Step by Step Guide to Getting a Work Permit in Thailand
What you need to know about the requirements and procedures for obtaining a work permit in Thailand.
What are the requirements for obtaining a work permit in Thailand?
If you want to apply for a work permit in Thailand, you and the company you’ll be working for must both meet certain requirements.
1. Company requirements
– If you want to work for a company that is legally registered in Thailand and wants to apply for a work permit for a non-Thai employee, the company must have a minimum capital of 2 million baht, or 1 million baht if the employee you want to hire is married to a Thai national.
– If the company is not licensed in Thailand, it must have a minimum capital of 3 million baht for each employee for whom a work permit is requested.
– When hiring one non-Thai employee, all businesses are limited to 10 work permits and must have at least 4 Thai workers.
*If the business is promoted by the Thai Board of Investment BOI, these conditions are waived. When you hire foreign workers, you don’t have to worry about how much money you have or how many Thai employees you have. This rule only applies if your non-Thai employee meets the BOI’s minimum qualifications and you can clearly explain why your company requires a foreign worker.
2. Individual requirements
If you want to apply for a work permit in Thailand, you must meet a few requirements. You must either be hired by a company that meets the above criteria or start your own company that meets the criteria. The job must be one that foreigners are legally allowed to do in Thailand.
– You can only work one job with your work permit, you are not allowed to work two jobs at the same time.
– To apply for a work permit, you’ll need a non-immigrant visa, you may obtain a non-immigrant visa in your home country before leaving, in a neighbouring country or in Thailand itself.
3. Before applying for a work permit, you’ll need one of the visas listed below.
Non-immigrant visa B – Also known as a work visa, is for people who want to work in Thailand, it is the most common type of visa granted to foreigners who come to Thailand to work for multinational corporations, teach, or pursue other legal careers.
Non-immigrants IB – Although most embassies do not issue this visa on a regular basis is used for corporate and investment purposes.
Visa for non-immigrants B-A – If you want to invest in or form a business relationship with a Thai company, you must have the company apply at the Immigration Bureau on your behalf. Because Thai embassies and consulates rarely grant this visa, you should apply for a non-immigrant B visa instead. For example, the Royal Thai Embassy in Australia is one of the few Thai embassies/consulates in Australia that can issue B-A visas.
Non-immigrant visa O – This visa is for volunteers, and non-immigrant O visas are available for those who want to marry or retire in Thailand. Volunteers and foreigners married to Thai nationals are permitted to work in Thailand under this type of visa; retirees are not permitted to do so.
Non-immigrant Visa M – Are for news reporters, filmmakers and media correspondents of international news agencies working for printed newspapers and magazines, TV, radio or online agencies and is commonly referred to as a journalism visa.
Key Points
- All foreign nationals wishing to reside and work in Thailand must submit a visa application to a Thai embassy or consulate.
- Work permits are only open to Non-Immigrant B and O visa holders.
- The Ministry of Labour issues the work permit to the employer rather than the employee.
How to apply for a Thai work permit?
Here are the documents you’ll need to apply for a work permit for one of your foreign workers or for yourself.
1. Company Documents
Make sure that each page of all documents must be stamped with the company’s seal. In addition, all managing directors or directors must sign their names alongside the company’s seal. The documents your employer must send with your work permit application are stated below.
– Company Registration Department Certificate
– Certified list of the company’s shareholders by the Commercial Registration Department
– Certified factory license by the Factory Department of the Ministry of Industry
– VAT certificate Phor Phor 20
– VAT filings Phor Phor 30
– Withholding Tax form Phor Ngor Dor 1
– Social Security payment filings
– Employment contract stating position, job requirements, salary and contract duration.
2. Individual Documents – Any of the above-mentioned original documents must be submitted in signed copies. In some cases, Thai immigration officers may ask for your documents to be translated into Thai and notarized by your embassy. Here’s a rundown of everything you’ll need to apply for your work permit.
– passport with signed copies on every page
– non-immigrant visa with a signed copy
– departure card TM.6
– university or college degree with transcripts
– certificates or licenses (if any)
– resume or cv
– 3 photos size 5×6 cm taken in the last six months
– marriage certificate (if any)
– medical certificate issued in the last 30 days
3. To apply for a work permit, go to the Ministry of Labour in Bangkok or the One-Stop Service Center for BOI promoted companies at Chamchuree Square in Bangkok.
4. After you’ve been hired to work for a company or hiring a foreigner to work for your company, you’ll need to go to the Ministry of Labour to apply for a work permit with all of the documentation listed above. Following that, you’ll need to go to Bangkok Immigration to extend your visa from the current one to a 1 or 2 years visa.
How long is the validity of a work permit?
A Work Permit is valid for 1 year and can be extended another year after that. If a foreigner’s job is for less than a year, he or she will be given a Work Permit for the amount of time requested.
A foreigner may issue a Work Permit by an approved official for a period of time that is required for the completion of the work but not more than one year.
Depending on the type of visa, applicants must follow certain guidelines and submit supporting documents, which can range from financial statements to travel booking receipts.
How much does a Thai work permit costs?
Before you can get a work permit, you’ll need a non-immigrant visa. A single-entry visa will set you back at least 2, xxx baht, and a multiple-entry visa will set you back at least 5, xxx baht. Here are some of the fees associated with the work permit application process.
The application fee is 1xx baht.
For three-month work permits, the government charges 75x baht.
For work permits ranging from three to six months, the government charges 1,5xx baht.
3,xxx baht for a 12-month work permit from the government.
Additional costs associated with work permits, such as fees for changing job descriptions, may be incurred; however, this will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
How to extend your work permit when it expires?
You’ll need the same paperwork and documents to renew your work permit as you did to get it in the first place. The only difference is that if you apply again, you will be granted a one or two year visa rather than a 90-day visa (as you would if you did not obtain a one-year non-immigrant visa before entering Thailand).
A work permit is a Thai legal document that specifies the foreigner’s status, occupation, and the business in which he or she is working.
What are the qualifications for a foreigner to apply for a Work Permit?
1. Having a permanent residency in the Kingdom or conditional permission to remain in the Kingdom under immigration law (not as a tourist or a transit traveller)
2. The applicant is not applying for any of the 39 reserved occupations defined by Royal Decree B.E. 2522. (1979).
3. Having the necessary expertise skills to perform the work described in the Work Permit application.
4. Being crazy or mentally challenged is not allowed.
5. Not having leprosy, tuberculosis, opioid misuse and alcoholism
6. Within one year after applying for a Work Permit, you must not have been convicted for violating immigration or alien employment laws.
What would happen if your job is terminated?
There is almost no grace period after an employment contract is terminated. The worker will have 24 hours to leave the country after the employer reports to the immigration office and declares the termination of the contract. Extensions of seven days are normally available for a charge. If the employer reports to immigration without the employee, issues may occur and the individual may end up overstaying without understanding it.
The best advice for getting a visa to enter the kingdom is to be aware of the conditions and to follow them. Thai culture is extremely laid-back and it is impossible for an issue to go unsolved. Nonetheless, the safest way to escape the financial costs and embarrassment of getting caught with a bad visa is to follow the law, show true respect to those who uphold it and most importantly, enjoy your time in Thailand.