Jobs prohibited to foreigners

| August 26, 2015

From 1 June 2020, the jobs prohibited to foreigners in Thailand are classified into the three lists below:

List 1: Jobs that are absolutely prohibited to foreigners and reserved for Thai nationals only:

  1. Wood carving
  2. Driving motor vehicles or vehicles which do not use machinery or mechanical devices, except international aircraft piloting and forklift driving
  3. Auction sales
  4. Cutting or polishing jewelry
  5. Haircutting, hairdressing, or beauty treatment
  6. Cloth weaving by hand
  7. Weaving or making of mats or products from reed, rattan, hemp, straw, or bamboo pellicle
  8. Making rice paper by hand
  9. Lacquerware making
  10. Making Thai musical instruments
  11. Nielloware making
  12. Goldsmith, silversmith, or gold-and-copper alloy smith work
  13. Stone work
  14. Making Thai dolls
  15. Making alms bowls
  16. Making silk products by hand
  17. Creating Buddha images
  18. Making paper or cloth umbrellas
  19. Brokerage or agency except in international trading and investment
  20. Thai massage
  21. Cigarette rolling by hand
  22. Tour guiding or conducting
  23. Hawking of goods
  24. Thai typesetting by hand
  25. Unwinding and twisting silk by hand
  26. Clerical or secretarial work
  27. Providing legal services or engaging in legal work, except the following: a. arbitration work; and b. work relating to assisting or representing in the cases at arbitration level, provided the law governing the dispute under consideration by the arbitrators is not Thai

List 2: Jobs that are prohibited but allowed to foreigners when there are international agreements with Thailand or when Thailand is bound by laws.

  1. Supervising, auditing, and working or giving service in accountancy, except the following: a. occasional internal auditing; and b. type of work under the international agreements or where Thailand is bound, which the Federation of Accounting Professions will qualify
  2. Professional civil engineering concerning consulting service, project out-lay, design and calculation, construction supervision, production, checking, systemization, research and testing, except the engineers practicing in engineering and control engineering per ASEAN’s Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA), as well as other agreements with other countries concerning cross border engineering or licensees in control engineering in the field of civil engineering according to the law governing engineers.
  3. Professional architectural work concerning project studies, design, construction management, checking and consulting services except architects practicing architectural and control architectural services per ASEAN’s Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA), as well as other agreements with other countries concerning cross border architectural service or licensees in control architecture according to the law governing architects.

List 3: Jobs that are prohibited but allowed to foreigners with skill or semi-skill who have employers.

  1. Agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry or fishery
  2. Bricklaying, carpentry, or other construction works
  3. Making mattresses or quilt blankets
  4. Knife making
  5. Making shoes
  6. Making hats
  7. Dressmaking
  8. Pottery

Contact ThaiLawyers for any questions regarding Thailand work permit.