Bangkok at a Glance

Visa and Taxation in Bangkok

Many expats are employed in the finance sector.

Working in Bangkok will give you an insight into a dynamic city and Thailand’s major business hub. However, working in Bangkok can also be quite challenging for many expats. The InterNations guide to working in Bangkok provides you with information on employment, visa rules, taxation, and more.

Visa Category B

Before you start working in Bangkok, it is essential to sort out your paperwork. First of all, you need to obtain a non-immigrant visa for the category B (business and work). This has to be applied for from abroad and requires a lot of documents from your employer in Thailand.

For this reason, anyone who would like to work in Bangkok should secure a job there first (or sign a contract for an expat assignment). Then you can take care of obtaining the necessary visa for working in Bangkok.

Visa Documentation

Among the paperwork required for a non-immigrant B visa, you definitely need:

valid passport
completed application form
two recent passport photographs
recent bank statement
letter of approval from the Ministry of Labor (obtained by the Thai employer from the Office of Foreign Workers Administration)
employment contract from a Thai company allowed to employ foreigners
CV, educational records, and references from previous employers
corporate paperwork of your employer in Thailand (business registration, business license, shareholder list, company profile, details of business activity, and more)

Such legal issues can be complicated for foreigners without previous experience of working in Bangkok. That is why we strongly advise you to ask your employer’s HR department or an immigration lawyer for help. Different rules apply to people working as an EFL teacher. Please contact your Thai embassy for more details in this case.

Taxpayer Identification Number

As soon as you have your non-immigrant B visa, you can legally enter Thailand to take up gainful employment. However, you need to apply for a visa extension and register as a resident alien. See our article on moving to Bangkok to learn more about the details.

You will also need to get a so-called TIN (taxpayer identification number). The taxpayer identification number must be obtained within 60 days from the date when you start earning taxable income in Thailand.

How to Get Your TIN

To get the TIN, you have to go to the Revenue Department (Building 21, 23F, 90 Soi Phahonyathin 7, Phahonyathin Road, Khet Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400) or one of its branch offices. Bring along several documents: your passport (with your visa stamp), a copy of the passport, and your certificate of residence.

The clerk might ask you for your ta bien baan (house registration book), too, which is a kind of proof of residence that every Thai resident of Bangkok has. However, since you are a foreigner, the alien registration certificate should be enough. Just don’t be confused in case the house registration book is mentioned and produce your alien registration as issued by the immigration office instead. Fill out the form LP 10.1 and show the required documents for the TIN, and you should be good to go.

Fiscal residency, avoiding double taxation and international tax minimization are tricky issues for the average employee. Thus, we recommend you to look for a good tax accountant’s services as soon as you get your TIN.