# Can Foreigners Work in Phuket? Work Permits, Banned Jobs and the DTV Page URL: https://adadai.com/en/living/working-in-phuket Yes, foreigners can work in Phuket, but only with a work permit arranged through a Thai employer, and never in the 27 jobs Thai law closes to foreigners outright, such as tour guiding, driving, Thai massage and hairdressing. People who work online for clients abroad usually stay on the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), which has a category for remote workers and does not cover a Thai employer. Rules change, so check with an official source before you travel. ## Key facts - 27 — jobs closed to foreigners outright - 40 — jobs on the Ministry of Labour list in total - 500,000 THB — bank balance asked for a DTV in the official checklist - 6 months — of salary slips or income asked for a DTV ## Can a foreigner legally work in Phuket? Yes, with paperwork done in the right order. Thai law requires every foreigner working in Thailand to hold a work permit before starting, a point the Board of Investment's One Start One Stop centre spells out for anyone setting up here. In practice the permit comes through a Thai employer and is tied to that company, so changing jobs means applying again. What about a tourist visa? It doesn't let you take a job. Work for a Thai employer without a permit and both you and the employer are breaking the law; our Russian-language guide to working in Phuket lists the consequences people actually face: fines, deportation and a ban on coming back. Phuket's economy runs on tourism and construction, so that is where most jobs for foreigners sit, and plenty of jobs there are off-limits anyway. The Ministry of Labour list that decides it has 40 jobs in 4 parts; the table below sums it up. | List | What it means | Jobs on it | Examples | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | List 1 | closed to foreigners outright | 27 | tour guide, driving, Thai massage, hairdressing and beauty, peddling, secretary, broker or agent, legal services | | List 2 | allowed only under international agreements | 3 | accounting, civil engineering, architecture | | List 3 | skilled or semi-skilled work, only with an employer | 8 | farming and fishing, bricklaying and carpentry, dressmaking, pottery | | List 4 | only with an employer and under a government-to-government agreement | 2 | labouring, shop sales | *Ministry of Labour notification on work prohibited for foreigners, published in the Royal Gazette; full text on the Department of Employment website (doe.go.th). Checked against the official text; rules change, so confirm before you apply.* ## Which jobs are closed to foreigners in Thailand? 27 of them, completely, anywhere in the kingdom. The Ministry of Labour notification puts them on its first list, and several are exactly the jobs a newcomer to a resort island might think of first: tour guide or tour organiser, driving a vehicle (international airline pilots and forklift drivers excepted), Thai massage, hair cutting, styling and beauty work, peddling goods, clerical and secretarial work, broker or agent work (unless it's in international trade or investment) and legal services, with arbitration as the exception. The rest of list one is crafts: wood carving, hand weaving, lacquerware, Thai musical instruments, Buddha images, silverware and similar trades. The notification also bars any job where another law says the professional must be Thai. Then come 13 more jobs with conditions. The 3 professions on list two, accounting, civil engineering and architecture, are open only under international agreements such as the ASEAN mutual recognition deals. 8 skilled and semi-skilled trades, from construction to dressmaking, are allowed only with an employer, and labouring and shop sales only with an employer and under agreements between governments. ## Can you work remotely from Phuket? Yes, and it's how most foreigners here earn. If your employer or clients are abroad and the money arrives abroad, you're not taking a Thai job, and the visa built for that is the Destination Thailand Visa. Its Workcation category names digital nomads, remote workers, foreign talent and freelancers. The checklist the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes for it asks for, among other things: a passport valid for at least 6 months, proof that you'll stay in Thailand for at least 6 months (a lease, for example), bank statements for the last 3 months ending at no less than 500,000 THB, salary slips or income for the last 6 months, and a foreign employment contract or business licence. Applications go through the Thai e-Visa portal, thaievisa.go.th. One line the DTV does not cross: it's not a permit to work for a company in Thailand. For that you're back to a work permit through a Thai employer. Requirements differ slightly between embassies, so check with an official source before you travel. ## Where do foreigners find work in Phuket? In the fields the island lives on, and mostly through people. Our Russian-language guide to the island's job market sums it up: foreigners get hired in tourism sales and coordination for clients who speak their language, in real estate (often on commission), as dive instructors with international certificates, as trainers in gyms and Muay Thai camps, and in IT and marketing, which is more often remote work than a local contract. Local salaries are noticeably lower than in Europe, and commission jobs in property and tourism follow the season: high season pays for the year. Openings tend to surface in community chats first, then through walking into dive centres, agencies and travel companies, then on international job boards for IT and remote roles. Small island, so reputation counts for more than a CV. ## Can you open your own business instead? You can, but it's a project, not a weekend task. A Thai company needs local partners and registered capital, and foreign ownership is restricted in a number of sectors, so the usual route goes through a lawyer. Doing the work yourself in your own company still needs a work permit, and the 27 closed jobs stay closed whoever owns the business. ## Questions people ask ### Can foreigners work in Phuket and what jobs are there? Yes, with a work permit arranged through a Thai employer. Most foreigners work in tourism, real estate, diving, fitness and Muay Thai, or remotely for clients abroad. ### What jobs are prohibited for foreigners in Thailand? Twenty-seven jobs are closed outright, including tour guide, driving, Thai massage, hairdressing and beauty, peddling, secretarial work, broker work and legal services. Another 13 are allowed only under conditions. ### Can I work remotely from Phuket on a DTV visa? Yes, for a foreign employer or clients abroad: the DTV has a Workcation category for remote workers and freelancers. It does not allow work for a company in Thailand, so check the current rules with an official source before you travel. ### Can I work in Phuket on a tourist visa? No. Any job for a Thai employer needs a work permit, and the permit is arranged through the employer and tied to that company. ### Can a foreigner be a tour guide or massage therapist in Phuket? No. Tour guiding and Thai massage are both on the list of jobs closed to foreigners outright, along with hairdressing and beauty work. ### How much money do I need in the bank for a DTV? The official checklist asks for bank statements for the last 3 months with an ending balance of at least 500,000 THB. Embassies can differ, so confirm the amount where you apply. ## Read next - [Where to live in Phuket without a scooter](https://adadai.com/en/living/without-a-scooter) - [Rawai or Nai Harn for living](https://adadai.com/en/living/rawai-or-nai-harn) - [Chalong or Rawai for a long stay](https://adadai.com/en/living/chalong-or-rawai) - [Living in Phuket Town](https://adadai.com/en/district/phuket-town) - [Living in Patong](https://adadai.com/en/district/patong) - [Living in Kathu](https://adadai.com/en/district/kathu) - [Where to rent in Phuket](https://adadai.com/en/realty/where-to-rent) - [Where Phuket is and how to get there](https://adadai.com/en/guide/where-is-phuket) - [Gyms and Muay Thai camps in Phuket](https://adadai.com/en/living/gyms-and-muay-thai) - [Best cafés to work from in Phuket](https://adadai.com/en/living/work-from-cafes) - [DTV through a Phuket cooking school](https://adadai.com/en/visa/dtv-cooking-school) - [ED visa or DTV for a cooking programme](https://adadai.com/en/visa/ed-or-dtv) --- Looking for a villa or condo in Phuket? 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