Foreigners seeking employment in Thailand must navigate job restrictions set by the Ministry of Labor, intended to protect local employment and preserve cultural heritage. This guide outlines the occupations restricted to Thai nationals and details the conditions under which exceptions may apply.
Legal Basis for Job Restrictions in Thailand
Thailand’s regulations on foreign employment are based on two key legal documents:
- The Royal Emergency Decree on Managing the Work of Foreigners B.E. 2560 (2017), as amended by the Royal Decree (No. 2) B.E. 2561 (2018) (the “Emergency Decree”).
- The Ministry of Labor’s Notification on Prohibited Occupations for Foreigners (April 2020): This notification specifies jobs that are entirely restricted to Thai nationals and others that may permit foreign workers under certain conditions. Unofficial translation of the 2020 Notification is available here
With some exceptions, foreigners are not permitted to work or provide services without obtaining a work permit issued by the Department of Employment at the Ministry of Labor.
Learn more about obtaining a work permit here.
Definition of “Work”: The Emergency Decree defines “working” as performing any occupation, whether with an employer or not, but excludes conducting business by those licensed under the laws governing foreign business operations.
These regulations ensure that certain occupations remain reserved for Thai nationals, with penalties for violations including fines of up to 100,000 baht, deportation, and employer sanctions of up to one year in prison.
This guide details each job category, including definitions and exceptions where foreign workers may qualify.
Overview of Restricted Occupations for Foreign Workers
The 2020 Notification organizes restricted occupations into four lists, each specifying conditions for foreign nationals:
List 1: Jobs strictly reserved for Thai nationals.
List 2: Jobs generally prohibited for foreigners but allowed under specific international agreements.
List 3: Skilled and semi-skilled roles permitted only under employer sponsorship.
List 4: Jobs accessible to foreigners through government-to-government agreements, subject to specific conditions.
This classification is designed to balance employment protection for Thai nationals with Thailand’s international commitments and labor needs.
List 1: Occupations Strictly Prohibited for Foreigners in Thailand
| No. | Occupation | Definition |
| 1 | Wood carving | Wood carving or carving decorative patterns on wood, preparation of wood and carving on wood to make decorative patterns on furniture, decorations, and other wares, as well as repair and modification. |
| 2 | Driving motor vehicles, driving a non-mechanically propelled carrier or driving a domestic mechanically propelled carrier, except for piloting international aircraft or forklift driving | Driving motor vehicles, including trams for transporting goods and passengers by road, water, air, or driving a domestic non-mechanically propelled carrier except for international aircraft or driving a forklift installed with equipment for lifting or moving things. |
| 3 | Auction | Work related to valuation and auction of property or goods, including real estate, livestock, and agricultural products. |
| 4 | Cutting or polishing diamonds or precious stones | All or part of the cutting into shape and polishing diamonds or gemstones or precious stones with machines, as well as repair and modification of diamonds or gemstones or precious stones. |
| 5 | Haircutting, hairdressing, or beauty treatment | Haircutting, hair perming, hair washing, hair dyeing, hair styling, and hair design services for both men and women, makeup, cosmetic work, individual characteristic enhancement, facial massage, manicure and beauty treatment for customers in various types, but not including the following: (1) providing services or supports or assistance in facilitating, such as equipment preparation and cleaning, foot washing, etc.; (2) Makeup, hairdressing, or hair design, for which the worker travels from abroad to work in a film production with permission to make a foreign movie in the Kingdom under the Film and Video Act. |
| 6 | Cloth weaving by hand | Weaving cloth and carpets with hand loom, as well as spinning cotton or silk yarn with a spinning machine, reeling two or more yarns onto a tube without twisting, reeling yarn from one tube to another, reeling yarn to prepare for weaving, inspecting defects in cloth or fabric, and repairing cloth or fabric. |
| 7 | Mat weaving or utensil making from reeds, rattan, hemp, straw, bamboo, bamboo pellicle, grass, chicken feather, coconut leaf stick, fiber, wire or other materials | Weaving mats or making utensils from reeds, rattan, hemp, straw, bamboo, bamboo pellicle, grass, chicken feather, coconut leaf stick, fiber, wire or other materials by hand or using a loom or a weaver that is not a machine, as well as repair and modification works. |
| 8 | Mulberry paper making by hand | Processing mulberry bark through various steps until it results in sheets of paper as thick or thin as needed to make umbrellas, to be used as wrapping paper and for other uses. |
| 9 | Lacquerware making | Weaving bamboo strips into containers or other wares, then coating with a type of traditional lacquer to make them solid and the surface smooth, then polishing, and carving and decorating them with patterns and colors through various techniques. |
| 10 | Making Thai musical instruments | Making Thai traditional musical instruments, including strings, drums, winds, and others, from materials by hand or machine, as well as decoration, repair, and modification works. |
| 11 | Nielloware making | Making metal products and decorating the surface using lead enamel to create patterns. |
| 12 | Gold ornaments, silverware, or pink gold making | Making wares or ornaments by bending, hammering or cutting gold, silver, copper alloy, or other precious metals into various shapes, as well as soldering or welding to piece several parts together and carving patterns onto the surface, and polishing up. |
| 13 | Bronze ware making | Cutting, hammering, bending or pressing metals, mostly brass and copper, into wares or ornaments, then polishing with stone by hand or machine, as well as decoration, repair, and modification. |
| 14 | Thai dolls making | Making Thai dolls, cast or stuffed by hand or machine, as well as decoration, repair, and modification. |
| 15 | Alms bowl making | Shaping metal sheets, mostly cast iron, by bending, hammering, polishing into an alms bowl or making alms bowls by casting metals into molds, and then coating or smoking and polishing, as well as repair work. |
| 16 | Silk products making by hand | Creating products from silk or using silk with other materials in making clothes, costumes, hats, various things, and ornaments by hand or machine. |
| 17 | Buddha images making | Making Buddha images by casting, welding, sculpting, carving, reprinting, pressing, and other methods, as well as surface decoration and repair of Buddha images. |
| 18 | Paper or cloth umbrella making | Making umbrellas using paper or cloth by hand, as well as repair and modification. |
| 19 | Brokerage or agency work, except brokerage or agency work in international trade or investment | Working as an intermediary or contact between two parties to make deals on insurance, trading commodities, trading or renting and letting property, or trading or participating in business services, and receiving a commission in return, except for work related to international trade or investment. |
| 20 | Thai massage | Examination, diagnosis, treatment, healing, prevention of diseases, nourishing and restoring health using knowledge of the arts of Thai massage following Thai traditional medical practice according to the law on Thai traditional medicine profession. |
| 21 | Cigarette rolling by hand | Cigarette rolling work starting from cutting or slicing tobacco leaves, then rolling into leaf sheets, dry banana leaf, or rolling papers, and packing tightly, then cutting both ends of the cigarette evenly. |
| 22 | Tour guide or sightseeing tour operation | 1. Tour guide work means bringing tourists, whether individually or in groups, to travel to various locations and provide advice and information for tourists; 2. Sightseeing tour operation means bringing tourists to travel for sightseeing or other purposes and providing one or more services or facilities, i.e., accommodation, food, guide, or any other services. |
| 23 | Peddling | Bringing goods to sell at various locations by carrying or bearing on the shoulder or loading in trolleys, bicycles, motorcycles, or motor vehicles, or in paddling or rowing boats or motor boats. |
| 24 | Manual typesetting of Thai characters | Bringing Thai characters of various sizes to arrange on a stick to form texts with spaces and line lengths matching the original, then sliding it down the loading rails to send it to the proof paper printer; changing cases when there are mistakes. After printing, separate the letters and put them back into each corresponding slot in storage. |
| 25 | Silk reeling and twisting by hand | Using hands to pull and twist two or more silk yarns out of silk worms; connecting silk yarns that are broken during pulling and twisting; keeping silk yarns that have been pulled and twisted in a basket or a container; then reeling silk yarns on a reeler made of bamboo or reeling them into skeins. |
| 26 | Clerical or secretarial work | 1. Clerical work means work involving shorthand writing, typing, teletyping, punching cards, tape punching, receiving-paying money, collecting money, calculation of production costs, calculation of wages and working hours, factotum, dispatch carrier, answering phone calls, taking in or sending out things, overseeing stock of goods, warehouse inventory, weighing, letter correspondence, accounting, general administration, receiving and sending documents, personnel, insurance, public relations, reception, booking travel tickets, library, filing documents, statistics, survey, enumeration, editing and coding, proofreading, printing, photocopying, copying documents, addressing documents, and other jobs in the role of clerks or staff in the clerical level as determined by the establishment. 2. Secretarial work means work involving recording of statements, reports, or accounts with shorthand, typing accounts from notes written in shorthand or from a dictation recorder, making appointments for the superior and reminding the superior when an appointment is due, welcoming those who come to meet the superior, inquiring, answering questions and making contact via telephone, presenting personal and important letters and mails as well as letters and documents from various departments sent to the superior, drafting correspondence letters, filing documents, as well as supervising staff and other tasks as assigned by the superior. |
| 27 | Legal services or services in legal proceedings, except for the following works: (A) Performing duties of arbitration; (B) Providing assistance or representation in the arbitral proceedings in the event that the law applicable to the dispute being considered by the arbitrator is not Thai law. | Providing services in legal counseling, litigation, and others such as representing as a lawyer in all types of cases, acting on behalf of clients in legal matters, drafting contracts, or making legal documents, etc. Except for the following works: (A) Performing duties of an arbitrator in an arbitration case; (B) Any work performed for the Arbitral Tribunal or the parties to the dispute in order to assist or facilitate the arbitral proceedings to be completed successfully or the work to either defend or act on behalf of either party in the event that the law applicable to the dispute being considered by the arbitrator is not Thai law, and shall include the following works: 1. Liaison for cases, research, compile, and provide opinion on facts and legal issues to the arbitral tribunal or the parties; 2. Notetaking during the hearing using shorthand or other techniques in the same manner; 3. Presentation of opinions as an expert; 4. Works involving special technology used in recording sound, images, and evidence produced in the hearing. |
List 2: Prohibited Occupations for foreigners with a condition that foreigners are allowed to work under international agreements or obligations to which Thailand is bound under the provisions of law
| No. | Occupation | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Controlling, auditing, performing or providing accounting services, except for the following works: (A) Occasional internal audit work; (B) Work under international agreements or obligations to which Thailand is bound, for which the Professional Association provides a certificate of qualifications. | Providing accounting services for individuals, juristic persons, groups of persons, foundations, associations, enterprises, private agencies, state enterprises, or government agencies, as the following: 1. All or partial accounting work; 2. Audit, internal audit, due diligence/cash monitoring; 3. Keeping financial records on behalf of an organization, management of financial matters for an organization or customers; 4. Reception, exchange, and payment of money in banks and offices; 5. Use of computer, various electronic devices, programs, software, for calculation, recording, and processing of accounting and financial data; 6. Other services related to accounting in various branches, such as bookkeeping, auditing, administrative accounting, setting up an accounting system, tax accounting, and education and accounting technology, as well as consultancy, development, and training; 7. Supervision of works in 1–6, including the performance of duties in one or more of the following positions: (1) Independent service provider; (2) Owners, executives, employees, or staff at all levels of the accounting service agency or organization, whether being individual or juristic persons, groups of persons, enterprises, private agencies, state enterprises, or government agencies. Except for the following works: (A) Occasional internal audit; (B) Work under international agreements or obligations to which Thailand is bound, for which the Accounting Professional Council provides a certificate of qualifications. |
| 2 | Civil engineer work concerning counselling, project planning, design and calculation, construction supervision or manufacturing, inspection, administration work to organize the system, research and test, except those who are registered as a professional engineer under the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) as well as other international agreements related to cross-border engineering services, or licensee of the controlled engineering profession in the field of civil engineering under the Engineering law | Civil engineer work concerning counselling, project planning, design and calculation, construction supervision or manufacturing, inspection, administration work to organize the system, research and test, except those who are registered as a professional engineer under the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) as well as other international agreements related to cross-border engineering services or licensee of the controlled engineering profession in the field of civil engineering under the Engineering law, who are allowed to work under specified conditions. |
| 3 | Professional architectural work concerning project study, design, construction management and supervision, inspection or consulting, except for professional architects under the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for architectural services as well as other international agreements on cross-border architectural services from the Architect Council of Thailand or licensee of controlled architecture profession under the Architects law | Professional architectural work concerning project study, design, construction management and supervision, inspection or consulting, except for professional architects under the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for architectural services as well as other international agreements on cross-border architectural services from the Architect Council of Thailand or licensee of controlled architecture profession under the Architects law, who are allowed to work under the conditions prescribed by the Architect Council of Thailand. |
List 3: Prohibited Occupations for foreigners with a condition that foreign workers are allowed to do skilled or semi-skilled work when working for an employer
| No. | Occupations | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry or fishery | 1. Agriculture: Work that requires knowledge or skills in the cultivation of grains, vegetables, horticulture, perennials, shrubs, and others. 2. Animal husbandry: Work that requires knowledge or skills in animal breeding, animal conservation, taking care of animals, and catching animals to obtain meat, milk, fur, leather, fiber, silk, honey, etc. 3. Forestry: Work that requires knowledge or skills in cultivating seeds, planting trees, forest conservation, exploitation of forests, and processing wood into charcoal or extracting crude oil from wood. 4. Fishery: Work that requires knowledge or skills in fishing, aquaculture, taking care of aquatic animals, processing aquatic animals, as well as any actions that support fisheries. |
| 2 | Bricklaying, carpentry, or construction work | 1. Bricklaying: Work that requires knowledge or skills in constructing, assembling, installing, and repairing a foundation base, walls, and other structures with bricks, stones, or similar materials. 2. Carpentry: Work that requires knowledge or skills in cutting, shaping, assembling, installing, maintaining, and repairing structures and structural components made of wood, including measuring and modifying components of buildings, both interior and exterior, such as walls, doors, door and window frames, ceiling, and wall panels. 3. Building construction: Work that requires knowledge or skills in building, installing, maintaining, and repairing buildings and other structures, such as making concrete models, pouring concrete, retouching concrete surfaces, making metal reinforcements, erecting concrete structures supplemented with various materials, roofing, terrazzo flooring, and installing flooring and walls with tiles or mosaics, plastering on walls and ceilings, installing insulating materials on walls, floors, and ceilings, cutting and assembling glass panes into windows or doors, painting, installing drain and water pipe systems, installing sanitary ware, and electrical wiring inside buildings or other structures. |
| 3 | Mattress or quilt blanket making | Work that requires knowledge or skills in making mattresses or quilt blankets from various materials by hand or machine, as well as repair and modification. |
| 4 | Knife making | Work that requires knowledge or skills in making all types of knives from metal using hand-controlled tools, as well as repair and modification of knives. |
| 5 | Shoemaking | Work that requires knowledge or skills in making all types of shoes from various materials, as well as repair and modification of shoes. |
| 6 | Hat making | Work that requires knowledge or skills in making hats for men, women, and children from all kinds of materials, as well as repair and modification of hats. |
| 7 | Dressmaking | Work that requires knowledge or skills in designing and sewing men’s and women’s clothes from start to finish, or other work related to costume designing, as well as alteration, modification, or clothes fixing. |
| 8 | Pottery or ceramic ware making | Work that requires knowledge or skills in making pottery, starting from preparing clay and molds, sculpting and compacting clay into molds, coating, drawing decorative patterns, drying, and burning, either whole or part of this work. |
List 4: Prohibited occupations which foreign workers are permitted to perform under the condition of having employers and permitted to enter Thailand by Immigration Law under MoUs or Agreements between the Thai Government and Foreign Governments
| No. | Occupations | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Labour | Manual work and usually simple work which requires physical strength |
| 2 | Shop front sales | Selling goods at a wholesale or retail establishment as well as selling goods at stalls or shops located in markets or roadside |
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