Visa advice needed please

[Racha Bates]

Hi everyone,

 

I am moving to Muang Surin, Surin Province, and I am planning to stay there, no plans to leave.

 

1st Question: simple one, I am visiting for 3 weeks in a couple of weeks, am I right in thinking I do not need any Visa at all for this? I am a UK passport holder.

 

2nd Question: initially I want to come over on an Education ED 12 month Visa, while I wait to get a working/business visa. Am i right in thinking I just need to contact a language school and they will set it up for me? Can I trust the language schools to do this legally and properly? How much money do i need to show in a bank account? Is there anything else I need to do?

 

3rd Question: I plan on opening a business in Surin. As far as I can understand from the myriad of online information, I will need 2,000,000 Baht in a Thai bank Account held by what would be my Thai partner, and would need to employ 4 Thai nationals. Is that correct, and is there anything else I would need to do?

 

Any other advice would be very welcome, if I have got something wrong here ???? 

 

Thanks in advance for your help

 

Racha

[ubonjoe]

1. Yes All will need is the 30 day visa exempt entry you will get on arrival.

2. I doubt very much you will be able to get a multiple entry non-ed visa valid for a year. You will likely only be able to get a single entry non-ed visa that will allow one 90 day entry and then have to apply for 90 day extensions at immigration.  I also doubt you will be able to find a school in Surin that can supply the supporting documents to get a non-ed visa. Financial proof is not required to apply for a non-ed visa.

Your best option may be to get a multiple entry tourist visa that will allow unlimited 60 day entries for 6 months from the date of issue. Each entry can be extended for 30 days at immigration.

You can set up a business on a tourist visa.

3. The 2 million baht does not have to be in a bank to register a company. The registered capital is only number used for the registration that is required to apply for a work permit. This business guide from the BOI has a lot of useful information. https://www.boi.go.th/upload/content/A Business Guide to thailand 2018_5ac3593458b0a.pdf