Criteria and Procedures for Employers Seeking Permission to Take Employees to Work Abroad

For employers who are about to apply for permission to take employees to work overseas, it is essential to follow the various steps as notified by the Department of Employment, including criteria and steps in considering the application, as follows:

1. Employers in Thailand (legal entity or individual) who wish to take employees to work overseas must apply for permission from the Director-General of the Department of Employment under Section 49 of the 1985 Occupational Placement and Job-Seeker Protection Act, amended by the 1994 Occupational Placement and Job-Seeker Protection Act (No. 2).
2. To submit the aforementioned application, employers located in Bangkok must submit their application to the Bureau of Thai Overseas Employment Administration, Department of Employment, or the district employment office in the area where their office is located. Employers located in other provinces must submit their application to the provincial employment office.

Details on the procedural steps, processing times, and methods are as follows:

1. Document completeness check: The service recipient submits the application along with the documents. The officer checks the completeness and correctness of the documents. This takes approximately 3 hours.
2. Document review: The officer reviews the documents, stamps, and signs the employment contract, and then submits their opinion to the Director-General or delegated officer. This process takes about 4 hours.
3. Signing/Committee decision: The Director-General or delegated officer considers and signs the permission letter and the employee list who have received the permission, and signs form Jor Ngor 12. This takes about 1 working day.

     Overall, the process of applying for permission to take employees to work abroad takes approximately 1 day and 7 hours, depending on several factors such as the completeness and correctness of the documents, the reviewer's consideration, and the time taken to rectify the application. 

     Once all procedures are complete, the application result will be notified to the applicant within 7 days from the completion of the consideration. There is a fee of 10 baht for the application to take employees to work overseas.

You can contact in person at the agency:

1. Bureau of Thai Overseas Employment Administration, Department of Employment, Social Security Office Building Zone 3, within the Ministry of Labor, Mittraphap Road, Din Daeng Sub-district, Din Daeng District, Bangkok.
2. Bangkok Employment Office Areas 1 - 10.
3. Provincial Employment Offices in all provinces.

Data updated on June 17, 2023
Source: Ministry of Labour
Tel. +66 2232 1162