1 year multi entry non-B from Australia

[Tomtomtom69]

Hi,

Someone from England recently told me that he could no longer get a 1-year multi non-B back home in England as "they weren't available anymore there or anywhere". I stated that I have not heard anywhere that 1 year multi non-Bs are not available anymore, just that you will probably need to go to either Penang with proof of having a work permit or otherwise apply in Australia, Europe or North America with the right paperwork.

I was wondering if I applied for such a visa back in Australia (where's the best consulate to apply?) if I would be able to get it. In the past I have been able to get it on two occasions, once from Sydney and once from Perth, and later got a work permit on top of it. However, this time I was thinking of consulting for a company and getting this visa would avoid me having to worry about entering Thailand too often on visa exempt entries especially in light of the current crackdown. I work in the region with a visa and work permit for China and also possess a 1-year Cambodian visa extension but in Thailand I wouldn't be working, merely doing business and/or using Thailand as a transit point. Therefore I think the 1-year multi would be the best visa for me and I wouldn't even be staying more than about 1-2 months on each entry anyway, followed by a period of absence ranging from weeks to months.

Would this be my best option?

[ubonjoe]

Multiple entry non-b visas for business purposes are still available.

They probably still available in the UK but the embassy has to approve them even if applied through one of the consulates but the bar is high and it would probably have to be a UK based company sponsoring it.

You should be able to get one easily in Australia form one of the honorary consulates. Such as Brisbane, Perth or Melbourne

It would be best to contact them to find out what there requirements are.

[Tomtomtom69]

Multiple entry non-b visas for business purposes are still available.

They probably still available in the UK but the embassy has to approve them even if applied through one of the consulates but the bar is high and it would probably have to be a UK based company sponsoring it.

You should be able to get one easily in Australia form one of the honorary consulates. Such as Brisbane, Perth or Melbourne

It would be best to contact them to find out what there requirements are.

Ah OK makes sense now. I think my friend was mistaken. Turns out he used to work on these visas in Thailand at Thai based companies and once a year went back home to get a new one. For some reason he never went down the extension route - perhaps because he wasn't eligible and was generally working without a work permit. He is now on a retirement visa.

I will contact the honorary consulates to find out what they need. I have a company here in Thailand that can sponsor me but as mentioned, I don't intend on working for that company or anywhere in Thailand for the time being as that company wouldn't have the resources to pay me a decent salary. Last time I applied in Perth the consul attached a note stating that next time I should apply in Sydney as that's where I live! Haha. However, I specifically applied in Perth by mail because my then sponsor told me that this Indian woman at the Sydney consulate is quite difficult and that Perth would approve me. However, that same Indian woman approved my 1 year non-B 4 years earlier in Sydney through the same sponsoring company, so I was naturally a bit skeptical. Of course if I had asked a friend over in Perth to receive my package and then send it over to me in Sydney, the consulate would have assumed I live in Perth. I should be fine applying by mail in Brisbane or Melbourne though right? I don't see why the consulates should make a fuss over what address the applicant has put on their application?

Thanks for your advice, it's much appreciated.

[aarn]

Brisbane handled my application for single non-O very efficiently in May. Express-mailed the application, passport + fee to the consulate, it was processed and despatched in 24hr. AA

[Tomtomtom69]

Regarding the document requirements for applying in Australia, I got the following from the Sydney consulate website (see below). Note that I have not seen any information about applying for a non-B multi entry from Brisbane. Is it true that, based on a report I read and commented on yesterday (which was based upon something that poster saw on Stickman's website but I couldn't find when trying to search for it myself) that all non-B multi entries are now handled by Canberra? However, if the Sydney consulate is still showing details, then surely they will still be able to handle non-B multi applications?

The documents required appear to be as follows:

MULTIPLE ENTRY

Documents required

• A passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months
• A completed and signed visa application FORM A
• A photo (3.5x4.5 cm.) taken within last 6 months without wearing glasses or headgear (photocopy not accepted)
• A copy of passport or travel document personal detail page
• A letter from your employer stating your position, length of employment, dates and purposes of visits
• An invitation letter from concerned company/organisation in Thailand stating dates and purposes of visits
• A copy of concerned company/organisation's registration or license in Thailand
• A copies of corporate documents of associated partners/companies in Thailand such as:

1) list of shareholders
2) company profile
3) details of business operation
4) map indicating location of the company
5) balance sheet, statement of Income Tax and Business Tax (Por Ngor Dor 50 and Por Ngor Dor 30) of the latest year

Visa application processing fee
The visa application processing fee is AUD$ 225.

Validity of visa
The validity of visa is 12 months.

Validity of stay
You will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period not exceeding 90 days.

Extension of stay

• An extension of stay for an additional 30 days can be requested at the Office of the Immigration Bureau located on Soi Suan Plu, South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120. Tel.: (66 2) 287 3101-10

The extension of stay and change of certain types of visa is at the discretion of the Immigration Officer.

Some questions I have are:

Letter from current employer.

Would I need a letter from an employer based in Australia or is say a Chinese based employer OK? I work directly for a Chinese company that is actually in the same line of business that the Thai company I'm seeking to get a non-B multi entry issued for. The Australian company I consult for, could certainly write me a letter although technically their line of business is not directly related to the Thai company. Should I just get my Australian company to write a letter in such a way as to support the need to visit the Thai company for their interests, even though, in reality the interests aren't exactly related? I could easily get my Chinese company to write such a letter too but as that company has no presence in Australia I'm wondering if the Thai consulate or embassy in Australia handling my application would rather see a letter from a locally based company? I'm glad no salary needs to be listed on the letter as Thai consulates in other countries have listed. I think that's an irrelevant piece of information and a gross violation of privacy, which should have nothing to do with a visa issued for business purposes. Anyway, it's not required although even if it were listed I would not include it. I'm assuming this letter should be in English. Of course the only person working for either company that can actually read and write Thai is me so I don't want to make things more complicated than necessary, particularly since neither company is Thai.

Invitation letter from company in Thailand.

Should the dates of visit be regular, i.e. perhaps 3-4 or more trips over the space of a year be mentioned on the letter? Can the dates be approximate? Would it be OK if the dates mentioned are for longer periods at a time, say 60 days, rather than just a week? Anyway, I don't think that the dates in the letter would be binding anyway and of course on each entry you can get 90 days.

Copies of corporate documents of associated partners/companies in Thailand.

How big does the company need to be in order to support the issuance of a non-B multi entry for business purposes? I'm assuming there is no set company size in terms of capitalization, min. employees etc. unlike in the case of issuing a work permit, right? This particular company in Thailand is a family business. It has only a few family members as directors. Employees include a few Thais and otherwise mostly Burmese immigrant laborers, many of whom might actually be illegal. The company is a food processing factory located on the banks of the Moei river next to Myanmar. Therefore many of their laborers only work in Thailand during the day and go back home to the Burmese side at night. For those remaining on the Thai side overnight, they sleep in basic accommodation next to the factory and essentially never leave the factory to go further inside Thailand. I doubt many, or even any of them would be legal. Would this set-up be OK? All other company documents mentioned above can be provided.

While there is a possibility of receiving remuneration from this company for my services in the future, for which I would request a work permit for, at this time I am not seeking employment with them as I already have better opportunities with my current companies.

Extension of stay.

Last time I received a multi non-B I was surprised when it stated "no extensions possible". I take that to mean that while the visa itself can't be extended as such, all 90 day entries can receive 30 day extensions and of course at any time during the visa's validity, it can be converted to an extension of stay for work, if a work permit and other requirements can be satisfied. While I don't anticipate having to extend any of my entries due to frequent travel, mostly in neighboring countries and usually overland, there may come a time when it might be a more convenient option during a period of downtime. That is, especially when my consulting work is a bit slow after having done my consulting for the Thai company and I remain in Thailand on the non-B prior to being asked to do a new project outside of Thailand. If 30 day extensions at immigration are possible, would that mean that when you come in for the extension, you are reporting your address by way of doing the extension (seeing that every 90 days for all foreigners in Thailand, with the exception of permanent residents I presume that either you need to report your address or you need to leave the country).

3-year multi entry non-B.

Am I eligible for this? Would I need to use my Australian passport to obtain a 3-year multi-entry non-B? I was hoping to use my Swiss passport due to frequent travel to Laos where no visa is required for Swiss citizens for short stays (mostly by land, hence can't switch passports at the border) but if an Australian passport is required for the 3-year non-B, assuming I'm eligible, then I suppose I'll have to bite the bullet and use that then. However, perhaps I could try to insist on my Swiss passport being used for visa issuance, but would bring along my Aussie one just in case it's not accepted by the consulate/embassy.

[ubonjoe]

Sydney is an official Thai consulate so they would do the approvals themselves for all multiple entry visas. The approval by the embassy would only be for the honorary consulates.

A 30 day extension is not possible for non immigrant visa entries of any type. Only a one year extension is possible.

I think all the information might be out of date since they still show Soi Suan Plu address for immigration in Bangkok.

A Australian registered company would be best.

I suggest you contact the consulate to see exactly what the want to do the visa.