Employment of Foreigners

Any foreigner intending to work in Thailand — whether paid or unpaid — must obtain an official work permit before starting employment.
A work permit can only be issued after obtaining a Non-Immigrant B visa (Non-B).

Conditions and requirements

To obtain a work permit, the employer company must meet the following criteria:

At least 4 Thai employees per one foreign employee (excluding a Thai director)
Registered capital of at least THB 2 million per foreign employee
The company must be registered and actively operating in Thailand

Since April 21, 2020, there is a list of occupations prohibited for foreigners.
These include: driver, hairdresser, masseur, cosmetologist, real estate agent (except for international business), and others.

Steps to obtain a work permit:

Preparation of documents by the employer
Obtaining an approval letter from the Ministry of Labour of Thailand.

Obtaining a Non-B visa
Documents are submitted to a Thai consulate outside the country. The visa is issued for 90 days and can then be extended for 1 year.

Work permit issuance
Processed within 30 days after receiving the approval letter from the Labour Department.

Registration in the Social Security system
Mandatory for employees, but not required for company directors.

The work permit specifies the company name, address, and the foreign employee’s position.
A foreign employee is allowed to work only at the specified address and strictly within the scope of the stated position.

Liability for violations:

Working without a valid work permit is a criminal offense.
Penalties include fines and/or imprisonment.

What do we offer?

InvestEast provides a full range of services for the employment of foreigners:

Preparation of all required documents
сопровождение at every stage
Consultations on visa types and permitted positions
Minimum possible processing time