Urgent Work Permit Extensions Now Allowed

The situation

Immigration authorities in Thailand now allow foreign nationals under an Urgent Work Permit (UWP) to extend their permit once for another 15 calendar days if the urgent work was not completed during the initial 15-day period. This is now allowed in practice even though a regulation is yet to be officially issued for this purpose.

Extension process

Foreign nationals seeking a UWP extension must file an extension application with the One Stop Service Center or the Employment Department prior to the expiration of their original UWP.

Impact on foreign nationals

This new policy benefits foreign nationals who need to stay longer under a UWP, since they will no longer need to exit the country and reenter to apply for a new UWP.

Impact on employers

The new policy should reduce travel and immigration-related expenses to employers of UWP holders.

Looking ahead

Since the related regulation is yet to be officially issued, the current practice is subject to change once the law detailing the process is released.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].