There are 2 ways to obtain a business visa for Thailand. You can either set up a company and employ Thai staff or you can be employed by a Thai company.

All applicants for a business visa must meet some general requirements.

  1. Hold at least a recognised bachelor’s degree.
  2. Pass a criminal clearance examination, conducted by the Royal Thai Police in Bangkok. If you apply for a business visa from abroad, you would need to get a criminal clear reference from your home country of residency.
  3. An invitation from a prospective employer or set-up a Thai Limited company and register the Thai staff with the local national insurance office.
  4. Your job description can’t be fore filled by a Thai national.

If you apply for a business visa from abroad or within Thailand the initial business visa will be valid for 3 months. Within that 3 months, you would need to apply for a work permit.

The financial requirements for a business visa for Thailand vary depending on your job status. The company would be expected to pay monthly NI insurance contributions & income taxes for all the staff, plus monthly accounting fees & annual audits fees. If you are setting up your own company the process to get started, could take approximately 3 months to register the company, register the staff for national insurance and income tax and to get the company VAT registered.

The Business visa for Thailand is only valid for one year and has to be extended by the same process as the original application process, every year thereafter along with the work permit.

After the business visa is issued, you must report to immigration every 90 days to confirm where you are living.

If you wish to leave Thailand, whilst holding business visa. You must get a re-entry stamp from your local Thai immigration office before travelling. Otherwise your visa will be cancelled on your departure from Thailand.

Visa rules & regulations may vary slightly by location. The terms and conditions of all visas for Thailand can change without warning. So, it is advisable to contact your local Thai consulate or visa agent before making an application.

Don’t forget that consular & immigration officers reserve the right to request additional documents when they deemed it to be necessary.

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