First Work Permit in Thailand: Company and Employee Documents to Prepare

A first work permit needs two document sets. The company's set proves the business is real and that there is a need to hire a foreigner. The employee's set covers identity, qualifications and health. The right visa has to go with them, and the route depends on whether the employee is abroad, already in Thailand on a Non-B visa, or arrived as a tourist.

How many document sets are needed, and what decides the route?

The simple formula is company documents + employee documents + the right visa. The lists we publish follow the Immigration Bureau's work-extension criteria and the Department of Employment work permit manual. An officer may still ask for more in a particular case.

What changes the process is where the employee is on the day you start. There are three cases: still abroad, in Thailand on a Non-B visa, or in Thailand as a tourist. We explain each below. If you are not sure which applies, our visa document checklist tool is a good first step.

In practice, we recommend starting with the company documents, because they come from several agencies and have a limited validity. The employee can prepare personal papers in parallel. Confirm the visa route before booking travel or fixing a start date, so that work starts only once the paperwork is complete.

What are the company's documents?

Company documents usually take longest to prepare, because they come from other agencies and have a limited validity. The list below is the one published on our visa and work permit service page, based on Immigration Bureau criteria.

When the employee later extends their stay, the Immigration Bureau criteria for ordinary companies are paid-up capital of at least 2 million THB, audited financial statements for the past 2 years, and 4 permanent Thai employees per foreign employee. BOI-promoted companies follow a different set; see BOI work permits vs regular companies.

What are the employee's documents?

The employee's set is simpler than the company's, but foreign-issued papers are where people most often slip. They may need a translation or certification as the agency requires.

Prepare both originals and copies, since the agency's manual says to bring the originals on the filing day. Check that the name and passport number match on every document, and check the passport and visa expiry dates before you start, so nothing has to be corrected later.

Our full list also includes form TM.7, a copy of the current work permit and the applicant's PND.91. Those three belong to extensions and renewals, not to a first application.

How does the process differ by where the employee is?

The employee is still abroad

The employer applies for the work permit on the employee's behalf under section 60 paragraph 2, using forms บต.32 and บต.46, per the Department of Employment manual. The application fee is 100 THB, processing is 3 days, and 10 more working days are added if checks are needed. After the employee enters Thailand, there is a separate step to collect the permit.

For the visa, the Thai embassy asks for the Ministry of Labour approval letter (WP3) with the Non-B application, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The fee is 2,000 THB for a single entry (3 months) or 5,000 THB for multiple entries (1 year). Whether the บต.32 result is the same document as the WP3 is not something we have confirmed from an agency source, so please ask the officer or contact us.

The same source says company documents with translations are required for the embassy application, so have the company set and its translations ready before the employee books the visa appointment. Plan the travel date with the processing times above in mind, so that work starts only once the paperwork is complete.

The employee is already in Thailand on a Non-B visa

Apply under the Department of Employment manual. The application fee is 100 THB, and the permit fee depends on length: 750 THB up to 3 months, 1,500 THB over 3 up to 6 months, and 3,000 THB over 6 months up to 1 year, per the citizen manual. Once the documents are complete, the manual sets about 2 hours at the service point. This route does not involve an embassy step, but the company documents are still required in full.

The employee entered as a tourist

In some cases a tourist visa can be changed to Non-B inside Thailand, with its own time limits and documents. Read changing a tourist visa to Non-B before you decide.

What most often delays a first application?

These are practical observations, not legal rules.

• Expired company documents. The affidavit and shareholder list must be issued within 6 months, so request fresh copies close to the filing date.
• Figures that do not match. The salary in the employment certificate should agree with the tax and social security papers you attach.
• Missing filings. PND.1, SPS.1-10 and PP.30 or PP.36 must cover the full 3 months.
• Foreign documents without translation or certification. Ask the agency what format it wants, for example for degree certificates.
• No evidence of the need to hire. The explanatory letter should describe the role clearly.
• Starting late. We recommend starting at least 45 days ahead, because some company documents take time to issue.

Actual processing time depends on the officer, the office and the case, so we do not give a figure we cannot source.

To reduce the risk, we suggest a pre-filing check: write the issue date and expiry date of every document in a table, confirm that both the company set and the employee set are complete, and have someone who did not prepare the file read it once more. If an officer asks for an extra document, reply as quickly as you can so the case does not stall.

What comes after the work permit?

A work permit does not by itself keep the employee in Thailand. The visa side needs attention too.

1. Extension of stay (TM.7). The fee is 1,900 THB per the Immigration Bureau fee schedule, and the company must meet the capital, financial and staffing criteria above.
2. 90-day report. It can be made from 15 days before the due date to 7 days after, is free, and a late report is fined 2,000 THB (5,000 THB if caught), per the 90-day report page. If you have already missed one, read what to do about a missed 90-day report.
3. TM.30. The landlord or host reports the employee's address; see what is TM.30.

As the permit nears expiry, use our work permit renewal checklist.

We also suggest keeping every key date in one place: the work permit expiry, the end of the permitted stay, and the next 90-day report. That lets HR plan renewals in time.

Information as of 20 October 2026, taken from the government pages linked above. Rules can change — check with the agency before you file.

If you would like help checking your documents before filing, you are welcome to reach us through the contact page or read more on the visa and work permit service page.