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Start a specialized service selling some luxury product to Bangkok residents, delivered by Grab or something.

That way you could produce something like hand-pressed juice or some health-product, selling to loaded thais - but it has to be seriously convenient, probably ordering & paying on Line is key.

If you're able to get that off the ground, it could even scale - and the sunken cost if it collapses is FAR lower than anything like a restaurant...

On 9/21/2019 at 10:31 PM, scorecard said:

50,000Baht just in Lawyers fees is a total rip off. In reality many Thai accounting firms can do all of the above and have done it many times and totally absolutely legal. Sunbelt Asia might be worth contacting.

IF speaking thai, having a LOT of time on hand, and enjoying the traffic in Bangkok, then of course that comes out true...

On the other hand, if already running a few businesses, wanting to save a LOT of time, and also get the right advice along the line, then the right kind of lawyer is definitely the right thing.

50k or even double is peanuts when setting up, compared to aggregate costs, risks and time passed. Yeah, it might be mechanical, but also having hands-on experience with the (always changing) mechanics of the thai bureaucracy is something that is not realistically aquired when doing all of this alone.

This hands-on touch is basically what I pay for, its actually part of the package that they do the parts that require direct contact - especially in the case of setting up workers & dealing with any inspections and so on...

I'm actually the total opposite when it comes to almost all other fields, from hacking my own body & health to changing gearboxes in cars or setting up servers & web-apps - but for this process I would not even contemplate doing it all alone...

IF stubbornly insisting on doing it alone, then maybe having one or several thais to assist would be the way - why not find a law or business student to pay per hour to read & explain documents?

... the REAL tell-tale sign is that a post like this gets NO comments for close to a couple of weeks!

Thailand might well turn out to be a safe haven, the baht might be rising already due to that... 

After all, the economy in Thailand is still REAL, millions of real businesses of all sizes, not all propped up by fiat. And the gold is real money here ????

Anyone not getting into physical PCMs now will seriously regret that at some point down the line...

Its a jungle, and thats really interesting, lots to learn! ???? What about this:

Play the same game: get access & get to know some respectable thais, set up a deal where the senior thai gets a handsome sum for a phone call or two. Then get a very junior thai to call around, booking another call with your respectable representative. Remain in the background as the farang with valuable contacts abroad; when the greed kicks in get a solid contract & book a meeting signing, you & the respectable thai ????

Its all VERY slow-moving, and perception is everything all the time...

The good thing is that you can transfer inside of Revolut without transfering, what you've got on the account can be converted to lots of currencies while still being kept on Revolut ????

This is very interesting, something I'd like to get into too - but for me that would be long-term, since I've already started in another field together with my partners & wife ????

I think a tutoring center that provides high quality tutors as well as a streamlined, online booking & payment system could do very well indeed!

The embassy has confirmed that I will receive a 90 day single entry business visa on the 4th of October.

Spent some time on the wording and content, and the lawyer I have really knows how to get things through, think these things might have made a difference.

The processing time is longer than normal, I do wonder how much goes into this intranet they've got... Some kind of background check and annotation from the embassy perhaps?

Or maybe just new workers? Hope so!

14 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I am sure they would not do any stamps in Oslo. The would only refuse to accept your application.

Thats the same that the visa handlers I use here say, so I guess that does it - could have it all filed on Monday ????

I cannot get quite rid of the idea of "boosting" an invitation a bit, perhaps pointing to agreement/contract of work cited in the invitation letter?

As soon as I apply for the work permit we will fork out the needed sum from the company in Norway, essentially funding the Thai company for the next months, this is something I could document - but is that a good idea?

I see... I guess the same would go for Penang?

What are the chances of getting a voided visa or some other stamps if I apply in Oslo and then get turned down?

Getting a new passport now would really slow everything down... So that is my main concern, does not matter too much if I need to do some strange travelling ????

An approval letter, that would be for having applied? Which essentially is not possible before really starting the company with an account and VAT registration...

For my previous visa that I got in Oslo, a signed invitation letter from the BOI (that I ended up not working for) and a copy of the company seal was OK.

I can easily do a stop in any country, if that would solve any problems, the lawyer recommended Hong Kong. 

Under 50k would not really be possible, I think...

Somewhere a bit higher might be doable, but then billed work and turnover will what decides if the work permit is issued, and for how long.

I'm currently in the process of doing this myself, might be able to give some hints on PM ????

A week ago we got the company seal for our company, and now I'll return on a non-B visa as soon as possible!
 

The lawyer I use really has delivered so far, but now I do wonder a bit especially on the invitation part...

Basically I will invite myself, using their template.

There are two catch-22 situations that can easily arise:

1. The embassy might demand to see financials for the company and/ or trip, but the company has no bank account yet nor cashflow. But, even for getting an account I will need to be in Thailand on a non-B visa...

2. They might demand to see customers and/or workers hired, but that is also something I cannot get all finished up without returning.

According to my visa agents the embassy has some new staff that follows the regulations to the letter, so what I then wonder about is if it would be wise to give them some extra documentation from the start - or just apply & see what happens...

I could bill my own companies in Europe from the thai company even before getting the bank account, or I could document future income with letters from 2-3 companies.

Or, would perhaps information like this be a good thing to put in the invitation letter itself?

Anyone having experience with newly minted companies & visa? This will be my second non-B, the first one was with invitation from a BOI for a project that didn't work out... (The visa guys suggested just changing the date on that letter & re-apply, which is tempting, but certainly not worth the unknown risks long term!)

Valuable info here, so thanks to everyone!

I will be going through this process myself in October, with my new company using a good lawyer.

If anyone has any further information, questions or warnings I would be happy to share my process here too!

1 hour ago, seanog said:

London Embassy not issuing Non-immigrant B (multiple entry) visas this year. have had one for past 12 years, all company papers in order but they just said single entry only !

Could this be connected to the mentioned intranet?

In my case single entry would be totally OK even for a few years, I need to run my businesses here in Europe too, in order to build a company in Thailand...

2 hours ago, OffshoreMig said:

You Local office in your home country is best.  You can not really shop around. All applications are processed online via a Intranet. if your home country has said no you need to address this with them.  if you manage to set up a company and invest this may assist. You should talk to your home consulate first to discuss options.   Cosulates outside of your home state ill require more documents

Never seen anyone mentioning a system like that, but of course that would make a lot of sense!

The company will be set up, got an agreement with the first worker, and will be able to get this off the ground somehow - the problem is that what happens if I'm not allowed to get this started on the ground...

Any ideas if "soft" values like recommendation letters and/or proof of setting up workplaces in my industry might help?
 

The visa guys I've used are of the opinion that each application is processed as a separate case, and that the only thing they really check is invite letter + copy of company seal.

Worst case I could get an invite from another company, but I suppose changing the invite as part of an appeal would not be good!

My very best way is perhaps to apply with papers for my own company, another invite to do business (not work) with another company as a further underpinning... Any real business needs partners and helpers to make it, which is what I have after coming & going for some years ????

How long did you spend outside of Thailand when getting rejected at Savannakhet?

What kind of documentation did you have?

Talked to my visa guys here in Oslo, they think every application here is processed separately, invite letter + copy of company registration document is what is needed.

Will request papers from my lawyer soon, then perhaps try here in Oslo, the visa guys do not think I will receive a voided visa at least...

I'm onto my second 90-day non-B visa soon. 

The first was done with a letter and certificate of incorporation from a BOI that turned out NOT to be able to go through with my work permit at all... I got this from the embassy in Norway, which is where I am currently too.

Now we're starting a local thai company, the paperworks is underway with a lawyer that comes with strong recommendations.

I do not know what papers the lawyers will give me for applying for a non-B visa yet, but I will be able to boost an application with personal recommendation letters, some proof that I have been able to set up companies with workplaces before, and that our business is both legit and has a chance of success.

What I do NOT want, is of course hitting a wall and/or get a voided visa... Not sure if that ever happens with non-B, but I guess it could always drag out endlessly if it gets stuck in the first stages...

What embassy would be the best for me to apply with? The obvious choice is Oslo, and I have used some clever agents here.

The lawyer wants me to go to Hong Kong, but if I need to add a transit country I would prefer that to be Malaysia or even obscure places like Tbilisi in Georgia or even Nepal...

I can easily add a transit country when I leave, as I have some business to do in Tbilisi and also want to see Nepal again ???? Also open to suggestions!

All I really need is a 90-day visa, although the lawyer wants me to apply for a full year up front...

Thanks a lot, thats great!

Will probably carry all my papers anyway, as well as flying business...

Actually I look forward to start paying taxes in Thailand, as well as doing real work - finally getting away from the West ????

As far as I can see the challenge could be these two points from the BOIs webpage:
 

– Evidence of applicant’s educational qualifications and letter(s) of recommendation from the former employer, describing in detail the applicant’s past position, duties, performance and place and length of employment. If the documents are in a language other than English, a Thai translation certified as correct by a Thai Embassy (if abroad) or Ministry of Foreign Affairs (if in Thailand) must be attached.

– On the application form, the “job description” entry must be completed with a detailed statement as to what job is expected to be performed, how it is related to other people, and what materials will be used in the work (additional paper to be used if necessary).

I will be working as a CMS specialist, with 30+ years of experience with media technology, and 20 years with web tech. Have reshaped my CV to make the "specialist" part of my background clear, hopefully it will go right through if it matches the application itself in a clear way.

But this is Thailand, so could they ask anything else? The BOI has some experience in them asking for a lot of papers, almost as a ritual...

Today I got a non-B 90 day visa, and I will return to Bangkok ASAP.

I will be working with IT/web, the end customer is one of the large telcos.

My employer is dead busy, but its a BOI of well repute - they have gotten WPs through the works in 2-3 days before, a month is the maximum.

I prefer to be as proactive as possible, so what should I prepare the next two days before I leave?

Will I need to prepare the same stack of papers in order to make it safely through immigration at BKK?

Any feedback is welcome, even the "get an elite visa" hehe...

The BOI that I am signing up with have a WP in the works, and I will return to Oslo with an invitation letter in order to get onto a business visa. (Currently on SETV, only doing the job interviews etc)

The agents I have used in Oslo (all legit that I can see even after probing) tell me that a week should be OK, and that an invitation letter is also enough.

In the letter there will be a specific project quoted, for one of the large telcos, and the company will vouch for all business expenses.

As I will need to return to tend to my own companies from time to time anyway I will NOT care too much about having to leave, the one thing that means everything is that I will get a business visa relatively quickly - and that there will be no major errors done.

From people I hear anything from a day to several weeks for getting onto a business visa with an invitation letter, is it really that different depending on country?

Should I perhaps ditch the agents this time around, and rather use them if something really goes haywire?

My record should be absolutely clean, except having too many visa exempts - so far only two SETVs and never stayed anything close to 180 days in Thailand...

Just a tiny update, in case someone comes across this thread later:

It seems that some BOIs can get an expedited WP "waiver" going for one off projects. This is what some people have hinted at I suppose, and the BOI can also convert this to a standard WP with business visa for the employee. For the conversion I guess applying from outside of Thailand is necessary

My "project-based WP" or whatever its called seems to be in the works, and I expect to use that paperwork to convert when doing a short trip back to Europe!

Got this from a very knowledgeable long-time contact dealing with lots of BOIs and tech:

So it seems it hangs on that sometimes then... Which is what I will discuss with the BOI tomorrow on Monday, then we get a go-ahead or not on Tuesday - and will get to that sometimes...

I guess my field of expertise is not too hard to get passed, 30+ years in media tech, around 20 with coding & webdev, and then around 10 years on a specific system on top.

Thanks for all the replies, really helpful when preparing for a few days that will likely be very hectic & full of important decisions done in expedient ways! ????

This project is for a year, and I will most likely continue working for the same BOI if it all goes well.

But I also have business in Europe that I will need to visit, a short week once a quarter at minimum.

As I will also try to visit other companies in countries as Vietnam, I will be gone for shorter periods once 2 to 3 months anyway...

90 days would be more  than enough!

I will be returning at least once a quarter anyway, so I would actually be totally OK with concurrent non-b visas... Its all about the WP for me, getting a project like this starts me on a REAL career here ????

But... Is it then your experience that its NOT possible to go from applying one day, and legally working the next?

If so, will there be some way of "bridging" a gap - as in getting a temporary WP or any other flexible solution?

I do hope I get the project AND can agree that it starts when I have the WP and visa all in order, but the team seems to be set on starting next week... Thats why I am thinking of working remotely as a stop-gap measure from say Ho Chi Minh, where I should get the appropriate visa easily with the documentation from the BOI.