Changing employer: what happens to your work permit?
Since the 2018 amendment a change of employer is a notification rather than a new permit, and no government fee is charged for it: you must notify the Registrar within fifteen days of the change, and the incoming employer within fifteen days of hiring you. The part that actually bites is the immigration side, because your extension of stay was granted on the old employer’s capital, headcount and tax filings, and it does not follow you across.
Last reviewed 21 September 2026
What the statute says
Read together, those two say something most guidance still denies: the permit is not scoped to one job title at one address, and changing employer is a notification obligation rather than a fresh application. Firms that work under the amended decree confirm that the change no longer requires approval and that the government fee for it was waived.
| Who | Deadline | Penalty for missing it |
|---|---|---|
| You, on a change of employer | Within 15 days | Fine not exceeding 20,000 baht |
| The new employer, on hiring you | Within 15 days of the employment date | Fine not exceeding 20,000 baht (section 103) |
| The old employer, when you stop working there | Within 15 days, with the reason stated | Fine not exceeding 20,000 baht (section 103) |
The statute and the practice do not read the same, and you should know that
The immigration step is the risky one
Your extension of stay was granted under clause 2.1 on the old employer’s paid-up capital, its ratio of Thai employees, and three months of its withholding tax filings with your name on them. None of that is true of the new employer on day one. A new employer means a new extension application resting on their paperwork.
The anchors that are verifiable: while an extension application is pending you may stay up to thirty days past the date your permitted stay lapsed, and if it is refused you must depart within seven days of that date.
Your passport and your permit are yours
The order to do things in
- Have the new employer confirm, before you resign, that they meet the extension criteria: capital, four Thai employees, and your nationality’s minimum salary.
- Agree the sequence in writing with whoever is handling it: what gets notified or cancelled, on what date, and what your immigration status is on each of those days.
- Get your own copies of the current work permit, the extension stamp and the last three PND 1 filings naming you, before the relationship with the old employer ends.
- Make the notifications inside fifteen days. Both sides owe one, and both fines are 20,000 baht.
- Do not let both documents be cancelled at once on the assumption that new ones will arrive quickly.
If you are comparing firms to handle this, the government fees are published and small; most of a quote is their fee. What firms charge, and three quotes on your actual situation.
Related questions
- Visa and work permit: why are they two documents from two agencies?
- The four Thai employees rule: when does it actually apply?
- What counts as "working" on a tourist visa or a DTV?
Sources
- Royal Ordinance concerning the Management of Employment of Foreign Workers B.E. 2560, as amended: sections 13, 59, 64/2, 103 and 131 (ILO NATLEX, English)
- Tilleke & Gibbins: change of employer by notification, and waived fees
- Forvis Mazars Thailand: amendment of foreign worker employment rules
- Immigration Bureau Order 327/2557, clauses 3 and 4 on pending and refused applications (English translation)
- Immigration Bureau Order 12/2568 of 23 January 2025, clause 2.1 criteria and documents (Thai)
This is general information about how a filing works, not accounting or tax advice for your company. Confirm anything that matters against the official notice or with your accountant. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.