Thai Work Permit Process

Thai Work Permit Process — the complete 2026 guide

The work permit — 'wor bor 5' in Thai — is the physical document issued by the Ministry of Labour that authorises you to perform paid work in Thailand. It is technically separate from your visa, and you need both simultaneously to work legally. The Non-Immigrant B visa (or LTR, or Non-O in some cases) gives you the right to reside in Thailand; the work permit gives you the right to actually earn income here. Working on any Thai visa without a valid work permit is illegal and carries fines up to 100,000 THB plus deportation and re-entry bans.

The work permit is issued to the specific job at the specific employer, at the specific work location. If you change employers, change your role significantly, or move office to a different province, you file an amendment or reapply. The Ministry of Labour maintains a list of 39 restricted occupations reserved entirely for Thai nationals — construction labour, hairdressing, retail sales at market stalls, driver/chauffeur, ceremonial roles like Buddhist monk, and tour guide (with some exceptions). Common jobs for expats — teaching, IT, engineering, corporate management, medical practice — are permitted with the standard work permit.

Employer qualifications are strict. Thai companies must have 2 million THB registered capital per foreign employee, with matching Thai-employee ratios (usually 4 Thai employees per foreign worker). BOI-promoted companies and IEAT-zone tenants get relaxed thresholds. LTR Visa holders bypass most of this — the digital work permit is bundled into the LTR itself. For everyone else, the work permit process runs at the Ministry of Labour's One-Stop Service Centres, with Bangkok's flagship centre inside Government Complex Building B at Chaeng Wattana. Bring the physical work permit book to work every day; occasional Ministry inspections are real. See /business-visa for the parallel visa process, /jobs-bangkok for finding qualifying work, and /expat-taxes for tax implications.

Government fees

Documents you'll need

• Valid Non-Immigrant B, LTR, or eligible Non-O visa
• Employer letter of employment on company letterhead
• Thai company registration + financial statements
• University diploma + transcripts (translated to Thai if in another language)
• Medical certificate from a Thai clinic (basic; costs 200–500 THB)
• Passport + Non-B visa page copies
• Recent passport-sized photos
• Photos of workplace (typically office exterior + interior)

Application process, step by step

1. 1

   Confirm your Non-B visa is valid

   You cannot apply for a work permit without a valid work-eligible visa. Confirm the Non-B stamp is in your passport (or that you hold an LTR card or eligible Non-O). If you're inside your 90-day initial stamp period, you have a maximum of 30 days from your visa-issue date to begin the work permit process — do not delay.

2. 2

   Employer files the WP-3 application

   The employer's HR or accounting team completes Form WP-3 with company details, employee details, role, salary, and workplace address. The application is submitted at the Ministry of Labour One-Stop Service Centre in Bangkok (Chaeng Wattana, Government Complex Building B) or the province where the workplace is located.

3. 3

   Get the medical certificate

   Visit a Thai clinic or hospital for a basic medical certificate confirming you're free of certain communicable diseases (leprosy, TB, elephantiasis, drug addiction, tertiary syphilis). Any private clinic can issue this — cost 200–500 THB, takes about 30 minutes. Bumrungrad, Samitivej, and BNH also handle this quickly for expats.

4. 4

   Attend the collection appointment

   5 working days after the WP-3 filing, you visit the One-Stop Service Centre in person to collect your physical work permit book. Bring your passport, the medical certificate, an original diploma, and one recent photo. You sign the book and provide fingerprints. Total time on site is 30–60 minutes.

5. 5

   Extend the Non-B to 1 year at Immigration

   With the work permit book in hand, return to Chaeng Wattana Immigration within a day or two to convert your 90-day Non-B into a 1-year extension. See /business-visa for the visa side of this process. Both documents must remain synchronised at renewal.

6. 6

   Renew annually

   Both visa and work permit renew on their annual anniversary. You need updated employer documents (current company financials, latest tax filings, VAT returns, current employee list), your latest 3 months of payslips, and Thai social security records if applicable. Well-organised HR teams handle this administratively; you just show up on the day.