| Official wording | Shop front sellers |
|---|---|
| In plain terms | selling goods at a wholesale or retail establishment, or at stalls or shops in markets or by the roadside, per the official definition |
| Group | Allowed only with an employer and entry under a government MoU |
| Condition | 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. |
| Source | Notification of the Ministry of Labour RE: Prescription of the Prohibited Occupations for Foreigners (2020), English text hosted by the Department of Employment, read 28 October 2026 |
How this is applied
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.
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- Superseded figures still quoted online: the original 2017 decree carried up to five years' prison or 2,000 to 100,000 baht for the foreigner and 400,000 to 800,000 baht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)
Others in the same group
Full list and the jobs expats ask about: occupations closed to foreigners. Income test for your nationality: working in Thailand.