When you’re going to be doing business in Thailand, you can expect to travel to the country frequently as you settle your affairs. This is especially true when the business is still in the start-up phase. Imagine the hassle and the astronomical expenses when you have to apply for the necessary documents every time!
If you plan to stay only for a few days at a time, perhaps the visa-free entry for 90 days can help you out but business matters don’t settle quickly as that. Fortunately, there is the 3-year non immigrant visa that you can apply for.
What Does This Visa Do?
This visa grants you multiple entries into Thailand for three years. This means that, when you have been awarded this visa by the Thai government, you can then travel to Thailand when needed without having to apply for a visa within the next three years after being granted. This can save you a lot of time and enables you to simply fly out to the Kingdom when you receive word from your associates that your business has a problem that has to be looked at.
You can also stay for at most 90 days to conduct your business before your visa requires you to leave the country. 90 days is already too long a time for you to ease up business concerns before you turn them over to your subordinates and you fly back home to the main office.
How to Apply?
Applying for the 3-year non-immigrant visa is simple. You simply fill out a form and submit to either the Royal Thai Embassy in your country, or to the Royal Thai Consulate-General, whichever is more convenient for you. Take note, however, that the Consulate-General can only accept applications and is not authorized to approve applications or issue a visa.
These are the required documents to accompany the application form:
A valid passport
A pair of your most recent passport-sized photographs.
In addition, depending on your circumstances, you might have to present additional documents. These include:
Letter from the employer detailing nature of visit and your position or qualifications within the company.
Proof of business undertaking in your home country if you’re an entrepreneur conducting business in Thailand for the visit.
Proof that you have business undertaking in Thailand like letter of invitation from business associates, as well as proof of business registration in the Kingdom.
Supplemental documents like proof of employment from a previous employer or proof of membership in a local association.
It is best to inquire from the relevant authorities or from a legal expert who has knowledge about Thailand’s legal environment to be certain of what documents you actually need to present.
Less the Headaches, More Time for Business
To summarize, the 3-year non-immigrant visa is the answer to your concerns about frequently travelling to Thailand on official business. You can come in any time over a period of three years on a single visa. For an application fee of 10,000 THB, you can save yourself time and money that would otherwise be spent in applying for an individual visa every time you decide to fly out to Thailand.
