Hi,

I have a question.

I am currently working at a school and I have a work permit and a non-B. I just applied for another job, which I will start in October. However, my non-B expires on September 14. How can I manage to extend my non-B visa without having to ask my current school for a new contract?

I also don't want to go all the way to Laos to get a new non-B, as the cost of that is one I cannot afford.

Any ideas?

Thank a lot in advance~

Unless married to a Thai or having a child with Thai nationality, you will not have any other option than to leave Thailand on Sept. 14th and apply for a non-B visa abroad for with the new employer.

At immigration you can get an extra 7 days to leave the country for 1,900 baht. You could try to get a new work permit and extension of stay within 7 days after 14 Sept, but cannot say it will work if your contract starts in Oct. You might be lucky or wasting money.

As Mario says you need a new Non B. Even just changing schools with a visa still valid, requires a new Non B.

I made this mistake 2 years ago, and was considered to be on overstay. Not thinking new school, new visa.

You do not need a new visa, provided that your new contract starts when the old contract finishes (or within 1 week). If that is the case, you simply cancel your current permission to stay and aply for a new permission to stay based on your new employer.

In case of the OP, that is not possible as there are more than 7 days bewteen contracts. (Up to 7 days she can bridge with her 7 days to leave the country "extension" and within that time frame applying for an extension with the proper paperwork).

OP apparently will need to cancel work permit and extension then leave country to get a new entry (tourist visa or 15/30 day exempt). Then if teaching go out with paperwork from school to get a new B visa. If not teaching WP3 would be needed for visa.

I would think new employer should cover costs for getting visa.

Well, my current contract finishes in October and my new contract will start in October, so there's no gap between them.

It's just that my non-B expires a month before my current contract ends.

Hey Saruri,

If your visa expires before the contract expires, the old employer is supposed to help you get an extension of your non-im B visa, i.e. provide you with the papers needed for the extension. (The employer has to provide the Work Permit and you have to provide the Visa, that's the correct way in Thailand) The old employer might think he can screw you by showing in his papers - i.e. your work contrac - that you work only for a few more weeks, but he has to support you to get a new visa extension.

As soon as you got the extension (even if it is only "extension under consideration") you go and apply for an extension based on the contract etc. of the new employer.

Haven't tried it, but I think this would work, as it is the bureaucrats way of doing these things in Thailand...

Good luck

SamM.

When does your work permit expire?

Immigration might grant an extension up to your the end of contract if your work permit is still valid. But you would need all the paper work from current school.

Even then you probably would have problems getting extension for new job at same time that extension ends.

Best option would be to get a new visa when current extension ends and finish currrent contract since visa entry would give you enough time to get extension for new job.