timendres

In my experience, if you act as though you really enjoy creating mountains of paperwork, you will be treated with the utmost respect.

I would sell it before I came to Thailand. Many shops will not want to buy it, and those that will are going to offer less than it is worth. There is no advantage to selling it in Thailand.

If it were me, I would not be talking to a lawyer initially. I would be talking to an accountant. One who handles a company that has foreign ownership. They will be much more informative.

Maybe offer the landlord two or three months of extra deposit to change the contract to your partner's name. Explain that if you die, your partner will take a couple of months to move back home. That should make it an easy decision for the landlord. And now the police have no reason to "lock the place up", since it is not in your name. It would also help a lot to have a Thai will that explains what happens with your possessions. If the will says it all goes to your partner, then the police should honor the will and have no reason to intervene.

This man had fled to safety. And yet, he returned to the flames to try and save others. Nothing can diminish that selfless act.

Maybe they were referring to the owner in the photo.

Wasn't there an article here recently pointing out that the PM had a budget of 1M baht for "meeting expenses"? I think this is the major impetus for all of these meetings.

It is pretty rare that the "under consideration" period is longer than one month. So you should be fine if you can apply by Sept 1.

This is actually a side affect of the way the US divorce laws work. Marriage and divorce are State level actions. Each State has different laws, especially regarding divorce. So, many people will attempt to file for divorce in another State to get better treatment (e.g., laws favorable to them). Thus, each State will have a rule that you must reside in that State for X number of months before you can legally file for divorce there, to prevent these attempts to "game" the system. Of course, it makes no sense in cases like mine, but the majority of the time the rules reduce attempts to game the system.

I think this is a good reminder for those of us here. If you know you are coming to the end, it is much easier for all involved to liquidate and distribute all wealth in Thailand before you check out. Leaving this process to someone else is a real burden.

Thaiger burgers in Bangkok did exactly this. A large van converted into a popup restaurant that can locate anywhere. Very very successful. There are other examples. It has a large appeal, as you can move your location to where the action is. Of course, that assumes you can make a deal with some property owner to park at their location, and you must pay for that privilege, and you run the risk of not being able to locate where you want to be. It has the added advantage that you can simply "close" without any cost - as opposed to renting a location where you pay the rent open or not. It is worth consideration, but has a higher upfront cost in the vehicle. It may not be the best choice for your concept. So I would plan for 50,000 per month. Ask yourself, can you get to break even on that number within 12 months? You will be paying for accounting on a monthly basis, but it should be less than 5K. Work Permit.

As someone who has dug a few holes, I would not call 1.5 meters "shallow". With 1.5m of depth, this seems so unlikely.

If you are a US citizen, you can own 100% (well, 99% in reality) of the company under the Amity Treaty. If you are not a US citizen, but you know a US citizen you trust, and they are interested in partnering, the same applies. Personally, I would never start a company I did not own. Especially as a foreigner in Thailand. That said, many foreigners have successfully run businesses with 49% ownership. Do not use random Thai citizens for partners. You need a reputable legal firm who can setup the ownership for you in a way that you have voting control and get the majority of the profits. The startup costs will be higher, but worth the investment. Hopefully they can assist you with locating your Thai partners. More ideal is a legitimate Thai partner who is investing alongside you, and stands to profit from success, but this may not be easy to find, and can still present risks. As for your work permit, I would not worry too much about this. With a good agent, this should never be a problem. You also need to have a very reputable accounting firm supporting you. This is important. As for the renting of the shop, this is possibly your highest risk of a problem if you are successful. There are not many ways to reduce this risk. Having a proper lease agreement that has been vetted by your lawyer is about the best you can hope for. Being a solid tenant helps, as landlords know what bad tenants can do to their cashflows. And having a lease agreement that guarantees the landlord increasing rents, which you will be happy to pay if you meet with success, will also help. You also need to factor in expenses that are not immediately obvious. Accounting fees, legal fees, immigration costs, work permit costs (you do not want to handle the work permit on your own), bad employees costing you money, theft from the cash register, equipment failure, inflation, etc. It is very high risk. Period. But, if you are willing to fully risk your initial investment, and you enjoy running a business (many people just see the success and profit, not the hard work and risk), and you plan on being in Thailand long term, then it may be a good endeavor regardless of the outcome. You will certainly learn a lot and build a network that you would never acquire sitting in your room. Sometimes this first failure can lead to the second success.

Shhh.....

I would do it to have the ability to run a proper pharmacy that makes a profit on selling prescription and over the counter drugs that you can't sell in a shack. With less competition as a bonus.

I remember staying with a friend in San Jose, and watching the ridge of the small mountains across from us aglow from a fire climbing up the other side. It was surreal for me, but for my friend, just another day in California.

Hookahs! Heaven forbid. They are going down for that.

Of course they can be depressed. But they are less inclined to share it with others. My ex-wife was diagnosed with clinical depression. She was on and off meds for years. But in public, you would never know it.

I still see every Thai on a motocy passing my place wearing a mask. Same for those walking on the sidewalks.

For a US citizen, you pay your normal taxes on capital gains in the US. If the money earned is not transferred into Thailand during the year that it is earned, but in a later year, it is considered "savings" and it not taxed when transferred to Thailand. However, if the money earned is transferred into Thailand during the same year that it is earned, then it is considered income and taxed accordingly. In other words, the money you transfer to Thailand should always come from prior years' earnings to avoid income tax. Also, if you do actually have to pay income tax in Thailand on that money, then in theory, you can deduct this tax paid from the taxes owed to the US government. But I believe this only applies if you can pass the "foreign residence" test. For example, since my income in Thailand is taxed by the Thai government, I do not need to pay income tax on that income to the US government.

No quarantine required. However unvaccinated are as follows: From: https://www.tourismthailand.org/Articles/thailand-s-entry-requirements I am sure you can find more "authoritative" sources on this, but that is what I referenced.

AI is already here, and it is quietly programming us to self-destruct. It is a suicide mission. It has no intention of continuing once its objective is achieved.

The only thing requested that I disagree with. I am all for restricting access to under 20's. No advertising. Online sales is tricky, as age confirmation is not so simple.

Still do. My last bank transfer via SWIFT took three days to complete.

25 years actually ^_^ I have the same problem when my sons tell me about prices they pay in the US. I say "That is absurdly expensive". Then they remind me that I have not seen US prices for over 12 years. The price of an average car is now more than I paid for my first house!