Expat Relocation to Thailand – Visa, Work Permit & Arrival Plan

A relocation to Thailand follows a fixed sequence. Work authorisation comes first: the employer obtains WP.3 approval from the Department of Employment, or the equivalent through the BOI single window or the LTR programme. The visa comes second: the employee and family apply through Thai e-Visa to the mission responsible for their country. Arrival formalities come third: address notification, medical certificate, work permit and the extension of stay at the Immigration Bureau.

Trying to run these steps out of order is the main source of delay. A mission may decline a Non-B application without the employment approval, and an immigration office cannot extend a stay based on employment until the work permit exists. Our first task is therefore a written timeline that HR, the employee and our team all use, with realistic margins for each authority.

Most relocations use the ordinary route: WP.3 approval, Non-B visa and a one-year extension of stay tied to the work permit. Companies promoted by the Board of Investment can use the BOI single window, which generally offers more flexible criteria and coordinated visa and work permit processing. Highly skilled professionals and their employers may qualify for the Long-Term Resident visa, which offers a longer stay, a digital work permit and annual rather than 90-day reporting.

The right route depends on the employer's status, the employee's salary and qualifications and the length of the assignment. An LTR application involves a separate eligibility review by the BOI and takes longer to prepare, while the ordinary route is quicker to start but requires annual renewals. We compare the routes for each assignment rather than defaulting to one.

A spouse and children normally apply for Non-Immigrant O dependant visas based on the main applicant's employment. Their applications rely on civil documents — the marriage certificate and birth certificates — which often need translation, notarisation and legalisation before they are accepted. Until Thailand's apostille regime takes effect on 28 February 2027, consular legalisation through the issuing country and the Thai mission normally remains the standard route.

Unmarried partners face a more limited set of options, because the dependant category is generally based on legal marriage. Same-sex spouses whose marriages are recognised can be considered following Thailand's marriage equality reform, but practice at individual missions should be confirmed. We review each family member's position at the start so that no one is left without a visa route on the travel date.

In the first days the landlord or hotel files TM.30 for each family member, and the employee obtains a Thai medical certificate for the work permit. The work permit is then issued or activated, and the employer registers the employee for social security and withholding tax. Opening a Thai bank account usually follows once the work permit and a Thai address document are available.

Before the initial Non-B permission ends, the employee applies for a one-year extension of stay based on employment, and the family members apply for their dependant extensions at the same time. Filing together keeps the family's permissions aligned and avoids separate trips to the immigration office later in the year.

Life in Thailand on a long-term permission comes with recurring obligations: 90-day address reports for each adult, re-entry permits before every trip abroad, new TM.30 notifications when the family moves address, and amendments to the work permit if the job title or workplace changes. Missing a 90-day report leads to a fine; travelling abroad without a re-entry permit ends the extension of stay.

Children enrolled in Thai or international schools follow the same reporting rules as adults for their stay, although 90-day reports are generally filed for persons who have stayed continuously for ninety days. Schools commonly ask to see each child's passport, visa page and address notification, so keeping copies of current permissions in one shared folder saves the family repeated requests during the school year.

We send reminders and handle filings for each family member, and we prepare the annual renewal of the extension and work permit well before expiry. For employees who become Thai tax residents, we coordinate with the employer's accountants on the personal income tax position, including the treatment of foreign income brought into Thailand.

Thai Legal & Immigration Consulting Service Co., Ltd. acts as one coordinator for employers relocating staff to Thailand, working from our Bangkok headquarters on Lat Phrao Soi 95 and our Khon Kaen branch with field representatives in all 77 provinces. HR receives a single timeline, clear document requests and regular status updates; the employee and family receive guidance in plain language before and after arrival.

Assignments rarely go exactly to plan. Start dates move, a family member joins later, or the employee changes role within the group. Because one team holds the whole file, we can adjust the timeline, amend the work permit or prepare a separate dependant application without starting again from the beginning, and HR always has one place to ask where each person's status stands.

Our licensed Thai attorneys handle the legal filings, while housing and school searches remain with specialist providers. Employers can begin with a Free Preliminary Eligibility Review of the assignment and Request a Formal Quotation for the complete relocation file.