Extending versus renewing: people often call this “extending a work permit in Pattaya,” but the official Section 67 transaction for continuing an existing permission is a BT25 renewal. It is separate from an Immigration extension of permission to stay, and a changed employer, work type or workplace may require a different Department of Employment transaction.
Related: Working in Thailand guide · Non-B visa · Thai company setup · BOI company visa
How do I renew or extend a work permit in Pattaya?
The DOE's consolidated Foreigners' Working Management Emergency Decree places renewal under Section 67. The current e-WorkPermit portal presents that renewal as BT25. Historical WP5 references and older Section 23 filing instructions are not the current workflow and are not used here.
Section 67 allows a renewal for the requested or necessary period, up to 2 years per occasion. That is a statutory ceiling, not a guaranteed term: the registrar, permission to stay, evidence and other conditions still control the period actually granted.
The Ministry of Labour launched the nationwide electronic system on 13 October 2025. Registration, document review, notifications and payment happen online; an assigned service-centre visit still follows when the case reaches that stage.
Who does what in e-WorkPermit
- Employer: registers, establishes the employer or workplace reference and supplies the employer-category evidence.
- Worker: registers, links the employer reference, chooses the Section 67 renewal/BT25 service and enters the job, activity, workplace and requested dates.
- Worker: uploads the prompted evidence, completes identity verification and pays the application fee through e-Payment.
- Both: monitor e-Tracking and answer any correction or additional-evidence request.
- After approval: pay the permit fee, book the assigned service centre and follow its identity, biometric or collection instructions.
The employer builds the case, but the worker is not a passive attachment: both accounts and both sets of evidence can be required.
File before the permit expires
Section 67 says to apply before expiry. A timely applicant may continue the authorised work while the registrar decides the renewal, until a registrar orders non-renewal. This protection is tied to an actual timely renewal of the existing permission—not a portal draft or a different change request.
No current official source supports a universal post-expiry grace period. Do not treat a late filing, portal draft or payment receipt as permission to work. If expiry is close, confirm the live case state with DOE before continuing the activity.
Current indicative document pack
A current DOE provincial e-WorkPermit implementation manual, rechecked page by page on 29 August 2026, shows the present portal sequence and these evidence groups. It is useful process evidence, not a promise that Chonburi will request an identical pack for every employer:
- Worker: BT25, current work permit, relevant passport pages, proof of unexpired permission to stay, current photograph and the prescribed medical certificate.
- Employer certification: BT46 and the authorised employer declarations shown by the portal.
- Company employer: current juristic registration and objectives, a recent shareholder list, VAT/tax evidence, financial evidence and social-security evidence where prompted.
- Other employer types: school, government, foundation, association and household cases follow their own portal evidence path.
- Language and authority: use the translation, certification, signatory and company-seal treatment requested for the uploaded document.
The portal, registrar and employer category determine the final pack. A degree, criminal record, staff ratio, workplace photograph or inspection should not be copied into every case unless the live application or responsible office requests it.
Official work-permit fees
The Ministry of Labour's published fee schedule lists a THB 100 application fee. The permit fee is THB 750 for up to three months, THB 1,500 for more than three and up to six months, and THB 3,000 for more than six months and up to one year. An excess period adds the applicable tier.
These are work-permit fees, not Immigration extension fees, medical costs, translation costs or professional-service charges.
Chonburi appointment and timing
Use the portal's assigned appointment path and verify local instructions through the Chonburi Provincial Employment Office. Its published contact page is a verification channel, not evidence that every case uses one counter or accepts walk-ins.
The official provincial listing gives the office as 199 Moo 3, Samed, Mueang Chonburi and publishes work-permit lines 038-398-052 and 086-476-0459. Confirm the assigned centre in the portal before travelling; this listing does not establish a Pattaya or Jomtien work-permit counter.
The Ministry's launch material describes a fast collection stage, but not a guaranteed total decision time. Evidence corrections, employer category, registrar review, queue capacity and the assigned centre can all change the calendar.
If e-WorkPermit shows an error or missing case
DOE maintains an official e-WorkPermit problem-reporting portal. Use the category that matches the live problem and keep the case reference, employer reference and non-sensitive screenshots needed to identify the error. Some DOE support notices apply only to specified migrant-worker groups, so an ordinary professional or BT25 renewal should not borrow a deadline or document rule from another group.
A support ticket is not a renewal approval, extension of the permit or permission to continue work after an unresolved expiry. If the deadline is close, use the support portal and the responsible Chonburi office rather than repeatedly creating duplicate applications.
Renewal or change?
BT25 renews an existing permission. It is not the route for replacing or adding an employer, and it may not be the correct route when the type of work, duties or workplace changes. The current e-WorkPermit service routes an employer change or addition through BT44 and treats a change to the official type/category of work as a permit-impacting change.
| What changed? | Current official route or boundary | Who must act? |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing relevant; the existing permission is expiring | Section 67 renewal / BT25 before expiry | The worker applies; employer reference and evidence are part of the file. |
| New employer replaces the old employer | Current portal's change-employer BT44 route; not an ordinary renewal | Worker completes the change route. New and former employers have separate hiring/departure notification duties where applicable. |
| An additional employer is added | Current portal's add-employer BT44 route | Worker and added employer act. A departure notice does not apply to an employer the worker has not left. |
| Official type/category of work changes | Portal treats this as permit-impacting and displays BT22, BT44 or BT45 according to the worker cohort | Use the form and evidence shown in the live account. |
| Same-employer duties or workplace change | Public guidance does not safely map every fact pattern to one universal form | Worker and employer confirm the live transaction with DOE before the changed arrangement starts. |
| Employment ends without a next employer | Not a renewal; the employer's departure notification is BT53 where the duty applies | Employer handles its notification. Work-permit and Immigration consequences remain separate. |
The worker and employer have separate actions. Section 13's default is a BT52 notice within 15 days after hiring and a BT53 notice within 15 days after departure. DOE exemptions remove the initial BT52 step in many cases where the permit application already supplied the employment data; a change or addition of employer can fall outside that exemption, and MOU routes have separate reporting duties. A worker's BT44 change route does not replace an employer notice that still applies. Use the live portal and the worker's legal route rather than treating BT52 and BT53 as automatic steps after every approval.
A Ministry of Labour notice dated 26 November 2024 and gazetted 29 November 2024 exempts workers permitted under Sections 59, 60, 63, 63/1, 63/2 and 64 from the ordinary Section 64/2 start-of-work notification through 13 February 2029. The exemption expressly does not cover a change or addition of employer. This is why the page does not tell every unchanged-employer renewal applicant to file BT55.
A change in day-to-day duties is not automatically the same as the portal's “type/category of work” field, and a same-employer workplace move is not conclusively classified by the public sources reviewed. This page leaves those cases open for the live portal or DOE instead of inventing a universal form.
Work permit renewal in Pattaya: common questions
How do I renew or extend a work permit in Pattaya?
For an ordinary renewal of an existing permission, file the Section 67 BT25 transaction through e-WorkPermit before the permit expires. The employer and worker complete their respective account and evidence steps, then follow the portal's assigned service-centre instruction. Chonburi office contact details do not prove that every case uses a Pattaya or Jomtien counter.
Can I renew a Thai work permit after it expires?
No current official source reviewed for this guide publishes a universal post-expiry grace period. Section 67 says to apply before expiry, and its continuation protection is tied to an actual timely renewal—not a draft, support ticket or different change request. If expiry is close, confirm the live case with DOE before continuing the work.
Is renewal the correct e-WorkPermit transaction when the employer changes?
No. BT25 continues an existing permission. The current portal routes a replacement or additional employer through the BT44 change path, while the new and former employers can have separate hiring or departure notifications. Use the live account because the correct transaction also depends on the worker cohort and facts.
Does renewing a Non-B visa also renew the work permit?
No. Immigration permission and Department of Employment work permission are separate decisions. A valid Non-B or extension does not replace the work-permit renewal, and a portal submission does not by itself extend permission to stay.
How long does a Pattaya work-permit renewal take?
No official source reviewed here guarantees one total decision time. Evidence corrections, employer category, registrar review, portal status, queue capacity and the assigned service centre can all change the calendar. File before expiry and track the actual case rather than relying on a same-day estimate.
What documents are normally requested for a BT25 renewal?
The current DOE implementation manual groups the file around BT25, the existing work permit, relevant passport and stay pages, a current photograph and prescribed medical certificate; BT46 and employer declarations; and the evidence for the employer category. The live portal and registrar control the final pack, translations and certifications.
What are the official work-permit renewal fees?
The Ministry of Labour schedule lists a THB 100 application fee, then THB 750 for up to three months, THB 1,500 for more than three and up to six months, or THB 3,000 for more than six months and up to one year. Immigration, medical, translation and professional-service costs are separate.
Official sources checked
- Department of Employment e-WorkPermit portal
- DOE e-WorkPermit problem-reporting portal
- Ministry of Labour nationwide launch and current process explanation
- DOE provincial e-WorkPermit manual
- DOE consolidated Foreigners' Working Management Emergency Decree — Sections 13, 64/2 and 67
- Official BT25 renewal form · official BT44 change form · BT52 hiring notice · BT53 departure notice
- Department of Employment Section 13 employer-notice exemptions, effective 5 July 2022
- Ministry of Labour Section 64/2 notification exemption through 13 February 2029
- Ministry of Labour official work-permit fee schedule