Various Q's - Internet Business, Return Flight Proof, Visa

[farangnahrak]

I have several questions . . . I am 26 yr/old USA national.

1) I own an internet business similar to thaivisa.com offering highly specialized technical advice, and similarly I make profits from the ads. Both server and profits are located in US. Ad sales are under ~$20k/year, the minimum to have a legal registered business in Thailand, but profits are 95% of that so I can live comfortably. This, plus other various savings/investments, is my income.

According to these posts, I don't have to report this to Thai officials, correct?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/lofiversion/...php/t13084.html

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/lofiversion/...php/t26753.html

2) I want to live in BKK for about a year, but often making trips to nearby countries for tourist travel (Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc). I want to know how to do this legally. This page:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3139

says I can get a "12 month validity, multi entry non-immigrant visa", but I suspect that I wouldn't qualify somehow . . . perhaps I need a Thai wife or huge financial investment or something silly like that . . .

3) I don't want to get a job since I am self employed.

So this brings me to my next question . . . if all else fails, whats the minimum number of hours required to work to get a one year work permit? Like if I taught english or engineering or something like that? I can speak decent Thai . . .

4) Can I enter Thailand from any other country (including my own) without needing proof of a return flight to my home country (USA)? Or get a Visa without this proof? I've never been checked for this out of all the times I entered Thailand, but I've always entered with a return flight already purchased.

5) And to complicate this a bit . . . I've recently gotten into designing electronics and plan to sell my first product soon. It is being manufactured in China and will be soon sold mostly in Europe/US, but I will be directing this from BKK by internet. I will do more electronics R&D work from BKK. Would I run into any legality problems? I might also want to use Thailand as a middle step just to do quality assurance on my product (not manufacturing), and again, any issues with this? What if my sales go above $20k/year?

[Globeliner]

>perhaps I need a Thai wife or huge financial investment or something silly like that . . .<

Yea, maybe.

[jstumbo]

I have several questions . . . I am 26 yr/old USA national.

1) I own an internet business similar to thaivisa.com offering highly specialized technical advice, and similarly I make profits from the ads. Both server and profits are located in US. Ad sales are under ~$20k/year, the minimum to have a legal registered business in Thailand, but profits are 95% of that so I can live comfortably. This, plus other various savings/investments, is my income.

According to these posts, I don't have to report this to Thai officials, correct?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/lofiversion/...php/t13084.html

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/lofiversion/...php/t26753.html

2) I want to live in BKK for about a year, but often making trips to nearby countries for tourist travel (Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc). I want to know how to do this legally. This page:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3139

says I can get a "12 month validity, multi entry non-immigrant visa", but I suspect that I wouldn't qualify somehow . . . perhaps I need a Thai wife or huge financial investment or something silly like that . . .

3) I don't want to get a job since I am self employed.

So this brings me to my next question . . . if all else fails, whats the minimum number of hours required to work to get a one year work permit? Like if I taught english or engineering or something like that? I can speak decent Thai . . .

4) Can I enter Thailand from any other country (including my own) without needing proof of a return flight to my home country (USA)? Or get a Visa without this proof? I've never been checked for this out of all the times I entered Thailand, but I've always entered with a return flight already purchased.

5) And to complicate this a bit . . . I've recently gotten into designing electronics and plan to sell my first product soon. It is being manufactured in China and will be soon sold mostly in Europe/US, but I will be directing this from BKK by internet. I will do more electronics R&D work from BKK. Would I run into any legality problems? I might also want to use Thailand as a middle step just to do quality assurance on my product (not manufacturing), and again, any issues with this? What if my sales go above $20k/year?

I will take a stab at some of these.

1) Technically you would be working in Thailand and would require a work permit. That being said, there are probably lots of people that work via the Internet and do it on the down low and no one is aware of it.

2) You're not going to get the multi O visa. If you only want to live here for a year, then you would be best to get a double or triple entry tourist visa from the US and then extend the entries for an additional 30 days each time, and then fill in any additional time you need with visa exempt entries.

3) Minimum hours working is pretty much up to what the company that would hire you requires. There are however required amounts for salary that you must meet.

4) If you enter using a 30 visa exempt entry, then you will probably need to have a return ticket within 30 days. The airline will probably not let you board without it. Immigration might check, but most likely the problem will be with the airline and boarding. If you have a visa then it is not normally required.

5) Again you would have the problem with not having a work permit. Designing things in Thailand would require a work permit, doing QC/QA work in Thailand would require a work permit. Amount of money that your company makes does not matter unless you are planning on starting a Thai company that employs you and allows you to get a work permit.

[farangnahrak]

thinking about this a bit more . . .

http://www.thaivisa.com/visa/the-new-visa-run-rules.html

Since I plan to travel out of Thailand often, what if I just do the traditional visa runs, but with a Tourist Visa? Any issue with me going to the Thai Embassy in say Singapore or Hong Kong (or any local country) to renew a Tourist Visa every month?

A simple 'yes' to this question will bypass the complicated-ness of most of my last post.

[jstumbo]

thinking about this a bit more . . .

http://www.thaivisa.com/visa/the-new-visa-run-rules.html

Since I plan to travel out of Thailand often, what if I just do the traditional visa runs, but with a Tourist Visa? Any issue with me going to the Thai Embassy in say Singapore or Hong Kong (or any local country) to renew a Tourist Visa every month?

A simple 'yes' to this question will bypass the complicated-ness of most of my last post.

You can get a tourist visa for 60 days and probably extend it for another 30 days for a total of 90 days. So you would only need to do a visa run every 90 days. If you are only going to be in Thailand for a month or so, you can get a re-entry permit that will keep your visa alive while you are outside the country. You can also do border runs and get 30 day visa exempt entries for up to 90 days during a 6 month period. There have been some limits on the number of Tourist Visas you can receive from local embassies, but if you are only looking for being here for a year, then you should be able to get a couple of tourist visas and visa exempt entries to make up a year.

Again, I suggest that you get one from the US before coming, because it will probably be the easiest.

[farangnahrak]

Again you would have the problem with not having a work permit. Designing things in Thailand would require a work permit, doing QC/QA work in Thailand would require a work permit. Amount of money that your company makes does not matter unless you are planning on starting a Thai company that employs you and allows you to get a work permit.

If this info is correct . . . then I'm out of luck with the circular logic that is Thai law . . .

self employed -> need work permit -> need company of at least $1 million annual baht -> death to foreign owned small businesses

So silly, to 'close shop' just to visit Thailand . . . if anyone asks, my site is only a hobby

If you only want to live here for a year, then you would be best to get a double or triple entry tourist visa from the US and then extend the entries for an additional 30 days each time, and then fill in any additional time you need with visa exempt entries.

This mostly answers my last post, and I think its my game plan. So if I do this, will I need that return flight?

Again, I suggest that you get one from the US before coming, because it will probably be the easiest.

Will do . . . I live like an hour metro ride away from the Washington DC Thai Embassy, so no problem at all.

[jstumbo]

If you only want to live here for a year, then you would be best to get a double or triple entry tourist visa from the US and then extend the entries for an additional 30 days each time, and then fill in any additional time you need with visa exempt entries.

This mostly answers my last post, and I think its my game plan. So if I do this, will I need that return flight?

If you have a visa you will not be required to have a return ticket. When you go to get an extension in Thailand for an additional 30 days they may want to see your ticket at that point. If you do not have one, they may only give you a 7 day extension.

You can purchase a ticket pretty cheaply in Thailand and then use it to make your border/visa run.