A work permit is not general permission to work. It permits the named position, for the named employer, at the named place. Working for an affiliate, moving branch, or taking on an additional role without amending the permit is working outside what was authorised.
The permit and the permission to stay are separate, with separate expiry dates. Many holders renew one and forget the other. When permission to stay ends, the work permit ceases to have effect with it.
We track both together and give the company and the holder advance notice of each date.
What we do
- Check whether the company's capital and Thai-employee ratio support the number of permits required.
- File the first application.
- Amend the permit on a change of position, workplace or employer.
- Renew the permit in step with the permission to stay.
- Notify termination and return the permit when employment ends, within the period required.
- Handle dependants — the holder's spouse and children.
What puts a permit at risk
- Working before the permit is issued, even where the application has been filed.
- Working in a position or at a place other than the one stated.
- The company's Thai headcount falling below the ratio, which affects renewal for every foreign national it employs.
- Letting permission to stay expire, in the belief that an unexpired work permit keeps the stay alive.
- Failing to notify the end of employment within the period allowed, which is finable.
What to prepare
- The passport with the visa page and the latest entry stamp.
- A medical certificate in the prescribed form.
- Degree certificates and references for positions where qualifications must be shown.
- Company certificate, shareholder list and the latest financial statements.
- Tax filings and social security records for the Thai employees.
- A map and photographs of the premises.
The ratio and capital thresholds are administrative rules that change periodically and differ by sector and by the office where the application is filed. Send us the company details and the current criteria can be checked.