Immigration
Work permit plus Non-B visa, with a 4:1 Thai-to-foreign staffing ratio
Employment requires both a Non-Immigrant B visa and a work permit under the Foreign Working Management Emergency Decree. Employers generally must maintain four Thai employees per foreign worker and registered capital of two million baht per permit.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Immigration Bureau issues visas and extensions; the Department of Employment issues work permits. BOI-promoted companies use a separate faster channel with relaxed ratios.
Governing law
- Immigration Act B.E. 25221979
- Royal Decree on Managing the Work of Foreigners B.E. 25602017
- Revenue Codetax clearance on departure
In practice
Thirty-nine occupations are reserved for Thai nationals, including most manual trades, and cannot be performed by foreigners at all. Ninety-day reporting applies to long-stay foreigners, and re-entry permits are needed to preserve an extension when leaving. The Long-Term Resident visa introduced in 2022 offers ten years with a digital work permit for wealthy, retired, remote-working or highly skilled applicants meeting income and asset tests, and the Destination Thailand Visa followed in 2024 for longer tourist and remote-work stays. Permanent residence exists but is capped by nationality quota and rarely granted; citizenship generally follows five years of PR.