Skip to content
For Bangkok
Your situation
Employee of a Thai companyA Non-Immigrant B visa, a work permit, then a one-year extension of stay. 7 steps Remote worker or freelancerThe Destination Thailand Visa (DTV): five years, 180 days per entry, for work done for clients or employers abroad. 5 steps Senior professional or high earnerThe Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa, run by the Board of Investment: up to ten years. 4 steps Retiree, 50 or overA Non-Immigrant O visa, then yearly retirement extensions. 5 steps Open a step on the roadmap to see what it involves. Rules change
Visas are issued through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs e-visa portal, but permission to stay, extensions, 90-day reports and re-entry permits are all Immigration Bureau matters, and offices apply the same rule differently. A work permit is a third, separate document from the Department of Employment. This is a general guide, not legal advice. Confirm each step with the Immigration Bureau of the Royal Thai Police before you rely on it.
Your roadmap · Employee of a Thai company 7 steps 2–3 months before → to Every 90 days, and yearly 1 Step 1: Let the employer prepare its side2–3 months before + The company supplies its registration documents, shareholder list, financial statements and proof it meets the capital and Thai-staff ratios for each foreign employee. Without these nothing else moves, so ask HR what is ready before you resign at home. 2 Step 2: Legalise your own documents6–10 weeks before + Degree certificate and transcripts, a CV and references, often legalised by your foreign ministry and the Thai embassy. Some employers also ask for a criminal record check. 3 Step 3: Apply for the Non-Immigrant B visa4–6 weeks before + Through the Thai e-visa portal for the country you apply from, with the employer's letter and company documents. Do not enter visa-exempt and hope to convert: some offices refuse. 4 Step 4: Arrive and file the TDACDay 0 + Complete the online Thailand Digital Arrival Card before you fly, enter on the Non-B, and keep the entry stamp. The initial permission is 90 days. 5 Step 5: Get the work permitWeeks 1–6 + The employer files with the Department of Employment, usually with a Thai medical certificate and passport photos. You may not start work until it is issued; a one-year permit costs about ฿3,000 in government fees. 6 Step 6: Extend your stay for a yearBefore the 90 days end + Take the work permit, company documents and your lease to immigration for a one-year extension of stay (฿1,900). Buy a re-entry permit at the same visit if you will travel. 7 Step 7: Report every 90 days and renew yearlyEvery 90 days, and yearly + File the 90-day address report online, by post or in person, and renew the extension and work permit each year on the same evidence. Get help with the move to Bangkok → Chat with Eva