Is this considered as “work”?

[Martyp]

You've already realized that, technically, you are working. You may or may not get away with it over time. Visibility in a touristy part of Pattaya doesn't sound like a good sign.

 

I'm another person, though, that thinks your visa status is the biggest problem. If you are not over 50 then you cannot live here on tourist visas. This is what should keep you awake at nights. Unless marriage to this girlfriend is in your near future?

[essox essox]

a friend of mine got "caught working" several years ago....all he did was remove a halt eaten plate of rice from a table to his kitchen...(he has restaurant)    was fined 50k baht...for working !!!

[Isaanbiker]

OP, a business owner on a tourist visa wakes all buffaloes up! 

 

    Considering the other restaurant owners who have to go through many painful instances to be legal, perhaps not a wise move.

 

   One day you'll stay in Laos and they won't let you go back in. Or they arrest you. 

[owl sees all]

A darkened window car drove around the road on the farm. I was fishing with my daughter in number 1 pond. They stopped and watched me. Mrs Owl came over to see who they were and what they wanted.

 

It turned out that they were drug detectives. Although we were given the thumbs up on that scene, it was made clear that any fish I caught had to be returned, or I would be deemed to be  working. Even helping my 7 year old daughter land a fish could be considered work.

 

They just drove off. Never seen them again.

 

A coupe of years ago, I was repairing the road with the BinL. There were big stones, the size of footballs, on the road which we were breaking up with sledge hammers. A car came into view. It was the police. It stopped in front of me 'cause two big stones, had yet to be smashed up. I went to the road and nudged the rocks to the side so they could pass. The window wound down and a policeman (driver) gave me, literally, a thumbs up.

 

If they are after you, especially if you seem to be doing well, they can get you any time.

[Leaver]

11 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Maybe part owner. We are discussing shell companies here, some shareholders have already signed there shares over and have no voting rights. To be honest I have lost track of how it all works. 

Yes, I understand we are talking shell companies, but there is a paper trail and a money trail. 

 

Difficult to claim non ownership, when your signature is everywhere, and the money leads back to you, regardless of you physical presence at the work place. 

[darrendsd]

Years ago Immigration touted that bar owners who sat at the bar and just talked to customers had to have a Work Permit - It never came off

 

As long as you don't start emptying ashtrays - cleaning tables etc you should be fine

 

Just be careful of what you say and who to - for example a customer asking what the special is today and you telling them could be considered as working as it is taking work away from a Thai waitress

 

Forget the doom and gloom merchants here - this site is full of them

 

Good luck

[Chris657]

Buy a bottle of beer / water / juice, etc and make sure you have a check bin in front of you- sit on the customer side of the bar and talk to people...and keep your head down, by that I mean don't say a word to anyone coz that's how people are caught out by having big gobs....same as anywhere in the world  - good luck

[darrendsd]

On 7/5/2019 at 7:41 AM, tcp7 said:

Yeah and we already have several rivals on the premises, people who wanted to buy that business very badly but couldn’t cut the deal in the end (mostly because they been <deleted> for years to the previous owner so the owner preferred to sell out his business to complete strangers, us).

 

I will definitely stop helping the girlfriend then.

 

Glad I made this thread. Better be safe than sorry.

You said you only chat to customers? How is that helping? The only way to stop helping is to stop going in there assuming that you do only chat to customers

 

You're doing nothing wrong no matter what the so called experts say as long as you don't help in anyway - making general none business related chit chat with customers does not require a Work Permit

 

The so called experts seem to assume that because it is your and your GF business it's  you who legally owns the business? I am guessing that as you don't have a business visa your GF is the owner on paper? So it doesn't matter if you talk to the customers - there is no Immigration law that says you can't and it does not matter if you put the money up for the business - it's in your GF name

 

Plenty of people are saying "I know a friend of a friend who got caught making a cup of coffee and got fined" Well yes of course they would - they were working without a Work Permit and got caught - the difference between you and them is they were seen in the business working - even sweeping the floor is classed as working

 

There is no law that says you cannot make general none business chit chat with customers and none of the TV experts have pointed you towards it - that should tell you something

 

Oh and change from Tourist Visas - this is not because of your business - there is just no long term future in them - ED Visas are good

 

 

 

 

 

[justin case]

in a small mall near where I live, there is a farang and his wife selling some sort of pizza , in plain view...wonder how he manages to get away with it...

[Guest]

21 hours ago, darrendsd said:

The so called experts seem to assume that because it is your and your GF business it's  you who legally owns the business? I am guessing that as you don't have a business visa your GF is the owner on paper? So it doesn't matter if you talk to the customers - there is no Immigration law that says you can't and it does not matter if you put the money up for the business - it's in your GF name

 

Oh and change from Tourist Visas - this is not because of your business - there is just no long term future in them - ED Visas are good

 

 

 

Correct, I came up with the money, found us the location but she runs it and she's the one that has everything registered to her name, that's how things are usually done here in Thailand as long as you trust your partner.

 

I am aware the TR visa isn't the suitable one, we're waiting on the baby's birth that is due soon to change from TR to Non-O parent of a Thai child, meanwhile you're right ED visas are a good alternative besides the recent (ongoing?) crackdowns.

 

Thank you for your time.

[ukrules]

11 hours ago, justin case said:

in a small mall near where I live, there is a farang and his wife selling some sort of pizza , in plain view...wonder how he manages to get away with it...

Maybe he has a work permit, here's a lot of foreign chefs working here.

[darrendsd]

1 hour ago, tcp7 said:

Correct, I came up with the money, found us the location but she runs it and she's the one that has everything registered to her name, that's how things are usually done here in Thailand as long as you trust your partner.

 

I am aware the TR visa isn't the suitable one, we're waiting on the baby's birth that is due soon to change from TR to Non-O parent of a Thai child, meanwhile you're right ED visas are a good alternative besides the recent (ongoing?) crackdowns.

 

Thank you for your time.

Keep the chat with the customers to general chit chat - don't do simple things such as hand a menu to a customer and you will be fine

 

No crackdown on the ED Visas - and this is from someone who has just started his 7th year on one - not the friend of a friend type of posters on here

 

Good luck

[brianthainess]

On 7/5/2019 at 2:24 PM, phantomfiddler said:

I was told by an immigration official that if one owned a property one was working !!!

I was asked once what is the English for Pass a port. 

[brianthainess]

I'm off to mow the lawn.

[steven100]

7 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

I'm off to mow the lawn.

do you have a WP  ?