 Informative Article Summary by Anny Redperz
If you ever tried to get a work permit in Thailand, you will know how complicated it is. Not that it is difficult to get, but the sheer complication of the work permit procedure make it excessively frustrated and stressful. Let me give you a brief overview of Thai work permit procedure.
To get a work permit, you must have a non-immigrant visa. Any non-immigrant visa type is OK, but usually, this will be type B non-immigrant visa. You have to get this non-immigrant visa before entering Thailand. If you enter with tourist visa, you cannot change to non-immigrant visa (except under some certain circumstances). To get a non-immigrant visa, you need some documents from your employer. The required documents include letter from your organization stating your appointment, your job contract together with your job description, and the letter from Thai authority (this usually is approval letter from Thai Ministry of Labour, or if your are working for NGO, a letter from Ministry of Interior). Don’t worry, these will be handled by your employer. However, here lies some complications, depending on where you apply for your visa, and your country of origin. Some embassies ask for the air ticket itinery, to show that you are going out of Thailand before the expiry date of your visa. Believe me, this is rediculous but it happened to many people. Not all embassies though ask for this, but it is wise to prepare this document to avoide inconvenience. Some embassies will give you only type “O” (dependent) visa if you don’t have a work permit. (Well, you are applying for a work permit!) Don’t argue, there is no difference, Whether you get type O or type B.
Now you come to Thailand, and apply for work permit. You might also start working even before you get the work permit. There is no problem, as long as you apply for it. The labour office will not object to it. They might even come and see you working at your office before they approve your work permit to make sure you are actually working with the organization. (This is rediculous! According to Thai law, you cannot work without work permit). Now, you got your work permit. You think everything is fine now. However, complications start only now.
If you look carefully at your work permit, you will see that it is valid only until the expiry date of the visa, not the end of your contract. Now, the next task is to extend your visa before its expiry date, which might take more than one trip. The immigration will extend your visa for, not one year, but only one month! They will say they need to investigate. (They never do it). Now, go back to your work permit office again, extend another one month. At the appointed date, go back to immigration to get your visa extension. They will give you another 2 or 3 months! Now go back to work permit officem extend again, go back to immigration, extend again ……
It is not difficult, but complicated. You found yourself running between immigration office and the work permit office. One of my colleague got only one week extension once, and on another occassion, another co-worker did not get visa extension, because his work permit extension was pending. He was not kick out of the country, the immigration told him to wait. Thus he was legally working and staying in Thailand without work permit or visa! This is quite stressful. You cannot concentrate on your work properly. Anyway, you will learn in a few months’ time and will get used to it.
Before You Go to Thailand, Get a Tourist Visa
by Carl Parkes
Before you go to Thailand, get a proper Thai visa stamp in your passport. Otherwise, big hassles.
At a press conference held late yesterday, Phuket Immigration confirmed that foreigners arriving without visas at any of Thailand’s non-airport immigration checkpoints will be granted permits-to-stay of only 15 days, half the former number.
The conference was led by Phuket Immigration Superintendent Chanatpol Yongbunjerd, who also confirmed that the former rule limiting foreigners entering on “visa exemptions” from staying more than 90 days over a 180-day period was no longer in effect.
As a result, foreigners from any of the 40 countries eligible for “visa exemptions” can now legally reside in Thailand year-round, provided they don’t mind making a “visa run” every 15 days (30 days if by air) and abide by all other laws and regulations.
The new 15-day rule is now in effect at all 54 land border checkpoints, including the seaport checkpoint at Ranong, popular with Phuket-based foreigners doing visa runs to Burma.
The new order, issued on November 25, is intended as a way of stopping foreigners from working illegally in the country in industries such as real estate, Col Chanatpol said.
Col Chadpol said he was working closely with Thai Dive Association (TDA) President Ronnachai Chindapol to find ways to improve the diving industry’s compliance with Thai immigration and labor laws, recognizing the role that foreign dive instructors play in the industry.
On the issue of migrant workers from neighboring countries such as Burma, Col Chanatpol said he personally thought their number might be in the range of 70,000 to 80,000. Of these, as many as 50,000 might be unregistered, he estimated.
Col Chanatpol said he was in favor of raising the quota on such workers, as doing so would have many advantages. These would include stemming the spread of dangerous diseases such as dengue fever through mandatory health checks, and increasing government revenue through collection of work permit fees.
However, the previous Cabinet’s plan to raise quotas early in 2009 will now have to be put on hold until a new Cabinet is formed and decides on the issue, he said.
Col Chanatpol also used the meeting to introduce two new Immigration Inspectors recently assigned to his office: Lt Col Kanya “Taen” Petchpairoj, who will be in charge of visa issues and administrative matters, and Lt Col Suparerk Pankosol, who recently transferred from Samut Prakan and will be in charge of investigations.
During the press conference, Pol Capt Napat Noosen released figures for permit-to-stay extension applications received by Phuket Immigration in 2007. The list revealed the United Kingdom as the single greatest source of applicants, with 2,560 (1,207 on tourist visas, 1,353 for non-immigrant visas).
Rounding out the top ten were: 2. Sweden (total 1,411); 3. Germany (1,196); 4. France (1,174); 5. US (1,136); 6. Italy (1,135); 7. Switzerland (745); 8. Philippines (715); 9. Australia (671) and Burma (609).
Capt Napat implored people with non-immigrant visas planning to apply for permit-to-stay extensions to submit their applications no fewer than two weeks before their current permit is set to expire.
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