Do you need a visa?
Yes, for every nationality. Working in Thailand needs a work permit requested with the employer, usually before you start:
- A Thai company sponsors your Non-Immigrant B visa, and you then get a work permit before you start.
- Highly skilled professionals may qualify for the 10-year Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa of the Board of Investment, with a minimum income, a digital work permit and a reduced income tax rate.
Board of Investment: visa and work permit · LTR visa
Documents and where to get them
In your country, before you leave
- Passport, valid for the whole move; the visa is issued in the passport.
- Birth certificate (and marriage certificate, if married). Usually with an apostille (or legalisation) and a certified translation; check with the embassy.
- Criminal record certificate from your country of nationality and, if different, from where you lived recently: visa applications often require it. Request it close to the date it will be used.
- Degree, transcript and references from previous jobs, digitally, with certified translations if the visa asks for them.
On arrival
- Work permit or pass and your residence card, collected with the employer.
- Tax number for your salary: the employer usually registers you.
- Health insurance: often private and provided by the employer; check what the offer covers.
- Bank account, usually opened with your work permit or residence card.
Step by step
Before you leave
- Confirm in writing the salary (in local currency or in dollars), the start date, who pays the permit fees and the relocation support.
- Have your degree and documents legalised and translated if the employer asks for them.
- Wait for the work permit approval before you travel to work.
- In your country, tell the authorities you are moving: update your registered address and your tax residence. In the year you leave, tax may be due for the part of the year you were still resident.
First week
- Complete the permit and residence card steps with your employer.
- Find housing; a deposit of one or two months' rent is usual.
First month
- Open a bank account and give the details to your employer.
- Check the tax withheld on your first payslip and how the yearly tax return works.