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Contents
- In short
- What is the difference between a work permit and a Non-B visa?
- How does the e-Work Permit system work?
- How much capital and how many Thai staff does the employer need?
- How do you get a work permit from abroad?
- What does a work permit cost, and how long does it take?
- Where is the line: visa exemption, DTV, Elite and the BOI programmes?
- What differs for applicants from the US, UK and Australia
- What next
A Thai work permit is issued to a named employer, filed online through the Department of Employment's e-Work Permit system, and held together with a Non-B visa or another status that allows work. The employer benchmark is THB 2 million of paid-up capital and 4 Thai employees per foreigner. It is not one universal rule, and the exceptions are many.
In short
- You need two documents: a visa that allows work, usually Non-B, and a permit for a named employer. A Non-B alone does not let you start work (Thaiger, 24 September 2026; as of 6 October 2026).
- Since 13 October 2025 e-Work Permit has been mandatory for new applications, renewals, notifications and cancellations (Aniday; Fragomen; Forvis Mazars).
- The employer benchmark is THB 2 million of paid-up capital (about USD 60,000 or GBP 45,000 at illustrative rates of THB 33 and THB 44) and 4 Thai employees per foreigner, with the staff checked against Social Security filings (Aniday, 7 September 2026).
- Companies with Board of Investment (BOI) promotion and Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa holders are exempt from the ratio, and lower bars apply to representative offices, startups and other cases (BOI; ThaiLawOnline, 30 September 2026).
- The fee depends on the duration: THB 750, 1,500 or 3,000, plus THB 100 for the application (Thaiger, 24 September 2026).
- Working without a permit costs the worker THB 5,000 to 50,000 and the employer THB 10,000 to 100,000 per worker, and can end in deportation (ThaiLawOnline).
What is the difference between a work permit and a Non-B visa?
A Non-B visa lets you enter and stay in Thailand, while a work permit authorises work for one named employer, and a Non-B alone does not let you start work (Thaiger, 24 September 2026). Since 31 August 2025 the old B, B-A, IM, IB and EX categories are one category B, with the criteria unchanged (Fragomen, 10 September 2025).
| Document | What it gives you | Who issues it |
|---|---|---|
| Non-B visa | The right to enter and stay in Thailand | A Thai embassy or consulate |
| Work permit | The right to do specific work for a specific employer | The Department of Employment, through e-Work Permit |
The legal basis is the Foreign Workers Management Emergency Decree B.E. 2560 (2017). Section 59 covers an employee of a Thai company who is already in the country. Section 60 is the pre-entry approval for hiring from abroad, and section 61 covers urgent or specific work, normally up to 15 days, and does not replace an ordinary permit for ongoing work (Thaiger, 24 September 2026).
How does the e-Work Permit system work?
The Department of Employment's e-Work Permit system (eworkpermit.doe.go.th) has been mandatory since 13 October 2025 for new applications, renewals, notifications and cancellations. A director or authorised representative registers the company and verifies identity through the ThaiID app, then the foreign employee files the registration and application, and the status is visible online (Fragomen; Forvis Mazars, 2 December 2025).
The Department reviews the file and can ask for corrections. Approved applicants may attend a service centre for identity verification (face, iris, fingerprints) and collect the card (Thaiger, 24 September 2026). The Thai-staff ratio is tested again at every renewal (Aniday, 7 September 2026).
How much capital and how many Thai staff does the employer need?
The benchmark for the employer is THB 2 million of paid-up capital and 4 Thai employees per foreigner; Social Security filings show the staff at application and at every renewal. Thaiger calls them planning benchmarks, not one universal rule, and our sources show no change to these figures in 2025 and 2026 (Aniday, 7 September 2026; Thaiger, 24 September 2026).
| Situation | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Company with BOI promotion | Exempt from the 4:1 ratio | BOI; Aniday |
| LTR holder | Exempt from the ratio; a digital work permit comes with the programme | BOI |
| Representative office, regional office or branch of a multinational | Ratio of 1:1 | ThaiLawOnline, 30 September 2026 |
| Certified startup or company in one of 18 targeted industries, foreigner paid at least THB 50,000 a month (about USD 1,500 or GBP 1,100), company capital of at least THB 1 million | Ratio of 1:1; ThaiLawOnline also mentions five years since registration, worded ambiguously | ThaiLawOnline |
| Foreigner married to and living with a Thai national | THB 1 million of capital for his or her own permit | ThaiLawOnline |
| Company under the Treaty of Amity | THB 3 million of capital | ThaiLawOnline |
Sources differ on the details. Thaiger and Aniday describe both figures as employer checks at application and renewal. ThaiLawOnline (30 September 2026) separates them: the THB 2 million capital belongs to the permit, and the 4:1 ratio is applied by Immigration to the one-year extension of stay under Order 12/2568 of 23 January 2025. This is one source and we have not checked the order itself, so we confirm the procedure with Immigration before filing. We run both figures in advance and do not count on an exemption until it is confirmed.
A Thai employee counts only if Social Security filings show them, so real employees are hired and registered before you file. We do not register fictitious employees to meet the 4:1 ratio: the figures are tested at application and at every renewal, and false information puts both the company and the permit at risk. The employer also gathers its Department of Business Development (DBD) registration and shareholder details, tax and VAT filings, financial statements, proof of the workplace and licences, and a job description with the employment agreement (Thaiger, 24 September 2026). The job description must match the real work, because working outside it is an offence.
Do not confuse these figures with the capital for a Foreign Business Licence (FBL), which is covered in How to register a company in Thailand in 2026.
How do you get a work permit from abroad?
For a hire from abroad the order is: Thai employer sponsorship, pre-approval under section 60, a Non-B visa, entry, a work permit under section 59, and only then work. If you are already in Thailand with a suitable status, the section 59 application goes in straight away (Thaiger, 24 September 2026).
| # | Step | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The employer prepares the company papers | The Thai company | Before the first application |
| 2 | Pre-approval under section 60 | Department of Employment | No guaranteed time |
| 3 | Non-B visa | A Thai embassy or consulate | Depends on the mission |
| 4 | Entry into Thailand | Immigration control | On the day of entry |
| 5 | Work permit under section 59 through e-Work Permit | Department of Employment | Three working days after a complete application is accepted, per older Department of Employment material (Thaiger) |
| 6 | Start work | The employer | Only after the permit is issued |
The employee needs a passport, an employment contract or employer's letter, a CV and proof of qualifications, a medical certificate and, for a licensed profession, the licence (Thaiger, 24 September 2026).
What does a work permit cost, and how long does it take?
The fee depends on the duration: THB 750 for up to 3 months, THB 1,500 for 3 to 6 months and THB 3,000 for 6 to 12 months, plus THB 100 for the application (Thaiger, 24 September 2026). ThaiLawOnline quotes THB 3,000 for one year and THB 6,000 for two, so we quote the fee in force on the filing day.
Thaiger cites older Department of Employment material for three working days once a complete application is accepted, and advises leaving extra time: the figure excludes gathering papers, corrections and identity checks. The slowest part is usually the package and the staff. In a typical case a company and a work permit took 6 weeks, described in A company and a work permit in 6 weeks.
Where is the line: visa exemption, DTV, Elite and the BOI programmes?
You may work for an employer only with a permit. The visa exemption is for tourism, the DTV does not allow work for Thai companies or clients, and the Elite visa gives no right to work. BOI and LTR are exempt from the Thai-staff ratio, and LTR includes a digital work permit (BOI; ThaiLawOnline, 2026).
- Visa exemption. Fragomen reports (18 September 2026) that the Department of Employment accepts an urgent-work notification of up to 15 days from visa-exempt entrants. Each case is checked separately, and visa-on-arrival holders cannot use it (Vialto). See the 30-day visa exemption from September 2026.
- DTV. Remote work for a foreign employer is allowed, work for Thai companies and clients is not.
- SMART. Since 18 February 2025 new applications are accepted only for SMART S (startup founders) and SMART O (their families).
What differs for applicants from the US, UK and Australia
Passport holders from the US, the UK and Australia enter visa-free for 30 days as tourists only, so the Non-B must be in place before work starts (Royal Thai Embassy London; Dejudom, September 2026). If you are married to and living with a Thai national, your own permit needs THB 1 million of capital, about USD 30,000 or GBP 23,000.
A US-owned company under the Treaty of Amity needs THB 3 million (about USD 91,000). Degrees and other papers issued at home usually need legalisation before Thai use (Bangkok Translation, 16 August 2026). The Apostille Convention enters into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027, but not with states that object before about 30 December 2026 (HCCH, 6 October 2026). Salary from a Thai employer is Thai-source income, filed on PND 91 if you have no other income: see Filing a Thai tax return as a foreigner.
What next
If you want help with the application, describe your situation in the form on Work permit and Non-B visa in Thailand: within 24 hours we tell you what has to be done, what it costs and how long it takes. Send the role, the company and your start date, and that is enough for a first answer.
If you have no company yet, start with Company registration in Thailand.
