Working Legally in Thailand: The Non-B Visa and the Work Permit

Published 2 October 2026 · By the Visit-Thailand editorial team · Editor: Terje Moy

To work for an employer in Thailand, a foreigner needs two separate things: a Non-Immigrant B (business) visa, and a work permit from the Department of Employment, issued before the first day of work. The employer starts the process, must meet capital and staffing rules, and cannot hire a foreigner at all for the 27 occupations reserved for Thai nationals (rules as of October 2026).

The most common mistake is to treat the visa as permission to work. It is not. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that a Non-B holder "must be granted a work permit before starting work". The visa lets you enter and stay for the purpose of a job; the work permit is what makes the work itself legal.

This page is about employment by a Thai company or organization. It explains the steps in order, what the employer must prove, which jobs are closed to foreigners and how the yearly renewals work. It is general information from official sources, not legal advice; your employer's HR department or a Thai lawyer should confirm the details for your job.

Two documents from two different authorities

Thailand splits the paperwork between ministries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through Thai embassies and the e-Visa portal, issues the Non-B visa. The Ministry of Labour's Department of Employment issues the work permit. The Immigration Bureau then decides how long you may stay, through extensions of stay and re-entry permits.

Each authority checks something different. The embassy wants to see that a Thai employer has had a foreign hire approved. The Department of Employment looks at the job, the company and your qualifications. Immigration, at renewal time, checks that the company still meets its criteria and that you still hold the job. A problem with any one of them can stop the process, so keep copies of everything the others issued.

Step by step, from job offer to first working day

1. The employer applies for pre-approval. Before you apply for a visa, the company applies to the Department of Employment for approval to hire you. The visa application on the e-Visa portal requires this "approval letter from the Minister of Labor"; older Ministry of Foreign Affairs pages name the employer's form as WP3, and the portal now writes WP32. Japanese nationals are exempt from submitting it, according to the portal.
2. You apply for the Non-B visa from abroad. On the e-Visa portal, the employment category asks for your passport, a photo, proof of where you currently are, financial evidence of at least 30,000 baht (three months of statements, or a sponsor's letter) and the approval letter. The visa is single entry with a three-month validity.
3. You enter Thailand on the Non-B. The entry stamp gives you an initial stay. Do not start work yet.
4. The work permit is filed. The Ministry of Labour launched its online e-WorkPermit system nationwide on 13 October 2025, and online filing is now the standard route. The employer usually handles it; ask early which of your documents it needs, such as passport copies, the visa, certified qualifications and photos.
5. The permit is issued. Only now may you start work, and only in the job and for the employer stated in the permit.
6. You extend your stay. Before your entry stamp runs out, you apply at the immigration office to extend your stay for the job, for up to a year. The fee was 1,900 baht in the archived 2024 copy of Bangkok Immigration's fee list; confirm it at your office.

The e-Visa portal only accepts applications from people who are outside Thailand, through the embassy that covers the country where they live. If you found the job while visiting Thailand, expect to leave and apply from home.

What the employer has to prove

Not every company can hire a foreigner. Two rules come up in almost every case, and they are often mixed together online although they come from different authorities.

Capital per work permit. Under the Department of Employment's criteria for permitting foreigners to work (a 2004 regulation), a company needs 2,000,000 baht of paid-up registered capital for each foreign employee holding a work permit. The figure is halved to 1,000,000 baht when the foreigner is legally married to a Thai national.

Thai staff per foreigner. The ratio of four Thai employees for each foreign employee is an Immigration Bureau criterion for the one-year extension of stay, now set out in Immigration Bureau Order 12/2568 of 23 January 2025, which replaced the older Order 327/2557. Representative offices, regional offices and branches of multinational companies have a lower ratio of one Thai to one foreigner and are excused the capital rule.

In practice an ordinary company employee needs the employer to meet both. Our reading of these two rules comes from Thai law firms' analysis of the orders, because the texts on immigration.go.th could not be read; ask your employer's HR or lawyer to confirm the current version. Ask early in the hiring process whether the company has room in its quota, because it decides whether an offer can turn into a visa.

The employer also submits company documents for the visa. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists, among others, the business registration and licence, the list of shareholders, a company profile, a list of current foreign workers with their positions, a location map and the latest balance sheet and tax filings.

Jobs foreigners may not do

The current list is the Ministry of Labour Notification on work prohibited for foreigners, B.E. 2563 (2020), issued under the Emergency Decree on Managing the Work of Foreigners B.E. 2560 (2017). It is not a Royal Decree, although the old Ministry of Foreign Affairs Non-B page still refers to the 1979 Royal Decree that it replaced.

The notification lists 40 occupations in four groups:

Among the 27 fully prohibited occupations are several that foreigners often ask about: tour guiding and running sightseeing tours, Thai massage, hairdressing and beauty treatment, driving motor vehicles (piloting international aircraft and driving forklifts are excepted), clerical and secretarial work, legal services (except in international arbitration where Thai law is not the governing law), street vending and making Buddha images. Before you accept any job close to these, ask the employer how the position is described to the Department of Employment.

The other Non-B categories on the e-Visa portal

"Non-B" covers more than ordinary employment. The e-Visa portal lists separate categories for business visits, frequent business visits (three years), internships, BOI-promoted companies, sports coaches and athletes, and employment as academic staff or a teacher. Teachers have extra requirements, including a letter from the Ministry of Education, a university or an international school and a criminal record certificate; our guide to teaching English in Thailand covers the job and the teaching licence.

The portal also lists a Working Holiday Scheme for New Zealand passport holders living in New Zealand and Work and Holiday visas for Australians living in Australia. If you hold one of those passports and are young enough to qualify, ask the embassy in your home country.

Routes that do not allow work for a Thai employer

Several long-stay visas let you live in Thailand but not take a Thai job. The Destination Thailand Visa is built on remote work for employers or clients abroad; it does not authorize a job with a Thai company, which needs the Non-B route on this page. The visa exemption and the tourist visa are for visits. The retirement visas are granted for retirement, and the education visa is for study.

The Long-Term Resident visa is the main exception. Most of its categories come with a digital work permit, which the BOI says costs 3,000 baht a year, and LTR holders are exempt from the four-Thais-per-foreigner rule. Its income thresholds are much higher than an ordinary job's, so it suits senior professionals rather than most employees.

Living on a work-based stay: the yearly cycle

Once you work in Thailand, a few duties repeat. The extension of stay is granted for up to a year at a time and depends on your job, so it is renewed together with the work permit. Trips abroad need a re-entry permit bought in advance, otherwise leaving Thailand cancels the extension; the archived fee list puts it at 1,000 baht for one trip or 3,800 baht for unlimited trips.

Anyone who stays more than 90 days without leaving reports their address to immigration; our guide to 90-day reporting explains the methods. Your landlord files the TM30 address notification, which immigration checks at renewal. A Thai salary also means a Thai bank account, and the work permit is the document banks most readily accept; see our bank account guide.

Salary for work done in Thailand is taxed in Thailand. Residence for tax purposes starts at 180 days in the country within one calendar year, and what that means for money you bring in from abroad is covered on our page about the 180-day rule. Ask your employer whether you are registered for social security, which also matters for health cover.

Changing employer is not a formality. The permit and the extension are both based on the job you were approved for, so a new job usually means a new approval process. Talk to the new employer and to immigration before you resign. A permission to stay that runs out in the gap between two jobs turns into an overstay, with the fines and bans set out in our overstay guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Non-B visa enough to start working?

No. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that a Non-B holder must be granted a work permit before starting work. The visa allows entry and stay for the job; the work permit from the Department of Employment is what makes the work legal.

Can I work for a Thai company on a DTV?

The DTV is designed for remote work for employers or clients outside Thailand and is not a work permit. A Thai employer has to sponsor you for the Non-B route instead, from pre-approval to the permit itself.

How much money does a Thai company need to hire a foreigner?

The Department of Employment's criteria require 2,000,000 baht of paid-up capital for each foreign worker with a work permit, or 1,000,000 baht if the foreigner is married to a Thai national. The four-Thais-per-foreigner ratio is a separate immigration rule for the yearly extension.

Which jobs are foreigners not allowed to do in Thailand?

The Ministry of Labour's 2020 notification restricts 40 occupations, 27 of them completely. They include tour guiding, Thai massage, hairdressing and beauty work, driving motor vehicles, clerical and secretarial work, legal services and street vending.

How much is the Non-B visa?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives 2,000 baht for a single-entry visa valid three months and 5,000 baht for multiple entries over one year. Embassies charge the equivalent in local currency; the London embassy's fee page listed £60 single entry.

Sources

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Non-Immigrant Visa B (for business and work) (checked October 2026)
• Thailand e-Visa (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) – Business and investor visas, Non-B employment categories (checked October 2026)
• Royal Thai Embassy, London – Visa fees (checked October 2026)
• The Nation – Thailand's 40 restricted jobs foreigners cannot freely take up (2 June 2026) (checked October 2026)
• Board of Investment – Long-Term Resident visa, digital work permit (checked October 2026)
• Thailand e-Visa – Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) (checked October 2026)
• Immigration Division 1, Bangkok – Extension of stay and fees (archived copy of 11 September 2024) (checked October 2026)