Get the right visa, the right work permit, and the right ongoing compliance for your foreign hires handled by a bilingual team that knows when a company qualifies for the faster BOI e-Work Permit track instead of the standard paper process.
A standard work permit, filed after you already hold a Non-Immigrant B visa, typically takes about 1–2 weeks to process at the Department of Employment. Companies eligible for the e-Work Permit system, mainly BOI-promoted entities, can often get approval in a matter of days through the digital process.
Most delays trace back to the same handful of mistakes: applying for the work permit before confirming the company actually meets the registered capital or tax-paid threshold required to sponsor a foreign employee, submitting a job description that doesn’t match what’s listed on the company’s Foreign Business License or BOI promotion, or simply missing the fact that the visa and the work permit have to be sequenced correctly you cannot get one without the other already in place.
The cost of getting this wrong isn’t just a delay. An employee working without a valid permit, even briefly, is a legal violation for both the employee and the employer.
Standard Work Permit or e-Work Permit — Which Applies to You?
| Standard Work Permit | e-Work Permit | |
|---|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Any company meeting the standard capital/tax-paid thresholds | Primarily BOI-promoted companies and certain treaty/registered entities |
| Application method | Paper filing (Form WP.25) at the Department of Employment or provincial labor office | Fully digital submission through the BOI/government online system |
| In-person requirement | Employee must collect and sign for the physical permit in person | Minimal — much of the process is handled online |
| Typical processing time | 1–2 weeks | Often a matter of days once documentation is complete |
| Best for | Companies without BOI promotion, or roles outside promoted activities | Foreign staff at BOI-promoted companies, or businesses already going through BOI registration |
If your company is already pursuing — or could qualify for — BOI promotion, the e-Work Permit route is usually worth the extra setup, because it removes most of the in-person bottlenecks that slow down the standard process for every employee you hire afterward, not just the first one.
We confirm your company meets the registered capital or tax-paid threshold required to sponsor a foreign employee, and identify whether the standard or e-Work Permit route applies.
We prepare and submit the documentation needed to secure the visa that's a legal prerequisite for the work permit itself.
Standard Form WP.25 filing at the Department of Employment, or digital submission through the e-Work Permit system where eligible.
Once the permit is issued, we coordinate the related one-year visa extension so the employee's visa and work permit stay aligned.
We track 90-day reporting deadlines, renewal dates, and any change-of-employer notifications so nothing lapses after the initial approval.
A work permit application doesn’t happen in isolation — it depends on decisions made elsewhere in the business. Our Legal & Corporate Advisory team also handles:
confirming your entity meets the threshold to sponsor foreign staff → see our Company Registration services
structuring your company to qualify for the faster digital track → see our FDI & BOI Advisory services
drafting compliant contracts for foreign hires that align with their visa and work permit terms
annual filings and capital changes that keep your work permit sponsorships valid year over year
Applications and communication handled fluently in English, Thai, Mandarin, and Cantonese — built for the volume of Chinese-owned businesses hiring foreign and Thai staff in Thailand.
The same firm checking your eligibility also handles your company's accounting — so the registered capital and tax-paid figures behind your application are actually correct, not just assumed.
We know which companies qualify for the digital fast-track and structure new BOI applications with that eligibility in mind from the start.
90-day reporting and renewal tracking are part of the service, not a separate add-on you have to remember to ask for.
FAQ
A standard work permit typically takes 1–2 weeks to process once you already hold a Non-Immigrant B visa. Companies eligible for the e-Work Permit system can often get approval in a matter of days.
The e-Work Permit is Thailand’s digital work permit system, primarily available to BOI-promoted companies and certain treaty or registered entities. It replaces most of the in-person filing and collection steps required under the standard process with an online application.
No. A valid Non-Immigrant B visa (or another qualifying visa category, such as a BOI-sponsored visa) is a legal prerequisite for a Thai work permit — the two are sequenced, not parallel applications.
Thai law generally requires a company to meet a minimum registered capital or tax-paid threshold per foreign employee it sponsors. The exact figure depends on your company’s structure and financial history — we confirm this as the first step of eligibility review, before any visa or permit application is filed.
Working without a valid permit is a legal violation for both the employee and the employer, and can result in fines, deportation, and complications for future visa or work permit applications.
Yes. Work permits are tied to your visa extension cycle and generally need to be renewed annually, along with the related 90-day reporting requirements that apply throughout the year.
Confirm eligibility before you make an offer — not after. We’ll check your company’s capital and tax position, recommend the right visa and permit route, and manage the renewals so nothing lapses.
