Hello and thank you for your help--my 18 yr old daughter is taking a gap semester in the spring in thailand.  She will take a 3 week beginning Thai language course at chiang mai univ, travel some, and then volunteer at a wildlife rescue park for 2 mo.  She will be in Thailand about 4 and a half months.  She is a US citizen and will be travelling solo. Should we get her a nonim-O visa and then have her apply for an extension before 90 days?  Will she be able to manage this at a local immigration office or will she need to travel to Bangkok?  Are there any other documents she will need or that we as parents need to supply to get this visa?  The visa system is very confusing for a trip with multiple functions like this and it seems daunting for her to have to make border-runs etc.   If she has a return ticket for the end of her trip is that adequate---(she enters with a 90 day visa but has a return ticket for 130 days after entering) Thank you for your help!!--Nancy

to volunteer you need a work permit too, contact the wildlife recue park as they have to provide paper work for the visa AND work permit.

the school you can do on the same visa.

Thank you---Can she apply for the work permit at any time, or only after in Thailand and closer to the volunteer time?  Also, can we get her return ticket for June even though she only has a 90 day visa to start?

On 11/8/2016 at 5:51 PM, FritsSikkink said:

to volunteer you need a work permit too, contact the wildlife recue park as they have to provide paper work for the visa AND work permit.

the school you can do on the same visa.

So, I have contacted the wildlife rescue park and they say they can only issue papers for a nonimm-O visa for volunteers working for longer than 8 weeks and cannot issue a work permit because she is not being paid!   Are there time limits to volunteering that qualify for certain types of visas?  I am so confused!!  What other options would she have for a 4 and a half mo stay?  Thanks for all your help--

34 minutes ago, newh said:

So, I have contacted the wildlife rescue park and they say they can only issue papers for a nonimm-O visa for volunteers working for longer than 8 weeks and cannot issue a work permit because she is not being paid!   Are there time limits to volunteering that qualify for certain types of visas?  I am so confused!!  What other options would she have for a 4 and a half mo stay?  Thanks for all your help--

They CAN issue the papers for a visa working less than 8 weeks but they probably don't because to much effort involved. Volunteers need work permits too, nothing to do with getting paid or not.

I always thought that 2 months is longer than 8 week btw. :)

4 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

They CAN issue the papers for a visa working less than 8 weeks but they probably don't because to much effort involved. Volunteers need work permits too, nothing to do with getting paid or not.

I always thought that 2 months is longer than 8 week btw. :)

So--If they will not help with the papers for the nonimm-O visa, should we try the 60 day tourist visa and then a 30 day extension---how would she make it the other 30 days?  I guess the other option is the metv and then figure out how to get her to a border at 60 days.  Seems daunting for a teenager.  There must be a better way!

Sorry to sound negative about this, but has been stated earlier you need a work permit to volunteer, even for no salary. Thus she would be working illegally and if in the event of being caught could be fined, placed in the immigration detention centre pending being deported. It really isn't worth the risk.

I have been asked twice if I would volunteer to help teach English informally, and have declined unless issued with a work permit.

 

On a side note, I'm not sure on the logistics of a work permit with a non O visa - it might depend on the basis the visa was issued. Usually it's on the basis of being married to a Thai national, but I'm not certain if there are other circumstances. On what basis do you think she could qualify for a non O? If it's for learning Thai, then perhaps a ED visa, but I don't think that allows you to apply for a work permit.

 

19 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Sorry to sound negative about this, but has been stated earlier you need a work permit to volunteer, even for no salary. Thus she would be working illegally and if in the event of being caught could be fined, placed in the immigration detention centre pending being deported. It really isn't worth the risk.

I have been asked twice if I would volunteer to help teach English informally, and have declined unless issued with a work permit.

 

On a side note, I'm not sure on the logistics of a work permit with a non O visa - it might depend on the basis the visa was issued. Usually it's on the basis of being married to a Thai national, but I'm not certain if there are other circumstances. On what basis do you think she could qualify for a non O? If it's for learning Thai, then perhaps a ED visa, but I don't think that allows you to apply for a work permit.

 

The consulate will issue a nonimm-O visa for voluntary services for 90 days and you can extend for a year apparently.  I will continue to talk to the wildlife center and see if they will send the papers.  I will ask them to apply for the work permit.  Thank you for your help.