ttkeric

It's "No Pets allowed" not "no dogs allowed". OP seemed to have found discrimination where there is none. FYI, you'll find in most public places don't allow pets of any kind simply because of the potential nuisance / danger / etc they could potentially pose. 

Hi. I "quietly" run a restaurant / hostel and a chain store by assisting my wife, a wonderful Thai woman and entrepreneur. Here are somethings you need to know (* disclaimer: I'm not a legal expert and don't advocate breaking the law.).

1) MOST IMPORTANT: Do you trust your spouse and that your marriage is on solid ground? To add to that, somethings your spouse is a wonderful person, your inlaws are another question altogether. Not invading your privacy but it's the simple fact that, as foreigners, we have all to lose with little to nothing to gain. 

2) You're always the silent partner unless you can scale up because....

3) Be aware that cooking and working in a restaurant is a RESERVED occupation. Unless you're a highly qualified, experienced and sponsored by a huge hotel chain.

4) You are able to own your business legally but as pointed out by the posters above, there's the 4 Thais to 1 foreigner ratio. Again, you technically can't work in your own restaurant unless you can prove that it's big enough, your skillset is specialised enough.

Most likely, your wife will own the business and you're just the fellow who funded the venture with no strings attached. (see point 1 again)

5) Yes, be aware if you are to be seen doing anything. Personally, I think some of the "experiences" found on this forum is a bit outlandish, maybe even fantastical but your mileage may vary. Obviously, places like Pattaya may attract all kinds of ills. 

That being said, recently in Chiang Mai an Italian was arrested for working in his own Italian pizzeria but he was right in kitchen, right in the dough mix. 

The rule and your mantra for how should you be present at your place of business is "out of sight, out of mind".

There are probably a few points I'm missing, but these are the basics. I wish you all the best! 

These laws are too different from many countries to be honest. Some differences maybe. Where I come from, foreigners can own and work at their own business because that's not seen as taking jobs from locals. 

Like I said, my wife is an entrepreneur with a few businesses under her belt. Me, I just came over with my savings. Over time, we grew our businesses and thankfully rode out the pandemic. We have been in it together and we save for our kids' future and ours. 

But officially, I'm unemployed and help around the house. I just "happened" to be around to talk to foreigners, visitors and day to day, I'm a digital nomad in plain clothes working on my computer with nothing to do with the locals. 

They would need to check with both the Thai and Japanese governments. Some countries don't allow dual citizenships. Like the previous poster said, Thailand seems ambivalent about it but maybe not Japan.

FYI, being among the Asian fraternity affects these rules as well. ASEAN countries don't allow dual citizenship among themselves. I'm in the same boat, my kids have been told they have to renounce either their Thai or Malaysian citizenship when they turn 18. In my case, I've been told this when I registered my children's birth at the Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok. Some of my fellow countrymen living here chose to "keep quiet" about it but we are aware it's technically breaking the law.

There are ways one can "get caught". For example, if my children were to return to Malaysia, they technically have to obtain a special pass from the embassy on the account that they were born overseas to enter Malaysia as citizens. If they entered on a Thai passport, that would be captured in the system and if they attempt to apply for a Malaysian passport in Malaysia, that's where they will be flagged in the system. 

Likewise, if I ever wanted to become a Thai citizen, I actually have to renounce my Malaysian citizenship first (at the embassy) before I can be naturalised. 

Be sure to advise them that since they have sons, they are required to attend the national conscription lottery exercise, so if that is something to bear in mind.

Hello and good day to all. Can anyone recommend a dentist for someone with severe dental phobia in Chiang Mai? Preferably one that can administer Nitrous Oxide or something similar. 

Adding my POV to the OP... in my case, my coping mechanisms are my priorities, namely my wife and  my kids. I came to Chiang Mai in 2015 and by the 3rd month, it completely lost its lustre for me, if it had any in the first place! Before I even set foot here, my opinion of CM was "boring". Since moving here, I changed it to "boring, at time infuriating". My 2 main gripes are Thai driving (terrible) and Thai food (absolutely terrible).

Still, what keeps me going are my wife and my kids. 

We denizens of ASEAN do get a bit of leeway. I (Malaysian) used to visit Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia quite frequently with no questions asked. My stays range from a few days to weeks. I actually did a few visa runs (Thailand to Laos and back). No issues other than once having an officer write "in/out" on the stamp. But no questions asked other than friendly ones. 

Only the Philippines you'll actually need to show a return air ticket. Guess they don't want you stuck on their island. 

Not unusual. I used to fly in and out almost fortnightly when I was courting my wife. Stay a weekend, occasionally a week.  Those entries really rake up. 

For your information, I fly to Chiang Mai and I'm Malaysian. In addition to my trips to CM, I often had to fly to Bangkok or Phuket for events but again, only staying a few days. Occasionally, they do ask and I'm pretty honest about what I'm doing here (events, seminars, seeing my future wife) and it's all with common courtesy. Never had a problem. 

Doing extensions at the immigration office however, is a totally different experience......

Right, since I'm still the last poster to post here, here's an update.

Yes, if you're using a Yellow Book, you need a pink ID card.

Apparently, if you have applied for one lately (yellow book), you should've been given a pink ID by default. My yellow book is about 8 years old.

Ostentatiously.... There are lots of fake yellow books in circulation! Dunno but that's what's she said.

Anyway, I had the day off and my better half had flexible hours so, rather than going to Lamphun like I thought I would, I decided to go see if I can get a pink card.

Cheers!

This is worrying me! I'm due to renew mine next week and I'm going the yellow book route.

I guess if I encounter the same issue, I'll just maybe head off to the Lamphun office ????

Not so much as a cashier or store manager not giving in to your request but more likely a case that one of them will have to pay that our of their already meager salary if they let you have it your way. 

I'm actually surprise they named the brand! Maybe it's foreign held.....

Yes, in the days long before when we all could travel, I used to leave at least once a year to visit folks back home where I'll get another non-O visa (free!) and then a 1 year extension here. Longest stretch staying here would be 13 months, so never bothered with a 90 day. Never had a problem before.

It resets every time you re-enter the country. 

Maybe you could print it as a PDF? Click print as usual and then choose "Print to PDF" or whatever term your computer / OS uses.

Nah, I've come to the conclusion that the rear view and side mirrors are merely superficial decorations for Thai drivers. 

In fact, even craning their necks to check for other vehicles are a bit too much work for the average Thai, like walking to 7-11 rather than driving that 5 odd metres to it. 

Teacher, teacher, I forgot my physics lessons. What's the brute force an object would experience when, say, a motorcyclist riding dutifully at 60kph gets hit by a car going at 120kph, a 100% increase or twice it's current momentum?

This a new one. Thanks for the heads-up!

Isn't anybody going to lament the great number of trees sacrificed for every visa renewal or is that getting too old?