Working in Thailand: work permits, the jobs closed to foreigners and the remote-work grey zone
To work in Thailand you need a work permit tied to a specific job, and some jobs, from tour guide to hairdresser, are closed to foreigners whatever paperwork you have.
The short version
- Anyone working in Thailand needs a work permit or a work-enabled visa, and the FCDO points you to the Thai e-visa site for the options [1].
- The usual route is a Thai employer getting Ministry of Labour approval (a WP32 letter), then a Non-Immigrant B visa, then the permit in Thailand [2].
- A 2020 Ministry of Labour announcement lists 40 jobs restricted for foreigners, 27 of them closed completely, including driving, hairdressing, tour guiding, Thai massage, legal services and secretarial work [3][4].
- Working without a permit, or outside what it allows, means a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht (about £111 to £1,108) and deportation. Employers face 10,000 to 100,000 baht per worker [5][6].
- Remote work for overseas employers is what the DTV and the LTR's work-from-Thailand category were built for; local clients are a different matter [7][8].
How a work permit works
Thailand doesn't let you job-hunt on a tourist stay and then switch over. The FCDO says plainly that visa-free entry doesn't cover business, and that you need the right visa before you travel [9]. The normal sequence:
- Get the job offer. Your Thai employer applies to the Department of Employment, part of the Ministry of Labour, for approval to hire you.
- The employer receives the WP32 approval letter and sends it to you [2].
- Apply for a Non-Immigrant B visa online from the UK, with the WP32, your passport, a photo, proof of your UK address and an official bank statement showing at least 30,000 baht (the embassy says £700) [2].
- Arrive on a 90-day stay. Leaving and coming back during that time needs a re-entry permit, or the stay is cancelled [2].
- Collect your work permit and apply to immigration to extend your stay, usually for a year, tied to the job.
Teachers and academic staff also need a letter from the Ministry of Education, a university or an international school, plus an ACRO police certificate no older than six months [2]. Sports coaches use a separate approval, the WP3 [2].
Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = THB 45.1092); dollar figures use the same day's rate (£1 = USD 1.3476).
What the permit covers
A Thai work permit names your employer, your job and where you do it. Changing employer means a new permit, and doing a different job from the one on it counts as working outside your rights, which carries the same penalties as no permit at all [5]. Side gigs are where Brits most often trip up: tutoring for cash, a bit of bar work at a mate's place, or a weekend market stall.
Employers also face rules on how many foreigners they can take on and on minimum pay for foreign staff, which vary with nationality and the type of business. Ask your employer what applies before you resign at home.
The jobs closed to foreigners
The Ministry of Labour's 2020 announcement lists 40 jobs in four lists [3][4]. The government's summaries of it date from 2023 and we couldn't open the Department of Employment's own site, so check the current list with your employer or a lawyer before you take on anything borderline.
List 1: 27 jobs closed completely. Among them [3]:
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Crafts | Wood carving, Thai musical instruments, lacquerware, niello ware, Buddha images, hand weaving, mulberry paper, silk reeling |
| Services | Hairdressing and beauty work, Thai massage, tour guiding, peddling, auctioneering, broking and agency work |
| Office and professional | Secretarial work, legal services |
| Driving | Driving motor vehicles (forklifts excepted) |
List 2: 13 jobs open only under international agreements, such as accounting, engineering and architecture, where Thailand's commitments allow it [4].
List 3: skilled and semi-skilled trades that need an employer, such as farming, bricklaying, carpentry and making clothes or shoes [4].
List 4: labouring and shop-front sales, open only to workers under Thailand's agreements with neighbouring countries [4].
This isn't theory. In February 2025 a Ministry of Labour task force raided malls in central Bangkok and found foreigners working as beauticians and shop assistants in jobs reserved for Thais, sending more than 20 cases for prosecution [6]. Between December 2024 and April 2025 it inspected over 1,000 workplaces across the country [5].
So if you dreamed of running a dive shop, opening a salon or guiding tours of the Grand Palace, check what you'd actually be allowed to do before spending a penny. Being the owner doesn't change the rules on what you yourself do day to day.
Remote work: DTV and LTR
Plenty of Brits in Bangkok work for a UK company or UK clients over the internet. Thailand now has visas designed for exactly that:
- The Destination Thailand Visa. Its "workcation" strand is for digital nomads, remote workers, foreign talent and freelancers, who show an employment contract or a portfolio [7]. It's £300 from London, five years, 180 days per entry [7].
- The LTR's work-from-Thailand category is for remote staff of large overseas companies earning at least USD 80,000 a year (about £59,365). The Board of Investment says no Thai work permit is issued for this category [8].
- The LTR's highly skilled category comes with a digital work permit for working in Thailand, and a 17% income tax rate [8].
The line to keep in mind: these visas cover work for employers and clients outside Thailand. Taking on Thai clients, working for a Thai company or selling services in the Thai market is work in Thailand, and needs a permit. Our DTV and LTR guide has the details.
If you're caught working without a permit
The Ministry of Labour sets out the penalties [5][6]:
| Who | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Foreign worker without a permit, or outside its terms | Fine of 5,000–50,000 baht (about £111–£1,108) and deportation |
| Employer | Fine of 10,000–100,000 baht (about £222–£2,217) per foreign worker |
| Employer, repeat offence | Up to 1 year in prison and/or a fine of 50,000–200,000 baht (about £1,108–£4,434) per worker, plus a 3-year ban on hiring foreigners |
Deportation is the real sting. It ends your stay and can make it much harder to get a Thai visa again. The British Embassy can't get you out of it: as our guide to consular help from the FCDO explains, consular staff can't interfere in another country's legal process.
The UK end
Working in Thailand usually means leaving the UK tax system: tell HMRC (form P85), check the Statutory Residence Test, and remember there's a UK–Thailand double taxation agreement [1]. If you're working for a UK employer from Bangkok, our guide to working abroad for a UK employer covers PAYE and National Insurance. There's no social security agreement with Thailand, so think about voluntary National Insurance to protect your State Pension record. A tax adviser who knows both countries can check your case.
The FCDO also warns about job scams aimed at foreigners in the region [1]. Be wary of any offer that pays well for "customer service" or "marketing" work across a land border, and check the employer properly. Need to sanity-check a job offer? Ask in our community group for Brits in Thailand, where plenty of people have been through the permit process with Bangkok employers.
Sources
- GOV.UK (FCDO): Living in Thailand (last updated 11 December 2025)
- Royal Thai Embassy, London: Business visa (Non-Immigrant B) (last updated 9 September 2026)
- THAILAND.GO.TH: What kind of work is absolutely not allowed for foreigners to do? (January 2023)
- THAILAND.GO.TH: Work that foreigners are allowed to do, with conditions (January 2023)
- Ministry of Labour: Trai Thep Phithak task force's crackdown on illegal foreign workers (15 May 2025)
- Ministry of Labour: Crackdown on foreigners taking jobs reserved for Thais in central Bangkok malls (18 February 2025)
- Royal Thai Embassy, London: Destination Thailand Visa (last updated 8 September 2026)
- Board of Investment: Long-Term Resident visa (checked 8 November 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO): Thailand travel advice – entry requirements (updated 12 October 2026)