Getting a Non-B Visa from Phuket: The Complete 2026 Guide

The Non-B visa — officially Non-Immigrant B (Business/Employment) — is Thailand's primary work visa category. If you want to legally work for a Thai company, run a business in Thailand, or be employed by any organisation with a Thai registered address, this is almost certainly the visa you need.

It's also one of the more complex visa categories to obtain and maintain. Unlike the retirement or family Non-O, the Non-B requires your employer to be compliant, your company to meet capital and staff ratios, and you to hold a corresponding work permit. Get one piece wrong and the whole structure collapses.

This guide covers how the Non-B works specifically in the Phuket context — where to apply, what your employer needs, how to handle the annual renewal, and what alternatives might make more sense for your situation.

Who Needs a Non-B Visa?

You need a Non-B if you are:

• Employed by a Thai-registered company in Phuket (hotels, schools, tech companies, dive operators, real estate agencies)
• A director of a Thai-registered company who receives a salary from that company
• Working for an international organisation with a Thai office
• Teaching at a Thai or international school (BISP, UWC, HeadStart, government schools)
• Employed by a BOI (Board of Investment) promoted company in Thailand

You typically do NOT need a Non-B if you are:

• Working remotely for a non-Thai company with no Thai clients (DTV or LTR may suit you better)
• A retiree doing no paid work
• Doing volunteer work for a registered foundation (Non-O volunteer category)
• A short-term business visitor attending meetings (tourist visa may cover this, depending on interpretation)

Employer Requirements for Sponsoring a Non-B

Your Thai employer must meet specific criteria before they can sponsor your Non-B visa and work permit. This is where many employment arrangements fall apart.

A company that's been running informally, with 1-2 Thai staff and no formal tax filings, will struggle to sponsor a foreign employee. If you're being offered a job in Phuket, check that the company meets these criteria before accepting — discovering mid-process that your employer can't actually sponsor you is a painful situation.

How to Get a Non-B Visa: Step by Step

The process has several distinct stages. Start to finish typically takes 4–8 weeks.

1. Confirm employer eligibility Before anything else, verify your Thai employer meets the capital, staff ratio, and tax requirements above. Ask to see their company registration and recent VAT filing. A legitimate employer will provide this without hesitation.
2. Employer prepares company documents Your employer assembles: Certificate of Business Registration, list of shareholders (BOJ 5), financial statements, VAT registration certificate, list of current Thai employees with salary slips, company affidavit (not older than 3 months), and a formal employment offer letter for you.
3. You prepare your personal documents Current passport (valid 18+ months), passport photos (4×6 cm), your CV/resume, copies of relevant qualifications or professional certifications, and criminal background check (apostilled from your home country — 6–8 weeks if you don't have one).
4. Apply at Thai consulate abroad Submit the complete package (employer + personal docs) to a Thai consulate. From Phuket, most expats use the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur or the Thai Consulate in Penang. Some use their home country consulate. The Non-B single-entry visa is valid for 90 days from issue.
5. Enter Thailand on Non-B visa Cross into Thailand. You now have 90 days in which to complete the work permit application. Don't delay — the work permit process takes 2–3 weeks.
6. Apply for work permit in Phuket Your employer (or their agent) submits the work permit application to the Phuket Employment Office (กรมการจัดหางาน) at Phuket Town. Both you and an authorised company representative should attend in person for the initial application. Fee: ฿900 per year up to ฿3,000 for 5 years.
7. Collect work permit Processing takes 7–14 business days. Once issued, your work permit is valid for 1 year (or less if your visa/contract is shorter). Keep it with you whenever working — it's your legal right to work in Thailand.
8. Extend visa/permission to stay With your work permit in hand, extend your permission to stay at Chalong Immigration to 1 year. Bring your work permit, employment contract, employer documents, and passport. Fee: ฿1,900.

Annual Renewal: What Changes

The Non-B system requires annual renewal of both the work permit and the extension of stay. The renewal process is generally lighter than the initial application — you're not starting from scratch — but it's still document-heavy.

For the annual work permit renewal, your employer submits updated company documents plus your personal re-up: updated employment contract, photos, and evidence of tax withholding (PND 91 or PND 1) showing you've been paying income tax in Thailand.

The extension of stay renewal at Chalong follows the same pattern as any other long-stay extension: TM.7 form, passport, work permit copy, employment letter, company documents, ฿1,900 fee.

Non-B for Teachers in Phuket

Teaching is one of the most common Non-B categories in Phuket, with BISP, UWC Thailand, and HeadStart International all employing foreign staff, plus dozens of Thai government and private schools.

Teachers need the standard Non-B plus:

• Teaching licence from the Teachers' Council of Thailand (Khurusapha) — or a temporary permit while applying. The school usually handles this but it takes 3–6 months and requires your degree certificate to be notarised
• Degree certificate apostilled from your home country
• Criminal record check apostilled
• Medical certificate from a Thai doctor (standard form)

International schools like BISP and UWC are experienced at managing the Non-B process for their teachers and typically have immigration advisors or agents on retainer. If you're joining a smaller Thai school or language school, you may need to handle more of this yourself.

Non-B vs Other Working Visa Options

If you work remotely for a non-Thai company and your clients are all outside Thailand, the DTV or LTR is almost certainly a better fit than a Non-B. The Non-B is specifically for situations where you're employed by, or generating income directly from, a Thai entity.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Working before your work permit is issued — don't. The employer can employ you, the contract can start, but you cannot perform work until the permit is physically in your hands. Starting a day early is technically illegal
• Changing jobs without updating your work permit — work permits are employer-specific. If you change employers, you need a new work permit application, not just a transfer
• Not notifying immigration when changing addresses — your registered address on the work permit and extension should match where you live. TM.30 registration is the mechanism for this
• Letting employer handle everything without oversight — your name is on the documents. Understand what's being submitted, and keep copies
• Missing tax filings — income earned in Thailand is taxable, and failure to file can jeopardise your work permit renewal

Using an Agent for Non-B in Phuket

Unlike simple tourist extensions, the Non-B + work permit process is an area where a professional Phuket immigration agent genuinely earns their fee. The document requirements are extensive, the Employment Office has specific submission formats, and a rejection at the work permit stage — not just the visa stage — can create serious complications.

Expect to pay ฿15,000–30,000 for a full initial Non-B + work permit setup through an agent, plus government fees of ฿3,000–5,000. Annual renewals are cheaper: ฿5,000–8,000 service fee plus ฿1,900 immigration + work permit fees.