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Unanswered9 years ago

Can I move to Bangkok on a tourist visa and convert it to a work visa without leaving Thailand?

Thai Visa Rules Work Visa Tourist Visa Non-B Visa Job Market in Thailand Employment Challenges for Expats

Alexander ***********

Alexander ***********

OP

asked Jan 3, 2018

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A Swedish guy that plan to go/move to Bangkok on a tourist visa and then look for work and then convert it to a visa I can work with. Without leaving thailand is this a possibility or should I think of something else? Having a hard time finding work before going there and I like to met people in person instead of doing all the stuff with mail.

Summary so far

A Swedish individual is considering moving to Bangkok on a tourist visa, intending to find work and convert their visa to one that allows employment without leaving the country. Comments shared varied opinions, with concerns raised about the difficulties of securing jobs in Thailand, especially for those without a university degree. It's suggested that, while it's technically possible to convert a tourist visa to a Non-B visa, the employment process involves extensive paperwork and may require specific qualifications depending on the type of job sought. Many commenters highlighted the competitive job market and the possibility of facing challenges in finding legal employment.

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Amornrat **********

Amornrat **********

I close this topic, OP is advised to review his ideas. I do not want to be negative but the Thai Job market is brutal and with no special skills or experience this is going to fail. There are thousands of hard luck stories around, few successful ones.

3

Alexander ***********

Alexander ***********

OP

Is it possible to work as a doorman or something similar for a foreigner or that for thai only?

0

Alexander ***********

Alexander ***********

OP

@DibyaJoti ********

alright thanks and good luck to you 👍

1

DibyaJoti *********

DibyaJoti *********

i am also working on securing a job in Thailand. I have discussed my options with a lot of friends over there. I will let you know too, in case I have a news

0

Steve *******

Steve *******

That'll be a no. Thai security!

0

Robert *******

Robert *******

With the correct paperwork from the company and 15 days admitted to stay left you can convert your stay into a Non Immigrant B visa. But I read you want to teach, for teaching a University degree is needed and lots of schools ask for English Native speakers. This makes it hard to find an employer who can provide the correct paperwork and work permit.

2

Robert *******

Robert *******

Without experience or certification it will be the hardest job to find a job.

0

Alexander ***********

Alexander ***********

OP

Teaching was just something I look into because like people say there is not a lot of work that is available for foreigners so you guys know anything else that would be worth checking out that doesn’t need a lot if pre experience?

0

Michael ******

Michael ******

Thanks for clarifying the amount of days, I really couldn’t remember anymore.

1

Noctis ***************

Noctis ***************

I am not sure about visa types to working visas, but I do know that you can do visa exempt to Non-B without leaving Thailand. It requires a lot of paperwork from your employer, though.

0

Alexander ***********

Alexander ***********

OP

thanks will try anyway 👍

1

Noctis ***************

Noctis ***************

@Alexander **********

Not unless you are a certified diving instructor :(

0

Michael ******

Michael ******

Alexander, without wanting to sound discouraging I think it’s gonna be very hard to find legal employment here with your background. 😢 I hope I’m wrong, best of luck!

0

Alexander ***********

Alexander ***********

OP

So you have any other kinds of work in mind that would be an option for me?

0

Michael ******

Michael ******

Fair enough. I just see too many people telling others that any type of work is impossible without a degree, which is just not true.

2

Alexander ***********

Alexander ***********

OP

Worked a long time as a security guard and now caretaker for kids and old people with disabilities

0

Noctis ***************

Noctis ***************

Not for teaching, as far as I know.

1

Michael ******

Michael ******

I've held work permits for 4 years now without a university degree, both from the Ministry of Labor and the Board of Investment. It's perfectly legal as long as you can proof relevant work experience (I work in IT, where not having a degree is not that uncommon).

What are you doing for a living back home? Unless it's something that's not not on the list of prohibited jobs for foreigners and not readily available in the local work force you'll have a tough time. Most decent schools will at least ask for a bachelor's degree nowadays.

1

Alexander ***********

Alexander ***********

OP

Yeah I mean Tourist sorry for the spelling before hmm alright thx anyway 👌

0

Noctis ***************

Noctis ***************

@Alexander **********

I think that makes working here legally very difficult, if not impossible. You'd probably be stuck doing border runs and working on tourist visas, but I don't claim to know much about that either. :P

0

Alexander ***********

Alexander ***********

OP

And work advice I should look into without a university degree? Looking at teaching

0

Noctis ***************

Noctis ***************

@Alexander **********

That's a different thing. You're talking about a tourist visa, and we're talking about visa exemptions. Personally, I have never had a tourist visa converted, so while it may be possible, I can't confirm. That's why I'm just talking about visa exemption (when you come here without a visa), and depending on nationality.

0

Michael ******

Michael ******

Ah,

is actually talking about a tourist visa, not the visa waiver, so the whole point is moot

.

0

Michael ******

Michael ******

Sounds reasonable to me, but the lawyer my former company used for this did not present us with that option. That said, I had already arranged the job before I moved here and had all paperwork ready when I entered the country, so time was not really an issue for me.

0

Alexander ***********

Alexander ***********

OP

As I understand I get a 60 days with the ability to extend to 30 more days

1

Noctis ***************

Noctis ***************

Wouldn't he be able to extend his visa exempt 30 days, and then do it with 21+ days remaining after his extension to have it converted?

0

Michael ******

Michael ******

The paperwork's not the problem, but they'll only start the conversion process if you have at least a certain amount of days left on your visa exempt entry. I did it in 2014 and can't quite remember anymore, but I think it was 21 days minimum. He'd have to be extremely lucky to enter on a 30 day visa waiver and find employment fast enough to make that cutoff.

0

Alexander ***********

Alexander ***********

OP

Thanks I take any advice people can give me 👍

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