How to get a work permit in Thailand

Reviewed September 2026
A Thai work permit is the document, issued by the Department of Employment at the Ministry of Labour, that authorises a named foreign national to work in Thailand for a named employer. It is required under the Emergency Decree on the Management of Foreigners' Working B.E. 2560 (2017), as amended in 2018. It is issued as a card, recording the holder's details, the employer, the position and the period for which the permit is valid.

The Non-Immigrant B visa permits the holder to stay in Thailand; the work permit permits the holder to work. Both are required, and each is granted on the strength of the other, so the two must be managed together, as explained below. The visa itself is covered on our Non-B work visa page.

Step 1: Employment With an Eligible Employer

The applicant must hold a confirmed position with an employer registered in Thailand. The employer may be Thai-owned or foreign-owned, provided it meets the requirements set out below. Where the applicant is establishing a business, the company must be registered first; see company registration in Thailand. Holding shares or serving as a director does not in itself require a work permit. A foreign national who is the company's sole director may, however, require one where they will deal with government offices or operate the company's bank accounts.

Step 2: Approval From the Department of Employment

The employer applies to the Department of Employment for advance approval through the online e-Work Permit system, which the Department introduced on 13 October 2025. Approval usually takes seven to ten working days.

Step 3: The Non-Immigrant B Visa

On receipt of the approval letter, the employee applies for a 90-day Non-B work visa at a Thai embassy or consulate abroad, which usually takes 10-14 working days depending on the embassy. In certain cases an existing visa may be converted within Thailand instead.

Step 4: Entry to Thailand

The employee enters Thailand on the Non-Immigrant B visa before it expires. The Non-B will be activated and they will have 3 months to finish the required steps.

Step 5: The Work Permit Application

The work permit application is filed on the e-Work Permit system. Since 1 July 2026, once the Department of Employment approves the application, a temporary work permit is issued, allowing the employee to begin work immediately while the digital permit card is produced.

Step 6: The One-Year Extension of Stay

Once the permit has been issued, the employee applies to Immigration for a one-year extension of stay based on employment, which is renewed annually together with the permit.

• Registered capital: two million baht for each foreign employee, reduced to one million baht where the foreign employee is married to a Thai national and holds a marriage visa. The rules are explained in registered capital.
• Thai employees: four for each foreign employee, reduced to two for a foreign employee holding a marriage visa.
• VAT registration: the company is expected to be registered for VAT and up to date with its returns.
• Business activity: the company's registered objectives must correspond to the foreign employee's position.
• Compliance: the company's tax filings, social security contributions and corporate filings must be up to date. Different provinces have different standards for what paperwork is required.

The capital and staffing requirements are assessed at the initial application and again at each renewal. Different rules apply to BOI-promoted companies, representative and regional offices, and treaty-based entities.

• A passport and a Non-Immigrant B visa, or a visa eligible for conversion within Thailand (Non-O Thai Wife Visa is also eligible for work permit application)
• Qualifications appropriate to the position, usually a degree certificate and a CV showing relevant experience.
• A medical certificate issued within the preceding 3 months.
• A salary at or above the minimum set by Immigration for the employee's nationality: 50,000 baht a month for citizens of the United States, Canada, Japan, Australasia and European countries other than Russia, 45,000 baht for South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and lower amounts for other nationalities.
• A position open to foreign nationals, since certain occupations are reserved for Thai nationals.

A company promoted by the Board of Investment follows a separate route. Section 25 of the Investment Promotion Act allows it to bring in foreign experts and skilled workers, together with their spouses and dependants, for positions the Board has approved, and Section 26 allows those individuals to hold work permits for the duration of their permitted stay. The route differs from the standard one in four respects:

• No capital or staffing ratio. The requirements of two million baht of capital and four Thai employees per foreign employee do not apply, although a manufacturing company with more than 100 employees must keep at least 70% of its workforce Thai.
• Approved positions and salaries. Each foreign position must be approved by the Board, for up to two years at a time, and carry at least the minimum salary the Board sets for that position under Announcement Por. 8/2568, from 150,000 baht a month for executives down to lower thresholds for technical and operational roles.
• Faster processing. Visas and work permits are processed through the One Start One Stop Investment Centre in Bangkok rather than through the standard Immigration and Department of Employment offices.
• Family members. Spouses and dependants of approved foreign staff receive visas under the same promotion.

Where an employee does not meet the Board's criteria, a permit may still be sought through the standard route, subject to the usual capital and staffing requirements. Promotion itself is covered on our BOI promotion page and in our guide to applying for BOI promotion.

The work permit and the extension of stay are each granted on the strength of the other, and the lapse of one brings the other to an end. A cancelled or expired permit terminates the extension, and a lapsed extension removes the right to remain in Thailand and, with it, the right to work.

• Renewal. A permit is usually issued for one year at a time, matching the extension of stay. Both should be renewed before they expire, and the company's capital and Thai staff are reassessed at each renewal.
• 90-day reporting. A foreign national on a yearly extension must report their address to Immigration after every 90 days of continuous stay. Failure to report attracts a fine.
• Re-entry permit. A re-entry permit must be obtained before leaving Thailand. Without one, the extension ends on departure and the permit cannot be used on return.
• Change of employer. The employee and the new employer must each notify the Department of Employment within 15 days of the new employment beginning, and the extension of stay must be renewed on the new employer's documents. A change of duties or workplace with the same employer requires no notification, provided the work is not reserved for Thai nationals.

Since the 2018 amendment to the Emergency Decree, a work permit is no longer confined to the duties and workplace for which it was first issued. The Department of Employment has confirmed that a permit holder may take on additional or different work, subject to three rules.

• Other duties with the same employer. A change of duties or workplace, or an additional role, with the same employer requires no notification, provided the work is not reserved for Thai nationals.
• Work for another company, including part-time work. Working for a second employer, whether full-time or part-time, is permitted, provided the second company meets the same requirements as the first, including two million baht of registered capital and four Thai employees for the foreign employee. The employee and the additional employer must each notify the Department of Employment within 15 days of the work beginning, failing which each is liable to a fine of up to 20,000 baht. The extension of stay remains tied to the employer that sponsored it.
• Work for the employee's own company. Working in a company the employee owns is treated as working for an additional employer, so that company must meet the same capital and staffing requirements, and the same notification applies. Holding shares or a directorship alone does not.

A work permit should be cancelled, not left to expire. The same applies for visas. When employment ends, the employer must notify the Department of Employment within 15 days, failing which it is liable to a fine of up to 20,000 baht, and the extension of stay is cancelled at Immigration, which usually allows a short period, often seven days, for the employee to leave Thailand, change visa or begin new employment. A permit left to expire places the employer in breach and leaves an unresolved record that may complicate a future visa or permit application.

Important Legal Notes

• Working without a valid work permit is unlawful, whatever visa is held. A Destination Thailand Visa is not a work permit.
• A work permit is tied to the employer, and working for another employer without notifying the Department of Employment is an offence.
• Requirements and their interpretation may vary between local offices.

Attori Law advises employers hiring foreign staff and foreign nationals taking up employment in Thailand. We confirm that the company meets the requirements and manage the permit and visa from approval to extension. See our work permit service or get in touch.