To legally work in Thailand, a foreigner must apply for a work permit. Work permit is a legal document that states a foreigner’s position, current occupation, or job description and the Thai company one is working with. It also serves as a license to perform a job or an occupation allowed for foreigners inside Thailand.

Foreigners entering Thailand are not permitted to work, regardless of their type of visa, unless they are granted a work permit. Those who intend to work in Thailand must hold the correct type of visa to be eligible to apply for a work permit.

To secure a work permit in Thailand, a foreigner needs an initial visa, which is a non-immigrant visa. The non-immigrant visa must be obtained before entering Thailand.

Once the foreigner has a non-immigrant visa, he may begin to process the work permit. The work permit process would take 7 business days to accomplish. Work permit application is processed in the Ministry of Labor office.

A foreigner is eligible to apply for a work permit as long as he has a non-immigrant visa or a resident visa, has an available employer who will provide documents for work permit, and the occupation he will perform is not prohibited to foreigners.