Work permits and the right to work
When a work permit is required, how the employer files it, and where remote work sits legally.
The essentials
- Almost any work performed in Thailand requires a work permit, whether or not the employer or the income is Thai.
- A work permit is tied to one employer, one position and one location; changing any of them requires an amendment.
- A Thai company generally needs 2 million THB registered capital and four Thai employees per foreign work permit.
- Some occupations remain reserved for Thai nationals and cannot be permitted at all.
- The Destination Thailand Visa and the LTR remote-work category changed the picture for foreign-employed remote workers; ordinary tourists still may not work.
What counts as work
Thai law defines work broadly: exerting energy or using knowledge, with or without wages. In practice, activity that produces value inside Thailand for a business is work, even unpaid volunteering for a company. The nationality of your employer or the currency you are paid in does not by itself make it exempt.
The employer files, not you
Your employer submits the application to the Department of Employment with the company registration, financial statements, shareholder list, your degree and references, a medical certificate and photos. You must hold a Non-Immigrant B visa before the permit is issued. Processing typically takes seven to ten working days once the file is complete.
The blue book that results names the employer, job title and work address. Working outside those bounds is a violation even if your permit is valid.
| Item | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| Registered capital | 2,000,000 THB per foreign employee |
| Thai staff ratio | 4 Thai employees per foreigner |
| Minimum salary (Western nationals) | 50,000 THB per month |
| Permit fee | 3,000 THB per year |
| Processing | 7-10 working days |
Remote work for a foreign employer
The Destination Thailand Visa, introduced in 2024, explicitly contemplates remote workers employed abroad and is issued for five years with 180-day stays. The Long-Term Resident visa has a Work-from-Thailand Professional category with income and employer-size conditions.
On a tourist entry, remote work occupies a grey area that has never been formally legalised. Enforcement against a laptop worker with no Thai clients and no Thai income is rare, but the legal position is not settled. If your stay is long, move to a visa that names remote work.
Reserved occupations
A standing list bars foreigners from a range of occupations including most manual trades, hairdressing, tour guiding, agriculture, and Thai handicrafts. Some professional fields such as law, architecture and accountancy require Thai licensing that is effectively closed to foreigners.
Official sources
Everything above is written from these. Rules change without notice, so check the relevant one before you book, pay or travel.
This page was last checked against those sources on 31 July 2026. Spotted something out of date? and we'll re-check it.