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by Seven Peaks on Feb 11, 2021 11:38:00 AM
In this article, we will walk you through the important steps of how to get a work permit for Thailand for professional work purposes in 2022.
Contents of this article will include a diverse range of tips from immigration processes, to living costs, to after-work activities, to more – helping you to ensure a safe, legal, and fruitful work experience abroad in Thailand.
Work permit checklist
Required documents
☑ Financial requirement
☑ Limit of foreigners at companies
Visa
☑ Documents to be prepared by employer
☑ Length of Visa
☑ 90 Day reporting
☑ Visa Extension
☑ Visa Overstay
Living expenses
Things you need to know before moving to Thailand
☑ Expat community
☑ Quality of life
☑ Vaccines
☑ Medical Insurance
☑ Cash/money
☑ Thai bank account
The Do’s & Don’ts in Thailand
☑ Do’s
☑ Don’ts
How to get a work permit for Thailand
in order to stay and work for the long term
Visa
How to get a work permit for Thailand? – When you want to stay in Thailand for a longer period of time, you will need to apply for a Visa. Even before you enter the country. On the website of the embassy of Thailand in your country there will be an overview of the documents that you will need to prepare. Also it will explain which type of visa applies for you. It is also possible to go to the embassy to ask for some more information.
The visa you will have to apply for is the category B, non-immigrant visa. The only thing is that you cannot start working with only this visa, but you first will need to apply for a work permit to be allowed to work in Thailand. This applies to all non-Thai citizens, also for the people who are exempt from a Thai tourist visa.
Embassy
When you have gathered all the documents that are needed to be able to apply for the visa you will need to go to the embassy to hand in the documents and pay a small fee. Then the embassy will create your visa, which mostly takes about one week, but it can vary a lot depending on the country you are living in.
Make sure you apply for the visa 1 month before you are planning to depart for Thailand, because it might take some time to gather all the documents and create the actual visa. You might face some issues or difficulties like missing documents and it takes away some of the stress. If you decide to apply for a visa one week before you will actually go to Thailand the visa might not be ready in time. This will mean that you can’t go and you will need to cancel your flight because they will not allow you without the correct visa.
90 Day reporting
Even though you might have a 1 year visa and work permit, you will have to check in every 90 days. You can start reporting 15 days before the 90 days ends, and 7 days after the 90 day deadline. This can be done in three ways:
- At the nearest immigration in person
- At the nearest immigration by registered email
- Online via the immigration’s electronic system
But, the best option is to go to the immigration in person as this is the safest option since you can ask questions and be sure that everything is handled in the right way. At the moment the 90 day report can be done at the Muang Thong immigration next to the Impact area.
Visa Extension
After this year you can extend your work permit if you meet all the requirements. Take into account that before you can extend your work permit, your visa has to be renewed first. For the visa extension in Bangkok you can go to the Chaeng Wattana immigration building. It is a huge building where you can extend your visa.
You can find the nearest immigration office to your home on the website of the Thai immigration. You are mostly only allowed to extend your visa in the province in which you are living. Take into account that there are many more other people coming for a visa extension. Therefore it can take many hours if not the whole day to get what you need.
It is recommended to arrive at the immigration around 7:30 in the morning to be able to get a queue number to get into the immigration as one of the first people. Keep in mind that if you arrive before 8:00 am you only get a pre-queue number to enter the immigration and you will receive another queue number when the immigration opens at 8:30 am.
Because even before the immigration visa extension area opens at 8:30 am there is already a queue waiting to get in. If you arrive after 8:00 am you will just have to wait in line and wait for all the people in the pre queue to enter first.
Moreover, make sure you have all your documents ready and check if you have everything you need. Because the people working at the immigration are ruthless and will make you go back home to get your documents. They are having to check and do administration of all the papers day in day out, so you would really help them out by making sure you have all the documents with you.
Visa Overstay
Even though you might not do this on purpose, please be aware of the fact that you have to pay a fine of 500 Thai Baht for each day that you overstay. Moreover, if you overstay for a long period of time you could end up on the blacklist and be eliminated out of Thailand.
Next to this, you will also not be allowed into the country for a certain amount of time depending on how long you overstayed. In the worst case you could even end up in jail. Just make sure you note down the date in your calendar and set a reminder to go to the immigration.
Another tip would be to not visit the immigration on the day that your visa or work permit expires. Just in case that you are missing documents or something goes wrong. You don’t want to get to the immigration to find out that you are missing a document and are not able to extend your visa. It may takes a few days to be able to attain the specific document you need.
Therefore, it is recommended to visit the immigration at least one week before the day on which your visa/work permit expires. In this way you have some time to play with if something would be missing.
Work permit & working visa
If you legally want to work in Thailand you will need to have a work permit next to your working visa. The work permit is a document that includes your position in the company, the job description and the company you are going to work for.
This document allows you to live and work in Thailand. You can start applying for the work permit after you have received your visa. The company will help you to gather the needed documents, but there are also documents that you have to prepare yourself.
Required Documents
For applying for the work visa you will need to gather some documents. This is a list of the documents that you need to bring to be able bring to your embassy:
- A passport that is valid for at least six months and at least 2 blank pages left. Whenever you apply for a 1 year visa, your passport needs to be valid for at least 18 months
- A work visa application form signed and filled out. You can mostly download it from the embassy’s website or receive one at the embassy itself
- A passport photo (Dimensions 3.5cm x 4.5cm)
- Proof of sufficient funds
- Police clearance certificate
- A letter of approval from the Thailand ministry of Labour requested by your company in Thailand
Documents needed for the work permit:
- Passport and a copy of it
- 3 Passport photos (Dimension 5cm x 6cm)
- Thai work visa
- Academic degrees and certificates
- Your contract with the company including, position, salary and work responsibilities
- Relevant licenses and certificates
- Resume/CV
- Proof of accommodation
- Health certificate
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Financial Requirements
If you apply for the work visa you will need to show proof of sufficient funds. This is done to make sure that you have enough money to cover all your expenses in Thailand. This may vary per country. Moreover, you will need to have a minimum monthly wage which also differs per nationality. Make sure to check it and keep in contact with the embassy. They will be able to give you some more specific information.
If you go by yourself you will need to have at least 20,000 THB in your account. When you are going with your family you will need to have at least 40,000 THB.
For the visa itself you will have to pay a small fee as well. The single entry work visa is 2,000 THB and the multiple entry work visa is 5,000 THB. Because of local currencies in the country where you will apply for the visa the fee can slightly change. Take into account that some of the embassy’s only take cash/money, so make sure to bring the money to the embassy.
Source: Visa Guide World
Living Expenses
Food & Drinks
The food in Thailand is amazing and there are so many different dishes to try out. You can basically eat wherever you are at one of the street food places for very cheap prices. It is possible to get a very delicious meal for 60-100 baht, which is 2-3 euros. (or 2-3 US dollars)
Even if you go to some restaurants you only pay around 200-400 baht which is only 5-10 euros. (or 5-11 US dollars) But, of course it is also possible to go to luxurious restaurants where they offer very chic dining for a higher price. This concludes that you can make it as expensive as you want, but you can live very comfortably for a very affordable price.
With the COVID-19 situation, you can order for a food delivery from various platforms such as Grab, Robinhood, Lineman, Foodpanda, and etc. This way you can safely eat delicious food at you place. Many promotions are offered within the platforms as well. In this case, it may cost you some delivery fees, but if you live close to the food retail then it wouldn’t cost you much.
Transportation
There are many means of transportation in Bangkok. You can choose to travel by metro, sky train, bus, taxi or even by boat. One tip for when you travel by taxi, always ask the taxi driver to use the meter. Otherwise, you will pay way too much money.
In Bangkok the traffic is very chaotic and busy. During the morning and evening there are a lot of traffic jams throughout many parts of the city. Therefore, many people decide to go to work or school by making use of public transportation because they can avoid the traffic jam.
Also, there is a wide network of metro and sky train stations which makes it very convenient and easy for many people to use it since they don’t live too far from a station. Many of the condominiums are built near an MRT or BTS station.
Accommodation
The prices of accommodation vary depending on the place where you live and the square meters of space in the room and the luxury. But, you notice that when you compare it to the prices of Western countries it is super cheap, considering you are living in the capital city and how nice the apartments are for the price you pay.
In Thailand there are a lot of the so-called “condominiums”. A condominium is an apartment complex with a lot of similar looking apartments and these are very popular as it doesn’t take a lot of space and it can accommodate a lot of people. Most condominiums have a gym and swimming pool included, which is super convenient.
Another option would be rent monthly at standard “apartments” which can be located all around the city. Apartments in Bangkok are simple, affordable, and usually has all the essential necessities you need. However, they may have less facilities (such as swimming pool and gym) compared to other condominiums.
To rent monthly at a condominium in a studio can cost you between 7,000 – 20,000 THB on average and a larger one-bedroom can cost you between 12,000 – 18,000 THB (depending on the area). If you like the convenience of staying in the heart of Bangkok like Sukhumvit, Siam, or Sathorn, the price will rise to 20,000 – 40,000 THB or higher.
Apartments, on the other hand, will usually be a lot cheaper. Apartment studio prices can be as low as 5,000 – 9,000 THB per month if living a bit further from the city center. One-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments would cost on average in between 8,000-16,000 THB (depending on the area).
Of course, it can also be cheaper or more expensive if you want, but these are average prices.
For a condominium’s two-bedroom monthly rental, you can expect to pay around 18,000 THB or above (depending on the area). If you like the convenience of staying in the heart of Sukhumvit near Asok, the price for a new two-bedroom condo will be 25,000 – 35,000 THB on average.
Instead of living in the city center of Bangkok you can also choose to live more outside of the city center in a more local environment for mostly a cheaper price. It is also possible to live in one of the neighboring provinces like Nonthaburi which has a good connection to get to Bangkok with the purple MRT line. It is recommended to find a place near a MRT or BTS station to make life easier for yourself.
Since various new MRT and BTS stations have already built, there are more options for living places. Many condominium are built nearby these new MRT and BTS stations. The further the train stations from the center of Bangkok, the cheaper the condominiums’ prices are.
Things you need to know before moving to Thailand
Expat community
As there is a huge expat community in Thailand that have experienced many situations already. On Facebook there are many Expat groups where you can ask questions or ask for advice regarding many things like accommodation, sport activities, recommendations, etc.
Quality of life
Many people have a bad feeling about developing countries and think that the quality of life will be not so good. But, this is not true for Thailand and most certainly for other countries as well. Of course, there are places in Thailand where people live in poverty and don’t have much money to spend, but Thailand is very modern with brand new shopping malls, the most beautiful condominiums, hotels, etc.
Vaccines
When you go to Thailand it is advised to take certain vaccinations. We will provide a list of vaccinations that are recommended to take before coming to Thailand.
All travelers:
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
Some travelers:
- Cholera
- Hepatitis B
- Japanese encephalitis
- Rabies
- Yellow fever
If you want to read more about traveler’s health and recommended vaccines for visiting Thailand you can find it in the link provided above.
But, for some vaccinations it is maybe not needed if you are not going to certain areas of the country. Therefore, you should contact your local doctor to ask which vaccinations are necessary before going to Thailand. It is better to prevent than to heal.
COVID-19 updates
75.7% of Thai populations are now vaccinated. Many places have already opened for foreigners to come without curfews. Eating in restaurants are now available. Moreover, the government has announced the legislation allowing people to take off their masks in open-space public places.
However, there is still vaccination requirement in order to come to Thailand. Therefore, be sure to have a vaccine status approvable for entering Thailand. You can check for the vaccination requirements in this COVID-19 vaccine guide for travellers to Thailand.
Medical Insurance
Before going to Thailand make sure to have good medical insurance. This is very important especially when you are planning to stay for a long period of time. Hospital bills can become very costly quick.
Thai bank account
Getting money from ATMs with a not Thai bank card is very expensive. They charge 220 Baht per transaction plus an additional percentage of extra fees. We recommend you to open a Thai bank account and transfer your money with TransferWise from your foreign bank account to your Thai bank account. TransferWise charges very little fees and it will save you loads of money.
The do’s and don’ts in Thailand
Do’s
- Respect Buddha images and statues.
- Treat monks with respect.
- Lower your body slightly when passing people.
- Smile a lot!
Don’ts
- Insult the king or any other member of the royal family as this is really not done and you can even end up in jail for up to 15 years.
- Touch someone on the head. It is the holy place of the body and therefore you should not touch it without the person’s consent. If you do touch someone on their head, it is seen as disrespectful.
- Raise your voice in public.
- Overstay your visa as this can get you onto the blacklist, which means you will not be able to enter the country for a certain amount of time. Moreover, you will receive a fine of 500 Thai Baht every day you overstay.
- Don’t point to something or touch someone with your feet.
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