Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are asking the question: "What are the penalties associated with working without a Thai Work Permit?" I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from Khao Sod English, that is khaosodenglish.com, the article is titled: Foreigners are arrested for working as Barber and Beauticians. Quoting directly: "The Ministry of Labour recently urges foreigners and foreign workers to strictly comply with the law. If violations are found, employers who hire foreign workers without Work Permits or use them for unauthorized work, face fines between 10,000 and 100,000 Baht per foreign worker employed. Repeated violations could result in imprisonment of up to one year or fines of 50,000 to 200,000 Baht or both, as well as a ban on hiring foreign workers for a period of three years. Foreign workers who work without a Work Permit or engage in unauthorized activities face fines of between 5,000 and 50,000 Baht and may be deported."

As we discussed in another video where we were talking about this article, and I urge those who are watching this video, go read that article over on Khao Sod English, they noted that yeah there were foreign nationals who were arrested illegally working and presumably they are going to be deported and likely blacklisted. So again, I haven't seen any follow up with regard to that article and if I do, we will certainly update on this channel as that situation evolves. 

That being said, this generally speaking and the purpose of this video is to understand, failure to acquire a Work Permit in Thailand and working illegally, can result in really serious consequences not least of which yes there is a fine. I would argue the fine is somewhat nominal compared to other countries in terms of the monetary value of the fine, but that said more importantly is the deportation. If you get caught working illegally in Thailand you are probably going to be deported. In fact I would say it is done near a certainty unless there is some kind of extenuating circumstances involved. But that being said, that is why if you are coming to live in Thailand long term and you are looking to engage in employment activities, it is a very good idea to obtain a Work Permit when you come to the Kingdom of Thailand.