A question to Thai Work Permit Expert, Is it Possible to Use Old Non B Visa to apply for New Work Permit in Thailand?
Question: We have a registered company here in Thailand. In the event that a Non-B visa of our new foreign employee does not expire at the same time as his old work permit with his previous employer, can he use the same visa to apply for a new work permit sponsored by our company?
Answer:
- If the Visa referred to is a multiple – journey visa granted to him by a Thai Consulate overseas, and when he comes in each time with the said visa, the immigration officer at the airport gives him a 90 day permit of stay, then his Non-B visa that he has can be used to apply for a new work permit.
- If the Visa referred to means the permit of stay in the Kingdom that was extended to a longer period when he had his work permit (his permit of stay in Thailand was extended based on the fact that he was working with his previous employer), when his work permit expires or when he leaves the old company, he has to take his passport to the Immigration Bureau to cancel the extended permit of stay right away. The immigration officer will stamp in his passport that he has to leave Thailand right away. This means that if your new foreign employee has left the old company, or his old work permit has already expired and he has not taken his passport to Immigration Bureau to cancel the extended permit of stay, he is considered having already overstayed his permit of stay. Overstaying a permit of stay incurs a fine of Baht 500 per day (Baht 20,000 maximum) from the time that he started to overstay (in this case, the day that his work permit expired). Paying for the fine does not prevent the foreigner from being deported. In this case, he has to leave Thailand and comes back in with a new Non B visa so as to be able to apply for a new work permit.
Consult with MSNA Thailand Work Permit and Visa expert , before you make a move on your work permit and visa in Thailand.