Thailand Work Permit: THB 3,100 for One Year, Fines and Limits
A one-year Thai work permit costs THB 3,100 in government fees: THB 100 to apply and THB 3,000 for the permit. The THB 2 million capital and 4 Thai employees test belongs to the Immigration Bureau's extension of stay, not to the permit. Working without a permit costs the worker THB 5,000 to 50,000.
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Government fees for a one-year work permit total THB 3,100: THB 100 to apply and THB 3,000 for the permit. The THB 2 million capital and 4 Thai employees test is a different thing. It is how the Immigration Bureau decides your extension of stay.
Work permit fees and how long a permit lasts
The application fee is THB 100 per application, and the permit fee is set by band, by length of permit. A permit for over 6 months and up to 1 year costs THB 3,000.
| Item | Government fee |
|---|---|
| Application, per application | THB 100 |
| Permit up to 3 months | THB 750 |
| Permit over 3 and up to 6 months | THB 1,500 |
| Permit over 6 months and up to 1 year | THB 3,000 |
| One year in all (application plus top band, a total) | THB 3,100 |
A permit lasts as long as you ask for, but not more than two years from the date it is issued. For a permit longer than 1 year, the fee for the period beyond 1 year is added at the same bands.
LTR visa holders who work for a Thai employer pay THB 3,000 a year to maintain the permit. The extension of stay is a separate fee: THB 1,900 at Immigration.
Who needs a permit, and which work is banned
Section 59 covers a foreigner who lives in Thailand or is admitted temporarily other than as a tourist or in transit. That foreigner may do only work not covered by a prohibition notice, and must hold a work permit. Section 8 of the decree sets the ban.
ห้ามคนต่างด้าวทํางานโดยไม่มีใบอนุญาตทํางานหรือทํางานนอกเหนือจากที่มีสิทธิจะทําได้อันเป็นการฝ่าฝืนพระราชกําหนดนี้
“No alien may work without a work permit or work beyond what he or she is entitled to do, in breach of this Emergency Decree.”
Foreigners’ Working Management Emergency Decree B.E. 2560, section 8, as replaced in 2018
Some work is banned for every foreigner, in every part of the Kingdom. The ban list in Annex 1 includes:
- Thai massage.
- Tour guide and tour-organising work.
- Clerk, staff and secretary work.
- Haircutting, hair styling and beauty work.
- Hawking goods.
- Driving motor vehicles in the country, with exceptions for international flying and forklift driving.
Labourer work and shop-front sales are allowed only with an employer and entry under a memorandum with a foreign government.
If you are a tourist, DTV holder or LTR remote worker
DTV holders are prohibited from obtaining a Thai work permit, working for companies in Thailand or freelancing for Thai clients. Work permits are not granted to LTR Work-from-Thailand Professionals either.
If the job lasts 15 days or less
Section 61 allows urgent or necessary work of up to 15 days on any visa category. The listed jobs include organising meetings, training sessions, seminars, exhibitions and trade fairs, and film and still photography production.
How to get a work permit, step by step
Skilled foreigners enter on a Non-Immigrant visa and stay lawfully under the Non-B type. The route has seven steps.
- The Thai employer files Form WP3 for the Ministry of Labour approval letter at the Department of Employment or a Provincial Employment Office. The embassy asks for that letter for Non-B employment.
- Apply for the Non-B visa. It is single entry and must be used within 90 days of issue.
- At the checkpoint you get an initial permit to stay up to 90 days. Within 90 days after entry you must obtain a work permit from the Department of Employment.
- File the application and documents and pay the application fee through e-WorkPermit. The system is open 24 hours.
- Wait for approval. The handbook gives 4 days in total, not counting any time the file is sent for checking, which is allowed 10 days.
- After approval, pay the fee and book your appointment through e-WorkPermit. You appear in person for biometrics and receive the permit and the Digital Work Permit.
- With the permit, apply to Immigration for an extension of stay up to 1 year with multiple entries.
Applications and registration run on the e-WorkPermit system from 13 October 2025. The appointment takes around 12 minutes at one of over 40 service centres. The handbook lists 40 service centres.
Centres outside shopping malls open Monday to Friday, except public holidays, from 08:30 to 16:30, with a lunch break. The Department’s hotline is 1506, press 2.
Conditions the Department checks
- You enter temporarily on a Non-Immigrant visa, not as a tourist or in transit.
- The work is not banned by the Ministry of Labour notice of 1 April B.E. 2563.
- You do not have the prohibited characteristics set in the Ministerial Regulation on prohibited characteristics.
- A licensed profession needs its professional licence or certificate.
Renewing a permit
A permit holder who wants to keep working must apply for an extension before the permit expires. You may keep working until the registrar refuses the extension.
Documents for the work permit and the Non-B visa
The Department of Employment asks for these documents:
- Application form BT.25, filled in on the system.
- Proof of permission to enter and stay in the Kingdom, meaning the visa.
- Education evidence, or an experience letter from a former employer or from the person who will be the employer.
- Employment certification form BT.46.
- A medical certificate that you do not have the prohibited characteristics.
- A 3 x 4 cm half-length photo, facing the camera, no hat, no dark glasses, taken within 6 months.
A Thai company employer adds a company registration certificate with its objects, issued within 6 months. A limited company adds a shareholder list not older than 6 months. It also adds its VAT registration.
Forms are filled in Thai. Foreign-language documents need a Thai translation certified by a licensed person or a government agency.
The embassy’s Non-B checklist asks for a job offer letter from the Thai employer. It also asks for the employer’s company registration and business licence with registered capital of at least THB 2 million. It asks for the employer’s list of shareholders. For the work permit proof it accepts any one of a work permit copy, a Ministry of Labour approval letter or Form WP.32, or a BOI letter.
The capital and Thai-staff rule
This test sits in Immigration Bureau Order 12/2568. The order applies from 23 January 2025. The order sets temporary-stay permission on grounds of necessity at no more than 1 year at a time. For a business-necessity extension:
- You hold a temporary-stay visa.
- The business has paid-up registered capital of at least THB 2 million.
- The business files financial statements for the last accounting year, audited by a licensed auditor.
- The business keeps a ratio of 1 foreign national to 4 regular Thai employees.
- You meet the minimum income in Annex A.
Regional offices, representative offices of international trade and branch offices of multinationals skip the capital and financial-statement tests. They need only 1 Thai employee per foreign national. Start-ups and targeted industries need income of at least THB 50,000 a month and a lower capital figure. LTR visa holders are exempt from the ratio.
| Nationality group (Annex A) | Minimum monthly income |
|---|---|
| Europe except Russia, Australia, Canada, Japan, USA | THB 50,000 |
| South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong | THB 45,000 |
| Rest of Asia, South and Central America, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, listed eastern European countries | THB 35,000 |
| Africa except South Africa, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam | THB 25,000 |
While an extension is considered you may stay, and officers may stamp appointments to hear the result, for no more than 30 days from the day the permission ended. After a refusal you must leave within 7 days of the day permission ended.
BOI and LTR routes
Foreigners working under the Investment Promotion Act enter on a Non-Immigrant B or IB visa and receive their work permit from the registrar under that law. A Section 59 work permit is valid up to 2 years per term.
LTR visa holders who work for a Thai employer apply for the permit through the LTR system straight after the visa is issued. The process takes 3 to 5 working days. While the request is pending, the holder may work without the permit.
Four LTR groups can apply: Wealthy Global Citizens, Wealthy Pensioners, Highly Skilled Professionals and Dependents. The digital work permit needs an employment certificate. The Work-from-Thailand group cannot get a permit.
Penalties for working or hiring without a permit
A foreigner who breaks section 8 faces a fine of THB 5,000 to 50,000 and is then sent out of the Kingdom promptly.
คนต่างด้าวผู้ใดฝ่าฝืนมาตรา ๘ ต้องระวางโทษปรับตั้งแต่ห้าพันบาทถึงห้าหมื่นบาท และเมื่อได้ชําระค่าปรับแล้ว ให้ส่งคนต่างด้าวผู้นั้นกลับออกไปนอกราชอาณาจักรโดยเร็ว
“An alien who breaks Section 8 is liable to a fine of five thousand to fifty thousand baht and, once the fine is paid, is to be sent out of the Kingdom promptly.”
Foreigners’ Working Management Emergency Decree B.E. 2560, section 101, as replaced in 2018
| Who | Offence | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Worker | Working without a permit (section 8) | Fine of THB 5,000 to 50,000, then removal |
| Employer | Taking a foreigner into work in breach of section 9 | Fine of THB 10,000 to 100,000 per foreigner |
| Employer, repeat | Same offence again | Prison up to one year, or THB 50,000 to 200,000 per foreigner, or both |
A repeat employer is also barred from employing foreigners for three years from the final court judgment. The Ministry of Labour said in May 2025 that foreign workers without permits or beyond permitted roles face fines of THB 5,000 to 50,000 and deportation.
If you are accused and agree to leave, the inquiry official settles the fine and the case is treated as closed once you have left. Section 101 does not apply to a foreigner who is a victim or witness in a human-trafficking case.
Not confirmed: Fees come from the Department of Employment handbook, and its site could not be reopened on 17 October 2026, so confirm the fee at the service centre or on 1506. Law-firm alerts report a temporary permit card and relaxed filing rules in 2026, but no official page was readable. Ask the Department before relying on them.
Common questions
How much does a Thai work permit cost?
A one-year permit costs THB 3,100 in government fees: THB 100 per application and THB 3,000 for a permit of over 6 months and up to 1 year.
How long is a work permit valid?
It lasts as long as the applicant asks for, but not more than two years from the date it is issued.
Do I need 4 Thai employees to get a work permit?
Immigration Bureau Order 12/2568 sets the ratio of 1 foreign national to 4 regular Thai employees for a business-necessity extension. That extension runs up to 1 year at a time.
Can I work on a tourist visa or a DTV?
Section 59 covers foreigners admitted other than as tourists or in transit. DTV holders are prohibited from obtaining a Thai work permit or working for companies in Thailand.
What is the fine for working without a work permit?
A fine of THB 5,000 to 50,000, after which the foreigner is sent out of the Kingdom promptly.
What is the fine for an employer?
THB 10,000 to 100,000 for each foreigner employed. A repeat offence brings up to one year in prison or THB 50,000 to 200,000 per foreigner, or both, and a three-year hiring ban.
How long does a work permit take?
The handbook gives a total of 4 days, not counting any time the file is sent for checking. A file sent for checking is allowed 10 days.
Can an LTR Work-from-Thailand holder get a work permit?
Work permits are not granted to Work-from-Thailand Professionals, who work remotely for a foreign employer.
Can I do short urgent work without a permit?
Section 61 covers urgent or necessary work of up to 15 days on any visa, such as meetings, seminars and film shoots.
General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.
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