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Pathway

Thailand Non-Immigrant B Work Visa

Thailand Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

The employment form of Thailand's Non-Immigrant B visa is for a foreign worker with a real job and a Thai employer able to obtain the required labor approval and support a separate work permit. A visa alone never authorizes work.

Type
Work residence
Job fit
People with a qualifying job or employer in Thailand
Core requirements
Job offer, employer documents, and work authorization rules
Renewal / path
Initial stay is up to 90 days; a longer extension is separate and discretionary
Salary requirement
No single universal Non-B minimum; extension and work-permit rules vary
Job offer required?
Yes

Summary

Thailand's Non-Immigrant B visa is the usual entry visa for a foreign national who will work for a Thai employer. It is only one part of the permission needed to work. The visa or an in-country extension controls the person's immigration stay; a work permit issued through the Ministry of Labour controls whether, for whom, where, and in what role that person may work. Having only the visa does not authorize employment.

For a standard new hire, a Thai mission normally issues a Non-B visa that permits an initial stay of up to 90 days. The person and employer then complete the work-permit process and, if the employer and job satisfy Immigration's rules, may apply in Thailand for an extension of stay of up to one year. A one-year extension is not the automatic first admission and is not guaranteed merely because a job offer exists.

This page concerns ordinary employer-sponsored employment. BOI-promoted businesses, certain international or representative offices, treaty arrangements, teachers, journalists, and other special groups can have different evidence or service channels. The employer should identify the correct category before the applicant files.

Pathway fit check

Eligibility

The applicant normally needs a real offer for a defined job with a Thai-registered employer that is willing and able to sponsor both immigration and labor filings. The mission may ask for the employment contract, employer invitation, company registration, shareholder list, business license where relevant, tax and financial records, and a Ministry of Labour approval or supporting work-permit document. The precise checklist depends on the filing mission and job.

The proposed occupation must be legally open to foreign workers. The Department of Employment describes 27 occupations prohibited to foreign nationals and 13 kinds of work that foreigners may perform only under stated conditions. A job title alone is not decisive: officials can look at the duties actually performed. The employer should compare the role with the current Ministry of Labour list before promising sponsorship.

For an ordinary one-year business extension, Immigration checklists commonly examine whether the company is genuinely operating and meeting benchmarks such as at least THB 2 million in paid-up capital per foreign worker, four Thai employees per foreign worker, tax and social-security filings, and an operating and audited-account history. These are not universal visa-issuance rules. BOI-promoted businesses and several other categories have exceptions or separate criteria, and an initial consular Non-B application does not by itself establish that the later extension test will be met.

The applicant must also meet the mission's ordinary passport, immigration, and document requirements. Documents in another language may need a certified Thai or English translation, and company documents may need recent signatures and seals. A person who has only an interview, is still looking for work, or plans to freelance without a qualifying sponsor is not yet ready for this route.

What This Route Allows

Once both permissions are in place, the holder may live in Thailand for the authorized period and perform the work recorded in the work permit. The permit is tied to approved facts such as the employer, occupation, and workplace. A material change may require an amendment or a new application before the new work begins.

The initial admission is normally up to 90 days. A qualifying employee may later receive a discretionary extension of up to one year and may seek further extensions while the employment, employer qualifications, work permit, and supporting records continue to meet the rules. Staying longer than 90 consecutive days also brings Immigration reporting duties.

A spouse or child may separately seek an appropriate dependent status, but family members are not automatically included in the employee's visa and do not receive work permission from the relationship.

What This Route Is Not

The Non-B visa is not itself a work permit, an open work authorization, or permission to work for several clients. It is not a general self-employment or digital-nomad route. Work must wait until the required labor authorization is effective, unless a specific statutory exemption applies.

It is also not an automatic one-year visa. The first stay and the later Immigration extension are separate decisions with different evidence. Ordinary company benchmarks should not be presented as rules for every special employer category, but an employer cannot assume that incorporation alone is enough.

This route does not itself grant permanent residence or citizenship. Permanent residence is a separate, quota-limited process with annual filing rules and category-specific criteria. Employment applicants generally need at least three consecutive one-year extensions plus extensive tax, salary, employer, and work-permit evidence; simply spending three calendar years in Thailand is not enough.

Next Steps

  1. Ask the employer to identify the exact Non-B and work-permit category, confirm that the actual duties are permitted, and check whether ordinary-company or special BOI or other rules apply.
  2. Obtain the current checklist from the Royal Thai mission that will receive the visa application. Confirm whether a Labor approval, WP3-related evidence, or another pre-approval document is needed before filing.
  3. Collect the signed employment contract and the employer's current registration, shareholder, tax, financial, social-security, and business-license records. Make translations or legalizations only where the receiving authority requires them.
  4. Apply through the official Thai e-Visa system or the responsible mission while outside Thailand, following that mission's jurisdiction rules. Do not describe a requested one-year extension as the initial visa entitlement.
  5. After entry, have the employer complete the work-permit application through the official e-WorkPermit system. The Ministry of Labour launched that system nationwide on 13 October 2025. Verify that the permit is active before starting work.
  6. If eligible, apply separately to Immigration for the employment-based extension before the initial stay expires. Keep payroll, personal-income-tax, social-security, employer, address, and permit records current for later renewals.
  7. Before changing employer, duties, or workplace, obtain advice on cancellation, amendment, and new-permit timing. Also confirm whether a re-entry permit is needed to preserve an in-country extension when traveling.
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