HomeVisasNon-B Business

// VISA · DEEP DIVE · CHECKED 13 SEPTEMBER 2026

Non-B. The work visa for Thai employers.

The Non-Immigrant B is used for employment and business purposes, but the visa does not itself authorise work. Employment applicants normally need employer evidence and Department of Employment approval or an existing permit.

CHECKED 13 SEPTEMBER 20267 MIN READOFFICIAL SOURCES

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Savannakhet entry · checked 13 Sept 2026

VARIES

Mission fee

Permission separate

CASE

Employer criteria vary

// TL;DR

Checked 13 September 2026: a Thai-employment file combines a mission-specific Non-B application with a Department of Employment process. The embassy checklist, fee, company evidence and later stay documents vary. Do not infer a universal staffing ratio, capital rule, fee, or annual extension from the visa label alone.

What Non-B actually is

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes Non-Immigrant Category B as a route for work or business and says the work sub-purpose needs its own supporting evidence. Its English guidance states that a holder wishing to work must receive a work permit before starting. Mission checklists can be more specific: the Royal Thai Embassy in Budapest lists employment documents and WP3 or an existing work permit for its jurisdiction.

Separate three decisions: the embassy issues a visa, Immigration grants or extends a stay, and the Department of Employment handles work permission. Use the official e-WorkPermit portal for the applicable employment transaction. A successful visa application does not complete the other two processes.

Choose the e-WorkPermit transaction, not just the portal

e-WorkPermit is a filing channel, not one universal permission. The Ministry of Labour’s launch notice dates nationwide availability to 13 October 2025. Its published process for foreign business professionals, rechecked 13 September 2026, separates the online application from approval and the later identity/collection appointment.

Identify the filing stage. A new application, an employer’s pre-arrival approval, an existing-permit renewal and a recorded-detail change are different questions. Use the route for the actual worker and employer.
Apply and follow the payment instructions. Registration or a payment receipt is not the permit decision.
Wait for the recorded result. Answer any document request through the instructed channel.
Complete the instructed appointment. The Ministry describes identity and biometric checks before collection of the approved permit. Confirm the assigned centre; a short collection visit is not a guaranteed total processing time.

This review covers public guidance and portal availability, not a submitted work-permit application. Confirm the current transaction and supporting documents with the Department of Employment. The portal lists hotline 1506, extension 2.

Do not assume a renewal covers an employer or workplace change. Confirm the event and use the detailed work-permit renewal guide to map the next questions. Portal submission does not grant Immigration permission and does not by itself authorise work; the appropriate Department of Employment permission and the separate visa or stay basis must both be in place.

Who needs Non-B

Non-B is commonly relevant to a foreign national employed by a Thai company or educational institution, a paid intern, a person working under a BOI or industrial-estate approval, or a visitor conducting a documented business trip. It is not automatically the correct route for every director, investor, volunteer, remote worker or contractor. Those facts should be matched to the official mission purpose and Department of Employment category.

Thai employer requirements

There is no single mission checklist for every Non-B and work application. A mission can request company registration, shareholder lists, business profile, maps, tax filings, VAT registration, a list of foreign workers, the contract, and evidence explaining the role. Reopen the mission's current page for the applicant's place of residence before filing.

Budapest’s page, updated 14 August 2026, requests employer records and uses the term WP3 or an existing work permit for private-company employment, with specified exceptions. Open its exact sub-purpose checklist rather than treating this summary as the full document list.
Savannakhet’s bilingual employment checklist uses WP32 approval or a BOI letter, alongside employer, contract, company and financial evidence. It covers non-teaching employment. Do not assume WP3 and WP32 labels on different mission pages mean you can submit either document; confirm the required approval with the mission and Department of Employment.
Mission-specific financial or corporate requirements must not be turned into a universal employment-sponsorship rule.
BOI-promoted employers and other special categories can use different processes.
The proposed duties must not fall within an occupation prohibited to foreigners or outside any required professional licence.

// DO NOT UNIVERSALISE A RATIO

Staffing ratios and capital thresholds can arise in particular work-permit, immigration-extension, tax, treaty or BOI contexts. This page does not treat any one ratio or capital amount as a universal Non-B employment test. Ask the relevant employment and immigration offices to confirm the exact category before relying on a number.

Published visa examples, not a universal fee

Official source	Published amount or duration	Date context
Budapest employment Non-B	EUR 70 single entry	Checked 13 September 2026; mission page updated 14 August 2026
Budapest multiple-entry Non-B	EUR 175	Checked 13 September 2026; employment cases on that page state only single entry is granted
Savannakhet employment Non-B	Visa valid 3 months; stay up to 90 days per entry	Checked 13 September 2026; bilingual mission page updated 10 March 2026

Work-permit fees, extension fees and re-entry fees should be taken from the authority and form used for the actual case. The published mission examples above are not a universal fee schedule.

Application — step by step

Confirm the employment category

The employer checks that the role can be performed by a foreign national and identifies the ordinary, BOI, teaching or other applicable process.

Prepare the Department of Employment evidence

The current e-WorkPermit portal identifies the application type. For an applicant outside Thailand, the employer may need to file the relevant pre-approval before the visa application.

Use the correct embassy checklist

Apply only through the mission with jurisdiction and submit its current employer, company, personal and financial documents. Fees and document wording vary by mission.

Do not start work on the visa alone

The MFA guidance states that a Non-Immigrant visa holder wishing to work must receive a work permit before starting. Confirm the filing and start date with the Department of Employment.

Separate stay extensions from work permission

An extension of stay is an Immigration Bureau decision. Employer records, work permission, tax and address documents may be required, but the exact checklist comes from the office and category handling the case.

Maintain both records

Changes to employer, duties, workplace or employment status can affect work permission and the basis of stay. Confirm both processes before the changed work begins.

Permanent residence is a separate annual process

Holding a Non-B and work permission does not automatically answer a separate long-term residence question. If permanent residence or another long-term status is under consideration, use the current Immigration Bureau requirements and filing announcement rather than old Non-B shorthand.

Non-B compared with other work routes

Other visa and stay labels have their own current purpose, qualification, and work-permission conditions. Do not use a different label as a general substitute for permission to perform a Thai job. Match the person's real employer and duties to the current official route.

Five avoidable Non-B errors

Starting work because the Non-B was issued. Work permission is separate.
Using a business-visit file for employment. The purposes and documents differ.
Assuming one corporate or staffing rule applies to all employers. Ordinary, BOI, treaty, teaching and other categories vary.
Changing employer or duties without checking both authorities. Immigration status and work permission can be affected on different dates.
Treating a Non-B as proof of tax residence. Day count, income and filing rules are separate questions.

Common questions

Moving to Pattaya? Open the Pattaya planning desk.

Does a Non-B let me start work?

No. The visa and Department of Employment work permission are separate; the MFA says a holder wishing to work must receive a work permit before starting.

How long is an initial employment Non-B?

It varies by mission and visa. The Savannakhet employment page checked 13 September 2026 states that its visa is valid for 3 months from issue and permits up to 90 days per entry.

Is the visa fee the same everywhere?

No. Missions publish local-currency fees and can change their checklists. Budapest currently publishes EUR 70 for a single-entry Non-B on its page.

What happens if employment ends?

The work-permission cancellation and the immigration basis of stay must both be checked. Do not promise a nationwide grace period; confirm the recorded dates with the Department of Employment and the immigration office handling the case.

Is one Thai-staff ratio universal?

No universal rule was verified for every Non-B case. Employer criteria vary by work-permission and immigration category, BOI or treaty status, industry and authority.