I am US citizen, returning to US in December for the holidays. I also have set up a business in the US and hope to return to Thailand in January on a Business Visa.

Is it easier to do that in region (ASEAN) or Australia? Or am I better off handling this at a Thai consulate in the US? Is there a particular US consulate or Australian consulate that is prone to be more favorable to a multiple entry Business Visa.

Thanks!

Being your homecountry, the US would be easier.

Requirements would depends on the consulate you would apply at. In the US Portland is very popular, but there are some others too.

Any of the honorary consulates listed here would be best choice: http://www.visetkaew.com/wp/directories/

Most honorary consulates give same day turnaround of mail in applications and would issue visa with just a letter from company.

The embassy and official consulates in NY, LA, and Chicago probably would want more paperwork and take longer.

Thanks for the replies.

It looks like I can handle this by mail, but the list of documents requested seems quite extensive.

I am self-employed, small LLC and not sure exactly what the minimal amount of documentation would be. Any resources or should I just contact the Portland consulate directly.

Personal financial documentation and legal company registration I have. But a letter authorizing myself seems a bit silly...

I would contact the consulate to find out what exactly they require. Portland is not the only one to contact.

Information on MFA and embassy websites are a lot more than what normally is required by them.

Thank you! I will contact the consulate directly. I chose Portland as it is closest and I have a friend their to visit while I am back in the US, so I figure I would to that route, in case I needed to handle anything in person.

Regards,

David

From the Portland General Consulate website on Visa Instructions:

VISA CLASSIFICATION

C. Non-Immigrant: . Non-Immigrant: 90 day stay. No extension unless prior approval from the Thai

Immigration Authorities. (For business purposes, a notarized business letter stating nature of business and/or job description is required ...)

So at least per the Portland website what you get is a 90 day entry with a not likely extension of visa.

Any such non immigrant visa entry is 90 days - be it single or multi entry and extensions would require meeting conditions for such. But multi entry visas should be available for business travelers in there home countries who also have business located there; and that is the subject of this thread.

Post #1 states: "I also have set up a business in the US and hope to return to Thailand in January on a Business Visa." So based solely on that information the OP is maybe saying: "I have a business in the USA therefore I would like to obtain a Business Visa to Thailand."

The Application form from the Portland Consulate does list an option for single 90 day or multiple entry 1-year Non-IMM visas. It also requests that an Application letter state the "nature of the business" as I guess they want to know for what reason someone with a business in the USA should be conducting business in Thailand especially beyond the initial 90 day entry they mention in the Visa Instructions.

I'll assume by the wording this is a discretion call by the Consulate Officer as to what Visa to grant as is also indicated by word "should" in the above post.

Edited July 20, 201312 yr by JLCrab

Got it.. Yes, I realize that I have to leave the country every 90 days and that there will be on in-country (Thailand) extension available.

What I hope to get is the ability to do multiple entries during my 90-day period to avoid re-entry permit fees and process.

Cheers.

While not mentioned on the Portland Visa Information page, a good thing to have when applying for a 'B' Visa from any Consulate is a letter from a Business or Government Agency in Thailand saying why they would like for you to be granted a Business Visa to Thailand

NB I received 2 consecutive one-year multiple entry 'B' visas from a US Thai General Consulate but that was more than 7 years ago.

Edited July 21, 201312 yr by JLCrab

If on a single entry visa you would loose your 90 day permit to stay if you leave the country without a re-entry permit.

A multiple entry visa allows you to do as many entries as you want for a period of one year. You can enter the country and leave 5 days later you do not have to wait for the 90 days to be up.