Service guide
How e-WorkPermit works, why job scope matters, what changes the government charge, and the penalties for illegal work.
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There is no single government charge that applies to every work-permit case. The worker route, requested period, and filing circumstances affect what the system charges, while a firm's fee for preparing and handling the application is separate.
Before relying on a quote, confirm the route and period in e-WorkPermit and ask the adviser to separate government charges from professional fees.
What changes the government charge
Confirm these inputs in e-WorkPermit before relying on a quote.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Worker route | The application category |
| Requested period | The permit duration |
| Professional support | Separate from government charges |
Checked August 2026
Note: Confirm the worker category before relying on a fee quote
The Department of Employment's announcement distinguishes skilled or experienced foreign workers from workers entering through a government-to-government labour agreement. A quote that does not identify the route may be quoting the wrong annual rate.
Rules and charges can change, so confirm the current category and amount in the application system before filing.
Two agencies are involved and the order matters. The Department of Employment, under the Ministry of Labour, issues the work permit. Immigration, under the Royal Thai Police, decides whether you may be in the country at all and for how long.
A Non-Immigrant B visa gets you into Thailand with permission to be here on business. Working lawfully still requires the permit, and an employer has to exist before the permit can be issued. That is why company formation and work permits are usually handled as one piece of work rather than two. The guide to work permits and visas for company owners and staff follows the owner's version of that sequence.
Where the company does not exist yet, company registration comes first. Foreign-majority businesses should read the Foreign Business Act restrictions before hiring, and companies with Board of Investment promotion can use the BOI application route and its one-stop service for visas and permits. For the wider picture on structuring a business here, see corporate and business law in Thailand.
Some work is closed to foreigners or permitted only under stated conditions. The decisive question is the actual job scope, not just the English title on a contract.
Check the current Ministry of Labour notification against the duties before a contract is signed. Discovering a restriction at the permit stage is the expensive version of that check.
Warning: Reserved work needs a role-level check
A broad title can hide duties that are reserved or conditional. Map what the person will actually do, then compare those duties with the current notification rather than relying on an old list copied elsewhere.
If the role is restricted, qualifications, salary, and company structure do not turn it into permitted work.
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International boutique law firm in Bangkok and Phuket, providing legal and tax services to investors, businesses, and private clients across Thailand
฿7,000–12,000 / hour
Experts assisting clients in conducting their businesses and protecting their rights and investments in Thailand across a wide range of legal matters.
Filing moved online in late 2025. The Ministry of Labour launched e-WorkPermit nationwide on 13 October 2025, describing a 24-hour system that covers application submission, status checks, approvals, and obtaining the work permit.
The department also announced 54 supporting service centres nationwide, including 40 work permit service centres for foreign workers, five entry and termination centres, and eight mobile units.
Submit the application online
Track the application status
Receive the decision
Obtain the work permit
The Ministry of Labour's e-WorkPermit announcement does not promise one processing time for every route. The timing depends on the application category, whether the documents are complete, and whether the officer asks for further evidence.
Check the current status and any requests inside e-WorkPermit rather than planning around an old service-manual estimate.
An employer that legally exists
The permit is tied to a specific employer and a specific job, so it cannot be obtained speculatively.
Permission to be in Thailand for the right purpose
The visa side is settled first, through Immigration, and has to be consistent with what the permit application says.
Confirmation the job is not on List 1
Absolute prohibitions have no workaround, so this is checked before a contract is signed.
Required: The employer carries the larger legal exposure
A foreigner who works without a permit or outside the authorised work faces a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht and removal from Thailand.
The employer's position is worse. Taking a foreigner into work without the required permission carries a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 baht for each foreign worker employed. A repeat offence carries imprisonment of up to a year, or a fine of 50,000 to 200,000 baht per worker, or both, and bars that employer from employing foreigners for three years.
A work permit has to be kept current rather than left to lapse. Use e-WorkPermit to check the current renewal route, required evidence, and timing before the permit expires.
The permit covers authorised work, so changes to the employer, job, or other recorded details may require a filing. A foreigner's right to work and right to stay run on separate clocks held by separate agencies, and both have to remain current.
The government fees are identical whoever files. What a firm adds is the checking: whether the role sits on a reserved list, whether the company's paperwork supports the application, whether the visa and permit documents say the same thing, and whether the application category has been identified correctly.
A firm can also tell you when the answer is no. Where the work is absolutely prohibited, no structure fixes it, and a professional who says so early has saved a failed application.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Fees, prohibited-work lists, and processing times change; for a specific case, speak with a qualified professional.
Sources: Where these figures come from
Penalties: the Ministry of Labour's enforcement guidance on illegal foreign work.
Application channel: the Ministry of Labour's nationwide e-WorkPermit announcement. Both sources were checked on 19 August 2026.
Charges and reserved-work rules can change, so confirm them in the current government system and notification for the actual route and duties.
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International boutique law firm in Bangkok and Phuket, providing legal and tax services to investors, businesses, and private clients across Thailand
฿7,000–12,000 / hour
Experts assisting clients in conducting their businesses and protecting their rights and investments in Thailand across a wide range of legal matters.
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International boutique law firm in Bangkok and Phuket, providing legal and tax services to investors, businesses, and private clients across Thailand
฿7,000–12,000 / hour
Experts assisting clients in conducting their businesses and protecting their rights and investments in Thailand across a wide range of legal matters.
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