PRE-PRODUCTION PLANNING FOR SHOOTING
IN THAILAND

Question Do I need to get a permission before shooting in Thailand?
- Yes, you do. Shooting without a permit is violation of the law.

Question Which organization grants a shooting permit?
- The Thailand Film Office. Please do not confuse it with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Question How do I start?
- Film makers wishing to shoot a film in Thailand are required to hire a Thai coordinator such as Seafarer-Productions to help, as there are procedures to follow both before and after the filming permit is granted.
- Seafarer Productions will help in obtaining local permissions and in contacting Thai authorities and local Thai crews concerned with your production.

Question What else does Seafarer Productions do?
- Seafarer-Productions carries out such transactions as helping the foreign film crew to obtain work permits, giving you advice on tax payment, and general production support.

Question How do I find a coordinator?
- Seafarer Productions has experience working with American or European film makers.
By law, Freelance coordinators are permitted to work for a production not exceeding 15 days.
Their qualifications are not suitable for a big production e.g. Feature Films, TV series, Docudramas or fiction. For both parties’ benefit, an agreement letter between both parties must be done.

Question What types of film shoots can be submitted at the Thailand Film Office (One-Stop-Service Center) with the service of Seafarer Productions?
- TV commercials, Documentaries, Music Videos and TV programmes that do not contain any negative content or adverse action towards the Kingdom of Thailand can apply for permission to shoot at the One-Stop-Service Center.

Question What documents do I have to submit at the Thailand Film Office (One-Stop-Service Center)?
Required documents are as follows (original and 6 copies of each):
1/- A letter made by the assigned coordinator (Seafarer Productions), informing the Director-General of the Office of Tourism Development of the purpose of applying for a shooting permit.
2/- An assignment letter made by the foreign filmmaker, showing they have chosen and hired a local coordinator.
3/- An application form.
4/- Supporting documents needed for permit consideration:
- Storyboard for TV commercials.
- Treatment for documentaries.
- Theme (concept) and lyrics for music videos.
- Details of content and objectives of programme presentation for TV programmes.
5/- A schedule of filming in Thailand specifying exact dates and locations. (for all types of productions)
6/- Name list, passport numbers, positions and arrival dates of foreign film crew.

Question How long does it takes to receive permission from Thailand Film Office (One-Stop-Service Center)?
- The process will be completed within 3 working days.

Question Where can permission for other types of productions be submitted?
- For Feature Films , Docudramas, TV dramas and Mini Series, application for shooting permits should be submitted by Seafarer Productions at the Thailand Film Office 4th floor, Building 2, Office of Tourism Development.

Question What documents are required to be submitted?
Required documents are as follows (original and 25 copies of each):
1/- A letter made by the assigned local coordinator, informing the Director-General of the Office of Tourism Development of the purpose of applying for a shooting permit.
2/- An assignment letter made by the foreign filmmaker, showing they have chosen and hired Seafarer Productions.
3/- An application form.
4/- Supporting documents needed for permit consideration :
- Synopsis.
- Treatment.
- Full script.
5/- A schedule of filming in Thailand specifying exact dates and locations.
6/- Name list, passport numbers, positions and arrival dates of foreign film crew.

Question How long will it take to get approval?
For Feature Films, TV series, Docudramas, or any fictional stories: Allow no less than 14 working days for the Thailand Film Office to consider the script.
NOTE : Depending on the requirements of the script i.e. those that may involve national parks, temples and so on: The period for approval may take slightly longer as the Film Office has to arrange for other government departments concerned to view the script as well.

Question How do I know if my film will be granted permission to shoot?
Permission will be issued after we have studied your script. If it is not acceptable, 
the Film Office will inform you of the reasons. Whether you agree to make 
changes to your script for resubmission is up to each film maker.

Question Are there any restrictions?
When shooting in Thailand, it is advisable that you do not have anything in the script that offends Thailand’s national institutions, religion, customs and culture. The film must not be deemed as threat to security. Finally, shooting must not cause any significant effect or damage to the environment.

Question What is the process to film in such places as the National Parks, Historical Parks, Grand Palace, or temples?
You must first obtain permission to film from the Film Office. Then Seafarer Productions can proceed to contact the related locations with filming permission (permit) in hand.

Question Are there any fees for the filming permit?
- No, there are no fees for the filming permit.

Question Are there any other expenses?
1/- Yes there are. Once the permit is granted, a representative from The Thailand Film Office is required to attend the shoot. A per diem for the representative is 2,000 Baht per day and is covered by the production company. Should the official need to travel outside of Bangkok for the film shoot, then air fares, accommodations and meals need to be provided for the official; this cost also must be provided by the production company.
2/- For Documentaries, Commercial Advertisements, and Music VDOs, the film crew will be
accompanied by one representative. For Feature Films, Docudramas and TV series, the Thailand Film Office will assign one representative to accompany each shooting unit. If the shoot is more than 10 hours a day, there will be two representatives per unit.

Question How do I need to pay for location fee?
- Location fees and other production matters should be discussed with the Seafarer Productions. This is why it is essential to appoint Seafarer Production todeal with production issues.

Question What is the duty of Thai Film Board’s representative?
- The duty of Thai Film Board’s representative is to make sure that what is actually being shot has followed the script that has been previously approved. Should scenes vary from the script the representative is there to advise as to whether it is possible to shoot those scenes or not. Also, having Film Office official on set helps to handle any problems should they arise.

Question What kind of visa do we need?
- Crews intending to work in Thailand for a period not exceeding 15 days can do so under a tourist visa.
- Only crews working more than 15 days must have a non-immigrant multiple type visa.

Question Do short stay crews need work permits?
- Yes, they need to have them. Both types of crew require work permits.
- Crews working within 15 days will need a form notifying the Employment Department whereas crews staying over 15 days will need to submit more detailed documents, Seafarer Productions can help you with this.

Question Is there a fee for the work permit?
- Yes there is a fee but only for crews working more than 15 days. The fee rate is based on the working period. The minimum fee rate is 750 Baht for working within 3 months. A fee of 1,500 Baht is for a period of 6 months. A fee of 3,000 Baht is valid for over 6 months but not longer than 1 year.

Question Does the crew have to apply and collect the work permit at the Employment Department themselves?
- No, Seafarer Productions can organize the work permits for the crews.

Question I received approval from the Thailand Film Office and I showed the permission letter to some locations but I didn’t get a permit to film in those places.
What should I do ?
- The film permission enables you to film in Thailand – but you have to negotiate each location yourself or with Seafarer Productions. The owners of the locations will need to know that you have filming permission in hand.

Question I have not done an ATA CARNET for equipment.
Can I bring in and out equipment without ATA CARNET?
- Yes, if you don’t have ATA CARNET you must prepare cash or bank guarantee - Thai Bank guarantees only are accepted to guarantee your equipment. The amount of cash or bank guarantee is based on the value of the equipment.

REQUEST FOR MORE INFORMATIONS FOR SHOOTING IN THAILAND
- Do not hesitate to contact Seafarer Productions for a personalized quotation including hotels, airport transfers and services.
- To give you an estimate as accurate as possible, send to Seafarer Productions lots of details like the number of participants, dates of arrival and departure of Thailand and planned activities during your shooting.
- In a few email exchanges, Seafarer Productions should find the right formula for the success of your shooting in Phuket, Phang-Nga and Krabi.
- On your request, Seafarer Productions can call you on your fixed phone with Skype if you have a lot of unanswered questions to complete your contract with Seafarer Productions and do not forget to email Seafarer Productions your phone number.