Change of Employer WP-Change-Emp

Transfer work permit and Non-B visa to a new sponsoring employer.

Validity

Equals remaining visa validity

Gov Fee

100 + new annual fee

Timeline

Within 15 days after old WP cancellation

Eligibility

Old employer signed cancellation (Tor Tor 10)
New employer meets capital and ratio rules

Required Documents

Tor Tor 10 cancellation letter
New employer documents
Updated employment contract

Procedure

Old employer files Tor Tor 10
New employer files Tor Tor 1 + WP application within 15 days
Visa converted/extended at Immigration

Government Fee

100 + new annual fee

Note: Government fees are set by DoE / BOI / DBD and may change. Verify with the relevant authority.

Translation & Legalization

Updated educational and reference documents translated to Thai by MoJ translator if foreign.

Renewal

Treated as a fresh permit aligned with new visa.

Why Use a Professional Service

MoJ-registered translators accepted by OSSC / DBD / BOI.
Direct coordination with OSSC, DBD, and BOI desks reduces errors.
Pre-submission check aligned with the latest checklist.

Post-Service Policy

If a translation is rejected due to a defect on our side, we redo and resubmit at no extra service fee (government fees excluded). This is service responsibility, not a guarantee of administrative outcome — final decisions rest with the relevant authority.

In-Depth Guide: Change of Employer (WP-Change-Emp)

Change of Employer is delivered under iLC's Thailand Work Permit and Foreign Business Licence — Full Guide practice, combining MoJ-certified translation, MFA legalization, embassy liaison, and Thai government filing under one project manager. Every case is handled by a NAATI-accredited translator, a Thai Notarial Services Attorney, and a dedicated case coordinator.

A Thai work permit (Tor Tor 3) is a statutory prerequisite for any foreign national engaging in remunerated activity inside Thailand, whether as an employee, executive, consultant, or shareholder-director. Beyond the standard Ministry of Labor route, iLC supports the specialised regimes that dominate modern practice: Board of Investment (BOI) fast-track single-window approvals at the OSOS building, IEAT permits inside industrial estates, Smart Visa for executives, technology experts and startups, Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa, DTV Destination-Thailand digital-nomad visa, and Foreign Business Licence (FBL) or Foreign Business Certificate (FBC) filings under the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542. Each path has distinct minimum-capital rules (2M/3M/5M THB), Thai-to-foreign employee ratios (4:1 general, waived for BOI and Smart Visa), work-scope definitions, and renewal windows. Missing a single detail — for example a job description that overlaps with a Restricted Occupation List item — is grounds for rejection or a THB 100,000 fine.

Why choose iLC for Change of Employer

With more than 15 years of practice, iLC covers every embassy in Bangkok and both MFA offices (Chaengwattana and Chiang Mai). We operate a two-tier QA review and refund the service fee if a document is rejected due to a defect in our translation or certification — government fees and officer discretion excluded.

How Change of Employer is Processed

The workflow below reflects current 2025–2026 practice with the relevant Thai authority and factors in queue seasonality, translation dependencies, and cross-agency handoffs.

1) Route selection
We map the applicant's role, salary and shareholding to the most efficient route (Ministry of Labor, BOI, Smart Visa, LTR, DTV).
2) Corporate and financial preparation
Company registration, capital paid-up evidence, tax filings and social security registration are readied to meet the underlying test.
3) Visa alignment
Non-B, LTR, or Smart-Visa entry is coordinated with immigration so work-permit filing occurs within statutory windows.
4) Ministry filing
Application, contract, and supporting documents are lodged at the appropriate desk (One Stop, OSOS, or DoE).
5) Approval and card issuance
Blue book (traditional) or digital work permit card is issued, timing is assessed on your documents for BOI and 15 days for standard filings.
6) Annual renewals and reporting
90-day reports, tax filings, and annual permit renewal are handled proactively to avoid overstay or lapse penalties.

Documents & Requirements for Change of Employer

The checklist below covers standard files. Complex or corporate matters can add supplementary certificates, board resolutions, or notarised affidavits; iLC brief these during the intake call.

Passport with valid non-immigrant B or eligible category
Employment contract with detailed job scope
Company registration, tax and social security certificates
Degree and CV of applicant
Health certificate (Form Tor 5) issued within 30 days
Photograph 3×4 cm, business attire

Real-World Use Cases: Change of Employer

Real-world scenarios where clients rely on this service every month, spanning individual, family, and corporate mandates.

BOI-promoted tech firm

5-day approval of executive and expert permits inside the OSOS window.

Startup founder on Smart Visa

4-year permit without the 4:1 Thai employee ratio, plus family dependent status.

FBL for foreign consultancy

Licence to conduct restricted List-3 services with cabinet approval.

DTV remote-worker

Work-authorised entry for digital professionals employed by offshore companies.

Alternative Paths for Change of Employer

Three delivery paths are usually available. We select the option that balances cost, deadline pressure, and destination-authority preferences.

Option	Pros	Cons
Ministry of Labor	Universally applicable, straightforward for most employers	Requires 4:1 Thai staff ratio and 2M capital per foreign worker
BOI / OSOS	5-day permit turnaround, no employee ratio	Company must first obtain BOI promotion certificate
Smart Visa / LTR	Multi-year, family included, no Tor Tor 3 needed for some categories	Requires minimum salary or investment thresholds

FAQs about Change of Employer

คำถามที่พบบ่อย

Can I start work before the permit is issued?

No. Any remunerated activity before the card is printed is a criminal offence carrying a THB 5,000–50,000 fine.

Is a remote worker for a foreign company required to hold a permit?

Yes if work is performed physically in Thailand; the DTV visa now provides a compliant pathway for many freelancers.

How fast can BOI approval be secured?

Typical BOI application: timing is assessed on your documents; work-permit issuance after promotion: timing is assessed on your documents at OSOS.

Can dependents work?

Only if they hold their own work permit; the family visa alone does not grant work rights.

Points to check

Before you proceed: Change of Employer

“Before proceeding with Change of Employer, check names across documents and confirm the receiving authority's requirements to avoid incomplete submissions.”

Thai Law & Accounting Services Co., Ltd.

ทีมข้อมูลบริการ

Scope to assess

Service tier	Fees
เอกสารเดี่ยว / Single doc	Ask our team for a quote
แปล + Notary / Translation + Notary	Ask our team for a quote
MFA legalization	Ask our team for a quote
Embassy chain / สถานทูต	Ask our team for a quote

Workflow

01Review documents and the receiving authority's requirements
02Assess scope, fee, and timing for the specific case
03Process the documents and coordinate any further certification
04Check completeness and deliver by the agreed method

Before submission

For Change of Employer, confirm names, document types, and the receiving authority's current requirements before starting. Timing and fees depend on each case.

Please confirm current requirements with the receiving authority

Free quote — LINE @THAIL · Tel 092-0170000

Visas, work permits and immigration

Explore the site

คำถามที่พบบ่อย

What is Change of Employer and who qualifies?

Change of Employer — Transfer work permit and Non-B visa to a new sponsoring employer.

What is the validity and processing time?

Equals remaining visa validity; timeline Within 15 days after old WP cancellation

What is the government fee?

100 + new annual fee

What are the eligibility requirements?

Old employer signed cancellation (Tor Tor 10); New employer meets capital and ratio rules

What documents are required?

Tor Tor 10 cancellation letter; New employer documents; Updated employment contract

What translation / legalization is needed?

Updated educational and reference documents translated to Thai by MoJ translator if foreign.

How does renewal work?

Treated as a fresh permit aligned with new visa.

What is the rejection policy?

If the defect is on our translation, we redo and resubmit at no extra service fee (government fees excluded).

Go deeper on Work permit document certification

These guides outline possible certification steps; confirm the receiving authority's current requirements before filing:

Not sure which route applies? Send us the scan — LINE @THAIL · 092-0170000 · Contact@thailaw-accounting.co.th

Documents usually required

Freshly issued company affidavit and certificate of registration
Memorandum and articles of association, or the current shareholder list
Board resolution or power of attorney signed by the authorised director
ID or passport copies of the authorised signatories

Common reasons a bundle is rejected

Job title and duties must match the position registered with the employer.
Permit amendments are required before duties or work location change.
Spell every name exactly as it appears in the passport, across every document in the same bundle.

Prefer not to handle the chain yourself? Send the scans and we run every step for you, from translation to the final endorsement.

How the process runs — Work permit document certification

Obtain freshly issued corporate records covering the whole group of entities involved.
Prepare the board resolution or power of attorney signed by the authorised director.
Translate using the registered English company name and the job titles exactly as filed.
Complete the certification route the counterparty or destination authority requires.
Deliver the certified set together with copies for internal corporate records.

Fees and processing times are set by each authority and vary by document and destination — confirm them with the responsible agency.

Handling it yourself vs letting iLC run it

Aspect	Doing it yourself	With iLC
Working out which steps apply	You read each authority's rules yourself, and usually learn a step was missing only after the bundle is refused.	Our advisers review the documents before work starts and sequence translation, notarisation, MFA, and embassy in one pass.
Time spent filing	Repeat trips to each office, queueing and collecting in person.	We file on your behalf; you send scans and receive the finished set by post or courier.
Risk that the translation is refused	Agency names, job titles, and the certification wording often do not match what the receiving office accepts.	We use terminology and certificate formats the receiving authority has accepted before, with two-stage proof-reading.
If the bundle is rejected	You diagnose the cause and refile yourself, losing a full cycle.	We identify the cause, correct it, and refile without you starting over, with progress reported along the way.

What clients typically use this for

Work permit applications
Permit renewal and amendment
Employer compliance filings

An advisor, not only a document processor

Before any work starts, our team assesses how many certification layers your document actually needs, which authorities are involved, and the correct order for the office you will really file with. One step out of order usually means restarting the whole bundle. More than 15 years of cross-border document work means we recognise how each authority rejects files and prevent it up front.

The certification route is matched to the receiving authority before work begins.
Rejection risks are checked, from name spelling to document validity windows.
The filing sequence is planned around the deadline you actually have.

Consult us at LINE @THAIL · 092-0170000 · Contact@thailaw-accounting.co.th

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