Working-sector expats move to Thailand both for leisure and work. Thailand's growing economy, purchasing power parity, low cost of living and laid-back lifestyle appeals to a lot of expats. But a foreigner who wishes to come and live in Thailand seeks to earn a living. The first thing most expatriates wish to know is how to find a job in Thailand.

While the availability of jobs in Thailand for foreigners is limited, working legally in Thailand also requires issuance of a valid work permit. Thai work permit gives authority to the holder to work in Thailand. So when considering a job offer or a potential job employment, even on top of housing, travel, medical insurance, salary package and remuneration benefits the most important thing a foreigner needs to consider is whether or not the potential employer would provide a work permit. Also, there is a provision for the kind of jobs available for expats. An expat can only perform jobs that are not currently listed under prohibited occupations in Thailand for foreigners.In Thailand, foreigners are allowed to land in jobs such as teaching English, translator, actor or model, dive instructor, professional position such as accountant, engineer, salesman, lawyer, executives, or even running his/her own business.

Working in Thailand and securing a work permit is not easy. There is a restriction of the issuance of a work permit. If not deemed as necessary, if Thai local can do the job, there is no reason for the organization to hire an expat. Also, the difficulty of securing a work permit arises in meeting the set ratio of the number of Thai locals versus the number of expats working in an organization. There is the challenge for the company of not meeting the requirements set by the Ministry of Labor for the approval of work permit application.

In addition to this, the work permit is good only for a particular job for which it was issued within the geographic limitations specified in the work permit. Working in a position or at a location other than that specifically approved is grounds for termination of your permit. You may hold more than one position with one or more employers but you must obtain permission for each position and for each employer. Generally, the permission for each position is entered in the original work permit record.

To be eligible for processing a work permit, the foreigner needs to secure first a Non-Immigrant "B" Visa. Once non-immigrant visa has been received, he may then apply for a Thailand work permit. If submitted correctly with complete documents an application can be processed in 10 days. Work permit is applied at the nearest Provincial Department of Employment Office.

Required Documents

Ministry of Labor requires the following documents to be submitted in processing of the work permit:

• signed copy of every page of the passport,
• non-immigrant visa,
• transcript of records authenticated at the embassy of the foreigner's country,
• resume,
• embarkation card,
• health certificate,
• passport-size photo,
• marriage certificate (if applicable).

If you are married to a Thai national, aside from the marriage certificate, spouse’s identity card, birth certificates of children, household registration certificate must be presented. If you are applying for a position previously held by another foreigner, a photocopy of your predecessor’s work permit, together with his/her notice of resignation from the company or a letter confirming his/her intended date of departure must be included.

Validity

The work permit is valid as long as your visa allows you to remain in Thailand. When the foreigner resigns from work, they are also required to return the work permit within seven (7) days from the date of resignation. And if the foreigner changes the nature of his or her employment or his or her employer, they must secure a new work permit.

Exemptions

Exceptions to the Alien Employment Act permit foreigners to perform work without a permit if it is deemed necessary and urgent which can be completed within 15 days. However, the Department of Employment must be informed before such work begins.

Violations

There is a legal consequence if work permit has been violated. Working without a valid work permit is a criminal offense. Penalties include imprisonment of not exceeding 5 years or a fine from 2,000 THB to 100,000 THB, or both. In the case you agree to travel out of Thailand within the period of time prescribed by the interrogating officer, which must not be later than 30 days, the interrogating officer may impose a fine and make arrangements for you to travel out of Thailand. Foreigners who do work reserved solely for Thais will be fined of up to 20,000 THB. A company or employer that hires a foreigner without a valid work permit is subject to a fine from 10,000 THB to 100,000 THB for each foreign worker/employee.

Work permit must be carried all the time especially during work-related activities. Be prepared to show it upon immigration check.

 

Thai citizens living abroad can now renew or replace stolen, damaged or lost Thai ID card overseas. Thailand is one of the countries who has devised a national identity card system. Before, Thai expats can only renew or replace Thai id card in their home country at the offices of Amphur in Thailand.

The Thai ID system serves as a certificate of citizenship. This identity card contains the “population identification code” which is assigned to each Thai citizen at birth or upon receiving citizenship. It is issued by the Department of Provincial Administration of the Ministry of Interior.

Each card has a code of 13-digit string in format:

x-xxxx-xxxxx-xx-x

The first digit would show the Type of citizenship Second to Fourth digit would show the office where the number was issued 6th to 12th digit would be a group and sequence numbers last digit - check digit

The whole population of Thai national is recorded and contained in a central database system. Each ID card contains electronic fingerprint and facial image data which serves as the citizen’s record. The ID card system is issued by the government, controlled and maintained by the Interior Ministry.

In the event that the national ID card has been stolen, damaged or expired, it can now be replaced at Thai Consulates and Embassies of the Thai citizen’s country of residence making it more accessible for Thai nationals living overseas. Royal Thai Consulates and Thai Embassies in Sydney, Singapore, Berlin, Taipei, Los Angeles, and New York are ready to implement this.

Only in the event that you will be securing your Thai ID for the first time, it can only be submitted and processed in Thailand, so for first time applications there is still a need to process it back home.

 

Most foreign nationalities would like to stay in Thailand for a longer period. While they arrive in Thailand with the initial visa (such as tourist visa), if they wish to stay in Thailand for more than 30 days or if they are planning to come to Thailand and their purpose of visit is business, they can apply for a One year Thai visa or 90-day Thai visa.

One year non-immigrant Thai visa

You can apply for a 1-year multiple entry non-immigrant visa which will allow you to stay in Thailand and travel in and outside the country for 1 year. This one year thai visa is issued for applicants who wish to enter Thailand to perform official duties or religious activities, conduct business or investment, work, and study, visit the family and other activities. This type of visa can be extended for 3 months on or before the visa expiration date.

90 day Thai visa

If you intend to stay in Thailand for more than the normal tourist visa, the 90 day non-immigrant visa is the best option which will allow you to stay 90 consecutive days. 90 day non-immigrant visa to Thailand for foreign citizens is issued to applicants who wish to enter Thailand to perform official duties or religious activities, conduct business, work, and study, visit the family and other activities for a period of 90 days with the ability to extend their stay for 7 days.

 

If you are a foreigner and legally married to a Thai national, there is one type of visa that you could file.

Thai Marriage Visa is a type of visa suitable for you if you wish to stay in Thailand for long term. This visa can be renewed without leaving Thailand.

With the Thai marriage visa, you are allowed to apply for a work permit.

To process the One Year Marriage Visa in Thailand, you need to show your marriage certificate and you need to meet the financial requirements.

Financial requirements for the Thai Marriage Visa

An amount of at least THB 400,000 must be deposited in a Thai local bank for 2 months before you process the visa application (A letter from the bank is needed to verify this)

OR A monthly income of at least THB 40,000 (A letter from the embassy is needed to verify this income) OR a combination of both

Prior to obtain this One Year Marriage Visa, you need to obtain first a 90-day Non Immigrant Visa from the Thai Embassy in your home country so you can enter Thailand. The whole process will take 5 to 8 business days.

Requirements for the initial Thai visa

• Passport
• Passport size photos
• Embassy fee
• Siam Legal documents
• Copy of marriage certificate/registration

The immigration will accept your marriage visa application on the last 21 days of your 90 days Non-Immigrant visa so you can travel around Thailand. Therefore, we can start the conversion of your 90 days Non Immigrant Visa to One Year Marriage Visa when there's 30 days left on your 90-day Non-Immigrant 'O' Visa.

 

The Kingdom of Thailand is a beautiful country with its white sand beaches, green mountains and warm weather. Most foreigners who come to Thailand fall in love with  the country, culture and food. Because of these they want to settle and retire in the Kingdom.

Thailand is a good place to retire. The people are hospitable and the cost of living is low that you  can maintain a comfortable lifestyle without spending a lot of money.

If you are at least fifty years old and you can meet the financial requirements then you are qualified for a Thailand Retirement Visa. This Retirement Visa is good for one year and can be renewed without leaving Thailand. You can also travel outside the country if you want but you have to secure a re-entry permit.

With the Retirement Visa you need to report your address at the nearest immigration office every ninety days. This ninety-day reporting will let the immigration officers know that you are safe at the location you are staying. When the time has come to renew your Retirement Visa make sure that you renew it one week before it expires.

It is not complicated to process the One Year Retirement Visa in Thailand. You do not need to show the Medical Certificate and the Criminal Certificate.

Requirements to obtain a Retirement Visa

• Must be 50 years of age or older.
• Must be able to show your financial evidence between:
  • Bank account showing THB 800,000 (must be able to show the evidence of transfer the money to your Thai Bank account and this sum of money must be deposited in your bank account at least 2 months); OR
  • Monthly income/pension of at least THB 65,000 (must present a letter from your embassy to prove the pension and the letter from the government or social security).

Visa Application Procedure

Thai 90-day Non Immigrant Visa from the Thai embassy in your home country to enter Thailand. We will provide the documents that you need for this visa application. The whole process will take 5 business days.

We will help you open a bank account in Thailand in your name so that you can transfer at least 800,000 Baht into this account. After 2 months, we need to get a letter from this bank.

We can also help you get the letter confirming your income from your embassy in Bangkok.

You can travel around Thailand because the immigration will accept your retirement application on the last 21 days of your 90 days Non-Immigrant visa. Therefore, you will have to visit us again once you have a minimum of 30 days left on your 90-day Non-Immigrant 'O' Visa.

To proceed with the conversion of your 90 days Non Immigrant Visa to  Retirement Visa, our Thai Visa specialist will accompany you to the Immigration office for processing. You can obtain the One Year Retirement Visa within a day.

 

A foreign national who is interested in entering Thailand whether to study, work, marry or retire is required to obtain a visa from a Royal Thai Embassy or a Royal Thai Consulate-General. There are nationals of certain countries that do not require a visa if they meet Visa Exemption requirements which are as follows:

1. Nationals of countries which are exempted from visa requirements when entering Thailand for tourism purposes. Such nationals will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not exceeding 30 days.
2. Nationals of countries which hold bilateral agreements with Thailand on the exemption of visa requirements.

More than 40 countries including US and UK are not required to obtain a visa when entering Thailand for tourism purposes and will be permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of not more than 30 days on each visit. Foreigners who enter Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption category may re-enter and stay in the country for an additional duration of stay of not exceeding 90 days within any 6-month period from the date of first entry.

Nationals of the following countries may apply for Visa on Arrival:

Period of Stay: 15 days

Andora, Bhutan, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ethiopia, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine

Nationals of the following countries may enter Thailand without a Visa (Both Tourism and Bilateral Agreement) :

Period of Stay: 14 days Cambodia Period of Stay: 30 days

Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Monaco, Mongolia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, The Philippines, Poland, Portugal, USA, Vietnam, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Slovenia, Vietnam

Period of Stay: 90 days Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Korea, Peru

• Tourist Visa Exemption does not apply to foreigners holding Travel Document for Foreigners issued by the countries listed above.
• Foreigners entering Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption category must possess adequate finances for the duration of stay in Thailand.