Advice Needed Please

[LozinLOS]

Hi,

I'm a British girl and I'm going to be marrying my Thai boyfriend later this year. I'm going to be coming to Thailand on a Non O visa which I will then change to a marriage visa extension once we're actually married.

He is going to be starting his own small business (Internet Cafe/ Travel bookings). Next year we hope to take on a lease on a beach bar/ restaurant. Ideally we'd like to run this together, which is where we seem to be having problems.

I understand I need a work permit but that I can only work for a company which already has a minimum of 4 Thai employees and 2 million baht capital - however his business isn't going to have that. I also know that certain jobs like Tourism and 'selling' jobs are restricted for foreigners. If we are married would that mean we could run the business together or does the marriage have nothing to do with it? He seems to think because I'm his wife I can work with him but I've tried telling him I don't think it's that simple - unfortunately!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...just not sure how we're going to make things work if I can't actually work in the country!

Thanks!

[TheLaughingMan]

If he's a Thai citizen it would be much simpler to have the business in his name and maybe you not part of it at all officially to avoid needing to hire and needing a certain amount. I would never do this of course, I dont trust anyone, but this is your soon to be husband whom you love and trust completely so....

[LozinLOS]

If he's a Thai citizen it would be much simpler to have the business in his name and maybe you not part of it at all officially to avoid needing to hire and needing a certain amount. I would never do this of course, I dont trust anyone, but this is your soon to be husband whom you love and trust completely so....

Well the business will be all in his name anyway as it's his, not mine, I'm not putting any money into it at all. He just wants me to help with it and he'll pay me - I just want to know if it's easier to get a WP once we're married or if it's just as difficult as it usually is

[phuket Mike]

You might want to post in the Thai Visa and Work Permit sub forum for more help. As you will be married the company would only need 1 million baht capital. I think also if your husband can prove he has paid a certain amount of income tax in the past year he can then get you a work permit.

Some of the guys on here will know more about that than me, especially if you move it that Visa and Work Permit sub forum.

[bina]

well, yeah u should ask in the visa section;

however, what i can say is good luck in getting your thai man willing to deal with beurocracy. what most of us women with thai partners have found out is that thai men for the most part dont seem to deal to well with beurocracy of any sort... also, they dont seem to beleive when u tell them about htese rules and regs... try to find the info in thai to show him (that system works well for me, that way its not me that made it up but gov't officials) and even then, depending on where your husband is from (educated or not, deep country or city)he will assume that it is a -they say that but dont mean it really - type thing... but since they dont read the forum here, they usually dont have a clue and depend on hearsay...

of course the farther away from city and officials the less problematic it is to 'work' but marriage doenst allow u to get a work permit , only a job gets u a work permit regardless of marital status... and somehow i dont think a internet cafe will make the amount that allows him to get u as a salaried employee.. but others have done it, rue fang , i think, (now back in oz/aussi or whichever, she recently re posted but i think she had some internet cafe thing, or maybe im mixing her up with some one else?);

im still trying to work out how i would live in thailand due to this very problem of legal employment (and i cannot teach english, and dairy chef and hotel reception and goat farming are not on the permitted visa list for foreigners; maybe an 'advisor' to a goat farm/hotel/something?....

regardless, good luck, and welcome to the forum

bina/anon

israel

[geriatrickid]

Well the business will be all in his name anyway as it's his, not mine, I'm not putting any money into it at all. He just wants me to help with it and he'll pay me - I just want to know if it's easier to get a WP once we're married or if it's just as difficult as it usually is

Please do not take this as being mean, but the type of shop business you describe is a on practically ever soi corner. It's going to be a tough haul, Before you take on a bar, please spend a lot of time observing and watching. Watch the peaks and ebbs of customers. Try and come up with a budget and business plan if you don't have one. There are multiple entries on the subject in the forums and I urge you to go and look around.

Fortunately, you won't be providing the seed money, but unless your husband to be has all of the money, he's going to have to borrow. Once the pressures of making the instalments, payroll and tax/bribes get rolling, your man is going to take on alot of stress and unfortunately, that stress can be a nightmare for the spouse. There may very well come a day when you will be expected to bail him out and love can make a person throw good money after bad. Whatever you do, make sure he understands that you cannot and will not invest until such time as the business turns a steady profit over a period of time, not just high season. If something goes bad, whatever money you have will be your life raft.

If I sound weighted to the doom and gloom, it's because for every internet shop and bar that makes a go of it, I reckon 9 fail. It can be awfully tough on a woman that's all alone, without her friends and support network. I don't know what your background is and whether or not your are fluent in Thai, but before you start a business you might want to spend more time on learning the language to keep from getting screwed and also for dealing with the various government departments love affair for paperwork.

Congratulations on the nuptials, and I wish you all the best, but always make sure you have emergency funds should the need arise.

Hey, you asked for advice.

[LozinLOS]

well, yeah u should ask in the visa section;

however, what i can say is good luck in getting your thai man willing to deal with beurocracy. what most of us women with thai partners have found out is that thai men for the most part dont seem to deal to well with beurocracy of any sort... also, they dont seem to beleive when u tell them about htese rules and regs... try to find the info in thai to show him (that system works well for me, that way its not me that made it up but gov't officials) and even then, depending on where your husband is from (educated or not, deep country or city)he will assume that it is a -they say that but dont mean it really - type thing... but since they dont read the forum here, they usually dont have a clue and depend on hearsay...

of course the farther away from city and officials the less problematic it is to 'work' but marriage doenst allow u to get a work permit , only a job gets u a work permit regardless of marital status... and somehow i dont think a internet cafe will make the amount that allows him to get u as a salaried employee.. but others have done it, rue fang , i think, (now back in oz/aussi or whichever, she recently re posted but i think she had some internet cafe thing, or maybe im mixing her up with some one else?);

im still trying to work out how i would live in thailand due to this very problem of legal employment (and i cannot teach english, and dairy chef and hotel reception and goat farming are not on the permitted visa list for foreigners; maybe an 'advisor' to a goat farm/hotel/something?....

regardless, good luck, and welcome to the forum

bina/anon

israel

Ha this made me laugh...this is exactly what my boyfriend is like - telling me that I don't need a work permit because I'll be his wife etc etc!! I understand most Thais don't know what is required - but then why would they? They are born in the country and don't really have many dealings with immigration etc! I'm slowly getting my boyfriend round to my way of thinking as he seems to think its all going to be simple...he's slowly starting to realise me working and living in Thailand is going to cause us lots iof headaches!

[LozinLOS]

Well the business will be all in his name anyway as it's his, not mine, I'm not putting any money into it at all. He just wants me to help with it and he'll pay me - I just want to know if it's easier to get a WP once we're married or if it's just as difficult as it usually is

Please do not take this as being mean, but the type of shop business you describe is a on practically ever soi corner. It's going to be a tough haul, Before you take on a bar, please spend a lot of time observing and watching. Watch the peaks and ebbs of customers. Try and come up with a budget and business plan if you don't have one. There are multiple entries on the subject in the forums and I urge you to go and look around.

Fortunately, you won't be providing the seed money, but unless your husband to be has all of the money, he's going to have to borrow. Once the pressures of making the instalments, payroll and tax/bribes get rolling, your man is going to take on alot of stress and unfortunately, that stress can be a nightmare for the spouse. There may very well come a day when you will be expected to bail him out and love can make a person throw good money after bad. Whatever you do, make sure he understands that you cannot and will not invest until such time as the business turns a steady profit over a period of time, not just high season. If something goes bad, whatever money you have will be your life raft.

If I sound weighted to the doom and gloom, it's because for every internet shop and bar that makes a go of it, I reckon 9 fail. It can be awfully tough on a woman that's all alone, without her friends and support network. I don't know what your background is and whether or not your are fluent in Thai, but before you start a business you might want to spend more time on learning the language to keep from getting screwed and also for dealing with the various government departments love affair for paperwork.

Congratulations on the nuptials, and I wish you all the best, but always make sure you have emergency funds should the need arise.

Hey, you asked for advice.

Hi,

thanks for your advice...even though its not technically what I asked for.

I do understand it's not all going to be plain sailing, but I've made the choice to spend my life with my boyfriend in Thailand so I'm preparing myself for whatever it may throw at me.

I'm currently working in Australia so that I can save money, this money will be mine to fall back on if anything happens and I decide to leave Thailand - it won't be for my boyfriends business. I'm also learning Thai so that I have a better understanding of the language for when I return...I don't think it's right if you plan to settle in a country and not have any grasp of the language - which is my reason for learning.

He has been saving to start his own business and his parents are giving (and lending) him money to start the business up. Should he need to borrow any more money his family are more than willing to help me out if need be.

[redfish44]

Hi LozinLOS,

My fiance is Thai also, and also has no clue about the paperwork we need.

I contacted SunBelt Asia last year with a similar query and they set me up with the paperwork for a business visa. When I went to apply for it in Perth the embassy offered me both the non-immigrant O for having a Thai spose and the business option. I chose the business one as one less pressure on our relationship for now.

Good luck with the wedding!