Pros and cons applying for business visa in Thailand

For the past several years I have extended my business visa (Non-B) outside the country. After weighing up the pros and cons, extending outside the country was the easiest and cheapest option. However after several years of toing and froing it's beginning to get a little monotonous and tiring. So now that immigration has moved to Udon I thought I'd look into the visa process again.

I'm pleased to say that Udon's new Immigration office is much more friendly and helpful than the one in Nong Khai. They explained all the paperwork required. As usual there are heaps of forms required, everything from maps of the office building to tax returns and personal work insurance.

Below is a break down of costs applying for a visa in the country v's neighboring countries or home country, and the pros and cons of each;

Non B Visa (Business Visa) in Thailand - Period 1 Year
Personal work Insurance 1,500bt x 12 = 18,000
Personal tax 2,900bt x 12 = 34,800
Visa Cost 2,000bt
Total = 54,800bt p.a.
Time required: less than 1/2 day
Pro's - less time required, more convenient, 1 year period and no need to leave country every 3 months, work insurance replaces private health insurance
Con's - expensive, heaps of paperwork required

Non B Visa (Business Visa) in Vientiane - Period 3 month intervals
Personal work Insurance - Not required
Personal tax - Not required
Thai visa cost 2,000bt x 4 = 8,000
Laos visa cost 1,500bt x 4 = 6,000
Hotel 1 night 1,000 x 4 = 4,000
Eating out 1,000 (approx) x 4 = 4,000
Transport to and from Vientiane 800 x 4 = 3,200
Total = 25,200bt p.a.
Time required 8 days
Pro's - Cheapest option by far, chance to stock up on duty free, short holiday in Laos
Con's - Possibility of long queues at border and Thai consulate, time consuming, inconvenient, requires leaving country every 3 months, several company documents and work permit required each time

Non B Visa (Business Visa) in UK - Period 1 Year (or up to 15 months) multiple entry, exit every 3 months to renew.
Personal work Insurance - Not required
Personal tax - Not required
Thai visa cost 5,000bt (Hull UK)
Laos visa cost 1,500bt x 4 = 6,000
Flight back to home county 35,000bt approx
Living costs for 1 week ?
Total = 41,000bt + p.a.
Time required 1 week minimum
Pro's - Chance for a holiday and time to meet up with family and friends, visa gives you up to 15 months in intervals of 3 months, only passport and work permit required
Con's - time consuming, expensive unless combining with planned holiday, requires leaving country every 3 months to extend visa

I hope the above information is helpful to those extending business visas and working in Thailand.