A foreign individual who is planning to seek employment or to establish a business in Thailand must first apply for a “B” Visa, ideally, prior to his trip to the Kingdom. This is a must since doing either of these activities with the absence of the appropriate visa may spell serious consequences.
As mentioned earlier, the “B” Visa has two categories, for employment and for conducting business. General descriptions are provided bellow to differentiate these categories.
- For Conducting Business – The qualified individual would be granted with an initial 90-Day (Single Entry) Visa. This initial visa allows him to stay in Thailand for a total of 90 days. However, if needed, the enterprising individual may have this visa extended from a 90-day visa to a 1-Year (Multiple Entry) Visa but such application for extension must be supported with a valid work permit.
- For Employment Purposes – In reality, a similar procedure is involved in obtaining a “B” Visa for Employment and this is by applying for a 90-Day “B” Visa in the home country of the applicant. The foreigner may also elect to have this extended to one year provided that he has already obtained a valid work permit to support such application. When granted with a 1-Year “B” Visa for Employment, the holder of such visa needs to report his place of residence to the Thai Immigration Authorities every 90 days. Also, in case he has to exit Thailand temporarily, he needs to obtain a reentry permit first before his departure otherwise his visa may be cancelled if he exits the Kingdom without obtaining the said permit.
Thai Non-B Visa General Requirements
- Passport – His passport must have at least 6 months validity left on it starting on the date of arrival in Thailand.
- Letter – If the individual was invited by an organization, the application for the appropriate visa must be accompanied with an organization-issued invitation or confirmation letter.
- Travel Itinerary and Proof of Funds – He must also be able to produce his travel itinerary plus proof of funds.
- Others – The applicable embassy fee should be paid accordingly by cash, check or credit card. Also, the applicant may be required by the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate to produce additional documents as requested and lastly, he must be able to demonstrate that he is not a public nor a security threat to Thailand.
Thai Non-B Visa Application Process
The applicant is not the only party who must provide for the needed documents as the party who has invited him or his employer in the Kingdom must also provide their own set of documents to support the application too.
These documents would then be submitted at the Royal Thai Embassy or Consulate in his home country either by mail or in person, whichever is convenient for him.
The foreigner must also remember that although the process can be completed within 5 to 10 business days, there can always be a chance that it would take longer and this largely depends on the embassy or consulate where the application has been lodged.