Thailand Work Permit & Non-B Visa 2026: The Complete Guide

If you want to work legally for a Thai company, there is one idea to get straight before anything else: a Thailand work permit and a Non-Immigrant B visa are two separate documents, and you need both. The Non-B visa is your permission to enter and stay in Thailand for work or business. The work permit is your permission to actually work, issued by a different authority entirely — the Ministry of Labour's Department of Employment. Holding the visa alone does not make it legal to lift a finger for your employer.

This guide is the practical version, written from Phuket for people taking a genuine job with a Thai-registered company. We cover how the two documents fit together, what your employer must prove to sponsor you, the minimum salary for your nationality, the application order, the 2026 costs, the new Digital Work Permit, and how to stay compliant. Get the sequence wrong and you either can't work or can't stay — so the order matters.

Last updated July 2026. Thai visa rules change often and details vary by embassy and immigration office. This is a general guide, not legal advice — always confirm the current requirements with an official source (linked throughout) or a licensed visa agent before you apply.

Thailand work permit and Non-B visa at a glance

The key distinction: the visa and the work permit are two different things

More foreigners trip over this than any other part of working in Thailand. The two documents are issued by different ministries, at different stages, and do different jobs.

What the Non-B visa does

The Non-Immigrant B ("business") visa is your entry and stay permission. You apply at a Thai embassy or consulate outside Thailand, and it is typically issued as a 90-day single-entry visa. That initial visa is a launch pad: it gets you into the country with a 90-day stamp so you can complete the work permit and then convert to a one-year stay. It says the government is happy for you to be here for business — it does not, on its own, say you may work.

What the work permit does

The work permit is issued inside Thailand by the Department of Employment, part of the Ministry of Labour. It names your employer, job title and work location, and it is the document that makes your employment legal. Until it is in your hand you must not start working — not "just helping out", not answering client emails. Working before the permit is issued gets both employee and employer into trouble.

Why you need both — the mental model

Think of it as a lock with two keys. The visa unlocks the door to stay; the work permit unlocks the right to earn money from a Thai employer. A Non-B with no permit means you are legally present but cannot work, and a work permit cannot exist without a visa to anchor it. The whole application flow below exists to cut both keys, in the right order, before your 90 days run out.

Legal employment in Thailand rests on two documents working together — the visa to stay and the permit to work.

Who needs a Non-B visa and work permit?

Any foreigner who wants to be employed by a Thai company, or to actively do business inside Thailand, needs this combination. The trigger is "work", and Thai law defines it broadly — not just a salaried job. Exerting effort or using knowledge for wages or benefit can count whether or not money changes hands, which is why even unpaid "volunteering" for a Thai entity can technically require a permit.

The simplest test: who is paying you, and where are they based?

• If a Thai company employs you, or you run a business registered in Thailand, or you freelance for Thai clients — you need a Non-B visa and a work permit. Full stop.
• If your income comes entirely from outside Thailand and you are working remotely, you are on the wrong page. The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is built for remote workers and freelancers earning foreign income, and it explicitly forbids local work — you cannot get a work permit on it, work for Thai companies, or freelance for Thai clients.
• If you are a high earner or specialist, the Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa can be a smoother route, and some LTR categories do allow you to work for a Thai entity (more on that below).

In short: the Non-B plus work permit is the route for people whose livelihood is inside Thailand.

Employer requirements: what your company has to prove

Here is the part many applicants miss — most of the heavy lifting is on the employer, not you. Thailand deliberately makes hiring a foreigner expensive and paperwork-heavy to protect the local labour market. To sponsor one foreign work permit, a standard Thai company generally must show:

• 2,000,000 THB of registered (paid-up) capital per foreign employee. Two foreign hires means 4,000,000 THB, and so on.
• A ratio of four Thai employees to every one foreigner (4:1). Those Thai staff must be genuinely employed and enrolled in social security.
• Proper tax registration — the company must be registered for VAT and for Social Security, with filings up to date.

These thresholds are halved if you are married to a Thai national: the requirement drops to around 1,000,000 THB of capital and two Thai employees for your permit. It is one of the biggest practical advantages of a Thai marriage when it comes to working here.

Two widely-quoted rules should be treated as guidelines, not gospel: companies are often said to be capped at around ten work permits in total, and there is said to be an alternative qualifying route for companies that have paid substantial corporate income tax (roughly 5,000,000 THB over three years is commonly cited) in place of the capital test. Both are repeated often but vary in practice — verify the current position with the Department of Employment or a licensed agent before relying on either.

Your employer carries most of the burden: registered capital, a four-to-one Thai staffing ratio, and clean VAT and social security records.

The application process, step by step

The sequence is the whole game. Do it in this order:

1. WP3 pre-approval. Your employer files a WP3 (pre-approval for your work permit) at the Ministry of Labour or, for eligible companies, the One-Stop Service Centre, producing a letter confirming the company may hire you. At the One-Stop Service this can be done in roughly one day; the WP3 letter is typically valid for only about one month, so you must enter Thailand within that window.
2. Apply for the Non-B visa abroad. With the WP3 letter and company documents, you apply for the Non-Immigrant B visa at a Thai embassy or consulate outside Thailand — usually a 90-day single-entry visa. Embassy fees vary by post, so don't assume one universal figure.
3. Enter Thailand. You arrive on the Non-B and receive a 90-day stamp. The clock is now ticking.
4. Collect the work permit. In-country, your employer files the full application and the Department of Employment issues the work permit — faster in Bangkok, but budget around 7–15 business days. Only now may you legally start work.
5. Convert to a one-year extension of stay. Before the 90-day stamp runs out, you apply at your local Immigration office for a one-year extension of stay based on employment, replacing the countdown with a full year. This is what people loosely call the "one-year work visa".

Miss the window at any stage and you may have to restart abroad, so line up the paperwork before you fly.

Timing is everything: WP3 first, then the visa abroad, then entry, then the permit, then the one-year extension — all before your 90 days expire.

Required documents checklist

The file splits into what you provide and what your company provides. Missing or stale company paperwork is the most common cause of delay.

Personal documents (from you)

• Passport with at least 12 months validity, plus your Non-B visa
• Recent passport-style photos
• Degree certificate(s) and transcripts (proving you are qualified for the role)
• CV / résumé
• Medical certificate issued within the last six months
• Signed employment contract

Company documents (from your employer)

• Company affidavit / registration certificate
• Shareholder list, issued within the last six months
• VAT registration (Phor Phor 20)
• Social Security registration
• Latest financial statement
• Recent withholding tax and VAT filings
• Map of the office location
• List of Thai employees (to evidence the 4:1 ratio)

Costs and fees in 2026

The government fees are modest. The real cost, if you use one, is the visa agent — and that fee is separate and considerably larger.

Many employers handle the process in-house or through their own agent, in which case your out-of-pocket cost is minimal. If you are arranging it yourself, budget for an agent on top of the government fees above, and confirm the current embassy fee directly with the post handling your application.

Minimum salary by nationality

Thailand sets a minimum monthly salary for foreign employees that scales by nationality under Ministerial Regulation No.10. Your employer must pay at least the figure for your group, and that salary is also the basis for the tax evidence you'll need at renewal:

These are minimums for permit approval, not typical market pay, and immigration will expect your contract and payslips to match.

Staying compliant once you are working

Getting the permit is the start, not the finish. Four things keep you on the right side of the rules.

90-day reporting (TM47)

If you remain in Thailand for 90 or more consecutive days, you must file a 90-day report (form TM47) confirming your address. The reporting window runs from 15 days before to 7 days after your 90-day date. The clock resets every time you leave the country, so frequent travellers rarely trigger it. Miss it and the late fine is around 2,000 THB. It can be filed online, by post or in person and is separate from your visa.

Annual renewal

Both the work permit and the extension of stay are renewed yearly. Crucially, renewal requires evidence that you paid the previous year's personal income tax at a level consistent with your salary band — so keep your tax filings clean throughout the year, not just at renewal time.

Tax and social security

Thailand's personal income tax is progressive, from 5% to 35%. You become a Thai tax resident if you spend 180 days or more in the country in a calendar year. As an employee you are also enrolled in the Social Security system — the employee contribution is roughly 5% of salary up to a capped ceiling, with the employer matching it. Note the contribution ceiling has been adjusted recently, so verify the current cap before relying on a specific figure.

Restricted occupations

A list of jobs is reserved for Thai nationals (originally 39 occupations). It covers most manual labour, small-scale farming, hairdressing and beauty work, and driving (with aircraft piloting an exception), among others. Two practical consequences: your permit is only valid for the specific role, employer and work location named on it, and you cannot take on a reserved occupation regardless of your qualifications. Changing job or employer means changing your permit.

The new Digital Work Permit (e-Work Permit) in 2026

Thailand has moved the work permit online. The e-Work Permit system (eworkpermit.doe.go.th) issues a card-sized Digital Work Permit carrying a QR code, and employers can verify a worker's status by scanning it with the ThaiID app rather than handling a paper booklet.

The wrinkle is the deadline for going fully online. Reported dates conflict — you may see 28 April 2026 or 28 July 2026 cited as the point at which applications become online-only, and the transition has already been extended more than once. So, as of July 2026 the transition deadline is still moving, and you should verify the current status directly with the Department of Employment (doe.go.th) rather than trust a secondhand date.

BOI fast-track and the LTR alternative

Two routes bypass much of the grind above.

BOI fast-track. Companies promoted by the Board of Investment (boi.go.th) use the One-Stop Service Centre, where work permits are often issued in around 30 days — sometimes within hours. They are also exempt from the 4:1 Thai-staff ratio and the 2,000,000 THB capital rule, receiving a foreign-headcount quota instead. One point to verify: new BOI minimum salaries are reported to apply from 1 January 2026 — around 150,000 THB/month for executives, and 50,000 THB for managers, engineers and IT staff who hold a relevant bachelor's degree (75,000 without one). That is a single-source figure, so confirm it with BOI before planning around it.

The LTR alternative. The LTR visa is a 10-year visa (with annual reporting) aimed at high earners and specialists. Its Highly-Skilled Professional category comes with a BOI-issued digital work permit and lets you work for a Thai entity — a genuinely different, lighter-touch route than the standard Non-B. But note the Work-from-Thailand Professional category is not eligible for a work permit, so it is for remote workers only. If you qualify, LTR can replace this entire process; if you don't, the Non-B remains the standard road.

Non-B + work permit vs other Thailand long-stay options

The Non-B is the right tool only if you're working for a Thai employer. Here's how it sits against the other common long-stay routes:

The verdict: if a Thai company is paying you, the Non-B plus work permit is the only legal route among these — the DTV, tourist, retirement, education and Privilege options all bar local work. If your income is foreign and remote, drop back to the DTV. If you earn a high salary or are a recognised specialist, weigh up the LTR first, since it can grant work rights with far less annual hassle.

Joining a BOI-promoted company skips the capital and staffing tests and can cut permit processing to days.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Non-B visa the same as a work permit?

No. They are two separate documents. The Non-Immigrant B visa lets you enter and stay in Thailand for business; the work permit, issued by the Department of Employment, lets you actually work. You need both, and the visa alone does not authorise any work.

Can I start working as soon as I arrive on my Non-B visa?

No. You must wait until the work permit is physically issued. Working during the 90-day period before the permit comes through is illegal and puts both you and your employer at risk.

What does my employer need to sponsor me?

A standard company needs about 2,000,000 THB of registered capital per foreign employee, four Thai staff for every foreigner, and current VAT and Social Security registration. If you are married to a Thai national, those requirements are halved to roughly 1,000,000 THB and two Thai employees.

What is the minimum salary for a Thai work permit?

It depends on your nationality: roughly 50,000 THB/month for Westerners (US, Canada, EU, Australia, Japan), 45,000 for Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Taiwan, 35,000 for China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Middle East, and 25,000 for CLMV countries and Africa.

How long does the whole process take?

WP3 pre-approval can be about a day at the One-Stop Service, the Non-B visa is arranged abroad, and the work permit itself usually takes 7–15 business days once you are in Thailand (faster in Bangkok). You then convert to a one-year extension of stay before your 90-day stamp expires.

Do I have to do 90-day reporting?

Yes, if you stay in Thailand for 90 or more consecutive days. You file form TM47 within a window of 15 days before to 7 days after your 90-day date. The clock resets whenever you leave the country, and the late fine is around 2,000 THB.

What happens at annual renewal?

Both the work permit and the extension of stay are renewed yearly, and you must show evidence that you paid the previous year's personal income tax at a level matching your salary band. Keep your tax and payroll records clean all year.

Can I work for more than one employer or change jobs?

Your work permit is tied to a specific employer, role and location. Changing employer or job means amending or reissuing the permit — you cannot simply move to a new company on the existing one.

Is the new Digital Work Permit mandatory yet?

Thailand has launched the e-Work Permit and its card-sized Digital Work Permit with a QR code. The date for going fully online-only has conflicting reports (28 April 2026 versus 28 July 2026) and has been pushed back before, so as of July 2026 you should verify the current status with the Department of Employment.

Is the Non-B visa and work permit right for you?

If a Thai-registered company is employing you, or you are running a business inside Thailand, this is the only legal route — and it is a well-trodden one. The key is to remember it is two documents, get the sequence right (WP3, then visa abroad, then entry, then permit, then the one-year extension), and lean on your employer, since most of the requirements sit with them. If you are joining a BOI-promoted company the whole thing is dramatically faster, and if you are a high earner the LTR visa may be a better fit.

Setting up in Phuket for a new job? Get a feel for the island through our Phuket directory and the wider Phuket hub, and scope out a reliable café or coworking spot for the days you're not in the office.

This is a general guide, not legal advice. Employer requirements, salary thresholds, fees and the e-Work Permit timeline all change, and immigration offices interpret rules differently. Confirm the current position with the Department of Employment, the e-Work Permit portal, Bangkok Immigration or the Board of Investment, or use a licensed visa agent, before you apply.

About this guide

This guide was written and fact-checked by the Thailand Stuff editorial team, who live in and cover Thailand. We research our visa guides against official sources such as Thai Immigration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we review them regularly to keep requirements, fees and processes current. Thailand Stuff is an independent guide, not a law firm or a licensed visa agent, so treat this as general information rather than legal advice. Visa rules change often and are applied at the discretion of individual immigration offices, so always confirm the current requirements with Thai Immigration or your nearest Thai embassy before you apply or travel. Last reviewed: July 2026.