It’s always a complex subject – still is – but several important changes have occurred in the period 2018-20. Fewer activities now require a work permit and the penalties for breaches are less draconian than before.
The Smart visa does not require a work permit
It is often claimed that no Thai visa allows you to work without a permit. Not so. In 2018, the four-year Smart visa was introduced to attract skilled manpower, investors, executors and starting entrepreneurs to work in targeted hi-tech industries such as next generation automotives, smart electronics and food for the future. Support from the Board of Investment for the endorsed company is essential to obtain this visa which is increasingly appropriate for the Thai government’s “S”curve industries in the futuristic Eastern Economic Corridor of which Pattaya is…
