Freelance and work permit

[meadish_sweetball]

<font color='#000000'>I am a Swedish citizen currently making a living as a freelance translator, and I would like to settle down in Thailand with a work permit and a suitable visa / residence permit for my freelance activities, and whatever it takes to stay for an extended period of time without doing visa runs all the time.

Can anyone recommend a solution for me? I cannot guarantee or prove a steady income since I freelance.

Would it be possible to start a company together with a Thai national, in which I would be employed and declare my income through? If someone has experience of doing this or some variation of it, your input will be much appreciated.

Any other suggestions are also of interest.

Cheers! :cool:</font>

[meadish_sweetball]

<font color='#000000'>BTW - I am not too old.</font>

[ChiangMaiThai]

Dr. Pat Pong and others, I think this is a very good question. Freelancing in any number of industries is a legitimate profession. Of course, by definition in most cases you would not set up a company with 2 million baht and you would not be working for any one Thai company who could sponsor you. So does this mean that Thaksin Ltd. simply denies the right of anyone doing free lance work to come to Thailand legally?

[huski]

Would it be possible to start a company together with a Thai national, in which I would be employed and declare my income through?

meadish is going to need a work permit to work legally in Thailand. If it is freelance work then start a company and give your title as general manager not director and pay yourself a salary.

and whatever it takes to stay for an extended period of time without doing visa runs all the time.

A NON Immigrant B Visa will allow you to stay in the Kingdom for 90 days at a time, that is what you will need to start with.

[meadish_sweetball]

Thank you very much for your input!

Have I understood it correctly, that I need to pull 2 million baht out of my wizard's hat and present before the relevant authorities if I want to start a company in Thailand?

In that case, I might need to build myself a nest egg first... Is there no other way?

[Indo-Siam]

MS -  Presently, you may launch a company with 2 million baht in registered capital, obtain a work permit, and an entry permit extension without actually putting 2 million baht into an account.  You sign a letter indicating that capital has been paid in, and that's all anyone needs to see.

I have not recommended this approach, but I have lost prospective clients that wanted to do it this way, and they have come back to me later showing that they were siuccessful.  It all boils down to how you feel about signing a a false statement.

Down the road, you will have to be paying yourself a qualifying salary - in your case, I believe it will soon have to be 60,000 baht per month - and paying taxes on that income.  You will also have to employ (or at least pay monthly social fund contributions equal to 8% of the salary of) four Thai employees.  You will need a bookkeeper, and will have to mkae monthy submissions to Revenue Department.  You will have to maintain a formal office - with company sign outside,and occupancy by your company formally certified by the landord.

Figure 60,000 baht to get company registered, work permit, and extended entry permit, then 40,000 - 100,000 to get office established (including computer, software, phone and rental deposits - some of which are refundable), and then 25,000 baht per month to opertae - not counting any actual salaries paid.

Although you can get started without paying in most of your registered capital, once you have to start submitting financial statements to obtain work permit renewals, your company finances need to appear pretty solid.

Good luck!

Steve Sykes

Mananging Director

Indo-Siam Group

[email protected]

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Meadish ...how does your translation work come in and go out ? Is it Swedish / English / Swedish ?

[kwiz117]

Dr. Patpong has asked a very valid question here.

I do not think officer will issue you a work permit based on your profession as a translator unless you can translate Thai/English/Thai.

I also do not think they will simply beleive you if you try to say that you translate English/Thai/English simply with the intention of getting a work permit and staying in Thailand.

They may ask you to produce valid proof or most likely some paper qualification like TEFL Certificate for English Teaching, to prove that you are competent in Translating English/Thai/English.

Further, they will also concider the profession you have indicated is under "Prohibited Professions for Alians" in Thailand and if not, "why a Thai people can not do the profession that you have intend to do in Thailand?".

I know a person who formed a company for "Import and Export" [Trading] and failed to obtain a work permit due to the fact of many Thai People are capable to do this job in Thailand.

One "off the record" suggestion for you is to target a business that not much thai people can do; for example  developing an advance software package for translators Thai/English/Thai by setting a Company in Thailand and employing Thai people; than directly applying for this profession.

Good luck!