Foreigners visiting Thailand for meetings of a company in which they or their employer have invested may already be aware that a work permit is required for this activity. They may not be aware that henceforward the work permit may not be easy to obtain, under new and little-publicised Labour Department rules.

The Working of Aliens Act B.E. 2551 (2008) defines work as any activity involving exertion of energy or use of knowledge, whether or not for wages or other benefits. A non-resident foreigner serving as a director of a Thai company, who travels to Thailand to attend a meeting of the board (circular board resolutions and proxy representation at board meetings no longer being considered permissible), or an investor in a Thai company who attends a meeting of the shareholders in Thailand, is therefore working, no matter how short the visit, and even if no payment is involved.  For more information on these new rules, click here.