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Visa and work permit services to keep your stay in thailand legal
a valid visa is required by law
it is your responsibility to hold a valid and legal visa relating to your reason of stay in thailand and if your reason of stay is for business then you will also be required to hold a valid work permit. Persons caught staying or working illegally without a valid visa or work permit will be arrested and face imprisonment, a fine or both
The immigration system in Thailand is very complex and the requirements to obtain visas or work permits constantly change making it a very stressful, confusing & worrying experience for foreigners.
It is not uncommon for the requirements to vary at all local immigration offices and it’s also not uncommon for the requirements to be interpreted differently between different officers.
Our office stays up to date with the constant changes and requirements for visas and work permits and provides a full professional service to deal with all types of visa application needs as well as being an authorized agent for Elite Visa Thailand.
different visa types EXPLAINED
It is important to understand the different visa types for Thailand and also the difference between a visa and an extension of stay, these two are commonly misunderstood to be the same thing but they are different with different requirements. A visa is a sticker placed inside of the passport and is issued by a Thai Embassy or Consulate outside of Thailand. Extensions of stay are stamp in your passport issued internally inside Thailand by Immigration. After obtaining your initial visa if you wish to extend your stay for a period of 1 year and meet the requirements set by the Thai Immigration bureau to do so internally you will be issued an ‘extension of stay’ stamp, not a visa. If you fall short of the requirements to extend your visa internally inside Thailand you may be able to obtain a multiple entry 1 visa valid for 1 year by exiting the country and applying at a Thai Embassy or Consulate in a neighboring country such as Malaysia or Cambodia.
Tourist visa
A tourist visa is a 60-day visa to enter Thailand and is typically obtained from a Thai Embassy or Consulate from outside of Thailand. A tourist visa can either be a multiple or single entry and can be extended for up to another 30 days by means of a visa run, also known as a border run, so in effect a single entry tourist visa would give you 90 days stay - 60 + extension 30 = 90. After your tourist visa expires you will be required to exit the country, you may be permitted to obtain a second tourist visa from a Thai Embassy or Consulate in a neighboring country such as Malaysia. It is important to note that in recent years Thailand will only allow 2 back to back tourist visas in any 12 month period.
Thailand Elite Visas
Thailand elite visas offer you an extended stay of 5, 10 or 20 year options with a host of different luxury v.i.p benefits
Maliwan Business and Accounting is an authorized agent of the Thailand Elite visa program, our team prepare and apply for your long term Elite stay visa at no extra cost, our fees are exactly the same as the Thailand Elite Visa department, so why not sit back, relax and let us do all the paperwork for you at no extra cost.
Non immigrant o (non'o)
Non Immigrant O (Non'O) visas cover a range of visas, 'O' stands for 'Others'. Many people think that Non 'O' is for retirement but in fact Non 'O' covers retirement, marriage, spouce and volunteer fields. Usually the first Non'O' is issued from a Thai Embassy or Consulate in the form of a 90 day single entry which can then be extended by 1 year internally inside Thailand subject to certain requirements being met, if you are unable to meet the requirements set to obtain 1 year extensions of stay then 1 year multiple visas can be applied for at a Thai Embassy or Consulate in a neighboring country such as Malaysia and then you will be required to border run every 90 days.
Non immigrant 'o' based on retirement
Retirement visas are available to persons over the age of 50 years, initially your first visa must be obtained from your home country of residence at a Thai Embassy or Consulate and then provided you meet the requirements set out by immigration you can extend for 1 year at a time without leaving the country and simply report to immigration every 90 days (90 day reporting).
There are various requirements that need to met in order to extend your stay internally including having 800,000 THB in a Thai bank account for several months prior to application as well health insurance coverage which is recognized and approved by the Thai Immigration Bureau.
Alternatively 400,000 THB in a Thai bank account and a a monthly pension of more than 65,000 THB per month transferred into a Thai bank account, the pension will required certified proof.
If your are on a retirement visa and are married to a foreign national then your husband or wife is eligible to apply to ‘follow’ your visa, please contact our team who will be happy to assist you.
If you don’t meet those requirements you will need to obtain a 1 year visa from outside of Thailand from a Thai Embassy or Consulate. Our office may be able to assist people internally who do not meet the requirements but this is on a case by case basis, people who do not meet the financial requirements should contact our office to discuss their situation to see if we can assist in overcoming this hurdle.
Non immigrant 'o' based on marriage
Visas based on marriage can be obtained from your home country of residence first or you can change the reason of your extension of stay internally.
Initially from a Thai Embassy or Consulate you can apply for a 90 day visa to enter Thailand based on marriage to a Thai citizen,once inside Thailand you can extend your stay by 1 year without the need to exit Thailand provided you meet certain requirements.
- 400,000 THB in a Thai bank account 2 months prior to applying for a 1 year extension of stay based of marriage.
- Be able to show a monthly income of at least 40,000 THB, this income will need to be verified by your Embassy in letter form.
Marriage certificate and in some cases depending on the rules of the local immigration office you may be required to show an affirmation of freedom to marry, you can obtain this from your Embassy inside of Thailand by booking an appointment with them.
There are other documents such as photos, bank book copies and so on to provide but all vary from each different immigration office.
If you are married to a foreign national who holds another type of visa such as retirement or Non’B working visa then you are eligible to ‘follow’ their visa. Please contact our team who will be happy to assist you.
Again if you do not meet the requirements to make your 1 year extension of stay internally inside of Thailand you may be able to apply for a 1 year visa based on marriage at a Thai Embassy or Consulate outside of Thailand in a neighboring country such as Malaysia or Cambodia and then make 90 day border runs.
If you do not meet the financial requirements to make your 1 year extension of stay internally then contact our office as we may be able to assist, this is on a case by case basis so please contact our team to discuss.
working in thailand
In order to work legally in thailand all foreigners are required to hold a valid visa for the purpose of business as well as a valid work permit
The NON Immigrant ‘B’ type visa otherwise known as NON’B is one of the most complex visas to obtain with a mirage of requirements and documents required. It is also the visa which is subject to the most changes year upon year the rules for acceptance are never the same.
There is also an extensive list of jobs which foreigners are forbidden to carry out which is why we highly recommend using the services of an experienced competent lawyer or accounting firm such as ourselves to assist in this visa and work permit process.
Non immigrant b (non'b) visa for business
A non immigrant 'B' (NON'B' visa) is required by all foreign nationals to work in the Kingdom of Thailand along with a valid work permit. This visa is by far the most complex visa to obtain and carries the most requirements to obtain. There is also an extensive list of jobs which foreign nationals are not permitted to work, violators of the above will be subject to severe punishment including large fines, imprisonment or both and possible deportation & black listing.
Non immigrant 'b' business visa explained
The NON ‘B visa process is an extremely complicated and ever changing process with by far the most requirements of all visa types.
Initially a foreigner wishing to work in Thailand should of found employment and the employer (even your own business) should seek a legal or accounting firm such as ourselves to obtain a WP3 preliminary acceptance to work document (please note this is not the completed work permit, that comes later down the line).
Once a successful WP3 preliminary acceptance to work document has been obtained you must then take it to a Thai Embassy or Consulate outside of Thailand along with other documents in order to receive a single entry 3 month NON’B visa.
Once you successfully obtain a 3 month NON’B visa you enter Thailand and then the real hard work starts. There are rules and regulations on employing a certain number of Thai citizens and have paid up social security for those employees on a monthly basis, all of this links in with your eligibility for a 1 year NON’B visa or extension of stay.
After entering Thailand your lawyer or accounting firm such as ourselves must complete a the complicated task of applying for and obtaining you a blue Work Permit book from the ministry of labor, this process in itself is compiled of multiple requirements. You must complete this process within the 3 months before your 3 month NON’B visa finishes in order to extend your stay at immigration or to obtain a 1 year multiple entry NON’B visa from a Thai Embassy or Consulate in a neighboring country such as Malaysia or Cambodia. Once you have successfully obtained your work permit you will be required to pay income tax, this income tax is based on the minimum salary written in your work permit which varies from country to country.
In order to obtain a 1 year extension of stay based on business internally at immigration without leaving the country their is a very thorough and lengthy document process to completed, this step includes company financial statements, tax reports, social security payment reports, income tax reports, rental contracts of your place of residence, place of work, company registration documents, landlord documents, resumes, maps and many many more.
Confused yet? Thought so, but don’t worry the team at Maliwan Business & Accounting have years of experience and handle the whole process for you guiding you every step of the way on this very complex road.
Don't get caught working illegally
Our office provides the advice and information on staying & working legally in Thailand. It is a criminal offence to work illegally. Let us help you stay legal.
In the event you get caught working illegally you should seek immediate assistance from one of our experienced attorneys.
list of jobs prohibited to foreigners in thailand
- Labour work except labour work in fishing boats under the next category below. The said work which is forbidden to aliens shall not apply to aliens who have entered into Thailand under an agreement on hire of labour concluded between the Government of Thailand and other nations, and also aliens whose status has been prescribed as legal immigrant and who possess a residence certificate under the law governing immigration.
- Agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry or fishery, except work requiring specialized knowledge, farm supervision, or labour work in fishing boats, particularly marine fishery.
- Bricklaying, carpentry, or other construction work.
- Wood carving.
- Driving motor vehicles or vehicles which do not use machinery or mechanical devices, except piloting aircraft internationally.
- Front shop sales and auction sale work.
- Supervising, auditing, or giving service in accountancy, except occasional internal auditing.
- Cutting or polishing precious or semi-precious stones.
- Haircutting, hairdressing, or beautification.
- Cloth weaving by hand.
- Mat weaving or making utensils from reed, rattan, jute, hay, or bamboo.
- Making rice paper by hand.
- Lacquer work.
- Making Thai musical instruments.
- Niello work.
- Goldsmith, silversmith, or gold/copper alloy smith work.
- Stone work.
- Making Thai dolls.
- Making mattresses or quilts.
- Making alms bowls.
- Making silk products by hand.
- Making Buddha images.
- Knife making.
- Making paper or cloth umbrellas.
- Making shoes.
- Making hats.
- Brokerage or agency except in international trading.
- Professional civil engineering concerning design and calculation, systemization, analysis, planning, testing, construction supervision, or consulting services, excluding work requiring specialized techniques.
- Professional architectural work concerning design, drawing/making, cost estimation, or consulting services.
- Dressmaking.
- Pottery.
- Cigarette rolling by hand.
- Tour guiding or conducting.
- Hawking of goods & Thai typesetting by hand.
- Unwinding and twisting silk by hand.
- Clerical or secretarial work.
- Providing legal services or engaging in legal work, except arbitration work; and work relating to defense of cases at arbitration level, provided the law governing the dispute under consideration by the arbitrators is not Thai law, or it is a case where there is no need to apply for the enforcement of such arbitration award in Thailand.