Can you apply for a work visa for Thailand from the UK, and do you need to be in Thailand during the process?

I don't know where you heard that information but here is a step by step process of obtaining visa, from my experience and what I've heard:

1. The entity you are going to work for or work with has to provide some documents to you. For my case, they are a letter introducing itself to the government and an letter inviting me to work at the organization.

2. With the documents provided aling with some other documents required and application, you can go to a Thai embassy or consulate.

3. Once you enter the Kingdom of Thailand, there are four clocks that starts ticking simultaneously: TM30, 90 days report, work permit, and visa extension. Now, the government agency that are responsible for these four things are different. However, failure in completion of the first three will stop you from getting visa extension.

3A: TM30 is Registration for your landlord or house owner to tell government that you live there. The law says that it has to be done in 24 hours of you arrival. However, some immigration office are very lenient.

3B. 90 day report: If you stay in the Kingdom for 90 straight days, you need to report yourself to you local immigration office.

3C Work Permit: Apply it at you local labor department office after you arrive in the Kingdom. If I am not mistaken, it's within three months of entering the Kingdom.

3D visa extension: getting visa extension means you need to go to your local immigration office with a lot of papers and work permit.

Hope this helps.

a Work Visa does not exist in Thailand. There is a combination of a Work Permit, your employer applies for this at the Ministry of Labor and with the documents he get from there after a application you can apply for the Non Immigrant B visa at a Thai Consulate or Embassy. Than after arrival in Thailand you collect your Work Permit and you can start to work.