Work Permit in Chiang Mai: Steps, Fees and Timeline
File on the e-WorkPermit system, which is open 24 hours. The total processing time is 4 days, not counting any referral for checking. You then attend a service centre in person for biometric data and the permit. A one-year permit costs about THB 3,100 in government fees.
On this page
Day 1: file online. Day 4: the total processing time, not counting a referral. Within 90 days after entry a Non-B holder must have the permit. That is the whole timeline, and most of it runs on a screen, not at a counter.
Day 1: file online, then go in person once
The Department of Employment runs the e-WorkPermit system for foreigners’ work permits. It is open 24 hours. Foreign workers and employers have used it since 13 October 2025. A new permit for a Non-Immigrant doing work that needs knowledge, ability or skill falls under Section 59.
Section 59 says such a foreigner must hold a work permit, and the holder must be granted it before starting work. The criteria ask for a Non-Immigrant visa, not a tourist or transit one.
The online steps end with an appointment at one of over 40 service centres, where the biometric data is collected and the card is issued in around 12 minutes. Centres outside shopping malls are open Monday to Friday, except public holidays, from 08:30 to 16:30 with a lunch break. The hotline is 1506, press 2.
The Chiang Mai Provincial Employment Office
A work permit application for a company in a province goes to that province’s Employment Office. In Chiang Mai a work permit can be applied for at the Chiang Mai Provincial Employment Office. It sits in the Central Administration Building, Chiang Mai Provincial Hall, Chotana Road, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai. Its duties include acting under the law on foreigners’ work.
ศูนย์ราชการ Chotana Rd, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
Employers of BOI-cleared foreigners had a Visa and Work Permit One Stop Service at Chiang Mai Immigration from January 2019.
Who files what
The Non-B visa needs a Ministry of Labour approval letter. Your employer obtains it by submitting Form WP3 at the Office of Foreign Workers Administration or at the Provincial Employment Office of its province. A freelancer or remote worker has no employer papers to file here, and the Destination Thailand Visa is issued for remote work.
Day 1 to day 4: what happens after you file
The permit runs through five steps.
- File the application with documents and pay the application fee through e-WorkPermit.
- Staff check the file. The total is 4 days, not counting any time when the file is sent for checking.
- A file sent for checking takes 10 days, and the applicant is told.
- After approval, pay the fee and book the appointment to collect the permit.
- Appear in person to give biometric data and receive the work permit and the Digital Work Permit.
The 2020 Ministerial Regulation sets 15 days and the Emergency Decree sets a ceiling of fifteen working days. The 4 days of service time sits inside that legal ceiling.
Documents, the medical certificate and the photo
The list opens with these items.
- Application form BT.25, filled in on the system.
- Proof of permission to enter and stay in the Kingdom, the visa.
- Education evidence, or an experience letter from a former employer or from the person who will be the employer.
- Employment certification, form BT.46.
- A medical certificate that the foreigner does not have the prohibited characteristics, valid as the doctor states.
- A 3 x 4 cm half-length photo, facing the camera, no hat, no dark glasses, taken within 6 months.
Prohibited conditions include leprosy, active tuberculosis, advanced-stage elephantiasis with visible symptoms, severe drug addiction, chronic alcoholism and stage-3 syphilis.
Where the law requires a professional licence or certificate for the work, the foreigner holds it. The employer supplies the company papers: a registration certificate issued within 6 months, a shareholder list for a limited company and the VAT registration.
Forms are filled in Thai. Foreign-language documents need a Thai translation certified by a licensed person or a government agency.
What it costs
The application fee is THB 100. The permit fee depends on its length.
| Permit length | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 3 months | THB 750 |
| Over 3 and up to 6 months | THB 1,500 |
| Over 6 months and up to 1 year | THB 3,000 |
A permit longer than 1 year pays for the period beyond 1 year at the rate of the matching band. A permit lasts as long as the applicant asks for, not more than two years.
A one-year permit therefore costs about THB 3,100 in government fees, a total of the application fee and the top band. A two-year permit comes to about THB 6,100: the application fee, the top band for the first year and the same band again for the period beyond one year.
After the permit: the extension of stay at Chiang Mai Immigration
With the work permit, a Non-B holder can apply to the Immigration Bureau for an extension of stay up to 1 year. The permit itself must be obtained within 90 days after entry. Permission on grounds of necessity runs for no more than 1 year at a time.
The Bureau’s documents for a business-necessity extension include these.
- A letter certifying the foreigner’s work, in the Immigration Bureau’s form.
- A copy of the work permit, or the receipt if changing workplace.
- The withholding-tax return naming the staff and the foreigner for the latest 3 months, with receipts.
The extension fee is THB 1,900.
Chiang Mai Immigration is at 71 Moo 3, Sanam Bin (Airport) Road, Suthep, Mueang, Chiang Mai 50200. The telephone is 053 201 755. The Services for Foreigner Section handles applications for and changes to all types of visa.
71 ถนนสนามบิน Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
The Central Festival point on the 2nd floor handles tourist, teacher and student extensions. Work-based extensions are not named in that listing, so Airport Road is the counter to plan for.
Online e-Extension is available only for some visa categories. Chiang Mai Immigration offers it for certain visa types only. For the full requirements, including capital and the Thai staff ratio, see the Non-B and work permit guide.
Renewal and the duties that follow
A holder who wants to keep working applies within 90 days before the permit expires. Once the application is filed, the foreigner may keep working until the registrar orders that the permit is not extended.
An extension is granted for not more than 2 years at a time. The existing work permit is one of the documents. The extension fee for a permit over 6 months and up to 1 year is THB 3,000.
A foreigner permitted to stay temporarily must notify an immigration officer of their address every ninety days. A report may be made from 15 days before until 7 days after the due date.
- In person at the local immigration office, by registered post or online.
- Late: in person, with a THB 2,000 fine.
The house-master, owner or possessor of the residence notifies immigration within twenty-four hours. The duty sits on the landlord, not on the foreigner. See the 90-day report guide and the residence notification guide.
Leaving Thailand without a re-entry permit cancels the permitted stay. A single re-entry permit costs THB 1,000 and a multiple one THB 3,800.
Working without a permit is not allowed. A foreigner who breaks Section 8 faces a fine between five thousand and fifty thousand baht and removal.
Photo credits
- Photos and clips uploaded to Google Maps (Chiang Mai Immigration Office on Google Maps (opens in a new tab)) by Peter Miller (WHY THAI), ben chidgey.
Step by step
- File on e-WorkPermitFile the application with documents and pay the THB 100 application fee.
- Wait for the checkThe handbook gives 4 days in total, not counting a referral.
- Pay the fee and book the appointmentPay and book the collection through e-WorkPermit.
- Appear in personGive biometric data and receive the permit and the Digital Work Permit.
- Extend your stayApply to the Immigration Bureau for an extension of stay up to 1 year.
Not confirmed: Which Chiang Mai centre takes the biometric visit: confirm it when you book, or with the hotline, 1506 press 2. Whether the Central Festival point takes work-based extensions: confirm by phone before you go, since its listing names tourists, teachers and students. Whether remote work for a foreign company needs a permit: ask the hotline before you start.
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Common questions
Where do I apply for a work permit in Chiang Mai?
The application is filed through the e-WorkPermit system, open 24 hours. You then appear in person for biometric data and to receive the permit.
Where is the Chiang Mai Provincial Employment Office?
In the Central Administration Building, Chiang Mai Provincial Hall, Chotana Road, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai.
How long does it take?
The total processing time is 4 days, not counting a referral for checking. A referral takes 10 days. The legal ceiling is fifteen working days.
Can I start work while the permit is pending?
No. The holder must be granted a work permit before starting work. For a renewal the rule differs: the foreigner may keep working once the application is filed.
I entered on a tourist visa. Which path applies?
The Section 59 criteria ask for a Non-Immigrant visa, not a tourist or transit one. A tourist or transit visa holder who wants to engage in business activities may apply to change visa type at the Immigration Bureau. The change is at the officer's discretion.
I freelance or work remotely for a foreign company. Do I use this route?
This route runs through an employer's company papers. The Destination Thailand Visa is issued for remote work, freelancing and digital nomads. The [DTV guide](/visa/thailand-dtv-visa/) covers it.
Does a two-year permit cost double?
About THB 6,100 in government fees: the application fee, the top band for the first year and the same band again for the period beyond one year.
What does it cost?
THB 100 to apply plus THB 3,000 for a permit over 6 months and up to 1 year. That is about THB 3,100 in total.
Do I need a medical certificate?
Yes. The handbook lists a certificate that the foreigner does not have the prohibited characteristics, valid as the doctor states.
When do I renew?
Within 90 days before the permit expires. The holder may keep working while the renewal is pending.
Do I still report to Immigration every 90 days?
Yes. A foreigner permitted to stay temporarily must notify an immigration officer of their address every ninety days. A late report is made in person with a THB 2,000 fine.
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General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.
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