Those who want to work as a farang (foreigner) in Thailand soon run into all kinds of restrictions. A reason for many expats to say that foreigners are not allowed to work in Thailand. That is not correct, because with a work permit you are allowed to work in Thailand. However, this one is not easy to obtain, that's right.
Working without a work permit in Thailand is not a good idea, it is a criminal offense and can lead to arrest and deportation. A work permit can only be applied for by the employer and is job related. By no means every Thai company or organization can obtain a work permit for a non-Thai national and by no means all positions are eligible for a work permit.
To apply for a work permit in Thailand, you must have a non-immigrant visa. The Thai Embassy can inform you about Thai visa procedures.
There is also a list of professions for which a farang never can get a work permit. This list is compiled by the Thai Labor Department, see here:
For all those who are keen on working in Thailand, be aware that there is a list of jobs were, you, as a westerner will not be able to get a work permit. The List is taken from The Thai Labor Department Website -www.mol.go.th/-
- Labor work except labor work in fishing boats under the next category below. The said work which is forbidden to aliens shall not apply to aliens who have entered into Thailand under an agreement on hire of labor concluded between the Government of Thailand and other nations, and also aliens whose status has been prescribed as legal immigrant and who possess a residence certificate under the law governing immigration.
- Agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry or fishery, except work requiring specialized knowledge, farm supervision, or labor work in fishing boats, particularly marine fishery.
- Bricklaying, carpentry, or other construction work.
- Woodcarving.
- Driving motor vehicles or vehicles which do not use machinery or mechanical devices, except piloting aircraft internationally.
- Front shop sales and auction sale work.
- Supervising, auditing, or providing service in accountancy, except occasional internal auditing.
- Cutting or polishing precious or semi-precious stones.
- Haircutting, hairdressing, or beautification.
- Cloth weaving by hand.
- Mat weaving or making utensils from reed, rattan, jute, hay, or bamboo.
- Making rice paper by hand.
- Lacquer work.
- Making Thai musical instruments.
- Niello works.
- Goldsmith, silversmith, or gold/copper alloy smith work. Stone works.
- Making Thai dolls.
- Making mattresses or quilts.
- Making alms bowls.
- Making silk products by hand.
- Making Buddha images.
- Knife-making.
- Making paper or cloth umbrellas.
- Making shoes.
- Making hats.
- Brokerage or agency except in international trading.
- Professional civil engineering concerning design and calculation, systemization, analysis, planning, testing, construction supervision, or consulting services, excluding work requiring specialized techniques.
- Professional architectural work concerning design, drawing/making, cost estimation, or consulting services.
- dressmaking.
- Pottery.
- Cigarette rolling by hand.
- Tour guiding or conducting.
- Hawking of goods & Thai typesetting by hand.
- Unwinding and twisting silk by hand.
- Clerical or secretarial work.
Providing legal services or engaging in legal work, except arbitration work; and work relating to defense of cases at arbitration level, provided the law governing the dispute under consideration by the arbitrators is not Thai law, or it is a case where there is no need to apply for the enforcement of such arbitration award in Thailand.
Source: Expat.com
The fact that there is a list of professions for which no work permit is required is, in my opinion, incorrect.
In my opinion, this list concerns the professions for which no work permit is issued anyway,
After all, “Westerners will not be able to get a work permit” means “Farang will not be able to get a work permit.”
It must have been fun again in Nijmegen. 🙂
Haha, no, no Nijmegen this time. A sleepy head probably. But solved with a little creativity in the text.
You get a beer from me Frans. I will come to the Wonderfull 2 bar sometime in October.
Thai people if they have a residence permit can work elsewhere. But foreigners in Thailand are not allowed to do this. It's time for equal rights back and forth.
That's a myth that seems to be persistent. These are the requirements in the Netherlands for a work permit:
First recruit in the Netherlands and the EEA
You should first try to find a suitable candidate in the Netherlands or the EEA.
With your application you must demonstrate that you have searched for candidates for at least 3 months.
You have to search broadly, think of the internet, (international) employment agencies and placing advertisements. You must show this to UWV when applying for a work permit. You must enclose copies of this with the application.
Doesn't seem that easy for an employer to comply with if you want to employ a Thai.
For a residence permit based on family (reunification, training) Fon Tok is right. The Thai foreigner will then receive the same employment rights as the (Dutch) partner. On the back of this VVR pass it says 'stay with partner, work freely permitted, TWV not required'.
But I don't see it happening yet that foreigners with a Thai partner are allowed to work freely in Thailand. So those are indeed not equal rights.
But if a third-country national such as a Thai wants to come here purely to work, then the employer must indeed arrange this and he must first demonstrate that this vacancy cannot be filled with Dutch/European (EU/EEA) workers. In this case, Chris's quote applies. That's definitely not a piece of cake. Chris is right about that.
For other residence permits such as 'study' I don't know the rules by heart. But it is a piece of cake that 'non-European foreigners can get to work here (and take our jobs, blah blah)'.
It makes no sense to compare apples with oranges unless you process both into syrup. The fact is that a company in the Netherlands that wants to employ an employee from abroad needs a work permit. Likewise in Thailand.
However: the discussions on this blog are about simply not being allowed to work by farang in Thailand, while this is going very smoothly in the Netherlands. As Rob V. rightly points out, any Thai(s) with a residence permit may work in the Netherlands. So does my Thai wife, so does a Thai girlfriend, her Thai husband, his Thai mother and the entire Thai in-laws, which family (crowded together) lives in Rdm.
Similarly, my wife has a Thai woman in her circle of acquaintances who lives in Rdm with her Portuguese husband and has been working in Rdm for more than 3 years. This Thai-Portuguese acquaintance doesn't speak a word of Dutch! Because she entered the Netherlands with her husband within Schengen, she does not have to, because there are no civic integration and language education obligations in the Netherlands. Mutual language (if there are no Thai around) is English.
Added to this is the happy fact for Thai people in the Netherlands, and this fact is absolutely unparalleled (I repeat: not) in Thailand, that every Thai here in the Netherlands may and can follow any vocational training at any level and at that level can and can get started. Without any restrictions whatsoever. Come on over in Thai.
The fact that Chris is working in Bangkok, like many other farangs, cannot be measured against the numerous vacancies that are filled by Thai people in the Netherlands. His claim that a restriction similar to the Thai standard also applies in the Netherlands is therefore careless.
I didn't make that comparison but FonTok.
I dare say that – despite all the restrictions – more foreigners work in Thailand than Thais in the Netherlands. AND: foreigners who work here are generally much more appreciated than Asian people who work in the Netherlands. Foreigners also work here at higher levels than Thais in the Netherlands.
Dear Chris,
Given your last sentence, by "foreigners working in Thailand" you mean only the western foreigners.
There are of course several million foreigners from neighboring countries who work in Thailand, half of them illegally. They are just expats just like you. They just don't work at a 'high level' and probably earn a lot less than you. Too bad these people are always forgotten in comparisons as if they don't matter.
Dear Chris, not for one thing or another, but read this post again and also your own reactions here and there: https://www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws-uit-thailand/junta-houdt-vol-geen-razzias-tegen-buitenlandse-arbeiders/
Yes, all those foreigners from the neighboring countries of Thailand working in construction, catering and fish processing are highly valued because they perform 'professions' for next to nothing and they do not want to be done by the Thai because you could just get a dark skin because of the sun or otherwise be smeared with oil, mud and excrement.
Then also give a visa on arrival of 30 days to Thai people who want to visit the Netherlands? With the possibility to extend that visa by 60 days.
I think many would immediately want this to replace the current Schengen procedure.
I happen to read an article on KhaoSod English this morning about an update (relaxation) of this list:
“BANGKOK — An infamous list of occupations reserved only for Thais may soon be a thing of the past, a labor official said Wednesday.
Citing the outdated nature of the law and the need for more foreign workers, labor department head Waranon Pitiwan said his office is considering relaxing the decades-old regulations that reserves 39 jobs for Thai nationals.”
http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2017/07/20/forbidden-careers-expats-may-relaxed-official-says/
In that same piece there is a link to Bangkok Coconuts who had a horribly bad web page from the Ministry of Labor briefly online in 2015, the list of banned jobs was badly and unclearly translated.
For example, according to the ministry, as a foreigner you were not allowed to 'farmers gas party animals (…)'.
There may be people who are annoyed by drunk, noisy and pawing figures in Nana and Pattaya but gas those party animals?! 555
https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/ministry-list-farang-forbidden-jobs-barrel-laughs/
do you know if there is any possibility to get a license as a racing engineer here in thailand.
In Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Samui, where you can follow training in Muay Thai, there were always farang working as a trainer. However, the details such as earnings and residence permits are missing on their websites and Facebook, which is not so much concealed, so it can be assumed that it is legal, despite essentially doing 'work' that a Thai can also do, there are quite a lot of Thai trainers around that is allowed be famous.
Just become a dive instructor.
Last year I got my padi in Pattaya, took lessons from a Swiss, Polish and a Thai woman.
An English and Taiwanese diving instructor was also available.
Or kitesurf instructor? Also saw various nationalities teaching there on the beach of Hua Hin.
Are you allowed to carry out activities mentioned in the list if it is for your own use?
A few examples: installing or adjusting electricity in your own home, laying bricks in your own home, making your own furniture.
It is therefore not about selling or giving away in exchange for a service in return.
Normally, maintaining your home is allowed.
I would be careful with the things you give as examples. Make sure you know and can trust the environment in which you do this.
NB. Things can quickly go wrong if someone becomes jealous or thinks that you are taking away their work (i.e. income).
Rolling cigarettes by hand is also on the list. I don't know if you smoke, but you can still roll your cigarette 😉
This concerns work permits and the restrictions for foreigners to work in Thailand. Thailand is a country with many restrictions in all areas, including residence, visas, land ownership and I could go on and on. Also a country with a military government. Mind you I think Thailand is a fantastic holiday country my wife is also Thai and lives in the Netherlands with all the privileges that Thai have here, I was told that the name Thailand or Siam means "land of the free" how do they get there considering all restrictions really baffles me.
I do wonder why so many would like to “work” in Thailand. That will have to be in the "soft" sector because I really, as a farang, don't like providing real physical labor in Thailand. The climatic conditions, the wages…. you definitely shouldn't do that. Thailand is a beautiful and pleasant holiday country, it's good to enjoy your retirement, but really "work" there, I can't even think about it. When I built here I did the eletra myself, recently also did it in the house of my Mae Baan …. was just glad it was over because it's no fun doing physical labor here. I can occupy myself enough as “being at rest” with other useful and more pleasant things than work.
Also have huge problems with work permits for my film PATTAYA HAS IT ALL see Youtube. The problem is that of the 16 castings I only got a good Thai, because the Thais speak bad English, and the acting performances are far below Amsterdams level. Unlike the Philippine actors, but they are hated here and opposed on all fronts. I cannot convince the Thai authorities that this will be a beautiful and positive promotional film for Pattaya. I have asked for 4 exemptions for 6 weeks for a number of Philippine, 2 American and a Dutch actress, but they keep flatly refusing everything for a nice promotional film. Now I have to set up a company with 8 work permits and employ another 4 Thais for each work permit. Despite positive comments and reviews from various agencies in Bangkok, the CITY Hall and emigration are keeping the door closed, and now I report to the TAT Bangkok and the Ministry of Tourism, because I already have half a million baht in it, and I am a pit bull type who does not give up easily. Unfortunately, all my old contacts have retired or transferred, so it will be quite a struggle to finish my film. I also have to convert my Retirement Visa to a Non Immigrant B visa with a list of 21 forms. certainly don't expect it, but go for the motto ; Who does not dare, who does not win.
Yes, not easy when you are still young and do not have the necessary capital to stay here.
There is still the possibility to earn “online”. I already know a few people who do that… I am on my way to becoming financially independent, without breaking any laws in Thailand. With a little effort and a clear mind, anyone can do it.
Dear Sjaak, if you want to earn your money online, that's fine.
I just don't understand why you want to involve third parties at the same time.
Anyway, it's already link to report it here.
If you're so eager to take a risk, go ahead, but I don't think it's commendable to mention that more people are doing this.
Live and let live and how and what someone else will do, with or without a work permit, is a personal matter.
and dear Sjaak, do you think that by working "online" you do not violate the laws of the country? I would think otherwise quickly because you do. From the moment you generate some form of income you "work". How you do this is legally irrelevant. And, if you are still young and do not have the necessary financial means to stay in a certain country, then it is better to build up the necessary things in your own country first, so that your future can also be assured …. that “online” earn treasures….. ???? If only it were all that simple…. but yes fairy tales are fairy tales but often don't last long. I've seen enough of them leave for Cambodia lately…. they also “worked” online….. and also got rich from it….
What is it now? If you live on your savings or on the interest of an accumulated capital, is that work?
Anyway, I'll keep my mouth shut on the forum from now on. I am not going to discuss this, because if it is already written that building your own wall is “work”…
It is not forbidden to earn money, it is forbidden to work.
Who is that the same for? When I first came to live in Thailand I asked if I had a work permit when I repaired PCs in people's homes. I was told at the immigration service that as long as this was done in people's homes and not in public places, it would not be looked at.
Let's close our eyes to the possibilities that do exist and focus on what everything is not allowed. This is how we already do in the Netherlands…. each his own.
Building your own wall is not maintenance but work
As far as I'm concerned, everyone does what they want
I'm just saying that you have to be careful with that.
In some areas that won't be a problem, in others it's best to keep your hands off it.
But... no, I'll just leave it at that because it's pointless.