Thread: Help a friend?

I can answer a few of these.

1 - As a far as I know this is impossible. There were rumors a few years ago about being able to change tourist visas into Non B visas at Immigration in Bangkok, but I've never met anyone who actually did it. Your friend will almost definitely have to take a trip to Laos/Malaysia. I paid 220 ringit in Penang for a single-entry; multiple entry is quite a bit more.

2 - I brought my contract, a map to my school, and a letter of sponsor from the school. I also had to provide a slip showing that my WP 3 was being applied for.

3 - I just paid 3,000 baht last week for a one year work permit.

4 - Not sure about this as I haven't had to do it yet. I'll let you know at the end of the month

Originally Posted by jimbo

Can you get a 90 day non-imm b at suan phluu, and if so how much is it?

Originally Posted by barfomcgee

1 - As a far as I know this is impossible. There were rumors a few years ago about being able to change tourist visas into Non B visas at Immigration in Bangkok, but I've never met anyone who actually did it. Your friend will almost definitely have to take a trip to Laos/Malaysia. I paid 220 ringit in Penang for a single-entry; multiple entry is quite a bit more.

Barfomcgee, your are completely wrong on this. While I have never converted a tourist visa to a non-B, since I have had my non-B since 2001, my school does it all the time. Of course you have to qualify for the non-B, and you need to have 21 days left on your visa, either tourist or the thirty day type you get when you fly into Bangkok.

I beleive that the cost is 1900 baht to convert to a non-B, and you will normally get 90 days, if a teacher. During that time the school should sort out getting a WP and then you can get the non-B extended for another 9 months, for a total of a year.

Assuming you can get a non-B at all, you can get it at Bangkok if you meet the time remaining requirement, and you don't have to leave the country. However, if you don't have 21 days remaining on your permission to stay, then you will probably have to leave, depending upon how lucky you may be with an understanding official at immigration.

If the situation is different, i.e., a private company and not a teacher, then this may or may not apply, but it certainly is the case for teachers.

Originally Posted by latm

Barfomcgee, your are completely wrong on this. While I have never converted a tourist visa to a non-B, since I have had my non-B since 2001, my school does it all the time. Of course you have to qualify for the non-B, and you need to have 21 days left on your visa, either tourist or the thirty day type you get when you fly into Bangkok.

As I said, I've heard rumors about it but never met anyone who has done it. The company I worked for always sent people to Penang. I did qualify my answer, you know: "as far as I know," "almost definitely."

The cost to convert or obtain from visa exempt is 2,000 baht. You must have at least 21 days remaining on permitted to stay stamp and you must qualify for one year extension of stay. It is issued only as the initial visa for the one year extension of stay - not on its own as a 90 day visa entry. You then follow up with the 1,900 baht extension of stay paperwork. The extension of stay is from the 90 day entry end - a one year extension of stay is one year from end of current entry - not nine months (although that was the system a few years ago).