ASEAN Visa & Work Permit Guide Thailand 2026

Total official cost: approx. 4,800 THB

Actual total with brokers: 30,000–50,000 THB (Myanmar workers — Bangkok Post). ILO survey: real costs are 5–10× higher than official fees across CLMV countries.

Initial Work Permit: 2 years → Extension: +2 years (one time) = maximum 4 years total

Change employer: 60 days to find new one (relaxed from 30 days)

Children under 18 can stay with parent. Must apply for own Work Permit within 60 days of turning 18.

90-day reporting required at Immigration Office

Online registration: cam.doe.go.th

WP renewal extended to Mar 31, 2026 (Cabinet Resolution Sep 24, 2024). 53,809 Cambodian WPs expiring + 85,117 under 4-year MOU expiring Dec 2026.

No new Cambodian worker intake as of Mar 2026. MOU revised Apr 2025 to add short-term employment (≤1 year). Enhanced airport screening since Dec 2025.

Total official cost: approx. 4,800 THB

Actual total with brokers: 30,000–50,000 THB (Myanmar workers — Bangkok Post). ILO survey: real costs are 5–10× higher than official fees across CLMV countries.

Initial Work Permit: 2 years → Extension: +2 years (one time) = maximum 4 years total

Change employer: 60 days to find new one (relaxed from 30 days)

Children under 18 can stay with parent. Must apply for own Work Permit within 60 days of turning 18.

90-day reporting required at Immigration Office

Apply via e-Work Permit: eworkpermit.doe.go.th

WP renewal extended to Mar 31, 2026 (Cabinet, Mar 2026). Approx. 370,000 Lao/Myanmar/Vietnamese workers covered by this extension.

Lao government pushes to convert irregular workers to MOU status. Border pass holders also need work permit. No border pass scheme established by Laos yet.

Total official cost: approx. 4,800 THB

Actual total with brokers: 30,000–50,000 THB (Myanmar workers — Bangkok Post). ILO survey: real costs are 5–10× higher than official fees across CLMV countries.

Initial Work Permit: 2 years → Extension: +2 years (one time) = maximum 4 years total

Change employer: 60 days to find new one (relaxed from 30 days)

Children under 18 can stay with parent. Must apply for own Work Permit within 60 days of turning 18.

90-day reporting required at Immigration Office

Online registration: mou2024.doe.go.th

WP renewal extended to Mar 31, 2026 (Cabinet, Mar 2026). Myanmar is the largest group — 193,430 arrested in 2024 crackdown alone.

Actual cost with brokers: 30,000–50,000 THB (Bangkok Post). Passport via broker: 2,500 THB (direct: ~350 THB). Over 4 million Myanmar nationals in Thailand — nearly half undocumented (HRW 2025). Regularization is the dominant pathway (88% of documented Myanmar workers). Pink card (migrant worker card) is the main legal document.

Total official cost: approx. 4,800 THB

Actual total with brokers: 30,000–50,000 THB (Myanmar workers — Bangkok Post). ILO survey: real costs are 5–10× higher than official fees across CLMV countries.

Initial Work Permit: 2 years → Extension: +2 years (one time) = maximum 4 years total

Change employer: 60 days to find new one (relaxed from 30 days)

Children under 18 can stay with parent. Must apply for own Work Permit within 60 days of turning 18.

90-day reporting required at Immigration Office

Apply via e-Work Permit: eworkpermit.doe.go.th

WP renewal extended to Mar 31, 2026 (Cabinet, Mar 2026). Share of Vietnamese MOU workers in Thailand is relatively small compared to Myanmar/Cambodia.

Vietnam MOU workers are a smaller share. Most Vietnamese workers in Thailand come through MOU channel rather than regularization (unlike Myanmar/Cambodia). Vietnam government coordinates worker export through official agencies.