General Work Permit (Alien Employment Act) 📑 — 1-year right to work in Thailand (renewable) · companion visa: Non-Immigrant B / O — 1 year, single or multi-entry · government fees WP THB 3,000 + visa THB 2,000.
The general route requires case-specific checks of Thai-employee ratios, paid-up capital and professional licences. NYC Visa helps prepare the organisation chart and WP-3 documents against the Department of Employment checklist. — This track is governed by Royal Decree on Foreigners' Working Management B.E. 2560 (2017) §59–63; the reviewing authority is Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour (provincial offices).
Core rules: 4 Thai employees per 1 foreigner สอบถามเจ้าหน้าที่เพื่อรับใบเสนอราคาM paid-up capital/foreigner · minimum paid-up capital THB 2,000,000 · minimum salary THB 50,000/mo · validity 1 yr · OSSC no.
Core documents: Company affidavit + Por.Por.20, Audited financials (last 2 yrs), Thai employee list (≥4 per foreigner), Job description + organisation chart, Profession licence (if applicable), Foreigner passport + Non-B visa — each passes a 3-layer chain (Notary → Apostille/MFA → certified translation) and is bound to Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour (provincial offices) standard.
Core workflow: eligibility review, document preparation, the relevant Non-Immigrant visa, address notification, filing with Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour (provincial offices), and applicable tax and social-security steps. Authority processing times vary.
Verify 4 Thai employees per 1 foreigner สอบถามเจ้าหน้าที่เพื่อรับใบเสนอราคาM paid-up capital/foreigner + capital + salary + job-spec fit
Notary → Apostille/MFA → certified translation (3 layers)
Apply at home Thai embassy (Non-Immigrant B / O — 1 year, single or multi-entry)
Address notification within 24 hrs + first 90-day report
Submit WP-3 at Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour (provincial offices)
Timing depends on document completeness and authority review
Tax ID + social security + annual reporting
It falls under Royal Decree on Foreigners' Working Management B.E. 2560 (2017) §59–63.
Non-BOI Thai companies hiring foreign employees: executives, teachers, engineers, marketing roles, etc. · must have 4 Thai employees สอบถามเจ้าหน้าที่เพื่อรับใบเสนอราคาM paid-up capital per foreign hire..
7–21 working days (excluding document prep).
WP THB 3,000 + visa THB 2,000 (excludes NYC Visa service fee).
4 Thai employees per 1 foreigner สอบถามเจ้าหน้าที่เพื่อรับใบเสนอราคาM paid-up capital/foreigner
THB 2,000,000 per foreign hire
Renewable every 1 years as long as employment continues
Eligibility + document pipeline + filing at OSSC/DOE + 90-day reporting + annual renewals
General Work Permit (Alien Employment Act) 📑 — 1-year right to work in Thailand (renewable) · companion visa: Non-Immigrant B / O — 1 year, single or multi-entry · government fees WP THB 3,000 + visa THB 2,000.
First-party answers on Thai work authorisation: the standard Department of Employment route, BOI and IEAT channels for skilled experts, US company rights under the Treaty of Amity, and the APEC Business Travel Card for Thai nationals — including which supporting documents must be translated and legalised first. (19+ search topics covered)
Need your documents reviewed or your case assessed? Ask our team by phone, LINE, or email. We reply within two hours during business hours (Mon–Sat 9:00–18:00 ICT).
Work permits are issued by the Department of Employment and are tied to the employer, position and workplace. Changing job, role or location requires a new filing.
Prefer not to handle the queues yourself, or worried about a rejection? Send us photos of your documents for a free pre-check. We handle the full chain — obtaining certified copies, translation, certification and submission — and keep you updated at each step. Reach us on LINE, phone or email during business hours.
Different employer types use different channels, and each channel pairs with a different visa category.
| Route | When to use | Certifying authority | Approx. duration | Rejection risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard filing with the Department of Employment | The employer is an ordinary Thai company without BOI promotion | Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour | Variable, driven by how complete the employer's file is | Thai-to-foreign staff ratios and registered capital not meeting thresholds is the common refusal ground |
| BOI-promoted company channel | The employer holds a promotion certificate and the position is on the approved list | BOI together with the Immigration Bureau and Department of Employment | Generally faster than the standard route, still variable | A position that differs from the approved list requires an amendment first |
| Conditional or short-term work authorisation | Short assignments or job types covered by specific published rules | Department of Employment under the notification in force | Shorter than a full application | Working beyond the authorised scope is an offence even when a permit exists |
Timelines above are practical estimates from live casework and can change with each authority's policy; confirm with the receiving authority before booking travel. If you would rather not test routes by trial and error, our advisers can assess which route fits your case.
Our team has worked on cross-border documents, certified translation and government liaison since 2015. Most rejections we see are not caused by missing paperwork but by choosing the wrong route on day one, so we always start with a case assessment.
We look at your destination, purpose and deadline, then tell you which certification route applies — and which steps you can skip.
Name spelling, consistency across documents, document age and translation format are checked before anything reaches a counter.
We sequence the steps around your appointment or travel date and flag bottlenecks in advance.
We read the refusal reasons, identify the underlying cause, and plan a resubmission that answers what the authority asked for.
Rather not learn by trial and error? Send your case details and document photos for a review — reach us on LINE, phone or email during business hours.
Assembling the bundle in the required order with an index speeds up assessment and reduces requests for more documents.
Photograph all filing receipts and stamps; they are key evidence in any later verification.
Large deposits made shortly before filing attract questions. Support them with evidence of income and use statements bearing the bank's original seal.
Extensions, reporting and re-entry permits should be handled well ahead of the deadline; queues and public holidays can make last-minute filing impossible.
Accepted translator categories differ by country; confirm the required type before ordering.
Periodic reporting, address notification and work conditions are ongoing duties that affect the next extension.
No provider can guarantee an outcome; only the immigration authority or embassy decides. Our role is to make the file accurate and complete so avoidable rejections are reduced.
Civil registry extracts, medical certificates and police clearances have limited validity; old copies make the bundle incomplete.
Requirements differ by authority and destination country and can change. Confirm current conditions with the receiving authority, or ask our team by phone, LINE or email.
These topics reflect the rules and practice of the relevant authorities and can change. Confirm with the receiving authority, or ask our team by phone, LINE or email.
One document set often moves through several stages — translation, notarial certification, legalization and finally a visa filing. The links below follow that real sequence.
Authority requirements change. Verify with the receiving authority before filing, or ask our team by phone, LINE or email.
Pick a translation provider by the destination, not by turnaround alone. If the file goes to the Thai Department of Consular Affairs or an embassy, the translator must know the format that office accepts, not just the meaning. Verify three things: the certifier is named and identifiable, the destination accepts that certification format, and names, dates and document numbers match the passport character for character.
| Option | Best for | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance translator | Informal use where no authority certification is required | Many embassies will not accept an uncertified translation. |
| Translation agency with certification | Visa, study and civil registry filings | Confirm the agency also handles the legalization step if the destination requires it. |
| End-to-end provider (translate + legalize) | Files with a fixed appointment deadline | Ask which steps are in-house and which are subcontracted. |