Updated November 2020: For the foreigners who have a work permit and are going to change jobs, they normally don’t know what to do with Work Permit and Visa when changing jobs in Thailand. Here is a very important thing to do to make sure the transition is smooth in terms of your work permit and permit of stay in Thailand (visa) assuming that both old and new employers are regular companies (non BOI).
You should not leave the old company until you agree with them on the date that they will inform the Labor Ministry of your resignation (to cancel your work permit) and the date of official departure from the company which will be the same day. At the same time, your new employer must have prepared the new work permit application and all the needed papers ready to be submitted.
Steps of what to do with Work Permit and Visa when changing jobs in Thailand are discussed below:
- The day your old employer cancel your work permit (should be early morning), you must take your passport to the Immigration Office to cancel the permit of stay you preciously have when working with the old employer otherwise you will be overstaying your visa. The immigration officer will stamp in your passport that you have to leave the country that day. This step needs documents from the old employer for both cancelling your work permit and cancelling your visa. Check very well with the Labor Ministry and the Immigration Office well in advance.
- You will then have to leave Thailand.
- The next day, your new employer should submit the new work permit application for you so that they can pick up your work permit approval document (Tor Tor 3) in the next few business days. The new employer can only submit the application when you are not in Thailand.
- The new employer sends their corporate documents with the work permit approval document by courier to you overseas so you can apply for a new non-immigrant B visa at a Thai embassy.
- You will travel to Thailand with the new visa.
- Your new employer will submit your passport copy, medical certificate and pictures and you will be able to pick up your digital work permit in a few days.
- After you pick up your new digital work permit, you must go to the Immigration Bureau to submit the documents to extend your permit of stay (or visa) before it expires. You will likely get 30 day extension first and then you will go to the immigration bureau again to get a stamp of 1 year extension.
This is why you need a work permit and visa expert like ThaiLawyers to help make sure your work permit and visa transition is done correctly. We know exactly what to do with Work Permit and Visa when changing jobs in Thailand by foreigners.