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What are my visa options in Thailand after my amnesty ends, considering I want a long-term stay and a work permit?

Thai VisaImmigrationNON-O VisaLong Stay VisaWork PermitVisa ExtensionAmnestyVisa TypesED VisaVolunteer Visa
Jun 16, 2020
4 years ago
Nick ************
ORIGINAL POSTER
I am finding the Thai Visa situation very confusing and due to the language barrier I have not found anyone who can explain it clearly to me. Immigration have helped but i always leave with more questions than answers.

I have been in Thailand since November 1st 2019. After first 30 days I did Visa run to Lsos and got 60 days with 30 day extension at local immigration. I tried the same thing again but it was refused with no explanation. On return to Thailand I got another 30 days and extended that at local immigration. I am now on amnesty.

Was the first 90 day Visa the non o and what exactly is that?

I would like to know how to get my next Visa when the amnesty runs out and preferably a long stay Visa. I beleive I can leave on foot one more time this year to get 30 days and extend that by another 30 days but I would like something more permanent.

I do not want to retire.

I am not married.

I would like to be able to get a work permit

I would like to open a bank account.

The agencies I have contacted have not been much help.

Can anyone give me some advice please or point me in the direction of someone reputable that can?

Thankyou.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The poster is confused about their current visa situation in Thailand and seeks clarity on options available after their amnesty period ends. They have experienced issues with obtaining a proper visa, and they desire a long-term solution that allows them to work and open a bank account. Various commenters suggest different types of visas, including volunteer or educational visas, and emphasize the need for an employer to secure a work permit. The discussion points to the complexities of Thai immigration rules and the limitations on visa runs.
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Richard ******
Go home and forget about it
4 years ago
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Sunisa ************
Establish a company and employ yourself. PM me for more details.
4 years ago
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Chris ************
as far as i remember there was something like within 180 days you are only allowed to stay 90 days in Thailand for tourist purpose if you don't have a multiple entry tourist or non immigrant visa.

maybe you have been refused for that?

who has more precise knowledge about that?

also I believe to remember that the way to a work permit is to apply at a thai embassy for a non immigrant b visa (business visa) for 90 days and after arrival get the rest locally done. if you are hired already your employer will help you with that.

Information provided without guarantee
4 years ago
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Chris ************
Bobby Howard Actually, your confident answer is probably not correct.

That's always the problem at social media.

A view is simply displayed without in-depth knowledge.

I asked for more precise knowledge and not an opinion.

See this:
4 years ago
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Chris ************
Bobby Howard your knowledge is out of date.

A few years ago the thai government started to prevent the common occurrence of border bounces called "visaruns".

They reduced also the number of entries at land borders to two because of that.

They also started to check whether people had enough money with them as prescribed and denied entry of not.

Many people were stranded.

They reduced the stay over visa exemption by bilateral agreement(30 day stamps) to 90 days per half year.

They stopped issuing double entry visas.

They made a new multiple entry tourist visa with high requirements.

There is no interpretion between ministries as you pretend.

They have to follow the law and communicate the rules to the public properly.

The last word of course has the immigration officer at the border and not any immigration WITHIN Thailand as you say.

Visas are given outside Thailand and stay permits and extensions are inside.

I was talking about visa. Don't mix it up or change my topic.

I answered to the OP what the reason could have been to be refused to enter at the border.

And that could be because he stayed already 90 days on exemptions within the last 180 days.

You seem to believe that you must be the one who knows everything better and teach and correct all others to get your satisfaction.

In fact you assume a lot, are stubborn and argue with half and outdated knowledge.

I only live 16 years at Thailand and speak Thai. Makes me knowing nothing.

Go on love yourself. You are not worth any more answer or attention by me.

May you have the last word now to believe to have won.
4 years ago
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Bobby ********
Chris Starretter. I think you forgot to take your medication. I didn't realise it was a competition. Much of what you say is total crap. You have an overinflated view of yourself
4 years ago
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Bobby ********
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Nick ************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Bobby Howard hence my question about what Visa I require to stay in Thailand but it appears everybody else is as confused as I am.
4 years ago
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Nick ************
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Stan *******
Sounds to me like you first arrived on a visa exemption, then went to Laos and got a tourist visa for 60 days and a 30 day exemption to make the 90 days.

Then you tried for a second one but were refused so had to come in on a further exemption which you are now on amnesty with the extension you got.

Easy to check what your visa is - just look in your passport and it will say what you had! :-D

If you are still in doubt, post a photo of the visa here and someone will soon tell you if you still don't know!
4 years ago
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Rob ******
Become a student of Thai
4 years ago
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Daniel ******
ACCLIME set up my company with work permit, etc.
4 years ago
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Sammy *******
not sure why can't seem to find answers to ur questions-- they are pretty straightforward and most answers available here or other googled websites.
4 years ago
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Fahad *******
How much did that set you back and did you have to hire local employees?
4 years ago
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Sammy *******
@Fahad ******
 yes, u do, and file taxes to show u are producing income.
4 years ago
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Sammy *******
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Henry *********
If you want a work permit do you have an employer that is able to get you one? If so, when the borders re-open get the paperwork from your prospective employer and get a non-B visa from a Consulate. Otherwise it looks like an Ed visa for studying or another tourist visa, which may be declined as you're not a tourist. A final option is Thai Elite if you can afford it.
4 years ago
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Michael ********
You need a job to get work permit
4 years ago
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Bobby ********
Your list of wants and don't wants is pretty extensive. What work do you want to do here? I think your initial visa was a two month tourist visa extended for a further month. You can't get a driver's licence on a tourist visa. To remain in the country as
@Andy ****
 has said you can try for volunteer or an ED visa, but my understanding is the only ED visa you can get in country is for a university degree. I would forget about any possibility of a border bounce in the near future. It wouldn't surprise me if the Thai government put a stop to these all together. If you're having trouble getting an agency to help you, I'd say you may be a lost cause, as agencies very seldom turn people away
4 years ago
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Ivan ************
@Alessandro *********
 TM30 applies to tourists and anywhere a tourist stays should be filing a TM30 so this would not be an issue.
4 years ago
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Michael ********
4 years ago
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Ellen *******
@Bobby *******
 You do can get a drivers licence on a tourist visa 😏
4 years ago
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Bobby ********
@Ellen ******
. Legally you need a non-immigrant visa, but it's irrelevant, as I understand the OP is on amnesty, so has no visa at all
4 years ago
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Ivan ************
@Bo***
 legally you do not need a non-immigrant visa to get a drivers license. You need a non- visa to get the regular 5 year license, maybe that is what you are thinking of. On a a tourist visa you will only get a 2 year temporary license.
4 years ago
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Ellen *******
@Ivan ***********
 yes, every 2 year we have to renew the license. Well, it's not renew really, you just have to get a new one (tests, go to doctor etc).
4 years ago
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Eddie *******
@Bobby *******
 i got a driving license and opened a bank account on a tourist visa.
4 years ago
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Ellen *******
@Eddie ******
 same same 😎
4 years ago
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Michael ********
@Eddie ******
 you can but as Bobby said its actually not legal same as helmets tinted windows and prostitution
4 years ago
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Ellen *******
@Michael *******
 ofc the drivers license is legal. Otherwise we would not have got if for the second time 😏
4 years ago
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Michael ********
@Ellen ******
 didnt say license wasnt legal just getting it with tourist visa is not legal but TIT
4 years ago
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Ellen *******
@Michael *******
 that is what I say, getting it with tourist visa IS legal.
4 years ago
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Alessandro **********
@Ellen ******
 there's no legal ways to obtain a Thai driving license without a work permit or a certificate of residency. Other ways are not legit at all and you might get in trouble if you're stopped by a zealous cop that wants to see your visa page besides the license.
4 years ago
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Ivan ************
@Aless*****
 you can get a residence cert on a tourist visa.
4 years ago
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Alessandro **********
@Ivan ***********
 the problem is that you now need TM 30 if you want to get a residency certificate. I don't think that can be done on a tourist visa, though some immigration offices may apply different rules
4 years ago
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Michael ********
@Ellen ******
 screen shot from Land Transport Authority website. Work permit or residence certificate required tourists cannot get a residence certificate because they are tourists.
4 years ago
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Michael ********
@Ellen ******
 how do you get a residence certificate one of the legal requirements with a tourist visa ? Please show me
4 years ago
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Ivan ************
@Mic****
 it's down to the individual immigration office as to their policy on residence certs. Chiang Mai for example do issue them to tourist visa holders.

I know Bangkok will not issue until after a 90 day report, so not available in practice to tourist visa holders there, but that's a Bangkok immigration office rule, not country-wide.

I believe as well in Bangkok you MAY have the option of getting a letter from your embassy instead, for the driving license people. Not sure on that one.

But for sure, you can get both a residence cert AND a driving license on a tourist visa in Chiang Mai.
4 years ago
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Michael ********
@Ivan ***********
 A strange one but then TIT didnt know that about Chiang Mai but i do remember reading about Chinese coming over to do drivers licenses there because of costs.

Wouldnt seem logical to give a residence cert to someone who is a tourist.

Yes you can get residence from certain embassies but it was being phased out along with proof of income letters.

Bangkok needs residence certificate. Not sure about Phuket years ago i did it with a letter from my landlord and copy of his house registration
4 years ago
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Ivan ************
I think you could rephrase this, that if you are a British tourist in Bangkok, you can't get a driving license due to the unhelpfulness of the British embassy. That isn't the same as it being "illegal".
4 years ago
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Ivan ************
@Mic****
 the "residence cert" is just an official confirmation of your address. It means absolutely nothing as to residency rights.

I don't know of the embassy letters being phased out by anyone, they are still accepted for example by banks to open an account. This has nothing to do with proof of income letters for a visa.
4 years ago
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Michael ********
@Ivan ***********
4 years ago
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Ivan ************
@Michael *******
 fair enough, that's the Brits. I don't think that applies to anyone else.
4 years ago
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Michael ********
@Ivan ***********
 you usually find its under instruction from goverment. Like the stopping of proof on income letters.

I will ask a friend at the American embassy he may know.
4 years ago
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Ivan ************
@Mic****
 if it were universal or "illegal", you would think they could tell immigration in Chiang Mai to stop issuing, you would think they have more control over their own immigration offices than foreign embassies.

Or just have the Thai DLT stop issuing them to tourists for that matter. Like as if the Thai government can't control this, who is issuing these licenses exactly?
4 years ago
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Michael ********
@Ivan ***********
 ?
4 years ago
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Ivan ************
@Mic****
 you have this theory that it's not legal for a tourist to have a driving license, but that the government can't directly just not issue the things to tourists, that they have to go through these byzantine methods of strong arming foreign embassies not issue letters that the Thai government is asking for in the first place.

If it were actually illegal, two points: (1) There would be an actual law stating that it's illegal. There is not. (2) The Thai government could just not issue the driving licenses. I mean it's the Thai government issuing these to tourists, why are they doing that if it's allegedly illegal?

It's clearly not illegal.
4 years ago
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Eddie *******
@Michael *******
 ha ha ha. Yeah. I liked it when the police/army walked down walking street pattaya and said no prostitution was going on.
4 years ago
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Michael ********
4 years ago
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Michael ********
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Carlos ********
There are no answers at this stage. No one can definitively tell you anything right now. Try reposting this in 1 month and hopefully things should be a bit more clear at that stage
4 years ago
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Andy *****
Your options now would probably only be a volunteer or an ED visa. I could be wrong though.
4 years ago
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Andy *****
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