Can Someone Provide More Info On Press Visas

[sillyfools]

Hi,

Can someone provide me with more information about press visas. I own a publishing company in Europe and therefor am holder of a press id card.

1- What can I do in Thailand?

2- What can I not do in Thailand?

3- Are there any additional requirements?

4- Which process to follow?

5- How long does the permit to stay last, i.e. does one with a press visa need to hop the border every 3 months?

I kindly thank you all for any information you can share with me because most of the law offices I went to so far have no information or knowledge about that whatsoever.

Best regards,

SF (It's a thai rock band)

[george]

I have no exact details for you, but you need a NON Immigrant "M" visa and a Thai press card:

http://www.thaivisa.com/282.0.html

[sillyfools]

Hi George,

Thank you for the information. I think my consulate can provide me with an M Visa based upon my press card in Europe, but does anyone have more information on like a thai press card, on how to obtain one? Is it required, difficult, what are the requirements, ... ?

Since the url you pointed to is the same information I get from most law officers over here :-)

SF

[sabaijai]

I've been through the process, have the visa and the press card.

You have to first present the Thai embassy/consulate abroad (it doesn't have to be your home country) with a letter from an agency/company that will be sponsoring you as a foreign correspondent in Thailand. Your press card from abroad won't do it, you have to have a sponsor's letter.

Assuming that's kosher, the embassy/consulate will issue a non-immigrant visa good for 90 days. They might issue the M or the B, it depends on the place. Technically I suppose it should be the M but many FCs I know started on the B. In the end, as far as I can tell, that's not particularly relevant (I could be wrong, that's just the way it looks to me, for reasons I'll get to in a moment).

Then you enter Thailand and take the following to the press division, 2nd floor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

1. A copy of your cv/resume

2. Two copies of your passport with all relevant pages (visa, etc.)

3. Two photos

4. Samples of your recent work

5. Letter of introduction from your sponsoring agency

6. Letter of registration details for the agency

7. Filled-in application form, available from the press division

Upon presentation of these materials, someone at the press division will interview you for about 20 minutes to ask about experience, the agency, etc.

Approx a week later you'll return and they'll tell you whether you're authorized to be an FC in Thailand. One thing they do is check the company registration of your agency in the country where it's registered. If all that's not in perfect order, the whole process comes to a halt there. My agency had changed addresses in Hong Kong and I couldn't get anywhere until the agency and registered the new address with the Thai embassy in HK.

If the MFA accepts your application. they give you three sealed envelopes containing letters from the MFA. You have to deliver these to two different government offices. Two of the letters - one for the Thai labour dept, the other for immigration, you take to the One-Stop Visa & Work Permit Center. There a stamp goes in your passport extending your stay for a full year, and you receive a work permit. That happens all in one day. You should make sure you get a multiple-entry stamp in your passport so you can leave the country without losing your visa.

Since your permission to stay in Thailand is basically subsumed by the stamp in your passport, I don't see that it makes any difference whether you entered on a B or M or possibly even an O. I could be wrong about that, maybe there's an angle I don't see.

The remaining letter you take to the foreign correspondent's office of dept of public relations (7th fl), where you'll be issued a international press card. It's actually a little booklet, like a small passport. It takes a few days for this to be ready.

The nice thing about foreign correspondent status is that you get to make use of the normally efficient and polite One-Stop Center. Most other visas and work permits require visits to Suan Phlu immigration and the labour dept, I believe. The only other applicants I've seen at the One-Stop have been BOI-certified investors.

[sillyfools]

Dear Sabaijai,

First of all let me thank you very much for the information. It was very helpful. I will try to contact my consulate next week.

One more question though. Does anyone know if one needs to be a reporter (i.e. writing articles) or one can be a media director? In effect, I am not a reporter but a media manager. My press card in Europe is provided to me because I manage a press office.

Does anyone have more information on this?

Best regards,

SF

[Bobcat]

My understanding is that you do, in fact, need to be a reporter. This is supported, I believe, by the fact that you will require a letter from the sponsoring company stating that you will be employed as a foreign correspondent as well as the fact that you will need to provide some samples of your writing in support of your application.

[sabaijai]

I think Bobcat's correct on all that, FWIW.

[et33.com]

i have been trying to follow all these stuff on visa for a couple of weeks now, and it seems that there is no standard at all, or should i read a thousand more posting...

[seatimes]

contact the foreign correspondents club at the maneya centre

they have the [poop

you should be a member

[RAZZELL]

I've been through the process, have the visa and the press card.

You have to first present the Thai embassy/consulate abroad (it doesn't have to be your home country) with a letter from an agency/company that will be sponsoring you as a foreign correspondent in Thailand. Your press card from abroad won't do it, you have to have a sponsor's letter.

Assuming that's kosher, the embassy/consulate will issue a non-immigrant visa good for 90 days. They might issue the M or the B, it depends on the place. Technically I suppose it should be the M but many FCs I know started on the B. In the end, as far as I can tell, that's not particularly relevant (I could be wrong, that's just the way it looks to me, for reasons I'll get to in a moment).

Then you enter Thailand and take the following to the press division, 2nd floor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

1. A copy of your cv/resume

2. Two copies of your passport with all relevant pages (visa, etc.)

3. Two photos

4. Samples of your recent work

5. Letter of introduction from your sponsoring agency

6. Letter of registration details for the agency

7. Filled-in application form, available from the press division

Upon presentation of these materials, someone at the press division will interview you for about 20 minutes to ask about experience, the agency, etc.

Approx a week later you'll return and they'll tell you whether you're authorized to be an FC in Thailand. One thing they do is check the company registration of your agency in the country where it's registered. If all that's not in perfect order, the whole process comes to a halt there. My agency had changed addresses in Hong Kong and I couldn't get anywhere until the agency and registered the new address with the Thai embassy in HK.

If the MFA accepts your application. they give you three sealed envelopes containing letters from the MFA. You have to deliver these to two different government offices. Two of the letters - one for the Thai labour dept, the other for immigration, you take to the One-Stop Visa & Work Permit Center. There a stamp goes in your passport extending your stay for a full year, and you receive a work permit. That happens all in one day. You should make sure you get a multiple-entry stamp in your passport so you can leave the country without losing your visa.

Since your permission to stay in Thailand is basically subsumed by the stamp in your passport, I don't see that it makes any difference whether you entered on a B or M or possibly even an O. I could be wrong about that, maybe there's an angle I don't see.

The remaining letter you take to the foreign correspondent's office of dept of public relations (7th fl), where you'll be issued a international press card. It's actually a little booklet, like a small passport. It takes a few days for this to be ready.

The nice thing about foreign correspondent status is that you get to make use of the normally efficient and polite One-Stop Center. Most other visas and work permits require visits to Suan Phlu immigration and the labour dept, I believe. The only other applicants I've seen at the One-Stop have been BOI-certified investors.

Very informative post...

Say, for example, I'm a freelance photographer, in effect a "one-man" agency supplying images to various publications in another country...

I want to set-up a a similar "agency" in Thailand...Do you think it would be possible to become their "FC" in Thailand ???

This link maybe of use to others:

http://www.mfa.go.th/web/1.php

Thanks in advance.

Edited October 9, 2006 by RAZZELL

[Barney_the_Dinosaur]

I've been through the process, have the visa and the press card.

You have to first present the Thai embassy/consulate abroad (it doesn't have to be your home country) with a letter from an agency/company that will be sponsoring you as a foreign correspondent in Thailand. Your press card from abroad won't do it, you have to have a sponsor's letter.

Assuming that's kosher, the embassy/consulate will issue a non-immigrant visa good for 90 days. They might issue the M or the B, it depends on the place. Technically I suppose it should be the M but many FCs I know started on the B. In the end, as far as I can tell, that's not particularly relevant (I could be wrong, that's just the way it looks to me, for reasons I'll get to in a moment).

Then you enter Thailand and take the following to the press division, 2nd floor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

1. A copy of your cv/resume

2. Two copies of your passport with all relevant pages (visa, etc.)

3. Two photos

4. Samples of your recent work

5. Letter of introduction from your sponsoring agency

6. Letter of registration details for the agency

7. Filled-in application form, available from the press division

Upon presentation of these materials, someone at the press division will interview you for about 20 minutes to ask about experience, the agency, etc.

Approx a week later you'll return and they'll tell you whether you're authorized to be an FC in Thailand. One thing they do is check the company registration of your agency in the country where it's registered. If all that's not in perfect order, the whole process comes to a halt there. My agency had changed addresses in Hong Kong and I couldn't get anywhere until the agency and registered the new address with the Thai embassy in HK.

If the MFA accepts your application. they give you three sealed envelopes containing letters from the MFA. You have to deliver these to two different government offices. Two of the letters - one for the Thai labour dept, the other for immigration, you take to the One-Stop Visa & Work Permit Center. There a stamp goes in your passport extending your stay for a full year, and you receive a work permit. That happens all in one day. You should make sure you get a multiple-entry stamp in your passport so you can leave the country without losing your visa.

Since your permission to stay in Thailand is basically subsumed by the stamp in your passport, I don't see that it makes any difference whether you entered on a B or M or possibly even an O. I could be wrong about that, maybe there's an angle I don't see.

The remaining letter you take to the foreign correspondent's office of dept of public relations (7th fl), where you'll be issued a international press card. It's actually a little booklet, like a small passport. It takes a few days for this to be ready.

The nice thing about foreign correspondent status is that you get to make use of the normally efficient and polite One-Stop Center. Most other visas and work permits require visits to Suan Phlu immigration and the labour dept, I believe. The only other applicants I've seen at the One-Stop have been BOI-certified investors.

Are you the writer what wrote about Mick Jagger when he came to Thailand? If so, then I am a fan of your work !

Edited October 9, 2006 by Barney_the_Dinosaur

[RAZZELL]

Are you the writer what wrote about Mick Jagger when he came to Thailand? If so, then I am a fan of your work !

What publication???