Thailand aiming to be "Start-Up hub of SE Asia - visas made easy for tech entrepreneurs

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Thailand's government is allying with the private sector to make life easy when tech entrepreneurs apply for visas to the country.

 

Visas will be fast tracked and extensions made easy.

 

Re-entry permits will be unnecessary for those with talent.

 

Apichai Somboonpakorn - an adviser to the Science and Technology Ministry was speaking at the Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit in Bangkok on Friday.

 

He announced a joint collaboration with True Incube and the BoI who will help to verify the credentials of investors and executives wanting to do business in Thailand. It is a first of its kind.

 

Apichai said that Thailand wants to be the "Start-Up Hub of South East Asia".

 

They want to attract talent, investors, executives and those setting up start-up businesses.

 

Categories of visa are "Smart I" (for investors), "Smart T" (for talent), "Smart S" (for start-ups) and "Smart E" (for executives).

 

The government hopes that by making applying for visas and extensions easy they will be able to promote such business.

 

In the first instance Smart Visas of one year will be given and these should be easily extended with no necessity to apply for re-entry permits if those holding such visas leave the country.

 

Source: Daily News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-04-30

There's that word again. 

90 day reports?

Why do I suspect that these visas will be expensive and time consuming to actually get? The amount of paperwork to do anything here is phenomenal, so I doubt it will be different here. And as for Smart? Well yes, that is something the country needs a lot more of.

19 minutes ago, overherebc said:

90 day reports?

 

Yeah, that's the most interesting part of them trying to attract entrepreneurs to Thailand, the specifics of their visa requirements....

51 minutes ago, webfact said:

Categories of visa are "Smart I" (for investors), "Smart T" (for talent), "Smart S" (for start-ups) and "Smart E" (for executives).

How come they haven't mentioned the "Smart A" (for a**es)?

 

59 minutes ago, webfact said:

Re-entry permits will be unnecessary for those with talent.

 

Simon Cowell will be invited to interview each candidate personally.

 

Why would "tech talent" move to Thailand with shitty pay, red tape on everything from immigration to car ownership, and crumbling infrastructure when they could move to US/Canada/UK/EU/Singapore or a ton of other places where they can make waaaaaaay more money and stand the chance of owning a car and a house with minimal hassle, with citizenship and a decent passport to boot? 

 

I love it there in LoS but for young people with in-demand skills it's the last place they should look for work.

People are so negative when the Thais try to do something nice. 

It's a great idea. 

It sounds like most people should be able to squeeze into this visa somehow. 

I would come under smart T for talent. 

I have many. 

To attract "start-up" investors the first step maybe should be to let them own the business they invest in to 100% without going trough BOI ? 

8 minutes ago, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

maybe should be to let them own the business they invest in to 100%

And maybe not having to employ 4 Thais to get a work permit to work in your own business

Good idea,

though as with everything here,

the devil will be in the detail

and

most here know they do good job making them convoluted, time consuming and denigrating.

 

That's the blah blah blah started the Monday morning off.ill have another cup of tea and try and get my head back into blah made.

51 minutes ago, greenchair said:

It's a great idea. 

 

Exactly... It's a great idea only

A bit more info about this:

This is the Smart Visa they have been shilling for a few months now. It is targeting the following industries:

Next Generation Automotive
Smart Electronics
Affluent, Medical and Wellness Tourism
Agriculture and Biotechnology
Food for the Future
Robotics
Aviation and Logistics
Biofuels and Biochemicals
Digital
Medical Hub

Digital is the one that most people will be interested in. They have defined it to mean cloud computing, consumer insight analytics and data centres, creative media and animation, cyber security, e-commerce, embedded software, enterprise software and digital content, internet of things: enabled smart city

Each visa has different requirements (salary, education/experience etc) which I won't list because it's quite detailed.

The application process seems arduous and an application has to be approved by the BOI, the National Innovation Agency, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others.

Visa categories are as follows:

Smart T - Science and Tech Talent
Smart I - Investors
Smart E - High Level Executives
Smart S - Startups and Entrepreneurs




 


 

9 minutes ago, johng said:

And maybe not having to employ 4 Thais to get a work permit to work in your own business

 

You recon they are going to be interested in startups that employ less that 4 people? What would this start up be, a bar?

8 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

You recon they are going to be interested in startups that employ less that 4 people? What would this start up be, a bar?

On the other hand I was talking to one guy who started a restaurant/bar in a neighbouring country and once a year the police/Imm' came to his place of work and stamped another year in his passport, had a drink then left saying 'see you in 12 months'

5 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

startups that employ less that 4 people?

surely a "start up hub"   should encourage every size of start up and not impose unnecessary burdens or red tape  if 1 person can  run the start up business but is forced to employ 3 unneeded people the business is already at a significant disadvantage...if they need more people to run the business then they hire more staff.

8 minutes ago, johng said:

surely a "start up hub"   should encourage every size of start up and not impose unnecessary burdens or red tape  if 1 person can  run the start up business but is forced to employ 3 unneeded people the business is already at a significant disadvantage...if they need more people to run the business then they hire more staff.

 

The term startup doesn't normally refer to models that need only a couple staff, and why on earth would a government encourage foreigners to come to start businesses that do not employ people, what would be the advantage?

"The application process seems arduous and an application has to be approved by the BOI, the National Innovation Agency, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others."

Hmm, do you know, I think I will stick with toddling off to Savannakhet clutching my wedding certificate every 17 months!

Sent from my KENNY using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Unless the company is automatically BOI with no need for 4 Thais to each Farang and can be 100% foreign owned, forget it.

32 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

You recon they are going to be interested in startups that employ less that 4 people? What would this start up be, a bar?

Most IT startups begin with 2-3 founders and are financed by them and/or angel investors.

56 minutes ago, akirasan said:

The application process seems arduous

It always is.  Vietnam, Cambodia are not difficult and Thailand can be serviced from the outside more effectively.  There are good resources in Thailand, but the government has no idea what they are and, if they did, they would not know how help them.  This rudderless government is fixated with control and money for visas.  It just gets so old. 

1 hour ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

The term startup doesn't normally refer to models that need only a couple staff, and why on earth would a government encourage foreigners to come to start businesses that do not employ people, what would be the advantage?

Well, at the moment, most one man band digital nomads appear to be tolerated- even with a tourist visa.  I guess it could go one way or another- either they will be allowed access to one of these visas, or effectively it will be made unlawful (though possibly not enforced).

For anyone interested, full details can be found here - http://www.boi.go.th/newboi/index.php?page=detail_smart_visa2
 

WHERE TO CONTACT?

 

SMART Visa Unit

One Stop Service Center for Visa and Work Permit (OSS)

18th Floor, Chamchuri Square Building, Chamchuri Square Building, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330

Tel: 02 209 1100 ext. 1109-1110

Fax: 02 209 1199

E-mail: [email protected]

Download SMART Visa document here.

 

1 hour ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

The term startup doesn't normally refer to models that need only a couple staff, and why on earth would a government encourage foreigners to come to start businesses that do not employ people, what would be the advantage?

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/start-up

 

Not so.

12 minutes ago, seancbk said:

For anyone interested, full details can be found here - http://www.boi.go.th/newboi/index.php?page=detail_smart_visa2
 

WHERE TO CONTACT?

 

SMART Visa Unit

One Stop Service Center for Visa and Work Permit (OSS)

18th Floor, Chamchuri Square Building, Chamchuri Square Building, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330

Tel: 02 209 1100 ext. 1109-1110

Fax: 02 209 1199

E-mail: [email protected]

Download SMART Visa document here.

 

Seems clear enough. For startups you need to set up a BOI company that fills the criteria for the visa. A major PITA. 

 

http://www.boi.go.th/newboi/index.php?page=procedure_to_apply

The big question: Will this benefit or hinder the humble digital nomad perhaps doing a bit of vlogging, freelance writing, online teaching, or similar?  At worst, he could find himself outlawed!

 

 

Someone would have to put me on heavy medication for months before I would consider a Start-Up here. In Singapore company registration, work permit etc. done in 2 days and most of the documentation transfers done online. I did not have to employ a number of lazy morons, I did not need scissors the size of a pickup for all the red tape, and truck loads of money to fill unnumbered hands of corrupt officials. I wonder what Apichai Somboonpakorn dreams of at night.

Wow, I wish I was smart, I just paid 3800 baht for a multiple re-entry, because I just have a 'stupid' visa.