[ChristianPFC]

Update: entered Thailand on 08.01.2013 and got 90 days stay at immigration.

Went to see my employer. In the research institute, there is one person who once assisted in a renewal of a work permit for a foreigner, she helped me with all the paperwork and went with me to the Ministry of Labor and to immigration. Her assistance was very helpful. I would not have known whom to ask in my workplace for the documents required. Being a research institute, fewer docments than for a company were required, it still took more than a week to get all required signatures and another five days from submitting until I could pick up my work permit. Upon that, I signed my work contract and started work. Now only extension of visa is open.

With the work permit, I could open a bank account (the name of the bank was given by my employer and my supervisor even went with me to the nearest branch). I did not know that you need to have a bank account at a specific bank (depending on your employer), but this was confirmed elsewhere.

BTW, you should be signing your contract before you leave Germany, not on arrival in Thailand...this is Souties top tip of the day, after 25 years working all over the world...make sure you have everything in writing and signed before you leave your home.

I worked abroad in three countries so far (UK, France, Thailand) in universities or research institutes, and it always worked well that way: after communication per email with an agreement about work and employment (only per email, no letter), I went to the place, looked for accommodation and signed the work contract.

Edited February 19, 2013 by ChristianPFC