Thailand has reserved certain work for Thai nationals since 1979. The current list is a Ministry of Labour notification under the Foreigners' Working Management decree, which split the old flat ban into groups: some occupations stay closed, some open under international agreements, and some open to a foreigner who is certified as skilled or who works as an employee rather than on their own account. The wording below is the official one, with a plain gloss where the wording is opaque.
The jobs expats ask about
| Job | Status for a foreigner | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching English | allowed with a work permit | Teaching is on none of the four lists. It is a licensed profession, so under Clause 6 the work permit can be applied for only once the Teachers' Council of Thailand licence or a temporary teaching permit is held; the school normally arranges both. The terms of the temporary permit are not stated in a source The Baht could read. (source) |
| Tour guide | prohibited | List 1, item 22. The official definition covers bringing tourists to locations and providing advice, and running tours with accommodation, food or guiding. (source) |
| Driver (taxi, van, delivery, boat) | prohibited | List 1, item 2: driving as an occupation by road, water or air. The only exceptions are piloting international aircraft and forklift driving. Whether app-based delivery is caught is not addressed by any official statement The Baht found; the wording covers it. (source) |
| Hairdresser, barber or beautician | prohibited | List 1, item 5. The definition names cutting, perming, washing, dyeing and styling hair, make-up, facial massage and manicure; it excludes equipment preparation, cleaning and foot washing, and film-production make-up under the movie law. (source) |
| Masseur | prohibited for Thai massage | List 1, item 20 covers Thai massage as defined under the Thai traditional medicine law, and facial massage sits inside the beauty item. No official statement The Baht found addresses other massage styles. (source) |
| Estate agent or broker | prohibited | List 1, item 19: intermediary work on commission for insurance, commodities, property sales and lettings or business services. The exception is brokerage in international trade or investment; how far it stretches to foreign property buyers is not defined officially. (source) |
| Office clerk, receptionist or cashier | prohibited | List 1, item 26. The official definition of clerical work includes accounting, reception, receiving and paying money and booking travel tickets, so reception and cashier duties fall inside it. (source) |
| Lawyer | prohibited | List 1, item 27, except acting as an arbitrator, or assisting in arbitration where the governing law is not Thai law. Foreign lawyers in Thai firms work as consultants on foreign law, which is outside the listed services. (source) |
| Accountant | conditional | List 2, item 1: allowed only under an international agreement with certification by the accounting professional council, or as occasional internal audit. The clerical definition in List 1 also names accounting, so in-house bookkeeping is exposed to the stricter list. (source) |
| Civil engineer | conditional | List 2, item 2: open to engineers registered under the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement or licensed under the Engineering law. Only civil engineering is listed; other branches need a work permit and any licence their own law requires. (source) |
| Architect | conditional | List 2, item 3: open to ASEAN-MRA architects certified by the Architect Council of Thailand and to licensed controlled architects, under the Council's conditions. (source) |
| Doctor or nurse | allowed with a licence and work permit | On none of the lists. Clause 6 requires the Medical Council or Nursing Council licence before the work permit; the licensing conditions themselves are set by those councils. (source) |
| Waiter, bartender or host | not listed | No list names waiting or bar work. The nearest items are shop-front selling (List 4, open only to MoU workers) and clerical work (List 1), whose definition includes handling money and reception, so cashier and front-desk duties are exposed. A work permit is still required. (source) |
| Remote work for a foreign employer | no official statement | The decree defines work as using physical strength or knowledge in an occupation, with or without pay. The BOI's LTR site says no work permit is issued to Work-from-Thailand Professional holders because they work for an employer abroad. No official page The Baht could read states whether DTV holders need a permit. (source) |
Strictly prohibited (27)
Closed to foreigners outright, in all areas of the Kingdom (Clause 2). Also closed: any occupation that another law reserves for Thai nationals.
| No. | Occupation (official wording) | In plain terms |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wood carving | carving wood, including decorative carving on furniture |
| 2 | Driving motor vehicles, driving a non-mechanically propelled carrier or driving a domestic mechanically propelled carrier, except for piloting international aircraft or forklift driving | driving as a job by road, water or air, including taxis, tuk-tuks, vans, boats and delivery; the only exceptions are piloting international aircraft and forklift driving |
| 3 | Auction | valuing and auctioning goods or property |
| 4 | Cutting or polishing diamond or precious stones | diamond and gemstone cutting and polishing |
| 5 | Haircutting, perming or beauty treatment | hairdressing, barbering and beauty work; the official definition also names make-up, facial massage and manicure |
| 6 | Cloth weaving by hand | hand-loom weaving |
| 7 | Mat weaving or utensil making from reeds, rattan, hemp, straw, bamboo, bamboo pellicle, grass, chicken feather, coconut leaf stick, fiber, wire or other materials | mat weaving and basketry |
| 8 | Mulberry paper making by hand | handmade sa paper from mulberry bark |
| 9 | Lacquerware making | lacquered bamboo ware |
| 10 | Making Thai musical instruments | making traditional Thai instruments |
| 11 | Nielloware making | metalware decorated with black enamel inlay (niello) |
| 12 | Gold ornaments, silverware or pink gold making | gold, silver and nak (a gold-copper alloy) ware; the two English translations differ on the alloy, the Thai term is เครื่องนาก |
| 13 | Bronzeware making | brass or copper ware polished with stone; the BOI translation reads "copper-tin alloy ware polished with stone powder" |
| 14 | Thai dolls making | making Thai dolls |
| 15 | Alms bowl making | monks' alms bowls |
| 16 | Silk products making by hand | hand-made silk goods |
| 17 | Buddha images making | making Buddha images |
| 18 | Paper or cloth umbrella making | handmade umbrellas |
| 19 | Brokerage or agency work, except brokerage or agency working in international trade or investment | brokers and agents, including property and insurance agents, paid by commission; the exception is brokerage in international trade or investment |
| 20 | Thai massage | Thai massage as defined under the Thai traditional medicine law |
| 21 | Cigarette rolling by hand | hand-rolling cigarettes |
| 22 | Tour guide or sightseeing tour operation | tour guiding and running tours |
| 23 | Peddling | hawking goods on foot, by bicycle, boat or vehicle |
| 24 | Manual typesetting of Thai characters | hand typesetting in Thai |
| 25 | Silk reeling and twisting by hand | hand-reeling silk thread |
| 26 | Clerical or secretarial work | office clerks and secretaries; the official definition is broad and names accounting, reception, receiving and paying money and booking tickets |
| 27 | Legal services or services in legal proceedings, except for the following occupations: (A) Performing duties of arbitration (B) Providing assistance or representation in the arbitral proceedings in the event that the law applicable to the dispute being considered by the arbitrators is not Thai law. | lawyers and legal-service work; the exceptions are arbitrators, and representation in arbitration governed by non-Thai law |
Allowed only under an international agreement (3)
Prohibited unless the foreigner works under an international agreement or obligation that binds Thailand, with the professional council's certification where the item says so (Clause 3).
Skilled or semi-skilled work allowed only for an employer (8)
Prohibited as self-employment; a foreigner may do this skilled or semi-skilled work only when working for an employer (Clause 4).
| No. | Occupation (official wording) | In plain terms |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry or fishery | farming, livestock, forestry and fishing, with an employer |
| 2 | Bricklaying, carpentry, or construction works | bricklaying, carpentry and building trades, with an employer |
| 3 | Mattress or quilt blanket making | mattress and quilt making |
| 4 | Knife making | knife making |
| 5 | Shoemaking | shoemaking |
| 6 | Hat making | hat making |
| 7 | Dressmaking | designing and sewing clothes, tailoring |
| 8 | Pottery or earthenware making | pottery |
Allowed only with an employer and entry under a government MoU (2)
Prohibited unless the foreigner has an employer and entered Thailand under a memorandum between the Thai government and their own (Clause 5): in practice the channel for Cambodian, Lao and Myanmar workers.
| No. | Occupation (official wording) | In plain terms |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Labour | manual work that mainly requires physical strength, per the official definition |
| 2 | Shop front sellers | selling goods at a wholesale or retail establishment, or at stalls or shops in markets or by the roadside, per the official definition |
Penalties
- A foreigner doing listed work, or work outside the permit: a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht, then deportation; the Department of Employment also states a two-year bar on applying for a new work permit (sections 8 and 101 of the Foreigners' Working Management decree as amended in 2018, per Department of Employment statements)
- The employer: a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 baht for each foreigner; for a repeat offence up to one year in prison or 50,000 to 200,000 baht or both, and a three-year ban on employing foreigners (sections 9 and 102 as amended in 2018)
- Superseded figures still quoted online: the original 2017 decree carried up to five years' prison or 2,000 to 100,000 baht for the foreigner and 400,000 to 800,000 baht per foreigner for the employer; the 2018 amendment replaced them (not current)