Thai Business Visa

As the global economy begins to recover, South East Asia shows signs of being the location that will most likely benefit from financial recovery. At the confluence of Southeast Asian trade and business sits Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand is one of the great trading centers in Asia due to Thailand's major agricultural capacity and the Kingdom's growing industrial base. Couple these factors with a thriving tourism and service sector and you have a recipe for business success. Investment in Thailand can be beneficial for both foreign investors and Thais. Many companies have opted to place a branch or representative office in Thailand in order to fully capitalize upon Thailand's unique position in the global economy.

When coming to Thailand for business purposes (seminars, meetings, legal matters, etc), travelers should obtain a business before arrival. Many are under the mistaken impression that they are granted a thirty day visa upon arrival in Thailand. As a matter of fact, this is not the case. Instead, business visas are not granted upon arrival to Americans. Instead, Americans arriving in Thailand with no visa are granted a 30 day visa exemption which allows the entrant to stay in the Kingdom for that period for purely recreational purposes. For many, this exemption is an ineffective document if one wishes to conduct business in Thailand.

Fortunately, Royal Thai Immigration allows foreigners to enter the Kingdom for business purposes provided they first obtain a Thailand Business visa from a Thai Consulate or Embassy located outside of Thailand. The "Catch-22" of this situation is the fact that Thai Consulates and Embassies generally wish to see fairly extensive documentation. Luckily, with the assistance of an experienced Thai legal service, it is now relatively simple to obtain a Thai business visa.

One of the major, often critical, benefits of a Thai business visa is that it fulfills one of the requirements for submitting a Thai work permit application. In Thailand, pursuant to the Foreign Business Act, foreign nationals are restricted from working unless they obtain employment authorization. This can be extremely difficult for those in Thailand on a visa that is not categorized as "business." For this reason, it is highly advisable to obtain a Thai business visa if one is going to seek employment in the Kingdom.

Business travel to Thailand is likely to increase in the coming years. At the same time, it is always possible that the Thai government could make sweeping changes to the Immigration regulations. Therefore, if there is a possibility that one will be doing business in Thailand, then one should obtain a business visa sooner rather than later. Contact Integrity Legal for more information regarding Thai business visas.

Why Do I need a Thai Visa?