Four things to do before you board: check the offer with the destination's own authority, know your rights, carry the right papers, and get the practical details in writing.
Department of Employment, Ministry of Labour
Foreign workers register and apply for work permits through the e-WorkPermit system, and the department runs a call centre for migrant workers.
Migrant-worker call centre 1694 (English, Burmese, Cambodian)
Last checked 29 September 2026. Links go to official sites we do not control; treat each site as the authority, not this page.
What the government and the ILO publish, in plain words. Laws change: your contract and the official page always win over this summary.
The Alien Employment Act controls work permits for foreigners and reserves certain occupations for Thai workers. A foreigner who is not a tourist or in transit, and who lives in or is allowed to stay in Thailand, can apply for a work permit.
Thailand Ministry of Labour: Labour Law page, Alien Employment Act B.E. 2521 (1978). Read 8 October 2026A work permit names the type of work, the employer and the work area. The permit holder must work only in that category, for that employer, in that area, and no one may employ a foreigner outside what the permit says. The registrar can revoke a permit if its conditions are broken.
Thailand Working of Aliens Act B.E. 2551 (2008), sections 26 to 28, English translation by the Office of the Council of State, hosted on the Ministry of Labour site (the Thai text prevails), read 8 October 2026For work types the ministry designates, the employer must deduct money from your salary and pay it into the Alien Repatriation Fund as security for your trip home, at the rate set by regulation. The Fund issues a receipt that the employer must give to you, and a certificate when the full amount has been paid. If you leave at your own expense you can claim the deducted money, at the port of departure or by post, within two years of leaving, after which the right lapses.
Thailand Working of Aliens Act B.E. 2551 (2008), sections 15 to 19 (Thai text prevails), read 8 October 2026The Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541 (1998) sets the minimum standards for use of labour, women and child labour, remuneration, severance pay and the Employee Welfare Fund.
Thailand Ministry of Labour: Labour Protection ActYou must keep your work permit on you or at your workplace so it can be shown to an official, and apply for a replacement within 15 days if it is lost or damaged. A foreigner who works without a permit faces up to five years in prison, or a fine of 2,000 to 100,000 baht, or both, so do not start work before the permit is issued.
Thailand Working of Aliens Act B.E. 2551 (2008), sections 24, 25 and 51 (Thai text prevails), read 8 October 2026Thailand regulates private employment services under the Employment and Job Seeker Protection Act. A Thai agency sending workers abroad must be a company with at least THB 1 million paid-up capital and a THB 5 million guarantee deposited with the registrar. This governs Thai agencies; it does not describe the recruiter in your own country.
Thailand Ministry of Labour: Labour Law page, Employment and Job Seeker Protection Act B.E. 2528 (1985). Read 8 October 2026The Ministry of Labour lists a general call centre on 1506 in the header of its English site.
Thailand Ministry of Labour English site header. Read 8 October 2026The Department of Employment runs the 1694 call centre for the general public, jobseekers, employers and migrant workers, with English, Burmese and Cambodian speakers. The page describing it is an older news item, so check the current hours.
Thailand Ministry of Labour: 1694 hotline launched to serve migrant workersChecked against the linked pages on 2026-10-08. This is general information, not legal advice.
Keep your own passport with you. If anyone asks to hold it, do not hand it over before you have checked the rights above and talked to your specialist.
Details such as pickup, housing and how pay reaches you differ by employer and city. We do not guess them for you; ask, and get the answer in a message or document you can show later.
Local practicalities such as phone plans, banking and transport are not covered here because we do not publish anything we have not verified. Your specialist and employer can tell you what applies to your city.
Full pre-departure checklist · Sending money home · When your contract ends · For your family
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