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What should I be aware of when receiving a job offer on a tourist visa in Thailand?

Thailand Work Visa Tourist Visa to Work Visa Conversion Thai Immigration Rules Work Permit in Thailand Visa Compliance Expats in Thailand

Feb 21, 2025

2 days ago

Csk *****

ORIGINAL POSTER

I need some advice on what to look out for when getting a job offer while holding tourist visa. 

1. Does converting tourist visa to work visa require us to leave the country?

2. Is it possible to begin work while waiting for the visa to progress? (I believed it’s illegal to do so, but any advices are appreciated) Thank you.

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TLDR : Answer Summary

When considering a job offer while on a tourist visa in Thailand, it's crucial to understand the conversion process. Converting a tourist visa to a work visa typically requires leaving Thailand to apply for a Non-B visa at a Thai embassy, as many companies will not handle the extensive documentation required for this process within the country. Additionally, it is illegal to begin working without both a work permit and a valid visa that does not restrict work. Employers may suggest otherwise, but this poses a significant risk of deportation for the employee.

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Paul ***********

Typically you will be asked to leave the country and go and get a single entry B Visa

You shouldnt work unless you have your Work Permit (blue book) or BOI issued digital work permit

No visa allows you to work 👍

2 days ago

Csk *****

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Paul **********

Thank you I had a feeling they lied to me when they said it’s possible to work while waiting for the document to finalize 😅 I’m a fresh graduate and is still inexperienced about this kind of things. Appreciate your comment. 🙏🏻

2 days ago

Csk *****

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Paul **********

Thank you once again that’s very helpful and kind of you

Paul ***********

or one of these... 👇

Paul ***********

shouldn't start working until you have one of these 👇

2 days ago

Max *********

@Paul **********

not true, you can start working with the pre-approval WP3 letter, within 3 weeks of working you should get the blue WP. This is the process for blue WP holders, for BOI digital WP it might be different.

2 days ago

Csk *****

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Max ********

I’ve done my research on WP3 and that would require us to be outside of Thailand in order to apply for this letter correct?

2 days ago

Paul ***********

@Max ********

I beg to differ..

2 days ago

Reply to

Paul ***********

Brandon ************

1) That depends on the company that hires you. It requires hundreds of pages of documents to convert from a tourist to a non-B visa inside Thailand, and many companies either cannot or will not go through all that trouble. It takes very little paperwork comparatively to apply for a non-B visa at a Thai embassy outside of Thailand.

2) You can only work when you both a work permit, and a visa that is not work restricted. Many employers will say it's okay to work while everything is processing, but that's not true. They don't care though as they aren't the ones risking deportation.

2 days ago

Csk *****

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Brandon ***********

Thank you so much for the response, it does sound sketchy when they said there won’t be any issue working while waiting for the document to be process as I have asked them regarding this issues multiple times.

2 days ago

Reply to

Csk *****

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Can I pursue my research in Thailand on a tourist visa and later convert it to a Non-immigrant B visa?

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