The best Thailand visa is usually the one that best suits the applicant’s needs. That being said, of all the visa options available to a prospective expat the Thailand Business Visa appears to be the most versatile, which we are going to explore in this piece, in comparison to the other Thai visa options available.
A Thailand visa does not necessarily confer the right to work in Thailand. Time and again, the Thai government has been strict in separating the right to stay in Thailand from the right to work in Thailand. The right to work in Thailand is conferred through a work permit issued by the Department of Employment of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare. Obtaining a Thailand work permit though, is easier said than done. A holder of a Thai Non-Immigrant “O” Dependent or “O-A” Retirement Visa does not have the ability to get a work permit. The Thai government does not issue work permits to those who hold this particular type of visa however for the “O” visa based on marriage is allowed. The Thailand work permit can be obtained if the visa was granted on the basis of business or marriage. A holder of a Thai Education Visa, on the other hand, is also prevented from obtaining a work permit although exceptions can be made to allow the visa holder to work part-time if special permission has been granted (in rare cases) by the Labor Department. The Thailand Business Visa, on the other hand, provides the visa holder the ability to secure a work permit in Thailand upon a successful application.
The Thai Business Visa’s validity is also one of its strong points. In comparison to the Tourist Visa, which is valid for a period of sixty days and can be further extended by another thirty days, the Business Visa in Thailand is valid for ninety days and in the case of a one-year multiple-entry visa, this ninety-day period can be repeated numerous times within its one-year validity.