Getting Visa & Work Permit

All persons, other than those in transit and citizens of certain countries, are required to obtain
a visa in order to enter into Thailand. Foreign nationals who intend to remain in Thailand to work
or conduct business must comply with visa requirements in addition to obtaining a work permit.

Visa Categories

The Immigration Act of 1979 as amended in 1980 establishes the following visa categories:

• Tourist
• Visitor transit
• Immigrant
• Non-quota immigrant
• Non-immigrant

Note: Transit, visitor transit and tourist visa holders are not authorized to work in Thailand.

Business Visa

Foreigners applying for a job or opening a business will require a Thai business visa. It is also
known as Non-Immigrant Business Visa. This can be best applied for before coming to Thailand.
In addition, this type of visa can be extended to a long term visa which can be done either inside
or outside the Kingdom of Thailand.
 

Categories Under the Thai Business Visa

There are 2 categories in which foreigners can enter under this type of visa.

1) Non-Immigrant B Visa (Conducting Business)

Foreigners who wish to setup or conduct business in Thailand should apply for
a Thai Non-Immigrant B visa.

• 90 Days Non-Immigrant Visa (Single-Entry)

  This is an initial visa issued by the Thai embassy or consulate in your home country
  which allows a stay of 90 consecutive days in Thailand.

• 1-Year Non-Immigrant Visa (Multiple-Entry)

  This is issued to those who want to conduct business and intend to frequently travel
  in and out of Thailand. The initial non-immigrant visa can be extended to this visa
  once the work permit is processed.

2) Non-Immigrant B Visa (Employment)

• Foreigners who intend to work in Thailand should apply for an initial 90-Day
  Non-Immigrant B visa from their home country under employment category.
• The work permit application takes place during the initial 90 days given through the initial visa.
• Once a valid work permit is obtained, the applicant then applies for the 1-Year Non-Immigrant B
  visa inside Thailand.
• 90-day reporting to any Thai Immigration Office is required to the visa holder under this category.
• A re-entry permit is required if the applicant wishes to travel outside of the country.
• Renewal of this visa can be done inside Thailand.
   

Smart Visa
Smart Visa is a new type of visa specially designed to attract highly skilled manpower, investors,
executives and startups entrepreneurs wishing to work or invest in the following targeted industries
in the Kingdom of Thailand. Smart Visa holders will be granted maximum 4-year permission to stay,
exemption from the work permit requirement and entitled to additional privileges.

Download image: Smart Visa Qualifications  

 

Work Permit

The Foreign Working Act of 2008 requires all foreigners working in Thailand to obtain a work permit
prior to starting work in the Kingdom. The Work Permit is the document that determines a foreign
employee’s nature of work, length of employment, and some of his basic information like who’s
he working for or where is he staying at.

For a regular position, a work permit will be issued for one year, but for an executive position or experts,
a work permit will be issued for two years. A work permit must be renewed before its expiry date or it will lapse.
 

Prohibited Types of Work

The Thai government categorized jobs to determine which are ok and which are not for foreigners
who wanted to work inside the country. They worry that foreigners will grab the jobs away from the locals,
and so they deemed some jobs as exclusive for the thai people only.

However, all the businesses outside these categories are exempted from prohibition. Listed below are
the prohibited work categories for a foreigner to engage into:

    Category A:

• Agriculture: rice farming, salt farming;
• Service Business: accounting, farming animals, architecture, hair dressing, barber &
  beautician industry, advertising, brokerage & auctioning, building industry;
• Commercial Business: land trade, internal trade in local agricultural products

    Category B:

• Agriculture Business: silkworm raising, husbandry, timber & fishing, floral and cultivation;
• Industrial & Handicraft: Rice milling, flour, sugar, alcohol & non-alcoholic drinks, ice cream,
  pharmaceuticals, wood carving, manufacturing of garments, shoes, furniture, jewelry, printing
  and newspaper publishing, silk industry;
• Commercial: all retailing industries not mention in category c, selling of foods, drinks, antiques
  & fine arts;
• Service Industry: Hotel, tour agency, photography, laundry service & dress making;
• Utility Services: water, electricity, land and transportation

     Category C:

• Anything not in A or B

On the other hand, foreigners are allowed to engage in export, wholesale trading not mentioned
in cat. a and b, retailing of machinery, equipment, tools, manufacturing of animal feeds, textiles,
glass wares and ceramics. Selling commodities that promotes Thai tourism is also allowable.

When applying for a work permit, make it sure that the job description you are putting up is not
considered prohibited, else you wont get to see your work permit anytime soon.
 

Thai Work Permit Application

For more information: Thai Work Permit Basics
                                                Work Permit for BOI Business

For download: Alien Working Act, B.E.2551 (2008)
                          Foreigners' Working Management Emergency Decree, (No.2), B.E. 2561 (2018)