Hi all. I'd like to work from Thailand for a month per year annually and take annual leave either side of that, so trips would be around 2 months total. My wife is Thai and we've found (probably like everyone else) that a short trip just isn't long enough.
I work for a company in the financial sector in the UK and I'm expected to work primarily from our UK office, but company policy does allow for up to 1 month of remote work per year, as long as we have a visa to do so legally. So I couldn't visit on a tourist visa, for example, as it's not technically legal to do any remote work on that particular visa. As far as I'm aware the DTV is the only option.
My company have OK'd my request to work from Thailand and have given me permission to apply for the visa, but they're refusing to provide me with a permission letter (either mentioning Thailand specifically or remote work in general). Because of the nature of our business they don't want to give any indication that they're operating within Thailand or countries in which they're not registered, as it could get messy from a regulatory perspective. I'm not an investor myself (I work in digital), and none of the work I do involves Thai prospects or customers, and it won't for the forseeable future.
This has put me in a slightly tricky situation. I have an employment contract, but it doesn't explicitly state the terms remote work anywhere. It just states that I'm expected to work from our UK office for 11 months in any calendar year.
Are my chances pretty poor? I'm tempted to apply, highlighting the relevant section of my contract and giving more context through the cover letter, but I think the London embassy is probably like to want more info.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance for the help.
TLDR : Answer Summary
The poster seeks advice on working remotely from Thailand for a month annually while facing challenges with their UK employer's reluctance to provide a specific permission letter for remote work. They consider the DTV visa but have concerns about its restrictions and legality regarding remote work. The community offers various insights, suggesting alternative visa options and discussing the legal nuances of working remotely while in Thailand.
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