Again: Setting Up Own Deli Shop - Legal Papers?

[schpagaat]

Hi - this is my first post - and I know some of my questions are already answered in this forum, but some information is confusing, so please allow me to ask anew:

Am about to set up a Deli Shop in Bangkok - but want to have legal control over it. A farang here assured me it's no problem to have your restaurant, jut get the permit for 1,500 baht a year and pay taxes according to the size of your resto's sign ... Well, can't be that easy, can it.

I already have a work permit here - but in a different field - and a Residency Permit.

So to set up my own food place, what guidelines to follow? Many thanks for any inputs, this legal stuff can be confusing for a newcomer.

Cheers! Schpagaat

Edited July 11, 2010 by schpagaat

[oldgeezer]

If you are a newcomer here, I assume you are not a thai citizen. In that case you most certainly do not have a residency permit. I am no expert, but my understanding is you cannot own a business outright without thai partners, and your present work permit is of no use in your own business.

I trust those more familiar with business here will ring in on this one.

[BigPanda]

... A restaurant is a business. So you must open a Company first and register your restaurant under your company. The government will inspect your restaurant and give you a license to operate it for a small fee. You must also apply for alcohol license. About the sign, its an other permit depending on the sign you are making, if its a big neon one, you will have to pay some fee to local green police if my memory is correct.

But as your work permit, this has nothing to do with opening a restaurant. If you have a teaching working permit or whatever why would it matter ? Its only about opening your company first. That can be done for quiet cheap, and if you need thai partner, just go to a local accountant and they will set up all for you. And for resident permit, that means nothing, why would the local authorities care if the owner is living in Cuba or Thailand, as long as the restaurant is registered properly.

Good luck, restaurant is a fun business and its simple to open but do it the right way otherwise you will have headaches!

[absolutelyBangkok]

Good luck!

It's also different if you want a work permit for yourself as a foreigner, I guess then it cannot be done for quite cheap as BigPanda says ...

Edited July 11, 2010 by absolutelyBangkok

[schpagaat]

I mean legal newcomer oldgeezer...

Tks BigPanda - and yes, that would be the next question, so technically without a work permit for myself I wouldn't be allowed to do anything in my own restaurant.

The problem doesn't seem to be the setting up of the restaurant per se, but that the foreign owner can take an active role in it - or is really just the owner.