Work Permits and Visa's
When filming in Thailand, there are 3 x essential documentation requirements for every Non Thai person on the crew:
1) – Each Non Thai Crew Members Name Should Appear on the Crew List of a Film Permit issued by the Thailand Film Office.
2) --- Each Non Thai Crew Members Passport must contain q valid visa = A tourist Visa for shoots up to 14 days in duration or a "Non B Visa" for shoots of 15 days or more in duration
3) – Each Non Thai Crew Member Must have been issued a Temporary Work Permit, for shoots of14 days duration or less or a Blue Book Work Permit, issued for shoots of15 x days duration or more...
There are specific requirements that need to be met in order to obtain these documents.
For those Shooting for Less Than 15 Days = Tourist Visa and Registration at the Provincial Labor Department After Arrival
If your production will shoot for less than 15 consecutive days, then you are able to come in on an ordinary tourist visa which is issued automatically upon arrival for citizens of dozens of nations, including the UK, EU, USA, Canada, South Korea, Australia New Zealand and Japan. For citizens of these countries, no advance paperwork is required to obtain this standard tourist visa upon arrival, however passports must be valid with at least 6 months before expiry.
If shooting for less than 15 consecutive days, then your crew members become eligible to be granted temporary work permits. The process is as follows: When you arrive in Thailand, your production services company (Film Permit Thailand) will take your passport to the Labor Department and apply for your temporary work permit, and handle the entire process. You are able to obtain the temporary work permit with a normal tourist visa or tourist stamp. On rare occasions, the Labor Department may require that you visit their premises but this is usually not required.
For Those Shooting for 15 Days or More = A Non Immigrant B Visa Should Be Obtained from A Thai Embassy Abroad and A Work Permit Blue Book Should Be Obtained Upon Arrival in Thailand:
If you are shooting for 15 days or more, you will need a “blue book” work permit granted by the labor department and you must enter Thailand on a Non Immigrant Visa issued by a Thai Embassy outside of Thailand. Your local production services company will help to coordinate and arrange these documents using your general film permit as grounds for the Visa and Blue Book. Both the work permit and the blue book work permit will only be issued AFTER the film permit has been granted, its best to allow at lease one week to process the Visa after the General film permit has been issued.
If you are shooting for more 15 days total, then you are required to have a Non Immigrant Visa from a Thai Embassy outside of Thailand. For recommended embassies, please contact your production services company (Film Permit Thailand) for assistance with this. Please note, your Non Immigrant Visa IS NOT, in itself a work permit. They are 2 completely separate things. If you have a work visa, but do not obtain the blue book from the Labor department, it means you DO NOT yet have legal work status to work on a film shoot in The Kingdom of Thailand.
The Non Immigrant B Visa is issued at the Thai Embassy nearest to your point of disembarkation for Thailand. However the Blue book is issued by the Labor Department after arrival in Thailand. Note: A medical at a Thai hospital is required upon arrival in Thailand and prior to being issued a blue book. Your Fixer will assist with this. If you have any questions about the Work Visas or Work Permits obtained for filming inside Thailand, please don’t hesitate to Contact us.
Foreign Film Maker Must Be Listed As Crew On The Film Permit: All international crew must be listed on the general film permit issued by the Thai Film office. Your Permit Coordinator will request passport scans + crew positions and arrival departure dates during the permit application process.
Our Team at Film Permit Thailand has successfully obtained Film Permits and provided production support in Thailand for films commissioned by dozens of major global broadcasters and streamers including Netflix, Disney+, Warner Brothers, Google, BBC1, ABC Australia, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, BBC4, BBC2, TV New Zealand, Nike, Smithsonian Society, Fox, Mr Beast, New York Times, Studio Ramsay, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, PBS America, The History Channel, Childrens BBC and many more. We have the experience and know how to successfully support your Thailand Film shoot from start to finish. Contact us today for all of your permit and production support needs.
