The prohibited businesses for foreigners in Thailand are as follows. If your intended falls under any of these you will not be eligible for Thai work permit.
- “Labor work except for labor work in fishing boats (under the next category below)
- Making rice paper by hand
- Agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry or fishery, except work requiring specialized knowledge, farm supervision, or labor work in fishing boats, particularly marine fishery
- Supervising, auditing, or giving service in accountancy, except occasional internal auditing
- Bricklaying, carpentry, or other construction works
- Woodcarving
- Driving motor vehicles or vehicles which do not use machinery or mechanical devices, except international aircraft piloting
- Shop attendance
- Auction
- Cutting or polishing jewelry
- Haircutting, hairdressing, or beauty treatment
- Weaving or making of mats or products from reed, rattan, hemp, straw, or bamboo pellicle
- Lacquerware making
- Making Thai musical instruments
- Nielloware making
- Goldsmith, silversmith, or gold-and-copper alloy smith work
- Stonework
- Cloth weaving by hand
- Making Thai dolls
- Making mattresses or quilt blanket
- Making alms bowls
- Making silk products by hand
- Creating Buddha images
- Knifemaking
- Making paper or cloth umbrellas
- Making shoes
- Making Hats
- Brokerage or agency except in international trading
- Professional civil engineering concerning design and calculation, systemization, analysis, planning, testing, construction supervision, or consulting services, excluding work requiring specialized techniques
- Professional architectural work concerning design, drawing-making, cost estimation, construction direction or consulting services
- Dressmaking
- Pottery
- Cigarette rolling by hand
- Tour guiding or conducting
- Hawking of goods
- Thai typesetting by hand
- Unwinding and twisting silk by hand
- Clerical or secretarial work
- Providing legal services or engaging in legal work (except arbitration works and work relating to the defense of cases at arbitration level, provided the law governing the dispute under consideration by the arbitrators is not Thai law).”
