I ll try to make it short.

I m director of a 2 years old company in Bangkok.

After invested a lot of time, without getting any salary, we are able to hire staffs and launch the work permit process.

If I follow well :

We have to declare my staffs

Get a paper from labor ministry

Letter and all documents about the company

Present all this document to an immigration to get a NON immigrant B Visa

When I have it, I come back to Thailand and I can launch the work permit process within one month.

I suppose my steps just above are correct, but now my laywer tell me something new

1 - I should leave country before to launch the process

2 - wait around 2 weeks to get all documents

3 - receive all documents then proceed to non immigrant B

Of course I do not know anybody able to go another country and wait 2 weeks in hotel to the end of an administrative task... especially when I respect the law...

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Before, sam laywer, which is actually independant service for my accounting - bookeeping, told me that I should leave the country and that they will be able to send me all documents within 48h, considering they go to labor ministry the next day.

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Now I m confused, if someone who recently launched work permit process and had to go overseas to make a non immigrant B could help, I will appreciate

You can apply for the work permit without the non-b visa. It can be done with a tourist visa or even a visa exempt entry.

Then after you have a work permit approval letter from the Labor Ministry and the required company documents you can go out for a non-b visa.

No nearby embassy or consulate will accept an application for a non-b visa without a work permit approval letter.

When you have the non-b the work permit will be issued.

You have not been well advised.

You get together all the papers fro a WP1 application at Labour, once these papers are filed you get the Letter of Acceptance from Labour plus a WP1 receipt.

Travel to say Penang with the papers as listed in the link below and a apply for a single entry 90 day non immigrant 'B' visa. Apply morning Working day 1 collect pm working day 2.

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

Return to Thailand get the 90 day non 'b' stamp in your passport, take this to Labour and they will issue your WP and you can start work.

Good Luck.

1 - Thanks a lot for this answers

2 - It takes much more sense and looks more like information I had before

3 - Considering I won't be able to proceed myself, does someone can advice someone or lawyer office to proceed for me, if I provide all necessary documents ?

Thanks a lot !

This is the answer from my laywer after I complain in front of this non-sense:

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Thank you for your e-mail, I can give the information to you according to the regulations or laws related to the matter including the practical measures of the authorized officers only.

Please understand us because the discretion of the officers may be changed from time to time, we can only inform our clients how to proceed them correctly.

For your information, you also can change visa to business visa 90 days in BKK if you have 15 days visa left (Tourist or on arrival only ). Our fee in this regards amount to 27k.

This time almost of our clients change a visa to business visa 90 days in BKK without to apply business visa aboard. Because the Thai embassy now requesting for WP.3, and if you would like to get the WP.3 (100% legal), you have to stay aboard for 2-3 weeks and wait for WP.3 approve.

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So I have pay 27 000 THB to get the tourist become NON B without going anywhere... mhmm

This is the answer from my laywer after I complain in front of this non-sense:

===

Thank you for your e-mail, I can give the information to you according to the regulations or laws related to the matter including the practical measures of the authorized officers only.

Please understand us because the discretion of the officers may be changed from time to time, we can only inform our clients how to proceed them correctly.

For your information, you also can change visa to business visa 90 days in BKK if you have 15 days visa left (Tourist or on arrival only ). Our fee in this regards amount to 27k.

This time almost of our clients change a visa to business visa 90 days in BKK without to apply business visa aboard. Because the Thai embassy now requesting for WP.3, and if you would like to get the WP.3 (100% legal), you have to stay aboard for 2-3 weeks and wait for WP.3 approve.

===

So I have pay 27 000 THB to get the tourist become NON B without going anywhere... mhmm

Firstly I presume that English is not your lawyer's first language, however.....

Yes the WP3 application process is for people who are not already in Thailand, that is why you should make a WP1 application which is for people who are already in Thailand..

Yes you can convert a tourist visa entry for a non immigrant 'b' visa via the TM87 conversion process in BKK, the fee is 2,000 THB if I recollect correctly. However to make such a conversion, you must be first eligible for an extension of permission to stay based on working in the Kingdom of Thailand (National Police Order 327/2557 Case 2.1).

So your lawyer's advice is correct but represents either a seriously inconvenient and or/ overpriced option.