Non-Immigrant B (Business) Visa

Non-Immigrant B (Business) Visa — the complete 2026 guide

The Non-Immigrant B visa is the workhorse of Thailand's foreign-employment system. Any expat with a job at a Thai company — whether the company is Thai-owned, foreign-owned, or joint-venture — enters the country on a Non-B and pairs it with a work permit issued by the Ministry of Labour. It has existed for decades and represents the vast majority of foreigners legally working in Bangkok's offices, teaching posts, and factories. Unlike LTR or DTV, Non-B is employer-sponsored: your legal right to stay is tied to your job. Lose the job and you have 7 days to convert or leave.

Initial visa duration is a 90-day single-entry stamp from a Thai embassy in your home country (or Vientiane/Penang for third-country nationals), based on the employer's invitation letter, company registration, and financial statements. Once you're in Thailand and start work, the company files for your work permit within the first 30 days at the Ministry of Labour One-Stop Service Centre. Together with the work permit you extend the Non-B to a full year at Immigration. Renewals thereafter are annual, on the same day of your visa's issue date. Government fees are 2,000 THB for the visa (5,000 for multiple-entry), 3,000 THB per year for the work permit, plus 1,900 THB per extension.

Employer requirements are strict. The sponsoring Thai company must have registered capital of at least 2 million THB per foreign employee, plus 4 Thai employees per foreign employee (for the standard case; BOI-promoted companies get a lower ratio). Company tax filings must be current and paid VAT above certain thresholds. Certain professions are entirely reserved for Thai nationals under the Foreign Business Act — including construction labour, hairdressing, retail sales, and Thai-national ceremonial roles. English teaching, IT, and engineering are the most common Non-B routes; digital nomads without a Thai employer should look at DTV or LTR instead. See /work-permit-process for the parallel Ministry of Labour process, /jobs-bangkok for finding work, and /expat-taxes for the tax picture.

Government fees

Documents you'll need

• Employer invitation letter on Thai company letterhead
• Thai company registration certificate (Nor. Sor. 8/9)
• Company financial statements for the last audit period
• VAT registration (Phor. Por. 20) for tax-eligible companies
• Job offer letter, salary, and role description
• Applicant's CV, university transcript, and diploma copies
• Passport valid at least 6 months
• Recent passport-sized photo

Application process, step by step

1. 1

   Secure a job offer from a qualifying Thai employer

   Your employer must be a Thai-registered company with capital of at least 2 million THB and (typically) 4 Thai employees for every foreign hire. BOI-promoted companies and IEAT-zone tenants have relaxed ratios. Get the offer in writing with role, salary, and start date; verify company registration on the DBD portal (dbd.go.th).

2. 2

   Collect employer documents

   Your employer prepares an invitation letter, company registration (Nor. Sor. 8/9), latest audited financial statements, VAT registration certificate, and a list of current Thai vs foreign employees. The company's HR or accounting team should be familiar with the process — if they're not, offer to help by sharing the standard checklist from mfa.go.th.

3. 3

   Apply at a Thai embassy in your home country

   Submit the employer packet with your passport, application form, photos, and CV. Some embassies require original documents; others accept scanned. Processing takes 1–3 weeks — some third-country embassies (Vientiane, Penang, KL) process faster and are useful if you're already in the region. The initial visa is a 90-day single-entry stamp.

4. 4

   Enter Thailand and start work

   You have 90 days from entry to secure the work permit. Do not start work before the work permit is issued — Ministry of Labour officers occasionally do surprise inspections and fines are steep (100,000+ THB) for working without a permit. During this 90-day window register for the tax ID with the Revenue Department, open a Thai bank account, and locate a lawyer if you'll be handling company registrations.

5. 5

   Apply for the work permit

   Your employer files at the Ministry of Labour One-Stop Service Centre (in Bangkok, the office is at Chaeng Wattana). Processing takes 5 working days once the file is complete. You collect the physical work permit book, which lists your employer, address, and role. Keep it with your passport during business hours; occasional inspection is possible. See /work-permit-process for the deep dive.

6. 6

   Extend the visa to 1 year at Immigration

   With the work permit issued, apply at Chaeng Wattana Immigration to convert the 90-day stamp into a 1-year extension. You need the work permit, employer letter, salary evidence (recent payslips), Thai tax filing evidence, TM.7 form, one photo, and 1,900 THB. Extension processing is same-day for well-prepared files.