- Overview: Thailand
- Global PEO and payroll
- Global HR Compliance
- Work permit for hiring expats via PEO
- Expand without a company set up
- Contractor vs. employee: which is better?
Immigration support for hiring expats in Thailand via PEO
Global expansion is often linked with foreign hiring. This may require knowing the labor code of a foreign country, in-country incorporation peculiarities or immigration procedure in case of expats hiring.
If you are already hiring or planning to onboard expatriates for your international projects in Thailand, there is a range of things that you need to consider:
- HR compliance
- How to get a work permit or visa so that foreigners are eligible to work in Thailand
- Timelines to get a permit or visa
- How to payroll expats after the permits have been received
- Whether it makes sense to open and keep your own business entity to employ expats directly
A global PEO or Employer of Record solution with immigration support might be a viable alternative to direct hiring of expats on your own company in Thailand. This solution gives companies freedom from the need to keep the entity in the country while employing expats in full compliance with Mexican labor legislation. Immigration support is part of a PEO service that precedes the employment. As a PEO service provider, Acumen International can sponsor a work permit and then employ an expat in Thailand on the client’s behalf.
Note: having one provider that sponsors a work permit or visa on your behalf and then employs expats in Thailand, minimizes risks of visa rejection and takes the hassle associated with immigration procedure off your head.
Attention: we are not an immigration service! We do not provide a work permit and immigration support as a standalone solution to individuals willing to work overseas.
Our ‘work permit and hiring expats through a Global PEO’ solution is designed for employer companies that want to transfer selected expats to Thailand or individuals whose employers are ready to finance their immigration and foreign employment in the country. The service is mainly used by companies hiring highly skilled personnel and willing to retain them by offering employee status and providing employee benefits.
Unlike other global Professional Employer Organizations, Acumen International can provide extra benefits in addition to work permit and employment of expats in Thailand. This includes medical insurance, housing, office rent, mobile phone and car provision to meet-and-greet, dependents relocation, etc.
Focus on your primary business goals and let us take care of the work permit and immigration in Thailand for you. Use our all-in-one solution:
- For long-term assignments in Thailand, allowing to payroll and manage expats with full legal compliance without a legal entity
- As an interim solution before incorporating in the country
Solution for global mobility of expats in Thailand
Acumen International will guide you through a grueling immigration procedure and will help you immediately onboard and payroll expats after they have received a work permit or visa. Use our global mobility and PEO solution to staff any international assignments in Thailand without the pitfalls and financial risks associated with hiring expatriate personnel there.
With our expertise in expats immigration and employment, we offer a comprehensive solution to ensure that your international employees get their work permits within the standard duration of the immigration service in Thailand. Learn more about the timelines requirements for getting a work permit in Thailand below.
Estimated time for work permit issuance
Typically, the procedure of work permit issuance in Thailand takes from 1 to 2 months until entry to Thailand, and a further 2 days before the entire process is completed.
Major steps to get a work permit in Thailand
- Pre-Approval from Board of Investment (BOI)
- Non-Immigrant B Visa Application
- Entry to Thailand
- Initial Work Permit Application & Non-Immigrant Visa Extension (OSSC)
- Re-Entry Permit
Documents for work permit in Thailand, main applicant
| Name | Notes | Copies |
| Copy of Passport Information Page Valid for 6 Months | Passport must have been issued within the last ten years. | One clear copy |
| Copy of Professional or Occupational License | If applicable. | One clear copy |
| Evidence of legal immigration status | Evidence of legal residency in the applicant’s country of residence, where the application is being made (if he/she holds a passport from a different country) | One original |
| Passport valid for six months minimum | With at least 2 blank, adjoining visa pages | One original |
| Visa Application Form | Example for the UK attached; form should be obtained from the relevant Embassy or Consulate. | One original |
| Letters of Experience | From current and/or previous employers, stating length of relevant professional experience. Approximately five year of work experience in a related field is required. | One clear copy |
| Proof of Residence in Country of Application | Copy of driving license stating address, or a recent utility bill. | One clear copy |
| Visa Application Fee | Amount varies depending on nationality of applicant | One original |
| Acknowledgement of Penalties for a Visa Overstay | A form which must be completed with name, age, nationality and passport number, and signed. It states that the applicant is aware that a penalty may be imposed for overstaying their visa. | One original |
| Highest educational certificate(s) – Copy | One clear copy | |
| 6 Passport Photographs 3cm x 4cm | Facing forwards, closed mouth, neutral expression, white background. Photo must include neck and shoulders. Men: Business shirt or shirt with collar and buttons [no T-shirts]; Ladies: No tank tops, spaghetti straps, low cut blouses, or strapless tops). | Six originals |
| Copy of Passport Information Page Plus Visa Page | One clear copy | |
| Degree Certificate | Applicant must hold a university qualification equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree. Must be translated if not in English, by a professional translator (in most cases a translator approved by the applicable foreign embassy). The translation must also be dated and include the original signature of the translator. Translated documents may require legalization by the concerned embassy in Thailand. | One translated original |
| Visa Extension Fee | Currently THB 1900. | One original |
| Record of Foreign Information | This form was introduced in 2016 to record much more information about the foreign national applicant than was previously requested, including social media use, vehicle details, places frequented, bank account details and overseas address. An updated form is required for each visa extension, re-entry permit or 90-day report application in Thailand. | One clear copy |
| Re-Entry Permit Application Form (TM.8) | Stating reasons for travel. | One original |
| Re-entry Permit Fee | Currently THB 100 for single re-entry, THB 3800 for multiple re-entry. | One clear copy |
If you need to have your expat personnel legally work for you in Thailand without having to set up your own business entity for that, trust us to assist you with work permit and immigration support, and then employ your expats locally on your behalf.
Contact our team to let us take up your foreign employees’ immigration matters and relieve you of the responsibility of getting work permit by working with our local partners to organize and obtain all the necessary permits, as well as provide you with a detailed update on the progress of the process.
Call us for more information about how you can get a work permit for your expatriate staff and employ them through Acumen International in Thailand.
