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?

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

Edited October 4, 201213 yr by Soutpeel

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.

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

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.

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.

Edited October 4, 201213 yr by digitalchromakey