Your employee's passport is close to expiry, or has already expired — a new book can be issued here in Thailand, without sending them home. Exworker arranges the issue and renewal of passports for Lao, Cambodian and Myanmar workers, as well as the Cambodian travel document (the black book), with both a standard and an express route depending on how much time is left.

For migrant workers in Thailand, a passport is not merely a travel document; it is the foundation of the entire status. The work permit and the right to stay in the Kingdom are tied to a book that has not expired. If the book runs out first, everything else stalls in sequence.

Information as of August 2026

Which nationalities we handle

Laos Lao passport, standard and express

Processed through the Lao embassy in Thailand, for both a first book and a renewal, with no need to travel back to Lao PDR.

Cambodia Passport (red book) and travel document (black book)

The red book comes in both standard and express. The black book is a travel document, not a passport — they are different things. We check which one your case needs.

Myanmar Myanmar passport

We handle it. Workers currently holding a CI who want to convert to a PJ is a different job — see our CI service and CI to PJ conversion

Standard or express — choose by the time left, not by the price

Item	Approximate time frame
Lao passport, standard	about 60 days
Lao passport, express	about 15 days
Cambodian passport, red book, standard	about 21 days
Cambodian passport, red book, express	about 3 days
Myanmar passport	time frame advised case by case
Cambodian travel document, black book	time frame advised case by case

These are the time frames we use with clients, not times guaranteed by the embassies Each embassy's queue moves with the season and with the public holidays of both countries, which do not coincide. We confirm the actual time frame again when we take the case on, and tell you immediately if the queue changes — we do not promise a fixed date before anything has been filed.

Why it has to start before the book expires

The reason is not simply "so there is no gap" — in 2026 there are deadlines that are tied to each other.

The group that must file by 11 December 2026 The Cabinet resolution of 14 July 2026 covers those who could not obtain a passport by 31 July 2026 and those who received the visa endorsement but whose passport expires before 11 December 2026, granting relief to stay and work until 11 December 2027 — but the filing must be made by 11 December 2026. If the book has not been issued, nothing can be filed, and embassy queues towards the end of the year will certainly be longer than usual.

In practice, Immigration does not permit a stay beyond the validity of the passport. The safe course is to start before the book expires, not after, and to plan the work permit renewal to fit the validity of the new book at the same time.

Getting the new book is not the end — two things still have to follow

Transfer the stamps into the new book The visa and the permission-to-stay stamp are still in the old book and have to be transferred at Immigration — see our visa stamp transfer service
Amend the passport details on the work permit This is Department of Employment work — a different agency and a different form from the first step. Without it, the passport number on the permit still refers to the old book.

The part people only discover by running into it The Immigration Bureau states that where the passport book has been changed, the 90-day report cannot be filed through the online system. It must be made to officers in the area of residence (another person may be authorised to do it), and from the following round the online system can be used again as normal.

Documents to prepare

Lao workers

A copy of the Lao identity card, or the identity confirmation document
A copy of the Lao household registration (family book)
The old passport, if there is one

Cambodian and Myanmar workers

Each embassy's document list changes with its announcements and with the type of book applied for, so we do not print a fixed list here. Send photos of whatever documents you have, and we will come back with the actual list for your case, telling you what is missing and where it can be obtained.

This much is enough to start with A photo of the old passport page with the photograph (or the identity card of the country of origin, if there is no old book) plus the work permit page, and the date the book expires. We will tell you whether the case calls for the standard or the express route, what has to be prepared, and which deadline is looming.

What happens when we handle it

Case check first (free) Nationality, the type of book required, the expiry date, and how much time is genuinely left before the group's deadline.
Choosing the route and assembling documents Standard or express according to the time left, with the document set completed before travelling to the embassy.
Processing with the embassy According to each embassy's queue and document-receiving hours, with status updates while you wait.
Returning the book and closing the loop We collect and return the book, and can go straight on to the stamp transfer and the work permit amendment if you want that too.

Costs

The price box at the top is separated by nationality and by route, because these are different jobs with different costs — not one flat price covering every nationality.

Choose by the book you actually needThe Cambodian red book (a passport) and the black book (a travel document) are separate items and cannot substitute for one another. If you are not sure which one your case needs, send a photo of the old book first.

Express is not a shortcut for every caseThe express route helps with timing, but if the underlying documents are incomplete there is nothing to speed up. We say plainly at the case-check stage whether express will genuinely make it in time.

Why employers have us handle it

The employee does not have to take days off to travel home, so there is no lost income and no gap on the floor
It saves the travel, accommodation and incidental costs of going back to do it in person
We follow through on the two further steps after the new book is issued, rather than returning the book and calling it finished
If the case falls in the group that must file by 11 December 2026, we say so at the case-check stage and sequence the work to make it
Several employees can be handled at once — Lao, Cambodian and Myanmar in the same round

Frequently asked questions

The passport has expired — is the work permit still usable?

In practice the employee cannot continue working, because the right to stay in the Kingdom depends on a passport that is still valid. The safe course is to start the renewal before expiry, not after.

After changing to a new book, is a new work permit required?

Not a whole new one, but the passport details on the work permit have to be amended to match the actual book, and the stamps have to be transferred at Immigration.

Does the worker have to return home to do it?

No. This can be done through the embassy of the country of origin here in Thailand, which is the main reason employers use the service — no worker is away for several days.

Can the employer sign on the employee's behalf?

No. A passport is a matter between the worker and the authorities of their own country. An employer can help with arrangements but cannot sign for them. We give advance notice of the steps that require the person to attend.

What is the difference between the Cambodian black book and red book?

The red book is a passport; the black book is a travel document. They are different types and cannot substitute for one another. If you are not sure which your case needs, send a photo of the existing book.

Can the employee keep working while waiting for the new book?

It depends on whether the permission to stay and the work permit have ended, which is separate from the book itself. We check the status when we take the case on and say plainly if there is a risk.

Let us look at your case

Send photos of the employee's existing passport and work permit over LINE, with the nationality and the expiry date. We will tell you which route to use, roughly how long it takes, what to prepare, and which deadlines are pressing.

Sources

Cabinet resolution of 14 July 2026 — the groups who could not obtain a passport in time and whose passports expire before 11 December 2026
Immigration Bureau — Notification of staying in the Kingdom over 90 days (updated 14 August 2026)
Immigration Bureau — Changing the passport book and transferring stamps into a new passport
Contact details of the Embassy of the Lao PDR in Thailand and the Consulate-General in Khon Kaen (verified by the Exworker team from direct contact, August 2026)

Passport Service for Lao, Cambodian and Myanmar Workers