Non-Immigrant B Visa for Teaching English in Thailand

The Non-Immigrant B is Thailand's standard work visa, used by ESL teachers, businesspeople, and most other foreign professionals. It is not the same thing as the work permit, which your employer obtains from the Ministry of Labour, and neither is the teaching licence. For school teaching, the Teachers' Council of Thailand (Khurusapha) requires a licence, or written permission granted to the school for a specific foreign teacher who does not yet hold one. Whether and how this applies depends on the type of school, so confirm with your employer.

What you need

• 1Bachelor's degree from an accredited university is the usual baseline for school roles; the Teachers' Council's temporary-permission criteria call for a degree in education or a bachelor's in a field the school needs
• 2A TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certificate is commonly asked for by schools and agencies (often 120 hours), but it is an employer preference rather than a Teachers' Council criterion we could find
• 3Criminal background check from your home country
• 4Passport validity requirements vary by embassy (six months is commonly required), so check your embassy
• 5Native-English speaker preference; non-native with strong credentials can land jobs
• 6Letter of confirmation from the employing school

The process

1. Step 1

   1. Secure a job offer

   Schools, agencies, or language centers. Government schools usually hire through agencies; private and international schools hire direct.

2. Step 2

   2. Apply for Non-B at a Thai consulate

   Follow the responsible Thai embassy or consulate's current application instructions. Required documents and processing times depend on where you apply; do not assume a neighbouring-country visa trip is available.

3. Step 3

   3. Enter Thailand, get a work permit

   Once in Thailand on the Non-B, your employer applies for your work permit with the Ministry of Labour. The visa does not turn into a work permit by itself, and timing varies by office.

4. Step 4

   4. Teachers' Council permission or licence (school teaching)

   Your school asks the Teachers' Council to permit you to teach without a licence. The Thai government's temporary-permit guidance, updated in 2023, says each permission runs up to 2 years, up to 6 consecutive years in total, and that you must meet the licence qualifications within that period. Ask your school who files and by when.

Common questions