Can I obtain work permit with long term non immigrant B visa and letter appointing me as exclusive representative of foreing company in Thailand that required negotiations and "working activities" ? Any experience/advise kindly appreciated.

Hi -

To get a work permit, you need a legally registered Thai employer. What is possible is to set up what is legally known as a Thai Representative Office (TRO). That TRO then becomes the entity that sponsors your work permit, and your extended entry permit. And - what makes it good is that both permits are processed at the BOI One-Stop Center, not the Immigration and Labor Ministry offices. A TRO does not need to have any Thai employees. It cannot earn income inside Thailand - your overseas Head office will have to do all the invoicing and money collection. All money to run the TRO (office rent, salaries, expenses) must be remitted from Head office to TRO account here. TRO pays no corporate income taxes. You will have to pay yourself a taxable salary of at least 60,000 baht per month (this kicks in in July).

The tough items:

1. Your overseas company must sponsor the establishment of the TRO.

2. The process starts with submission to the Thai Embassy in country where Head Office is based. You must submit to the embassy an assortment of documents, translated into Thai.

3. Once Thai Embassy "legalizes" the documents, you send them to Thailand and file for TRO registration. The government fee is 2,000 baht plus 5 baht for every 1,000 baht of parent company capitalization - with a combined minimum fee of 22,000 baht, and combined maximum fee of 252,000 baht.

That's it, in a nutshell.

I can send more details, if you send me an e-mail message, to which I can reply with attachments.

Good luck!

Steve Sykes

Managing Director

Indo-siam Group

Bangkok

[email protected]

www.thaistartup.com

thanks for very usefull and iteresting info!