Can you do volunteer work in Thailand with an NGO on a tourist visa ? If not what type of visa is required and do you need a work permit ?

You need a Non Imm Visa and a Work Permit.

To work legally you need a Non-Immigrant visa and work permit as said.

Ok thanks for the info guys . Working legally is a must for me . I have to say I am suprised though - they even make it tough to help out !

I do however have one further question. We already have a non immigrant B visa for another company . We gave notice and have left that company and didnt go through with the WP permit application because we were leaving. Would it be legal to work on the non immigrant - B visa at the NGO until it expires ?

It is always illegal to work without WP

A Non-B visa, issued by Thai consulate abroad, is not linked to any specific company. If you hold a valid Non-B visa you can use that to support new work permit application. Holding a Non-B visa does not give you a legal right to work; holding a valid work permit does.

So what about the period in between applying for and receiving a work permit - you are not legally allowed to work in this period ?

Once you have applied for your WP and have Form WP3 receipt from labour office you can legally work. WP is usually issued within 7 days of application.

Alien Working Act 2551 (2008)

Extract from part 2 Section 12

During the waiting period for the permits under paragraph two above, such aliens shall be able to work for that time being with the exception that they are not required to comply with Section 24 until the date on which the Registrar has notified them to pick up the permits.

Section 24

A Work Permit recipient must have the Work permit kept on him/her or at his/her working place during the working hours to be availably produced to the Competent Official or Registrar at all times.

from the Thai Ministry of Labor Website:

1. Definition(s) “Alien” means a natural person who is not of Thai nationality; “ Work ” means to engage in work by exerting energy or using knowledge whether or not in consideration of wages or other benefits.

You do not mention whether this is a general inquiry or that you have a specific NGO in mind. There are basically 2 Types of NGOs in Thailand that work with foreign Volunteers:

1) Those that have a lot of experience in doing so, have persons on staff well versed with the rules and procedures of all Ministries and the relevant persons within those Ministries, and will advise you of the policies that they have adopted within their organization for any volunteer.

2) Those who have never before worked with foreign volunteers and leave you to ask questions and figure things out for yourself.

If the NGO in question is of the second kind, IMHO you do not want to be their first alien volunteer.

Where is the work permit office in Bangkok ?