Living In Thailand On A Tourist Visa?

[MuayThaiGuy]

Hello everyone,

I've recenty returned back to Canada after spending 3 months in Phuket. Needless to say, I'm pretty depressed. I would like to go back to Thailand in a couple months to live. I am in the final stages of setting up a couple online businesses so I will be able to work from anywhere I want with a laptop. I won't be needing a visa to work in Thailand.

I am under the impression that while there are restrictions on the 30day stamp (as it can be extended up to 90 days), this doesn't effect the tourist visa (60 plus extendable 30 days).

Would I able able to enter Thailand on the tourist visa and simply leave and re-enter the country every 90 days with a fresh tourist visa? Is there a limit to how many times I can do this?

Another option I suppose would be to incorporate my company out of Thailand. However, I'd prefer to keep my travel options open and incorporate in a tax haven to spare myself the hassle if I decide to live somewhere else later. Of course I am willing to pay income tax if I'm residing in Thailand for over 180 days..

Lastly, are those 50yrs. and older the only ones eligable for the "retirement" visa? Is there a way I can obtain a "retirement" visa providing I show proof of monthly income? .. I am 25yrs old.

Thanks in advance..

[Krub]

Hello everyone,

I've recenty returned back to Canada after spending 3 months in Phuket. Needless to say, I'm pretty depressed. I would like to go back to Thailand in a couple months to live. I am in the final stages of setting up a couple online businesses so I will be able to work from anywhere I want with a laptop. I won't be needing a visa to work in Thailand.

I am under the impression that while there are restrictions on the 30day stamp (as it can be extended up to 90 days), this doesn't effect the tourist visa (60 plus extendable 30 days).

Would I able able to enter Thailand on the tourist visa and simply leave and re-enter the country every 90 days with a fresh tourist visa? Is there a limit to how many times I can do this?

Another option I suppose would be to incorporate my company out of Thailand. However, I'd prefer to keep my travel options open and incorporate in a tax haven to spare myself the hassle if I decide to live somewhere else later. Of course I am willing to pay income tax if I'm residing in Thailand for over 180 days..

Lastly, are those 50yrs. and older the only ones eligable for the "retirement" visa? Is there a way I can obtain a "retirement" visa providing I show proof of monthly income? .. I am 25yrs old.

Thanks in advance..

While it is 'possible' to live on tourist visas, this is not what they were intended for. This means that at any time you are subject to a refusal of a new tourist visa or extensions.

Retirement visa is only for over 50

Good luck

[naka]

While there is nothing to stop the Embassy/Consulate official from providing a

tourist visa 'forever' there is nothing to stop them from refusing you either

once they think you have had too many.

Naka.

[lopburi3]

And you can not work in Thailand without a work permit. Although it may not be found out it will become suspect after awhile and could become an issue in the future. If you plan to live/work in Thailand I would strongly urge you to do it right and seek legal consul.

[jstumbo]

Technically you should have a work permit.

People that say that they are working on the Internet and not working in Thailand are just deluding themselves. Would a person that has an office in their home and makes phone calls from their home office and sends email from their home office claim that they are not working in their home, but instead they are working in the phone exchange system and the Internet? If you are working in a home office, and that office is is Thailand, then you would be working in Thailand.

You can right now use a combination of 30 day visa exempt entries and tourist visas to stay indefinitely in Thailand. There are some consulates that require different things. Some require that they see a ticket home in order to issue you a tourist visa. Others will only give one or two before rejecting you. Things change all the time, so you cannot really count on this going on for the next 20 years. Maybe a few years, no one knows.

[koheesti]

Technically you should have a work permit.

People that say that they are working on the Internet and not working in Thailand are just deluding themselves. Would a person that has an office in their home and makes phone calls from their home office and sends email from their home office claim that they are not working in their home, but instead they are working in the phone exchange system and the Internet? If you are working in a home office, and that office is is Thailand, then you would be working in Thailand.

The home office analogy isn't a very good one. Work permits and visas are a form of protectionism. Countries don't want foreigners coming in an competing with their own citizens for jobs & money. Or maybe I'm wrong and they exist for some other reason.

I work over the Internet as well. No money is exchanging hands in Thailand for my time or product. I don't buy or sell anything in Thailand. I am not competing with any Thai businesses for work or clients. I am not taking a job away from a Thai (like working in a bar or dive center might). The only thing remotely related to Thailand in any way shape or form is that I am using TOT for my Internet service. I also use that for non-work related activities such as uploading the many tourist photos I've been taking. Any second of any day when I am "working" if you look at my computer you will see websites for news, email and other entertainment sites open so even when I'm "working" it sure doesn't look like it and would be difficult to prove. Also, I won't likely be here for 180 days in the calendar year so I don't have to worry about paying additional taxes on money I take out from an ATM.

Some day when working abroad remotely via the Internet is more common I'm sure there will be specific tax laws written for it. But they don't have them now as far as I know.

[sweetchariot]

The home office analogy isn't a very good one. Work permits and visas are a form of protectionism. Countries don't want foreigners coming in an competing with their own citizens for jobs & money. Or maybe I'm wrong and they exist for some other reason.

I work over the Internet as well. No money is exchanging hands in Thailand for my time or product. I don't buy or sell anything in Thailand. I am not competing with any Thai businesses for work or clients. I am not taking a job away from a Thai (like working in a bar or dive center might). The only thing remotely related to Thailand in any way shape or form is that I am using TOT for my Internet service. I also use that for non-work related activities such as uploading the many tourist photos I've been taking. Any second of any day when I am "working" if you look at my computer you will see websites for news, email and other entertainment sites open so even when I'm "working" it sure doesn't look like it and would be difficult to prove. Also, I won't likely be here for 180 days in the calendar year so I don't have to worry about paying additional taxes on money I take out from an ATM.

Some day when working abroad remotely via the Internet is more common I'm sure there will be specific tax laws written for it. But they don't have them now as far as I know.

You have an IP with TOT that can be traced to your home address.

Oh yes they do in Thailand. Why would they want you here when you are not paying tax, social etc.

Not my rules but don't shoot the messenger

[thaiclan]

Technically you should have a work permit.

People that say that they are working on the Internet and not working in Thailand are just deluding themselves. Would a person that has an office in their home and makes phone calls from their home office and sends email from their home office claim that they are not working in their home, but instead they are working in the phone exchange system and the Internet? If you are working in a home office, and that office is is Thailand, then you would be working in Thailand.

The home office analogy isn't a very good one. Work permits and visas are a form of protectionism. Countries don't want foreigners coming in an competing with their own citizens for jobs & money. Or maybe I'm wrong and they exist for some other reason.

I work over the Internet as well. No money is exchanging hands in Thailand for my time or product. I don't buy or sell anything in Thailand. I am not competing with any Thai businesses for work or clients. I am not taking a job away from a Thai (like working in a bar or dive center might). The only thing remotely related to Thailand in any way shape or form is that I am using TOT for my Internet service. I also use that for non-work related activities such as uploading the many tourist photos I've been taking. Any second of any day when I am "working" if you look at my computer you will see websites for news, email and other entertainment sites open so even when I'm "working" it sure doesn't look like it and would be difficult to prove. Also, I won't likely be here for 180 days in the calendar year so I don't have to worry about paying additional taxes on money I take out from an ATM.

Some day when working abroad remotely via the Internet is more common I'm sure there will be specific tax laws written for it. But they don't have them now as far as I know.

I agree. My banks are in the Uk and Singapore, the trading software account is in Australia,my passport and residency is in the UK, I live in Thailand and Singapore and trade from both countries...... why should I have a Thai work permit??

[koheesti]

You have an IP with TOT that can be traced to your home address.

And when they do a commando raid on my place they'll find me reading my Yahoo

email, reading the news or playing some game on Facebook.

Oh yes they do in Thailand. Why would they want you here when you are not paying tax, social etc.

I pay 7% tax on everything I buy (which is likely more than most Thais pay in all taxes) in addition to paying taxes back home (I get most back). I also bring my own money into the country and it's all going to legit Thai businesses. I'm not against paying taxes. But like someone once posted who is in a similar situation as myself, the tax authorities threw him out of the office when he tried to explain what he did. Not that Thais are clueless, most (if not all) countries in the world don't have anything on the books on how to handle this situation. It's a recent phenomenon (I've been doing it over 4 years with 6 months in LOS).

I want to point out that I don't intend to live here indefinitely on a Tourist Visa. I'm likely out of here well before the year is up. In total I might spend 1 year here. There are plenty of interesting places in this region let alone the whole world I want to check out. I would be more likely to live here longer if they had the proper visa/permit for it. The last country I lived in I had 2-yr living permits based on having enough outside income to support myself so I wouldn't be a drain on their system. No silly age limits to worry about either.