Work Permit- Change Of Address

[artvarkk]

I have not gotten a clear answer to an issue I have now. My girlfriend, a foreigner with a valid work permit, wishes to change the nature of her work as well as the address of the business. She had a restaurant, and now wants to start a clothing shop. She will keep the same company name and continue to pay social insurance for her 4 Thai employees. The guys from immigration (mobile unit) paid her a visit and said that she needs to leave the country and re-apply at a Thai Embassy. To me, it seems a simple process without the time and expense of leaving Thailand. Does anyone out there have experience in this matter?

[Soutpeel]

strictly speaking immigration could be right as she now changing her job and WP description, if it was a case of just changing a business address from the current one to a new one, this would be straight forward, but the company business is also changing, therefore one assumes in effect she would be working for a "new" company which requires a new WP or a transferred WP at the very least

[Mario2008]

She might or might not need to go abroad for a new non-B visa.

Her empoyer remains the same, but she changes her job and address of where she will be working. That will probably require a whole new workpermit.

It also depends on immigraiton, if they see it as a new job it will require her to cancel her permisison to stay and then can get 7 days to get a new work permit and other paperwork in order for an new 1 year extension of stay. Chances are a new work permit will take longer than 7 days, resulting in her needing to leave the country.

[PoorSucker]

What's her job description in the WP?

Can't understand why bother to involve immigrations, this a a job for labour office.

Download the appropriate form here:

http://wp.doe.go.th/en/downloadform

[artvarkk]

Thank you for your responses. The Thai company is her own. I have an appointment to see another accountant who, I hope, is more skilled at these matters than the accountant she has been using. I will print and bring the appropriate forms from the Office of Foreign Workers Administration that PoorSucker posted.

[digitalchromakey]

Almost certainly the Company Registration papers, in particular the description of works undertaken (In the Company Articles of Association) may well first need to be revised/added to at the Commerce Department.

Then deal with Labour; however if the OP's girlfriend has a 777/2551 Section 2.1 Extension of Permission to Stay based on Employment in the Kingdom of Thailand, then this would become an immigration issue should the original WP require cancellation/re-issueing.