Work permits and business visas in Thailand.
Non-B business visa, work permit, dependants' visas, 90-day reports, re-entry permits. We sequence the steps so a foreign director or employee can live and work legally in Thailand without gaps.
Who needs a work permit and a business visa?
Any foreigner who works in Thailand needs two things — a Non-Immigrant B visa and a work permit. They are separate filings, handled by separate authorities: Immigration issues the visa, while the Department of Employment grants the permit under the Foreigners' Working Management Emergency Decree B.E. 2560 (2017).
The two are linked but not interchangeable. A work permit is tied to one specific company and one specific role, so it does not travel with the holder if they change employer. The visa has to be in place first — the permit cannot be issued until the Non-B is granted, which makes the order in which the steps are taken the single most important part of getting it right.
The moving parts.
A complete authorisation to live and work is not one document but a small cluster of them, each with its own timing and renewal cycle.
Non-B business visa
Valid for 90 days on the initial entry, then extended to a full year once the work permit has been granted.
Work permit
Now a digital e-Work Permit, issued electronically rather than as the old booklet since October 2025.
Dependants' visas
Accompanying visas for a spouse and minor children, applied for alongside the main applicant.
90-day reporting & TM30
Address notification on arrival and a report of residence to Immigration every 90 days.
Re-entry permits
Single or multiple re-entry permits that keep the visa alive across trips out of Thailand.
Annual renewals
Yearly renewals of both the visa and the permit, kept aligned so neither lapses.
What you and the company need.
Eligibility runs on two tracks — the sponsoring company has to meet certain thresholds, and the applicant has to produce a defined set of papers.
Company requirements
- Registered capital of about THB 2 million per work permit — THB 3 million where the employer is a foreign-registered entity (a branch or representative office).
- Four Thai employees for each foreign work permit, reduced to two where the foreigner is married to a Thai national.
- VAT registration and enrolment in the social-security fund.
- Ordinarily up to ten permits, with more available to BOI-promoted companies.
Applicant documents
- A valid passport and a Non-B visa.
- A current CV setting out experience and employment history.
- A recent medical certificate from a Thai hospital.
- Passport-style photographs.
- Proof of qualifications, where the role calls for it.
- For applicants married to a Thai, the marriage and household-registration documents.
Recent changes worth knowing.
- The e-Work Permit system went live on 13 October 2025 — the paper "blue book" is gone, replaced by a digital permit, with the employer's identity verified through the ThaID app.
- The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) replaced the paper TM6 for all arrivals from 1 May 2025.
- BOI-promoted companies are fast-tracked through the One Stop Service Centre and are generally exempt from the four-Thai-per-foreigner ratio, though new BOI employment-ratio and minimum-salary conditions are phasing in from late 2025.
The sequence, step by step.
Each stage depends on the one before it, so we run them in a fixed order and hold each piece until its predecessor is in place.
Eligibility check
We review the sponsoring company's tax, VAT and social-security status, and confirm the applicant's qualifications for the role.
Document collection
A tailored checklist of company and personal papers, gathered and checked before anything is filed.
Non-B visa
Applied for at a Thai embassy abroad, or filed as a change of status inside Thailand where that route is allowed.
Work permit
Filed after arrival and typically issued by the Department of Employment within about seven business days in Bangkok.
Extensions
One-year extensions of both the visa and the permit, taken together at the renewal point.
Ongoing
90-day reports, TM30 notifications and re-entry permits, maintained for as long as the posting runs.
The visa and the work permit are two filings, but one project.
A foreign national working in Thailand needs both a Non-Immigrant B visa and a work permit. They are issued by different agencies (Immigration and the Department of Employment respectively), require different documents, and depend on the sponsoring company's tax and SSO status.
We sequence the entire flow: Non-B visa application at the relevant Thai embassy abroad (or change-of-status from a tourist visa where allowed), work permit application after arrival, 90-day reporting, re-entry permits, and one-year extensions for both visa and work permit at the renewal point.
Dependent spouse and child visas are handled in parallel. For company directors changing status from tourism to Non-B, we coordinate timing carefully — the visa must be issued before the work-permit application can be lodged.
What we do
- Advice and preparation for Non-B visa applications (single-entry, multiple-entry, conversion from tourist)
- Legal support for work permit applications and renewals
- Assistance with dependants' (spouse and minor children) Non-O visas
- Assistance with 90-day reporting
- Assistance with re-entry permits (single and multiple)
- Support with one-year visa and work-permit extensions
- Support with change-of-employer transfers
- Immigration appointment preparation and accompaniment
What you get
- Visa and work-permit timing coordinated — no gap between arrival and authorisation to work
- Bilingual support during Immigration appointments
- Dependants handled in parallel, not as an afterthought
- A deliberately focused visa practice — we handle Non-B/work-permit, Thailand Privilege and LTR visas only; marriage, retirement, DTV, student and tourist visas are not offered.
How we work
Eligibility check
Sponsoring company's tax, VAT, and SSO status reviewed. Applicant's qualifications mapped to the position.
Document collection
Tailored checklist — company papers, applicant's passport and qualifications, photographs, declarations.
Visa application
Non-B applied at the Thai embassy abroad or, where allowed, change-of-status filed in Thailand.
Work permit application
Filed after the applicant arrives on the Non-B; typically issued by the Department of Employment within about seven business days.
Ongoing maintenance
90-day reports, re-entry permits, and the annual extensions for both visa and work permit.
Speak with our team
Send a message — typical response within one hour during office hours.
WhatsApp +66 95 332 2447 Send an Enquiry Call +66 2 026 0600Frequently asked
Can I apply for a work permit on a tourist visa?
Not directly. A Non-B visa (or change-of-status to Non-B) is required before the work-permit application can be filed.
How many foreign work permits can a Thai company sponsor?
Generally one foreign work permit per four Thai employees, and minimum capital of THB 2 million per work permit. BOI-promoted companies are generally exempt from these ratios, though new BOI employment-ratio and minimum-salary conditions are phasing in from late 2025.
What about the Smart Visa?
The Smart Visa is a BOI-administered visa launched in 2018 to draw foreign talent, investors and start-ups into Thailand's targeted industries, granting a multi-year stay with no separate work permit and lighter immigration reporting. Since February 2025 it has been narrowed to the Smart-S start-up category; the former Talent, Investor and Executive tracks were discontinued, and those profiles now use the LTR Visa instead. We assess fit on request.
Do you handle Retirement or Marriage visas?
No. Our visa practice is intentionally narrow — we handle Non-B/work-permit, Thailand Privilege and LTR visas only. Marriage, retirement, DTV, student and tourist visas are not part of our service.
Reviewed by the Khonsu Legal team · 16 July 2026
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