ETHAIVISA — Consulting Services for Business Visas, Work Visas, and Work Permits in Thailand

Generally, the BOI requires a minimum of a bachelor's degree, in a field that matches the position applied for. In some cases, however, if your degree does not match but you have long experience in that line of work with clear supporting certificates, you can file an appeal for approval.

With a bachelor's degree, you usually need at least 5 years of work experience in a related field. With a master's degree or doctorate, the required experience may be reduced. Proof of employment from previous companies is a point the BOI checks very closely.

Yes. Position quotas approved in the system are valid for a limited period (usually in line with the timeframe of the promoted project). The company must keep checking the system and apply to extend the position quota in advance, before assigning a new foreign employee to the position.

The length of a BOI visa is flexible according to the needs of the project. In most cases, the Immigration Bureau approves the period certified by the BOI in the system, which is usually up to 1 year at a time right from the first approval (unlike the standard system, which often grants 90 days first in the initial round).

Yes, it must also follow Thai legal standards. Even at a BOI company, the salary declared in the system and on the foreigner's tax forms must not be lower than the minimum for that nationality group (e.g. Europe/America 50,000 THB, ASEAN 25,000 THB) so that the Immigration Bureau approves the visa smoothly.

Non-IB stands for Investment and Business Visa. It is a visa for foreigners who come to Thailand to invest or to carry out large-scale business activities of importance to the economic structure, under the supervision of, or in a joint venture with, policy-level government agencies. It is not for coming to work as an ordinary salaried office employee.

Major foreign investors, executives of government concession projects, board members of international joint ventures, or specialists invited by ministry-level government agencies to drive mega-projects in Thailand.

The most important document is a 'letter of certification and request for cooperation from the relevant Thai government agency' (e.g. the Ministry of Industry or the Ministry of Transport) addressed to the Immigration Bureau, confirming that the foreigner is genuinely coming to invest in or oversee a major project, together with evidence of the cross-border transfer trail of the investment funds.

Yes. If the joint venture or investment specifies that the foreigner must hold management authority or work at an office in Thailand, the Non-IB visa also allows you to apply for a Work Permit so that you can work fully in accordance with the law.

Normally, once the first application is approved, the Immigration Bureau stamps a stay of 1 year at a time, which can be extended annually in Thailand for as long as the investment project or concession is still in operation and is supported by a certification letter from the government agency.

Yes. The spouse and children (under 20 years old) can apply for a Non-O (BOI) dependent visa directly through the main company's Single Window system, and have their passports stamped together at Chamchuri Square, with no need to go to the Chaeng Watthana immigration office.

Family members always receive the same visa period as the main holder. If the father or husband is approved for a full 2-year BOI visa, the wife and children will also receive a full 2-year dependent visa stamp alongside him – convenient, with no need to renew every year.

Yes. Immediate family members can apply to the Immigration Bureau for an extension of stay as dependants of an investor (Non-O), using legalized relationship documents and the main holder's investment project certification letter as supporting evidence.

No, you do not need to leave. You can process a 'transfer of rights and change of type' in Thailand. The new BOI company must first apply for position approval in the system. Once the system approves it, you set your resignation date at the old company to cancel your previous Work Permit, and can then go straight to Chamchuri Square to have your new stamp placed in your passport.

The visa ends immediately on the Last Working Day notified by the company when it removes your name from the Single Window system. The system links the data directly to the Immigration Bureau at once, so you must be ready to apply for cancellation and leave the country, or change to a new visa, within the deadline.

Yes, this follows standard immigration law. Every foreigner staying in Thailand for more than 90 days must report every 90 days. However, BOI visa holders can use the BOI online system, or let ethaivisa handle the submission on their behalf quickly and conveniently.

The Immigration Bureau will stamp a visa period that does not go beyond that passport's expiry date, even if the system approved 2 years. You will need to obtain a new passport, then transfer the visa stamp and apply to extend the remaining period afterwards.

If your visa stamp is Single Entry, you must obtain a Re-entry Permit before every departure. (You can get a Multiple Re-entry Permit for 3,800 THB to cover the entire validity of your visa.) If you simply leave without a Re-entry Permit, your valuable BOI or Non-IB visa will lapse and end immediately.

If the company's privileges are cancelled, its position quotas in the Single Window system are suspended, which means the Non-B visas of all foreigners in the company also end. In this situation you must urgently switch to the standard immigration system or change employer immediately, which requires professional handling by an agency.

Because the BOI Single Window system and the financial conditions of the Non-IB visa are highly complex. If information is entered in the wrong field, a degree certificate is uploaded without certification, or the start-date timeline does not match the resignation letter, the system will lock and reject the application immediately, disrupting your business. Having ethaivisa – experienced in working with BOI and immigration officers – manage the online system for you ensures that your executives and skilled workers obtain their visas correctly and without risk.