blackcab

People have discussed the 40 million baht route, but the cost is actually 40m plus the cost of the land.

Some other things to consider are:

1. All of this money must be brought into the country as foreign exchange.

2. You need BOI approval.

3. You need permission from the Minister of the Interior. If you don't happen to know him then PM me and I'll give you his Line ID.

4. You need to keep the 40m invested for 5 years.

5. If you die the land has to be sold within 1 year. It can not be transferred by way of inheritance.

This is the one way a foreigner can own up to 1 rai of land in their own name in specified parts of Thailand.

You won't find many examples though.

Yes. Sadly it didn't work for me. I'll give it another try next time.

Thank you for posting and letting us know the score.

You had plenty of time to focus on how to do things differently. The police gave you a second chance. Use it wisely.

Good luck for the future.

Only myself to blame. I know the rules, it simply slipped my mind.

The report date was the 2nd. I reported on the 10th, so 1 day over the +7 days.

They were very nice about it and processed it in about 10 minutes. I had to sign a couple of different books and that was it.

Here's a copy of my receipt:

No idea what AUS customs requires regarding cash, but in Thailand you have to report bringing in over 20,000 USD or the equivalent (28,000 AUD which is about 700,000 baht at current exchange rates).

The rate at Super Rich at the minute is 25.5. For 10,0000 AUD you would receive 255,000 baht. With this transfer method you would get 251,220 baht, or 3,780 less and then you would have to pay local fees on top.

I'm not criticising - I know you are a business and you must make a profit. Personally though, I do like cash.

Thanks for your answer. Currently, I do hold a Thai work permit. However, off late, I do not spend much time in Thailand. This year, till now, I have been in Thailand for 30-40 days max (in the whole of 2015). Currently, I am in China.

For a work permit, I need to pay myself a salary. I have been paying taxes on that. Also, the business/company has to do monthly/annual taxes and so on. Also, one needs to pay taxes on any dividends received from the Co. (if any).

BTW, I am just a co-owner. I am not the MD of the Thai Co. Hence, I do not sign any sign documents on behalf of the Co. The reason why I mentioned that I might wanna go to office once or twice a month (when I am in Bangkok) is that the office is a nice building with a cool view of Bangkok. I do not really work there as such. I could probably not go there at all & it will still be OK.

I could probably switch to Tourist Visas (spending as little time as I do in Thailand). However, I can't be bothered to apply for visas every time (with this massive crack down in place).

I am thinking my situation is more analogous to some one holding shares of any Thai co. I do not think one needs to have a work permit to hold shares in PTT for example.

I will still be paying taxes in Thailand on the dividends received from the Thai Co. (just like I do for holding shares in any other listed Co. on the SET).

That said, I wanna be absolutely sure. Maintaining a Thai work permit costs as much as an Elite visa. I just wanna switch to the Elite visa for the sake of convenience & all the privileges associated with it.

Thanks.

" Maintaining a Thai work permit costs as much as an Elite visa."

Really ?

Where do you obtain such an expensive Work permit ?

by the time you pay for a 3 then 12 month visas then company tax, tax on 4 thai staff (not to mention paying often un necessary thai staff), then salary tax, then accounting i would say this is more than the elite visa but of course it sounds like you still need a non im visa and work permit so what is the point of getting the elite visa in the first place?

Just for your information I require neither a WP nor a "non im"(sic) visa but to suggest a WP costs as much as an Elite Visa is misleading nonsense.

not misleading champ. elite visa is only 100 000thb per year. visas (you need first 3 month then one year) plus setting up work permit, accounting, 3 lots of tax and so on far exceeds this.

To be completely literal and purist, work permit fees are 3,100 baht a year.

In reality that's one of the cheapest things you or the company will pay for in order to produce the relevant documents and receipts to enable a work permit application and a 1 year extension of stay to succeed.

With a salary of 100k a month your annual income tax payments will exceed 100k alone. The difference though is that if you are really working for a profitable company that's the way it is. If you are not working much (shareholder/co owner) then the Elite visa is going to be cheaper - as long as you can do any necessary work without a work permit.

One such method is to sign any documents outside of Thailand. With FedEx, etc this is viable.

For people who run ghost companies which (don't really) employ 4 Thai staff; pay minimum social security; pay minimum income tax; declare profits less than the taxable threshold and run their office from their phone it may be getting a little more difficult.

If a person with Thai nationality enters the country with a passport from another country they fall under the same immigration rules as anybody else. They will be fined for an overstay if they are over the age of 15.

The issue is not getting the child a passport it is establishing their Thai nationality by getting a Thai birth certificate.

what thai person ever got fined for overstay in Thailand?

this isn´t possible!

nobody can overstay in his home country

Thai legal system is based on Anglo-Saxon System,

you even can pass the border with no passport and you not breaking a law in your home country.

a thai national would even enter thailand through passport control with a ID card or birth certificate

or any proof of nationality.

but this is of course theory because there is a need for a passport in the country you come from.

An overstay can only be if you need a permission (Visa) for entering Thailand, but a Thai person doesn´t need this!

There have been many Thai's fined for an overstay because a non Thai passport was used to enter the country. Perhaps you should do a search of forum to find some of the topics about it.

The only time a Thai can enter the country without a passport is if they have a border pass they used to enter a neighboring country.

What happens if they refuse to (or can not) pay? Do they put a Thai person in prison? If so, do they deport them afterwards?

Are they working yet? I mean the gates on the Non-Thai section of departures.

The last I saw they were installed but there was a rope barrier preventing their use.

As harry said, you get whacked for the whole lot.

Maisodni

Great idea. The biggest problem would be recruiting decent staff (and retaining them) and also finding reliable Thai businesses to support the idea.

The original problem still exists. Nothing has changed.

Guys, what if a foreigner father of 2 children, and registered under his name, but no registered marriage,

is there any option to apply for PR?

Yes, if you have a work permit and pay enough tax on your earnings. There are other criteria, but this is a good starting point.

To change your name you need to do things in two halves. Firstly for the British side (the cheapest way) is to make an unenrolled deed poll. This costs nothing. You then include this with a passport application. After you have done this you will receive your passport in your new name.

Simultaneously, for the Thai side of things you need to make a statutory declaration at the Embassy. This then needs to be translated and certified by the MFA.

When you have your new passport and your certified stat dec you can then go to:

Ministry of Labour

Tax office

Social fund office

Department of Land Transport

District Office (If you have a yellow house book)

Banks

To get everything changed over. You will have to pay for new driving licenses, but not take any tests. While you are there make sure they put your new passport number on the license.

Nobody has mentioned the cheapest option: Using the free water dispensers that are dotted around the main roads in Bangkok.

The intrepid could fill up their bottles there, right after the homeless dude who lives under the BTS has slurped his share right from the tap.

Renew WP first then it's a repeat of the 1 year extension you did last year.

30 day under consideration then the extension is granted.

No need to leave the country or get a visa.

I guess the general consensus is I got mine and I really don't care about you. Go find a way to get yours. These are the sentiments I find so disturbing not only for this issue but so many others. The World has become a very selfish place. You are all entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. I believe in compassion . Maybe someday you will join in.

You sound like someone took the jam out of your doughnut.

Do you have Thai citizenship and a Thai ID card?

they are all Ripp off.

ask for 50 percent or no deal.

we are the stupid farang to pay so much for these low quality show box...

everyday my gf remind me it s a farang scam. she has been in Thailand since born and saw idiots to fork out so much for a 36 sqm. she laugh at us to be so dumb.

normal condo cost around 500k. not 1.2 millions...

Any idea where I could get that deal in Bangkok? I'm looking for a new unit straight from the developer. The unit has to be built and ready for occupancy.

The biggest problem you will have is success. If it works well you will immediately be surrounded by copycats.

Thank you. That makes a lot of sense.

One more question:

As I understand it, the packaging also need to be submitted and approved. After approval, the packaging will require the Thai FDA license number on it.

How do people manage to print large numbers of packaging with this 'chicken or the egg' situation?

(i.e. You need the packaging approval to get the TFDA license, but you need the TFDA license number for printing mass production of packaging).

Thank you for any help. This is all new to me and I really appreciate any advice here.

You submit a sample and you do not commit to high volume purchases until the sample is approved.

What would you do if the submitted packaging wasn't accepted?

guy says he has a bargain lined up .......

asks 20 questions on TV to bar stool judges ...

doesn't have a lawyer to nut out everything to minimize his risk .....

I smell fish and it ain't coming from my kitchen !!!

Lawyers in Thailand do not always minimise your risk.

agree .... but i think one is asking for trouble if you have no lawyer at all ..

I respect your opinion on this, but I'm on the other side of the discussion - I avoid using them.

No problems to report so far.

guy says he has a bargain lined up .......

asks 20 questions on TV to bar stool judges ...

doesn't have a lawyer to nut out everything to minimize his risk .....

I smell fish and it ain't coming from my kitchen !!!

Lawyers in Thailand do not always minimise your risk.

I never understood the adversion to using the air-con. I live in a 1250 sq. foot house (sorry, I can't be bothered to convert that to sq. meter), and I run two a/c units 24x7. The cost is about 2000 baht per month, which is not that bad. My place stays dry, I stay dry, and I'm happy.

116 sqm.

The company I work for has just agreed to purchase half a rai of land. Asking price was 15 million plus we pay all taxes/fees.

The seller was asked if they could discount the land a bit and they came back with an offer of 13 million.

Our side then asked them to pay half the taxes/fees and they agreed.

Discounts do happen.