Hello everyone,

I have been been doing an internship in Bangkok and now my employer wants to hire me full-time. Therefor I want to apply for a work permit. I am slightly confused however due to multiple sources of information.

On this forum I have read that to be able to get a work permit you need to get a single entry non-b visa first, in order to do that you need a 'work permit application/approval letter'. If this is the case, how long does it take to receive this letter? Unfortunately their decision to hire me came late and I am already leaving the 1st of August. I am leaving to visit my home country (The Netherlands) for 4-6 weeks.

On the other hand on the website of the Thai Consulate in Amsterdam it states this:

"Als u voor een bedrijf werkt dat gevestigd is in Thailand kunt u alleen en single entry aanvragen. In Thailand dient u een werkvergunning aan te vragen."

This roughly translate to: :If you work for a company which is based in Thailand (mine is), you can only request a single entry visa, and in Thailand you need to request a work permit"

Plus that the list of requirements for this Non-B visa does not include a work permit letter or anything similar.

The catch is, I do not really trust the Thai Consulate in Amsterdam as they have made a mistake before concerning my ED visa for an internship.

How should I proceed?

Many thanks for the help in advance, without this forum I have no idea where I'd be.

You shouldn't need that for a Non-B, a letter from your employer should suffice.

You shouldn't need that for a Non-B, a letter from your employer should suffice.

Thanks for your quick reply!

So my procedure would be:

- Attain all necessary documents from company for the non-b like list of 'shareholders, business registration etc'.

- Fly back home, apply for this non-b in Amsterdam.

- Get visa, fly to Thailand and proceed to acquire a work permit in Bangkok (Chaeng Wattana) I presume?

You shouldn't need that for a Non-B, a letter from your employer should suffice.

Thanks for your quick reply!

So my procedure would be:

- Attain all necessary documents from company for the non-b like list of 'shareholders, business registration etc'.

- Fly back home, apply for this non-b in Amsterdam.

- Get visa, fly to Thailand and proceed to acquire a work permit in Bangkok (Chaeng Wattana) I presume?

In SE Asia, a Work Permit application must be successfully filed by your future employer and a Letter of Acceptance plus filing acceptance receipt issued, without these you will not be able to apply for/get the single entry 90 day non immigrant 'B' Visa.

You don't need to travel to the Netherlands to get the visa, you can more easily (and less expensively) go and get it at say Penang, Malaysia

In other places interpretations vary, some require the full paperwork, some less so.

Here is a link to the list of formal Thai MFA requirements, you would fall under 2.1 (I):

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15388-Non-Immigrant-Visa-%22B%22-(for-Business-and.html

Better the WP application is filed by your employer before you travel, once you have a 'B' Visa with the actual 90 day 'B' entry in your passport, you show this to Labour and they will then complete the process to formally issue you with your work permit.

Better safe than sorry.

Only the nearby embassies and consulates require the work permit application approval letter. Further away it may not be required at most locations.

Thanks for your reply.

I am reading through your link as we speak. It is certainly better to be safe than sorry especially when dealing with the Thai immigration. I will ask my employer to file that WP application soon as possible, I am leaving in 10 days however so I hope they will be able to finish this in time.

But it can never hurt to have this application in the system before I leave right?

I am travelling to Amsterdam on family purpose as well so definitely will apply for the Non-B over there, hopefully it will be easier there.

You shouldn't need that for a Non-B, a letter from your employer should suffice.

Thanks for your quick reply!

So my procedure would be:

- Attain all necessary documents from company for the non-b like list of 'shareholders, business registration etc'.

- Fly back home, apply for this non-b in Amsterdam.

- Get visa, fly to Thailand and proceed to acquire a work permit in Bangkok (Chaeng Wattana) I presume?

In SE Asia, a Work Permit application must be successfully filed by your future employer and a Letter of Acceptance plus filing acceptance receipt issued, without these you will not be able to apply for/get the single entry 90 day non immigrant 'B' Visa.

You don't need to travel to the Netherlands to get the visa, you can more easily (and less expensively) go and get it at say Penang, Malaysia

In other places interpretations vary, some require the full paperwork, some less so.

Here is a link to the list of formal Thai MFA requirements, you would fall under 2.1 (I):

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/4908/15388-Non-Immigrant-Visa-%22B%22-(for-Business-and.html

Better the WP application is filed by your employer before you travel, once you have a 'B' Visa with the actual 90 day 'B' entry in your passport, you show this to Labour and they will then complete the process to formally issue you with your work permit.

Better safe than sorry.

Only the nearby embassies and consulates require the work permit application approval letter. Further away it may not be required at most locations.

Hi Ubonjoe, thanks for your reply.

It seems so. Would it be wise to apply for the work permit anyway? Even though the application might not be finished before I fly back.

Perhaps someone else can pick up the application letter in case I need it, otherwise I would have to come back to Thailand, get the letter and then make a visa run. I am hoping to do everything back in the Netherlands.

You shouldn't need that for a Non-B, a letter from your employer should suffice.

Thanks for your quick reply!

So my procedure would be:

- Attain all necessary documents from company for the non-b like list of 'shareholders, business registration etc'.

- Fly back home, apply for this non-b in Amsterdam.

- Get visa, fly to Thailand and proceed to acquire a work permit in Bangkok (Chaeng Wattana) I presume?

Based on what others have said, it may differ from mission to mission, you should confirm with the Thai embassy in Amsterdam.

You do not necessarily require a non immigrant B visa. You can get a tourist visa back home and convert when everything is ready here.

You do not necessarily require a non immigrant B visa. You can get a tourist visa back home and convert when everything is ready here.

Only if you/your new job/employer would fully meet the criteriae for an extension of permission to stay under National Police Order 327/2557 Case 2.1.

Yes a TM87 conversion is possible, given the above, but why on earth complicate matters when the OP has to get a visa anyway, why not simply get a Single Entry 90 Non Immigrant 'B' Visa (shouldn't be rocket science to get this visa type in Europe)?

There is no advantage that I can see in getting a Tourist Visa first it just complicates matters and adds to the costs.

You do not need a non-B visa to apply for the work permit. You can apply now with whatever type of permission to stay you currently have.

It is to pick up the work permit when it is ready that you need the non-B Visa.