Thailand is one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in the world- because of its tropical climate and cost-effective living. Most of the tourists travelling to the ‘Land of Smiles’ often end up settling here. Getting a visa or a permanent residence here not as tough as Canada or USA.
Multiple Choice of Visa available for Thailand
Thailand offers a variety of visas including the Transit visa, the 30-day tourist visa, Non-immigrant visa, Diplomatic visa, official visa and the Courtesy visa. Some of the most common visas relocating to Thailand include:
Non-immigrant visa “O-A”:
This is ideal for retired people or those who are above the age of 50, who wish to stay in the country for a period of 1 year. However, they should not intend to work in the country. This visa is renewable every year, provided the candidate has no criminal records or prohibitive diseases like leprosy or TB. Applicants also have to provide proof of income, which should not be less than 800,000 baht.
Non-immigrant visa B (for business or work):
This is valid for people who intend to work here. There are several sub categories for this visa- Business Visa Category ‘B’, Business-approved category ‘B-A’, the investment and business visa category ‘IB’ and teaching category ‘B’.
Non-immigrant visa category ‘B’ (Business approved):
Applicants for this visa will be required to rely on the associated company to be able to apply for this type of visa. The visa holder can stay here for a year.
Non-immigrant visa category IB (investment and business):
This is given to non-Thai immigrants who plan to work on investment projects under the Board of Investment of Thailand. These include projects that involve promoting exports of Thai goods and increasing the Thai employment and encouraging technology.
Non-immigrant visa category ‘B’ (teaching):
This visa is issued to expats who wish to teach students below the university level in Thailand. In addition to providing educational qualification certificate, the expats have to provide letters of acceptance from the employing school n Thailand, as well as letter of acceptance from government agencies like the Office of the Private Education Commission and the Office of the Basic Education Commission.
Work Permits for Working in Thailand:
Apart from getting the correct visa issued, expats should also acquire a work permit from the office of Office of Foreign Workers Administration, Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour. It is noteworthy that anyone who works in Thailand is required to pay income tax to the Government of Thailand.
Family Members: Family members of expats working in Thailand are able to apply for a non-immigrant visa category ‘o’ which permits them to stay in the country not more than 1 year.
Thailand offers permanent residency to only 100 people per year, which makes it difficult to get the application approved. For more information on permanent residence in Thailand, refer to the government immigration website.
Download Workpermit Application forms from this link