Visa to work in Thailand for 1 year.

[NigelJ]

After hours of surfing the web I am confused because of a lot of conflicting info and prices. I hope some of you very experienced people here can help.

I am self employed, building websites and systems for the travel industry. I have been offered work in Phuket by a company who have 4 hotel and restaraunt businesses. They need me to build websites and hotel booking systems and then train their Thai staff how to use them. They have asked me to go ahead and get a 1 year non-immigrant visa and get to Phuket ASAP.

Is there an easy way to get a visa + work permit?

Can it be done at a reasonable cost? (Siam Legal want $800 just to process the visa application and a further $700 for a work permit application).

What do I need to do to make this happen?

I don't mind paying a resonable extra fee for a company to help to make sure these applications go smoothly but Siam and Phuket Visa's fee look rediculous to me. I have spent a lot of time in Thailand in the past but only on Tourist Visas.

A bit of extra info about me:- 52 years old, British, in USA at the moment, self-employed freelance.

Please can you offer some good, solid advice because I really need to get the ball rolling on this. Thanks.

[ubonjoe]

Company will need to apply for the work permit and documents for the visa.

The one year visa (5000 baht) is a multiple entry that requires border runs every 90 days.

You should have no problem getting a single entry visa with a invitation letter from company while in the states. Then after you get the work permit you could possibly get a one year extension or a multiple entry visa visa in Penang.

The firms advertising visas give you a letter and etc. from a company requesting the visa that is why they charge so much.

Edited September 5, 2013 by ubonjoe

[Soutpeel]

I have been offered work in Phuket by a company who have 4 hotel and restaraunt businesses.

And it should be said company who organises and pays for all this, so having trouble seeing how Siam legal even need to get involved with this directly with you, if the company have no experience in getting this all set up fine, employ a company to do it ie Siam Legal....but responsiblity for this should not be on you

[NigelJ]

Thanks, that is a very good point Soutpeel. I would expect the company to take care of the work permit because they have to apply for that. I expected to take care of my own visa and if it was only 5,000 baht that would be fine but $800 (25,000 baht) is way too much. So I guess I have 3 questions.

1. Is it just a formality to get a work permit and 1 year visa to Thailand for this type of work?

2. Do I need to get the WP before the visa or the visa before the WP? I have read conflicting information on this.

If anybody knows for sure I would really appreciate your input.

3. Is there an easy and affordable way to get the visa?

Thanks.

[JLCrab]

The Phuket company should IMHO hire you and do all the visa and work permit stuff as a temporary employee -- to do this as an independent consultant while physically in Thailand including training of staff onsite is a mess. If the company is unwilling to do this I would have a long talk with them as to the position in which they are placing you.

Additional compensation upon completion of project can be structured as a bonus and possibly paid to an ex-Thai company or bank account.

[Sceptict11]

To obtain a single entry visa(good for 90 days) should be easy with a letter from the company.

Forget about working as a "self employed" individual. Attempting follow this path will be difficult if not impossible.

You will/must be an employee of the Company.

All documentation associated with obtaining a WP and extension of stay (or multi entry visa) MUST be generated by the Company.

Be aware that many small/medium Thai businesses will be reluctant to undertake the work involved.

Edited September 6, 2013 by Sceptict11

[Soutpeel]

Thanks, that is a very good point Soutpeel. I would expect the company to take care of the work permit because they have to apply for that. I expected to take care of my own visa and if it was only 5,000 baht that would be fine but $800 (25,000 baht) is way too much. So I guess I have 3 questions.

1. Is it just a formality to get a work permit and 1 year visa to Thailand for this type of work?

2. Do I need to get the WP before the visa or the visa before the WP? I have read conflicting information on this.

If anybody knows for sure I would really appreciate your input.

3. Is there an easy and affordable way to get the visa?

Thanks.

Easiest way is to get the company to appy for the WP give you/send you the receipt, plus all the required company paper work to support this, take your PP to and paper work to embassy/consulate and they will issue you the visa on this basis, as has also been a suggested a letter should suffice, but one would suggest having the WP receipt as well, costs would minimal, most of the cost your getting from Siam legal are their fee's not the cost of the visa or WP..

As somebody else has stated, you cant be self employed as a farang in Thailand, it needs to be a company applying for you

[NigelJ]

Thanks again for the replies. really clears it all up for me.

I am self employed at the moment but the company wants to employ me for at least a year. If it is longer than 1 year are extensions easy enough to obtain?

I really appreciate all your help.

[ubonjoe]

Extension should not be a problem as long as company qualifies.

IE: 4 Thai employees for each foreign employee, tax payments, your salary greater than 50k and etc.

[GrantSmith]

If the company is unwilling to do the legwork in getting you a WP, I'd throw in, that the costs associated with obtaining a WP be invoiced to the company upon completion of the required project.

Having just completed this process myself - obtaining a WP - without the assistance of a "guy for that", was relatively painless... Parking at the MOL in Bangkok, on the other hand... fagettaboutit...

[NigelJ]

All sounds good except the parking at the MOL

Thanks for all the help.

[digitalchromakey]

Your employer can apply for the WP at Phuket Labour (parking is ok!), applcation cost 3,100 THB.

Form is attached below:

Form_WP3.pdf

You can apply for the visa yourself at a Thai Consular facility in the country where you are currently based, below is a link the Thai MFA list of required documents:

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/123/15388-Non-Immigrant-Visa-%22B%22-(for-Business-and.html

Worst case you will get a single entry 90 day Non Immigrant B (cost approx 2,000 THB) which will allow you to enter Thaiand and collect the WP, then after 3 months you can make a trip down to Penang and apply for a One Year Non Immigrant Category 'B' Visa to then make border runs every up to 90 days, or you can apply for a year extension of permission to stay at Phuket immigration and stay with 90 day reports to Phuket immigration (cheaper/quicker option if eligible), the of list of requirements is attached below (cost 1,900 THB):

Visa extension on the basis of employment 777 2551 Case 2.1t.pdf

All in all if you can end up with an extension, the actual application costs work out to around 7,000 THB ($220), so don't waste your money with the lawyers, you can do all of this with your employer's help and a little bit of effort.

[NigelJ]

Thank you so much digitalchromakey , excellent info and the docs clear everything for me.

Thanks for going the extra mile.