Section 33 and the Social Security Fund

Workplace health cover sits in the Social Security Act B.E. 2533 (1990), run by the Social Security Office (SSO) under the Ministry of Labour. Section 33 makes every employee an insured person, which is why law-firm guidance refers to “Section 33 insured persons”. Legally employed foreigners are included.

Thai citizens outside this scheme and the civil-servant scheme are covered by a separate universal coverage programme run by the national health security office, so for an employee on payroll the Social Security Fund is the scheme that matters.

Registering a foreign hire and paying in

Thai government guidance says a foreign employee who entered and works legally registers with the SSO in the same way as a Thai employee, using the registration form, a passport copy and a work permit or Smart Visa copy. Under Section 46, employer and employee both contribute at rates set by ministerial regulation, and law-firm guidance explains that the employer deducts the employee’s share and remits both by the 15th of the next month.

Law-firm and accounting-firm guidance describes the standard rate as 5% of the wage base each for employer and employee, a figure cited in 2026. A ministerial regulation published on 11 December 2025 began raising the contribution wage ceiling in phases from 1 January 2026, which lifts benefit ceilings too. Check the current figure with the SSO before you set payroll.

What members can claim, and when

The Act lists seven types of benefit for insured persons. Non-occupational sickness cover pays for medical examination, diagnosis and treatment, but only after three months of contributions within the preceding fifteen. A new hire should therefore expect a short gap before sickness benefits start.

Treatment is given at medical establishments the SSO lists, generally in the area where the person works or lives, and the government portal gives the SSO’s 24-hour hotline as 1506.

Work permits and hiring without a Thai company

A foreign national needs a work permit sponsored by a Thai employer, and working before it is issued breaches the rules for both the worker and the employer. Consultancy guides report standard conditions of paid-up capital for each foreign employee and at least four Thai employees per foreigner, with exceptions for companies promoted by the Board of Investment and for long-term resident visa holders.

EOR providers describe how a US company with no Thai entity usually hires: through an employer of record, a Thai-registered company that becomes the legal employer, registers the worker with the SSO and, where it meets the capital and ratio tests, sponsors the work permit. Because the permit and the employment structure carry legal consequences, check with a local adviser before you hire.

Remote professionals on a long-term resident visa

Thailand’s Board of Investment runs a Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa that includes a work-from-Thailand professional category for people employed by companies abroad. Its documents ask applicants to show health insurance, Thai social security benefits covering treatment in Thailand, or a set bank deposit. Travel insurance does not count, and the policy must cover the whole stay with at least ten months left to run.

The Board accepts group policies when every person meets the required level of cover, and a spouse and children under 20 have their own option. What a particular policy needs to show for the visa is a question for the insurer to confirm against the Board’s current list.

Private cover and the bar on foreign insurers

Because Section 33 already makes an employee an insured person, an international plan does not replace Social Security Fund membership for someone on Thai payroll. Any private plan an employer funds is a supplement.

Law-firm guidance on the Life Insurance Act and Non-Life Insurance Act of 1992 says no one may act as an insurer or enter into insurance contracts without a licence from the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC), and health counts as a non-life class. The same guidance says OIC guidelines reinforce provisions that bar soliciting insurance contracts with foreign insurers, and news reports describe penalties announced for agents who push policies from unauthorised foreign insurers. Policies from foreign insurers fall outside OIC policyholder protections, so whether any plan can cover your employee in Thailand is for the insurer to confirm.

Asking for an introduction

Send us the details through the quote form on this page: the city your employee is in, how many people you have in Thailand, whether they work through an employer of record or your own entity, whether they hold an LTR visa, and which relatives depend on them. We can introduce you to a benefits partner focused on health cover for international and remote teams. Who qualifies, the plan choices and the cost are for the partner and the insurer to decide. For your US business policies, we request cover from insurers and the insurer decides terms.

A few useful answers

Common questions

Do foreign employees in Thailand join social security?

Yes, when they are legally employed. Section 33 of the Social Security Act makes every employee an insured person, and foreign staff register with the SSO using a passport copy and a work permit or Smart Visa copy.

How much do employers contribute in Thailand?

Law-firm guidance cited in 2026 gives a standard rate of 5% of the wage base each for employer and employee, and the wage ceiling began rising in phases on 1 January 2026. Check the current figure with the SSO.

How soon can a new employee use sickness benefits?

After three months of contributions within the previous fifteen months. Treatment is then given at SSO-listed medical establishments near where the person works or lives.

Can an employer buy cover for a Thai employee from a foreign insurer?

Thai law requires an OIC licence to act as an insurer, and soliciting contracts with foreign insurers is barred. Whether any plan can cover someone in Thailand is for the insurer to confirm.

What health cover does the LTR visa ask for?

Health insurance that is not travel insurance and covers the whole stay with at least ten months remaining, Thai social security benefits that cover treatment in Thailand, or a set bank deposit.

International Health Insurance for Remote Employees in Thailand