Us Citizen, Work Remotely From Home For Us Company. Do I Need Work Permit To Work Remotely?

[Rambling Man]

I've researched, I've found people saying if you are staying in Thailand and doing any work in Thailand, you need a work permit. Others have said if you're working for a US company, and not taking a job of a Thai, then you do not need a work permit. Can't find a clear answer online.

I just need to know what the case is. I'm a quiet, introverted guy who works from home. I sit in front of a laptop or computer (sadly) for 8-12 hours a day depending on the work load. Weekends free. I'm very interested in relocating to Thailand for 1-3 months, likely staying longer if possible, and am simply curious about the business visa or work permit situation.

[Upnotover]

You can't get a work permit or visa to do this. There's a lot of threads about this, all come to the same conclusion, keep quiet.

[Rambling Man]

You can't get a work permit or visa to do this. There's a lot of threads about this, all come to the same conclusion, keep quiet.

Thank you. I will likely keep quiet then.

[Soutpeel]

You can't get a work permit or visa to do this. There's a lot of threads about this, all come to the same conclusion, keep quiet.

Thank you. I will likely keep quiet then.

Thats the smart answer....legally you need a WP in Thailand, so the only question is...will you get caught ?...most likely not..if you keep quite about what your doing, of to the other part of your question, what justification would you have to be issued a business visa ?....you would be coming here as a tourist or possbily on an ed visa

Edited April 25, 2013 by Soutpeel

[Rambling Man]

Well, I guess my next question would be: If I can't get a business visa despite what I mentioned above, whats the best method of going about getting a tourist visa for the longest time? I've heard of tourist visas, depending on method of entry and who issues them, can vary between several weeks to 90 days or longer.

I feel like if I can only get a 30 day visa, that limits me to potentially staying near border regions. This isn't necessarily a negative thing, as if I have to cross the border it's an excuse to spend some time somewhere I may otherwise had of put off visiting, but if I stay for 3 months and have 30 day tourist visas I may not want to leave three times. How can I assure I can get at least a 60 day tourist visa?

Thanks!

[chrisartist]

I suggest that you get a double-entry tourist visa. Each entry will be valid for 90 days. You will need to leave the country and return after the first 90 days, but you will be spared any involvement with Immigration for 180 days plus the time you spend out of the country after your first 90 days.

If you intend to stay in Thailand for an extended period and are over 50, get a NonImmigrant O visa for 90 days, then extend it for a year when you are inside Thailand, before the 90 days are up.

[lopburi3]

Be aware border crossing is only a 15 day visa exempt entry if done by land. A three entry tourist visa may be available so would be the best option to start stay.

[asiaexpat]

If you are in the US apply for a triple entry Tourist visa at the Portland Oregon Honorary Consulate. You can do this by mail (search TV posts for address and phone number.) Find accommodation with hi-speed internet and enjoy your holiday in Thailand.

[TerryLH]

"I suggest that you get a double-entry tourist visa. Each entry will be valid for 90 days. You will need to leave the country and return after the first 90 days, but you will be spared any involvement with Immigration for 180 days plus the time you spend out of the country after your first 90 days."

Not accurate information.

Each entry on a tourist visa will be for 60 days. Each entry can be extended at an immigration office for 1900 baht. That will give you the 90 days but does require immigration 'involvement'.

[NancyL]

Definitely keep quiet about what you're doing all day and be very careful about any Thai girlfriends, domestic help, nieghbors, etc that may become aware of what you're doing. They've been known to turn in foreigners and make life miserable for them if they have an axe to grind.

That being said -- Thailand is full of introverted foreigners who sit in front of a computer for 8-12 hrs a day -- some in rather public places like coffee shops. Whose to say if they're working for a salary or writting the next great American novel, which would probably be classed as a hobby activity for unpublished writers. It's just fine for foreigners to have hobbies here.

Edited April 25, 2013 by NancyL

[Traxster]

Us Citizen, Work Remotely From Home For Us Company. Do I Need Work Permit To Work Remotely?.....................

You probably will, now that you've told everyone about it !!

[ubonjoe]

If the company you are working for can give you a letter stating that you need a visa for Thailand for business purposes (not working) you could probably get a a multiple entry non immigrant B visa from one of the honorary consulates in the states (IE: Portand). Visa would be valid for one year giving multiple 90 day entries up to the date it expires (about 15 months total). You would just have to do border runs every 90 days.

[rotary]

On another note........Now possibly, if you stayed outside the USA for I think 330 days in one calendar year, you might be eligible for the earned income tax exclusion due to physical presence so you would get a tax break on your first $90,000 of income. Better get with a good overseas US accountant like TaxPlan in Singapore to check that out. Thats if you decide to stay long term.

[Andre0720]

Us Citizen, Work Remotely From Home For Us Company. Do I Need Work Permit To Work Remotely?.....................

You probably will, now that you've told everyone about it !!

Shuuuuuuuuuuu

[Andre0720]

"I suggest that you get a double-entry tourist visa. Each entry will be valid for 90 days. You will need to leave the country and return after the first 90 days, but you will be spared any involvement with Immigration for 180 days plus the time you spend out of the country after your first 90 days."

Not accurate information.

Each entry on a tourist visa will be for 60 days. Each entry can be extended at an immigration office for 1900 baht. That will give you the 90 days but does require immigration 'involvement'.

In Canada, double entries of 60 days each are issued also..

[lopburi3]

Several advertising posts and replay have been removed.

[market trader]

I think your first mistake was to even mention working in this country even if it is on computer. Your IP address can be traced without to much difficulty. I remember a few years ago hackers into government computers were caught because IP address took authorities to within a few houses of the culprit.

[bra]

If the company you are working for can give you a letter stating that you need a visa for Thailand for business purposes (not working) you could probably get a a multiple entry non immigrant B visa from one of the honorary consulates in the states (IE: Portand). Visa would be valid for one year giving multiple 90 day entries up to the date it expires (about 15 months total). You would just have to do border runs every 90 days.

As the US is in APEC you should be able to get an APEC Business Travellers Card - mine costs $A200 for 3 years. This will get you a 90 day visa on arrival but is not for work - just business. You will also get in the Fast Track immigration queue both inbound and outbound and save some time. You can also get fast track and cost free entry to other APEC countries for which you would normally have to get a visa before arrival. What you personally do in Thailand is up to you, but be very careful.

[hellodolly]

"I suggest that you get a double-entry tourist visa. Each entry will be valid for 90 days. You will need to leave the country and return after the first 90 days, but you will be spared any involvement with Immigration for 180 days plus the time you spend out of the country after your first 90 days."

Not accurate information.

Each entry on a tourist visa will be for 60 days. Each entry can be extended at an immigration office for 1900 baht. That will give you the 90 days but does require immigration 'involvement'.

In Canada, double entries of 60 days each are issued also..

You beat me to it. He has not said what his citizenship is. Doing work on a computer he could be any nationality. Vancouver and Calgary in the west will issue you the multiple entry.

The first one I got was in Vancouver good for three 60 day entries. That was all I required at the time. I could have extended each one up to 90 days and had a total of 270 days.

Another thing just a small item but when they say 30 days that is what they mean. For instance if you get it on May 1 you have until May 31 not June 1.

[charmonman]

If the company you work for is in the US, you are paid in the US, your "place of work" is wherever your computer is, then for all intents and purposes you are a tourist who is simply working at your job back on the US while on holiday. I wouldn't worry about it. The Thai authorities can get a bit ridiculous about these things but I think this would be beyond even their legendary anal retentive attitudes. Unless they are going to bust into your home and poke around your computer or peer over your shoulder in Starbucks at something they can't comprehend anyway, I think you're safe. If you're still concerned, use a VPN back to the US.

Given that so many workers (including knowledge workers) in the West have been replaced by workers in the East by the good graces of the Internet, the least governments in the East can do is allow those in the West who have managed to hold on to their livelihood the small favour of allowing them to support themselves with an income by means of that same technology.

Just get a dual entry tourist VISA as suggested. Your trip outside to trigger the second entry may be enlightening as you will find other countries in the region may be more pleasant than Thailand. I suggest Vietnam or Cambodia.

[timewilltell]

If you are working in the US and getting paid in the US but just residing in Thailand then you are not working in Thailand. There are people who trade stocks and commodities using computers and living in Thailand and you do not need a work permit for that either. If you are working for a company or for yourself in the Thai marketplace even if it is online then you would need a work permit.

However I would not ask anyone about it because Thai officials are .... Erm .... Well just not the most educated, logical or knowledgable people even in matters concerning their own job description and if there is confusion then the default is to invoke all sorts of rules regardless of relevance or application. My two penny worth.

[ubonjoe]

If the company you are working for can give you a letter stating that you need a visa for Thailand for business purposes (not working) you could probably get a a multiple entry non immigrant B visa from one of the honorary consulates in the states (IE: Portand). Visa would be valid for one year giving multiple 90 day entries up to the date it expires (about 15 months total). You would just have to do border runs every 90 days.

As the US is in APEC you should be able to get an APEC Business Travellers Card - mine costs $A200 for 3 years. This will get you a 90 day visa on arrival but is not for work - just business. You will also get in the Fast Track immigration queue both inbound and outbound and save some time. You can also get fast track and cost free entry to other APEC countries for which you would normally have to get a visa before arrival. What you personally do in Thailand is up to you, but be very careful.

The US is not a participant in the APEC travel card.

[phuketrichard]

Stalag 17 quote

" I know NOTHINNNNGGGGGGG"

and ubonjoe is correct us is not a member of apec

Get a triple tourist entry out of LA , gives u plenty of time to see if u like it here

Edited April 27, 2013 by phuketrichard

[Phronesis]

Run encryption software on your hard drive. Put a password on your laptop. Work in a locked room. If there is an unexpected knock on the door, log out.

[Nobelcat]

Just since I see a few comments on this thread that are wrong themselves, I thought I'd chime in.

Yes, you need a work permit but since the government wont give you one, you just need to always say that you're here on a long term vacation or here for education. I'm constantly surprised at the number of people who admit to working here. If they find out then you're kicked out of Thailand, so keep quiet.

Personally, I'd get a double entry tourist visa. They each are 60 day visas that can be extended to 90 days. If you don't plan to leave the country except to renew your visa, this makes the most sense. Then every 6 months you travel to Laos or back to the USA and get another 6 months worth of visas. You can also get tripple entry and deal with it every 9 months or not get the extensions and use the tripple entry in 6 months. Plenty of choices.

Now if you decide to go the route of longer than 3 months, you might consider applying for the Foreign Income Tax Exclusion. Even though you're working for a US company, as long as you're working as a contractor (1099) then you can start a Hong Kong company and have it pay you. There is a whole lot of very important legal issues here and I'd highly advise that you pay a lawyer a lot of money to do everything, but this can save you from paying both Federal and State taxes. That savings would more than fund your world traveling. NOTE: (since people get this wrong too) The Tax Exclusion is NOT calendar year and can be applied the day AFTER you leave the US. Physical presence test (the most likely option used) requires that you NOT visit the US for more than 35 days per year and watch out for the language about what defines a day.

So I bring up the Tax Exclusion only to bring up another visa--the Education visa. The US IRS form has a checkbox for what kind of visa you're on. While it's not an issue, it may look odd if you say "I'm a tourist in Thailand but I'm also saying I'm not a resident of the USA." Also, the major benefit I see of an Education visa is that you can get a 1 year multi-entry visa which I see as a golden goose. Your friends flying to some other local country that you want to go to? You wont need to worry about getting another Thai visa. You want to go to Burma for the day to shop and then come back? No problem. Cambodia? No problem. If you're on a tourist visa, any time you leave the country means you loose that visa. I've seen people burn their visas to go travel with friends. Multi-Entry 1 year visas are just 1 year visas where you always get a 90 day entry when you come in. Stay for 5 days and then come back, get unlimited reentries. Cost for a *private* Thai language class (sometimes referred to as a rubber stamp visa) is around US $1,000 for 1 year. These are classes that you go to when you want to go to and you don't go to whenever you don't want to. They suck, aren't really useful at all, but they're flexible and get you a visa. YMCA on the other hand is a fantastic school and would cost closer to $150 for a year, but wont do things based on your schedule or get you a visa so that's a discussion for another matter.

Anyways, these are just my ramblings about things that I've helped other people with. I only know the annoyance with having half your friends go on a vacation that you don't want to go on because it would use up your tourist visa. The entire work thing, I have *no* clue about.

Edited April 27, 2013 by Nobelcat

[DRONGOH]

1) A former FBI agent once said: If you don't want anybody know what you're doing, don't say it because if you do, somebody WILL be listening.

2) Download and USE the TOR proxy server. It's practically undetectable and it's free.

Good luck and make buck.

[overherebc]

1) A former FBI agent once said: If you don't want anybody know what you're doing, don't say it because if you do, somebody WILL be listening.

2) Download and USE the TOR proxy server. It's practically undetectable and it's free.

Good luck and make buck.

Just tell everyone you spend all day posting on TV. For sure they will leave you alone.

Seriously, just keep quiet about it and nobody will bother you.

[Naam]

Run encryption software on your hard drive. Put a password on your laptop. Work in a locked room. If there is an unexpected knock on the door, log out.

wear always gloves, don't leave finger prints anywhere. put a condom over your keyboard!

[overherebc]

Run encryption software on your hard drive. Put a password on your laptop. Work in a locked room. If there is an unexpected knock on the door, log out.

wear always gloves, don't leave finger prints anywhere. put a condom over your keyboard!

When using a writing pad always put a glass sheet under the paper so you don't leave the impression on the next sheet.

[Soutpeel]

Run encryption software on your hard drive. Put a password on your laptop. Work in a locked room. If there is an unexpected knock on the door, log out.

wear always gloves, don't leave finger prints anywhere. put a condom over your keyboard!

When using a writing pad always put a glass sheet under the paper so you don't leave the impression on the next sheet.

And dont forget to use invisible ink so no one can see what ya wrote on the first sheet..