Anyway To Employ Farangs Without 2m/4thai?

[inventorinthailand]

We want to employ 10-20 Native Norwegian speaking peoples to work with telephone sales from here in bangkok. Is there anyway to do this without the need to have 2m baht and 4 thais employed for every foreigner???

Will it make any different if whey gets their salary in Norway??

I have heard that an export company can hire foreigners with only the 2m baht but not need to hire any thais. Also that the company only have to show 500k baht and not 2m baht. We can show 5m baht if necessary but not 20-40m baht.

Can they be hired as specialist? It is hard for us to find Norwegian fluent speaking thais.

[Prakanong]

Someone can correct me if I am wrong but I doubt it

The Boiler Room guy's got away with this for a while (paying people off??) but they got busted and moved on.

Thai foreign business law's are there to protect Thai's and/or add to the Thai economy by employing them in numbers while restricting how many foreigners per Thai - they are not there to make the setting up of business easiers etc etc unlike say Singapore where this type of operation would not be a problem.

Maybe at this moment in its economic development Thailand has it right in a case like this although I can think of other area's it should open up but will not hold my breath for it to do so as protection of family interests and monopolies are more important that econominc growth and progress to the ruling classes and the poor can for F$%^ themselves according to this group

[inventorinthailand]

Anyone who have any ideas??

[inventorinthailand]

no one

[Doza]

If you can get BOI (Board of Investment) approval you are extempt from this rule. I have heard the establishment of call centres in Thailand may be promoted by BOI as a high value added service industry so long as you are supplying the foreign not Thai market. Look into it www.boi.co.th

[Prakanong]

Do the BOI actually beleive a call centre is a high value service - ROFL

Yeah - this is really scaling the heights of the value chain but about Thailands limit.

Its competitors are trying to attract primary R&D and the like to move up the value chain while Thailand slips into a race for the bottom - it would be hilarious if not so sad.

If its done for non-Thai employee's on top of that even worse.

[Crossy]

If you can get BOI (Board of Investment) approval you are extempt from this rule. I have heard the establishment of call centres in Thailand may be promoted by BOI as a high value added service industry so long as you are supplying the foreign not Thai market. Look into it www.boi.co.th

www.boi.go.th works better

If you can fit into one of these categories http://www.boi.go.th/english/about/eligible_activities.asp worth a look.

Edited January 8, 2008 by Crossy

[Doza]

Its not specifically on the list but a google search shows it either once was or is now being considered - lots of references.

Really BOI status is about convincing the committee your business meets their "criteria" and is somewhat subjective. A former company got BOI status for business that doesn't clearly fit into the description but we convinced them it did in certain ways. BOI is massive if you can get it.

[inventorinthailand]

Its not specifically on the list but a google search shows it either once was or is now being considered - lots of references.

Really BOI status is about convincing the committee your business meets their "criteria" and is somewhat subjective. A former company got BOI status for business that doesn't clearly fit into the description but we convinced them it did in certain ways. BOI is massive if you can get it.

Sounds interesting. Any BOI experts here???

[torrenova]

Sunblet were trying to flog off some company doing just this very thing. They said they had BOI approval. I thought it was a scam but YMMV.

[Maestro]

…They said they had BOI approval…

If Sunbelt says so I’m sure it’s true. They are not a fly-by-night operation and it is slander on you part to insinuate that they advertise deceptively.

--

Maestro

[Doza]

Any BOI experts here???

Contact Sunbelt or Subtlet Group or any other reputable consultants.

[Prakanong]

…They said they had BOI approval…

If Sunbelt says so I'm sure it's true. They are not a fly-by-night operation and it is slander on you part to insinuate that they advertise deceptively.

--

Maestro

Yes they are not fly by night and it would hurt their brand to act deceptively BUT they admit themselves they do not perform due diligence and it is up to the purchaser themselves to do so - they righly say they are merely the agent or marketplace to bring buyer and seller together although they do add on legal services etc

I am not saying it is the case with the call centre and BOI but in the past they have taken what a seller tells them at face value and advertised accordingly when in fact details givento Sunbelt were false.

The Selling of the bar's for Santos who was not even the owner is a very prominent case that springs to mind - credit to Sunbelt for withdrawing said business form their list but this was after advertising and everyone and his cat knew prior that Santos was a conman and the busines advertised was not what it was made out to be.

Sunbelt are probably far more experienced now and it would be less likely to happen now but just like everone else they are not infallible - they are still probably the bst aroundat the level they are.

[Maestro]

As a buyer of a business I would never think of asking the seller’s agent to do the due diligence on my behalf, and if I did ask the seller’s agent for this service he would have to refuse because it would be a conflict of interest for him. That’s how I see it.

--

Maestro

[Sunbelt Asia]

…They said they had BOI approval…

If Sunbelt says so I'm sure it's true. They are not a fly-by-night operation and it is slander on you part to insinuate that they advertise deceptively.

--

Maestro

Yes they are not fly by night and it would hurt their brand to act deceptively BUT they admit themselves they do not perform due diligence and it is up to the purchaser themselves to do so - they righly say they are merely the agent or marketplace to bring buyer and seller together although they do add on legal services etc

I am not saying it is the case with the call centre and BOI but in the past they have taken what a seller tells them at face value and advertised accordingly when in fact details givento Sunbelt were false.

The Selling of the bar's for Santos who was not even the owner is a very prominent case that springs to mind - credit to Sunbelt for withdrawing said business form their list but this was after advertising and everyone and his cat knew prior that Santos was a conman and the busines advertised was not what it was made out to be.

Sunbelt are probably far more experienced now and it would be less likely to happen now but just like everone else they are not infallible - they are still probably the bst aroundat the level they are.

Big difference between someone claiming they are the true owner and a company that is BOI. Of course before we took the listing we confirm it was a BOI company and so did the buyer himself confirm with the BOI, who acquired the business.

As to Santos, the guy certified he owned the bars and restaurants. If I remember right he had at one time but had sold most all the shares on paper to investors but had not registered the sale of the shares. When we were told this was the case we pulled the listing. Could it happen again, we could get a listing like this? 100% it could! In fact easily if the person is a con. Many steps before a business is acquired and the first step is getting a certification from the owner that he or she is the true owner. Later this is confirmed by the buyer that he or she didn’t lie. This is way before any money changes hands. Out of all the companies we ever listed ( over 3,000), this was the only one I remember that had a dispute with who were the real owners.

I would think most person would check with the BOI before ever acquire a company claiming to be a BOI company. A number of potential investors did when looking into it.

As to the OP, a BOI company or non BOI company does not need 4 Thai employees to get a work permit. The only exception would be a Thai or American owner who is a sole proprietorship.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[Sunbelt Asia]

As a buyer of a business I would never think of asking the seller’s agent to do the due diligence on my behalf, and if I did ask the seller’s agent for this service he would have to refuse because it would be a conflict of interest for him. That’s how I see it.

--

Maestro

Bingo!

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[Sunbelt Asia]

We want to employ 10-20 Native Norwegian speaking peoples to work with telephone sales from here in bangkok. Is there anyway to do this without the need to have 2m baht and 4 thais employed for every foreigner???

They could be consultants but they cannot be salesmen for a non BOi company. You need 2 million baht registered capital per work permit. This does not have to be cash when you form the company. It can also be equipment or property. As stated you do not need 4 Thais per wp. You are mixed up with the requirememnts for the extension of stay permit based on business.

Will it make any different if whey gets their salary in Norway??

no

I have heard that an export company can hire foreigners with only the 2m baht but not need to hire any thais. Also that the company only have to show 500k baht and not 2m baht. We can show 5m baht if necessary but not 20-40m baht.

See above. A export or non export company does not need to hire Thais. You do not have to show any money to get work permits unless you are an alien company. ( exception would be Amity treaty companies until Aug 2009)

Can they be hired as specialist? It is hard for us to find Norwegian fluent speaking thais.

Yes. Yes

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[kudroz]

Is it possible to apply for a BOI sponsorship after the company has already been formed? I just ordered a company with Sunbelt (Chiang Mai) last week, and from what I've read tonight it seems that my company fit perfectly into what the BOI is looking for.

I'll give a call to Sunbelt (Chiang Mai) tomorrow, but was hoping I could get a fast "yes/no" answer from someone here who knows.

[Sunbelt Asia]

Is it possible to apply for a BOI sponsorship after the company has already been formed? I just ordered a company with Sunbelt (Chiang Mai) last week, and from what I've read tonight it seems that my company fit perfectly into what the BOI is looking for.

I'll give a call to Sunbelt (Chiang Mai) tomorrow, but was hoping I could get a fast "yes/no" answer from someone here who knows.

Yes, its 7.22 of the BOI. For another client, we have a application pending now for a International Call center in BKk.

If you are using lots of foreign labor instead of Thai, you need to explain why.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[inventorinthailand]

Is it possible to apply for a BOI sponsorship after the company has already been formed? I just ordered a company with Sunbelt (Chiang Mai) last week, and from what I've read tonight it seems that my company fit perfectly into what the BOI is looking for.

I'll give a call to Sunbelt (Chiang Mai) tomorrow, but was hoping I could get a fast "yes/no" answer from someone here who knows.

Yes, its 7.22 of the BOI. For another client, we have a application pending now for a International Call center in BKk.

If you are using lots of foreign labor instead of Thai, you need to explain why.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

So what would be needed and what would the cost/capital be to set up a company with WP for 10-20 foreigners who sits in bangkok or Pattaya and do phones sells of foreign services/products and keeping a phone support for customers?????

[Sunbelt Asia]

So what would be needed and what would the cost/capital be to set up a company with WP for 10-20 foreigners who sits in bangkok or Pattaya and do phones sells of foreign services/products and keeping a phone support for customers?????

Our professional fee to submit the BOI application, advise on the presentation required and attend the interviews is 69,000 Baht.

The registered capital can be as low as one million baht but we have seen some applications for this venture around 16 million Baht. ( application with 120 foreigners working ) Most applications are around 5 million Baht.

Remember the 2 million baht registered capital per work permit does not apply for a BOI company.

Also one other thing, if its a call center, you are required to show work stations.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[inventorinthailand]

So what would be needed and what would the cost/capital be to set up a company with WP for 10-20 foreigners who sits in bangkok or Pattaya and do phones sells of foreign services/products and keeping a phone support for customers?????

Our professional fee to submit the BOI application, advise on the presentation required and attend the interviews is 69,000 Baht.

The registered capital can be as low as one million baht but we have seen some applications for this venture around 16 million Baht. ( application with 120 foreigners working ) Most applications are around 5 million Baht.

Remember the 2 million baht registered capital per work permit does not apply for a BOI company.

Also one other thing, if its a call center, you are required to show work stations.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

But how does the BOI reasons?? What do they want to hear??

If we are not selling any thai-products, will they really approve us anyway??

[terryp]

“They could be consultants but they cannot be salesmen for a non BOi company.”

I thought that loophole was closed last year by the Labor ministry?

[Sunbelt Asia]

“They could be consultants but they cannot be salesmen for a non BOi company.”

I thought that loophole was closed last year by the Labor ministry?

Consultant is not a dirty word. You just have to define what you are doing, as in a few industries such as being an architect you cannot be a consultant. In most other area you still can be. Even then on being an architect, it depends on the Labor Dept.

If we are not selling any thai-products, will they really approve us anyway??

This is not a requirement.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

[inventorinthailand]

“They could be consultants but they cannot be salesmen for a non BOi company.”

I thought that loophole was closed last year by the Labor ministry?

Consultant is not a dirty word. You just have to define what you are doing, as in a few industries such as being an architect you cannot be a consultant. In most other area you still can be. Even then on being an architect, it depends on the Labor Dept.

If we are not selling any thai-products, will they really approve us anyway??

This is not a requirement.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com

1, So what are the looking at then?

2, How sure can we be to be approved if we are using your services?? Will you charge us even if we get denied??

3, How long time will it take to get an approval and be ready for business??

4, How much money "should" we atlest show that we have for BOI??

[inventorinthailand]

Any answers??

1, So what are they looking for then?

2, How sure can we be to be approved if we are using your services??

3, Will you charge us even if we get denied??

4, How long time will it take to get an approval and be ready for business??

5, How much money "should" we atlest show that we have for BOI??

[inventorinthailand]

Any answers??

1, So what are they looking for then?

2, How sure can we be to be approved if we are using your services??

3, Will you charge us even if we get denied??

4, How long time will it take to get an approval and be ready for business??

5, How much money "should" we atlest show that we have for BOI??

Sunbelt or anyone else who knows???

[inventorinthailand]

One additional question:

Have you, Sunbelt (or anyone else), succeed to get a BOI approval for Call Center companies were foreigners sells foreign products to foreign countries?

[kudroz]

We just started the process of getting BOI sponsorship for our company which sells services to companies abroad. So far so good, we've got a lawyer in house to deal with it and Sunbelt Chiang Mai who is supervising. Will update in this thread as we go along.

[inventorinthailand]

We just started the process of getting BOI sponsorship for our company which sells services to companies abroad. So far so good, we've got a lawyer in house to deal with it and Sunbelt Chiang Mai who is supervising. Will update in this thread as we go along.

Im looking forward for it