A Simple Question

[Shoeboat]

If a man has a unique talent which allows him to provide a unique service to expat families which requires a western perspective, could he go to somewhere like Sunbelt Asia with his business plan, passport etc, pay a sum of money and get his business registered legally and with it a non imm b visa so he would only have to leave the Thailand 4 times a year.

[Indo-Siam]

Yes.

[Shoeboat]

Thankyou Indo - my second question is:

Having paid the 30-50 k whatever it is - how long does it all take to sort out? What I mean is, I have been on tourist visas since August and the I have one visa run left in about a week which means I have from this moment approx 5 weeks left before I need to leave for 90 days.

So if I go to Sunbelt Asia after my next (last) visa run, pay the money and get it all sorted - how will I stand... Will I still have to leave for 90 days at the end of March or can I stay put and just do the 4 runs a year which is what I understand all a business visa entails?

[Indo-Siam]

First - open disclosure - I run an incorporation services business that competes with Sunbelt.

I'll give you my answers - and u=you can assume that Sunbelt - or any other provider - could do similar.

There is a provision for a tourist entry permit to be converted to a non-immigrant entry permit - but the qualifying requirements are probably too stringent for most new start-ups to satisfy.

So - you are probably going to have to leave Thailand to obtain an initial non-immigrant Class B visa.

The incorporation process can be completed in less than 30 days. You biggest challenge will be in relation to tax registration - and particularly in regards to establishing a legally-sufficient business address. Companies such as mine - and Sunbelt - can provide you with an initial address - for a fee.

So - once you have your company established, the company can issue you a visa/employment sponsorship packet - which you can then take to a Thai diplomatic post outside Thailand - and obtain at least a single-entry, 90-day non-immigrant visa. You return with that visa to Thailand, and your company sponsors you for a work permit. If you are based in Bangkok, that initial work permit can be obtained without any Thai employees, and without your company even having opened a bank account. At the time your work permit is issued, you will have about 75 days left on your initial entry permit. You will then need to depart Thailand once more, to go to a Thai diplomatic post where - upon presentation of your blue work permit booklet - you will be issued a one-year, multiple-entry visa. You will want to reenter Thailand with that visa - prior to your work permit expiration date - and that work permit can then be revalidated for another 90 days.

For the next 12 months, you simply need to make a border crossing every 90 days - and revalidate you work permit after each reentry. By timing you last departure so that you reenter a few days before your one-year visa expires, you can effectively get almost 15 months of time in Thailand out of that one year visa.

At the point that your new business employs at least four Thais - including the initial 90 days in which you initially get your work permit - you can apply for an extended entry permit - and with this, you can stay in Thailand more or less indefinitely, as long as your company qualifies to continue sponsoring renewals.

This is about as far as I go, for non-clients. I put full effort only into paying clients of Thaistartup.com. Or - you can proceed to Sunbelt.

Good luck!

Steve Sykes

Managing Director

Indo-Siam Group

Bangkok

[Shoeboat]

Thanks - I will reply in greater detail soon.

Incedentally, it is not the type of business that would require me to employ any Thais - unless I got really big which I doubt.

[sniffdog]

You can even do that if you're talentless

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Incedentally, it is not the type of business that would require me to employ any Thais

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Thai Law might think differently about that .... incidentally.

Edited February 21, 2008 by sniffdog

[lopburi3]

You have a misunderstanding of Thai visa rules. There is no rule that you have to stay outside of Thailand for 90 days. You can only use 90 days visa exempt entry in a six month period but you are free to obtain a visa and enter using that at any time. Currently people are having no problem obtaining 2 entry tourist visas from Vientiane that will, with normal 30 day extensions, allow them to stay in Thailand for almost six months (with one border run). They could then use 90 days of visa exempt entry again if they wanted.

[Shoeboat]

^ That's how I've managed to stay here since Sept 1st - it all makes sense now.

[thairookie]

You have a misunderstanding of Thai visa rules. There is no rule that you have to stay outside of Thailand for 90 days. You can only use 90 days visa exempt entry in a six month period but you are free to obtain a visa and enter using that at any time. Currently people are having no problem obtaining 2 entry tourist visas from Vientiane that will, with normal 30 day extensions, allow them to stay in Thailand for almost six months (with one border run). They could then use 90 days of visa exempt entry again if they wanted.

But there is a rule that requires you to stay outside for 60 days before Thai Embassy in Singapore issues another Tourist Visa, if your earlier Visa was 90 days obtained from Singapore.

[Lite Beer]

You have a misunderstanding of Thai visa rules. There is no rule that you have to stay outside of Thailand for 90 days. You can only use 90 days visa exempt entry in a six month period but you are free to obtain a visa and enter using that at any time. Currently people are having no problem obtaining 2 entry tourist visas from Vientiane that will, with normal 30 day extensions, allow them to stay in Thailand for almost six months (with one border run). They could then use 90 days of visa exempt entry again if they wanted.

But there is a rule that requires you to stay outside for 60 days before Thai Embassy in Singapore issues another Tourist Visa, if your earlier Visa was 90 days obtained from Singapore.

Easy. Get the next Visa from somewhere else.

[thairookie]

Easy. Get the next Visa from somewhere else.

I'd have thought that it was a kind of 'global directive' from the MFA of Thailand. But if the Embassy in Vientiane has no complaints, then I guess it should be alright.

Sometimes I wonder if it's worth the hassle. It's easier to just up with Walen and forget about the border runs. At least I get to learn how to read and write Thai.