Your employer is sending you to Thailand — here is how an employer-sponsored move actually works: the Non-Immigrant B visa and work-permit basics, bridging into temporary housing before you sign a lease, what to ask for in your relocation package, and family considerations for spouses and children.
A corporate relocation is employer-sponsored: your company typically sponsors your Non-Immigrant B visa and work permit, funds a temporary housing bridge before you sign a lease, and offers a relocation package covering flights, shipping, housing and (for families) international school fees — the single largest line item for many families. Get your company’s relocation policy in writing before you spend your own money, and never sign a 12-month lease sight-unseen from abroad.
A corporate relocation is an employer-sponsored move: your company is transferring you to a Thailand-based role — as an intra-company transferee, a regional executive, a specialist hire, or staff opening a new office — and is paying for some or all of the move. That changes almost everything about how you should approach it. A self-funded expat, retiree or digital nomad controls their own budget and timeline and typically buys only the services they need (see our guide to relocation services & movers). A corporate transferee instead works inside a company relocation policy: HR or a relocation provider often handles visa sponsorship, arranges (or reimburses) shipping and housing, and sets the rules for what is and isn't covered. Your first move should always be to get that policy in writing — ask HR for the relocation policy document and the name of the approved relocation provider before you sign anything or spend your own money, because reimbursement rules and caps vary enormously between companies.
Most corporate transferees enter Thailand on a Non-Immigrant “B” (Business) visa, which is the prerequisite for a Thai work permit — you generally cannot legally work in Thailand, including remotely for a Thailand-registered entity, without both. Your employer's Thai entity sponsors the work permit application, and the process typically requires the company to meet minimum registered-capital and Thai-staff-ratio requirements (broadly, a set number of Thai employees per foreign work-permit holder, with variations for BOI-promoted companies). If your employer is BOI-promoted (registered with the Thailand Board of Investment) or holds other investment privileges, work-permit processing is often faster and the staffing ratios more favorable — ask HR whether your entity qualifies. Senior executives, specialists and investors may also be eligible for Thailand's Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa via the BOI, which offers a longer visa period and streamlined work authorization compared to the standard annual Non-B/work-permit renewal cycle. Timelines vary by company structure, role and current government processing volumes, so build in several weeks of buffer and confirm current requirements with the Immigration Bureau or BOI rather than relying on a fixed number.
Almost no corporate transferee should sign a 12-month lease sight-unseen from abroad. The standard, sensible approach is a bridge: your employer books you into a serviced apartment or short-stay corporate housing for the first two to six weeks, giving you time to view neighborhoods in person, understand commute times to the office and (for families) to international schools, and negotiate a lease from a position of local knowledge rather than guesswork. Serviced apartments in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and other major cities are widely available on flexible weekly or monthly terms, fully furnished with utilities and WiFi included, and are the norm for this bridge period — see our guide to temporary housing for what to expect and typical costs. Confirm whether your relocation policy pays for this bridge period directly, reimburses it, or caps it at a set number of nights, and don't commit to a long lease until you've actually walked the building and the neighborhood.
Relocation packages are negotiable, and the components vary widely between companies and seniority levels. The common line items worth asking about are: flights for you (and dependents); a shipping or lump-sum allowance for household goods (see our shipping guide for sea vs air cost trade-offs); temporary housing during the bridge period; a housing allowance or direct-pay arrangement for your ongoing lease, and whether it covers the security deposit and agent's commission; a one-time settling-in allowance for the immediate purchases every new arrival needs (SIM card, basic furniture, kitchenware); tax equalization or tax preparation support, since Thai tax residency and double-taxation rules can be genuinely complex for the year you move; home-leave flights if the assignment is multi-year; and, for families, international school fees, which are often the single largest line item in a corporate package. Also clarify the assignment length, any clawback clause requiring you to repay relocation costs if you resign within a set period, and what happens to your visa and housing if the assignment ends early. Get every component in writing before you accept.
A spouse and children can generally join a work-permit holder on a Non-Immigrant “O” visa (dependent visa) tied to the primary visa holder's status, but a dependent visa on its own does not grant the right to work in Thailand — a spouse who wants a job needs their own work permit sponsored by their own employer. For families, school placement is frequently the tightest deadline in the whole move: popular international schools have application windows, entrance assessments and waitlists that don't bend around a shipping schedule, so start the school search in parallel with (not after) your visa paperwork — see our international schools guide. Healthcare is another early priority: confirm whether your company's health insurance covers dependents in Thailand and whether it includes the international hospitals most expats use, since coverage details vary widely between corporate policies. Building in a proper viewing trip or an extended bridge-housing period matters more for families than for a single transferee, since a poor area or commute choice is much harder to unwind once children are enrolled in a school.
Most corporate transferees enter on a Non-Immigrant “B” (Business) visa, which is the prerequisite for the Thai work permit your employer's Thai entity must sponsor. Senior executives, specialists and investors at BOI-promoted companies may qualify for the Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa instead, which offers a longer validity and a simpler renewal cycle. Confirm which route applies to your role with your employer and, ideally, a licensed immigration specialist — requirements vary by company structure and change over time.
There's no legal requirement, but it is standard corporate-relocation practice: most companies book two to six weeks in a serviced apartment so you can view neighborhoods and schools in person before committing to a lease, rather than signing one sight-unseen from abroad. Whether it's covered, reimbursed, or capped at a set number of nights depends entirely on your company's relocation policy — ask HR for the policy document before you travel.
Not automatically. A Non-Immigrant “O” dependent visa lets a spouse and children join the primary work-permit holder and live in Thailand, but it does not itself authorize employment. A spouse who wants to work needs their own work permit, sponsored by their own employer, following the same visa and work-permit process as any other foreign hire.
Common components include flights for you and dependents, a shipping allowance or lump sum for household goods, temporary bridge housing, an ongoing housing allowance (or direct company payment to your landlord), a settling-in allowance, tax equalization or tax-preparation support, home-leave flights for multi-year assignments, and — for families — international school fees, often the largest single line item. Packages are negotiable and vary by seniority; get every component and any clawback clause in writing before accepting.
Timelines vary by company structure, the employee's role, and current government processing volumes, so there's no fixed number to rely on — build in several weeks of buffer. Companies with Board of Investment (BOI) promotion status generally see faster processing and more favorable foreign-to-Thai staffing ratios than a standard Thai entity. Confirm current expected timelines with your employer's visa agent or immigration lawyer, and with the Immigration Bureau or BOI directly.
Generally no. Almost no corporate transferee should commit to a 12-month lease sight-unseen — the standard approach is to bridge through temporary or serviced-apartment housing for the first few weeks, use that time to view neighborhoods, check commute times and (for families) visit schools in person, and only then sign a lease from a position of local knowledge.
Primary and official Thai sources are cited above for visa, work-permit and immigration questions. Requirements, quotas, fees and processing times change over time and depend on your employer's company structure — always confirm current rules with the Immigration Bureau, the Board of Investment, or a licensed immigration specialist before finalizing a relocation timeline. BAANLYY never takes paid placement in editorial content.
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Hero photo courtesy of BAANLYY Media. General information for relocation planning, not legal, tax or immigration advice — confirm current visa, work-permit and tax requirements with official Thai government sources or a licensed specialist before finalizing a corporate move.