I currently work for a US MNC and have my visa and work permit through my job with them.

I am working on opening a small business myself where I would work part time while starting up the business... Ultimately, I plan to leave the corporate gig and just run my business...

As I understand it, a work permit is specific to a certain job, role, company, and even location... so the one I have would not allow me to work in my own business legally. (FYI, they are in entirely different fields...)

Is it possible to have more than one WP at the same time?

You know already that your "new business" would need 2mio THB capital and 4 thai employess before you are even allowed to start working for the company? Because it sounds like you want to start a one man show

But to your question, I heard it is possible. I knew someone who worked for two companies at the same time. But I dont know how he managed to do the WP thing...

You cannot have 2 work permits issued by the same work permit office in a province. You can add a 2nd job to a work permit with permission from the original employer on it. The 2nd employer must meet all the requirements to get a work permit.

If working in a different province you could have 2 work permits but the same rules would apply.

A few years ago I had a WP with my company but I also did another job and my one WP had both jobs included in the one book. Don't know if it has changed or not.

I was in similar situation.

My experience was that it really is as simple as people have explained above.

In my case... the staff at the company (the company with the WP on me) were just typically inexperienced and unprofessional if anything occurred at work that was outside their experience / job requirements. They basically fell apart at the idea of going through the steps to coordinate with the second company to achieve success. Another terrifying concept for them was communicating with other accountants at another firm about something (again) which they had never done before. The same was true for staff at the second company. The idea went no where for months until I basically did it all myself.

The impediments were largely inexperience, inertia, and an attitude of narrow mindedness. By the way, this was also encountered at the Dept of Labor initially... until we got someone who understood it and was willing to cooperate.

It can be done. But I would be prepared for a lot of people to say that it can't.

Thanks for all the great info. This makes sense, one permit with multiple jobs in it.

And, yes. It was pretty easy to learn about the legal and financial obligations required to get a WP. I just couldn't find anything specifically addressing the two job question.

Again, thanks all.

You know already that your "new business" would need 2mio THB capital and 4 thai employess before you are even allowed to start working for the company? Because it sounds like you want to start a one man show

But to your question, I heard it is possible. I knew someone who worked for two companies at the same time. But I dont know how he managed to do the WP thing...

It is up to each officers to decide in each case if they will give you an eexemption

Because i am married to a Thai i got an exemption from the 1 - 4 farrang - Thai ration.

(Argument: I need the job because it is my duty to support my Thai famely)

Edited January 10, 201511 yr by Muggi1968

You cannot have 2 work permits issued by the same work permit office in a province. You can add a 2nd job to a work permit with permission from the original employer on it. The 2nd employer must meet all the requirements to get a work permit.

If working in a different province you could have 2 work permits but the same rules would apply.

I have 4 work permits. 3 are in one book and 1 in another for 4 different 4 million Baht companies. Not all for The Duke's Restaurants. They are for 2 years each and the fees were basically 4 x 2. In 2 I am managing director and in 2 I am just a manager. All issued in Chiang Mai by the way.

Dave

You know already that your "new business" would need 2mio THB capital and 4 thai employess before you are even allowed to start working for the company? Because it sounds like you want to start a one man show

But to your question, I heard it is possible. I knew someone who worked for two companies at the same time. But I dont know how he managed to do the WP thing...

The OP is from the US. There is a treaty between the US and Thailand which makes it possible for US citizens to run companies here under very different rules than the ones you quote.

I currently have 2 WPs.

Although they are both in the same line of work, I would suggest that if your documents are there and check-able, nothing to worry about.