Best Solution To Stay In Thailand?

[DocHolliday2006]

Hey guys. I flew into Thailand a few days back, but I already know that this is the place for me. Sun, fruit, affordable living.

I've started a web-based business, and I can afford to live here while I increase my income. Yet unlike Bali, where I previously was, the internet speed/availability makes it a place that I can get a lot of work done.

So I assume that they gave me a standard 30-day entry visa at the airport, but for some reason my visa was stamped with "until 13 Feb 2011". I arrived Jan 15...so they just eliminated 2 days?

Anyway, I know I want to stay for a long time while I build up my business, but the whole visa situation is a giant pain.

Is there any way for me to extend my visa while staying in Thailand, or must I leave? If I have to leave, where is the best place to go?

Can I get a longer work visa because I work online? Do I have to have a certain amount of income?

Is the 60-day the best I can get?

What's your best advice?

Thanks.

[pjclark1]

Depends how old you are.

Over 50,

retirement extension (800kbht in a Thai bank)

under 50,

get married to a Thai lady, marriage extension (400kbht in a Thai bank)

or buy yourself a language course, etc, educational VISA (Walen 24kbht)

[Jingthing]

You might also look into Cambodia. Not sure about the internet speeds, but there it would be a breeze to stay years and years doing what you want to do. In Thailand, you are in for a constant permission to stay hassle.

Your 30 day stamp date sounds OK. Consult a calender and ... count.

[DocHolliday2006]

I'm under 50 and have no interest in marriage to a Thai lady at the moment.

So the educational visa - I take it you have to be able to prove you're enrolled in something? Maybe I could just sign up for a class, get the visa, and then leave the class?

Depends how old you are.

Over 50,

retirement extension (800kbht in a Thai bank)

under 50,

get married to a Thai lady, marriage extension (400kbht in a Thai bank)

or buy yourself a language course, etc, educational VISA (Walen 24kbht)

[DocHolliday2006]

Ha ha. Woops. Sorry. My bad.

You might also look into Cambodia. Not sure about the internet speeds, but there it would be a breeze to stay years and years doing what you want to do. In Thailand, you are in for a constant permission to stay hassle.

Your 30 day stamp date sounds OK. Consult a calender and ... count.

[Jingthing]

With the ED visa you must actively go to class or you will lose your permission stay rather rapidly. The school will even grass on you.

Like I said, consider Cambodia. I hear they have sun and fruit there as well.

[jdinasia]

Not to mention shadier NGO's and a goodly amount of unexploded ordnance in Cambodia! If Cambodia was as decent of a destination this website would have a different name Since you asked how to stay in Thailand ........

The Non-Imm-ED visa is workable --- 4-6 hours of class a week (and a class that if you DO stay here any amount of time will make your life easier.

The other advice would be .... if you want to build your business. Stay out of the bars and don't become an alcoholic

[Jingthing]

I agree the ED visa is a good option for the OP if he needs to stay in Thailand. But it's hardly a hassle free or maintenance free option (as it is obvious that is what the OP wants and it does NOT exist here) compared to the Cambodia annual travel agent obtained visa. Also note, it is illegal to work in Thailand on the ED visa so he would need to conceal that from immigration. No such problem in Cambodia.

[MacWalen]

Schools providing ED visa assistance generally take very good care of their students. There is no hassle, learning some Thai can only benefit anybody wanting to stay in Thailand longer. I do not know much about Cambodia but Thailand is certainly a place to be for a lot of us.

Walen School

[MacWalen]

With the ED visa you must actively go to class or you will lose your permission stay rather rapidly. The school will even grass on you.

Like I said, consider Cambodia. I hear they have sun and fruit there as well.

Learning Thai at a Thai school is not very intensive. 4 lessons a week. Not that much. Also I have never heard of a Thai school not wanting to take good care of their students. If students for good reasons miss some of the classes it is not such a big deal as long as their attendance is reasonable.

Walen School - ED visa assistance

www.thaiwalen.com

[jdinasia]

one acronym Mac, CMULI --- a school that didn't take care of their students (granted it was subbed out to a cheesy vendor .... but...)

[MacWalen]

one acronym Mac, CMULI --- a school that didn't take care of their students (granted it was subbed out to a cheesy vendor .... but...)

Yes, but that was a very rare occurrence. In most cases schools do take good care. CMULI was the first documented case where things went terribly wrong.

[Jingthing]

Maybe I could just sign up for a class, get the visa, and then leave the class?

Glad someone got the opportunity for a well placed commercial plug. However, I was just responding to where the OP is REALLY coming from. Evidence as above.

[lizzy]

You can't get a work permit based on your working online, which I wouldn't go "promoting" either.

Technically it is illegal to be working in any form.

[Jingthing]

You can't get a work permit based on your working online, which I wouldn't go "promoting" either.

Technically it is illegal to be working in any form.

Well, you could if you went through the trouble and great expense of starting a Thai business and obtaining a legal work permit. But clearly the solutions we have been talking about here so far involve an implicit suggestion that the OP work here illegally. Not that many people don't do this, and many haven't had a problem doing it as long as they keep a very low profile, but it's good to call a spade a spade. Important decisions like this are best made with the lights on.

[jpinx]

Whatever way you look at it, working in Thailand without a work permit and associated visa, etc is illegal and anyone caught will be in fairly serious bother, but it appears to be flouted by many.

The OP could possibly get a triple entry tourist visa from the thai embassy/consulate in his own country which will provide up to almost 9 months stay if one does the extensions and re-entries on the right dates. After 9 months he could revert to a double entry tourist visa which will give almost another 6 months. That is ample time for him to get to know a really good Thai lawyer - just in case

[olsen]

You can register your own Thai Limited Company, get a work permit and a 1 year visa without much hassle.

This is the only way to stay legal and not risking being jailed, fined and deported from Thailand with a red stamp in your passport!

[ozzieovaseas]

You can register your own Thai Limited Company, get a work permit and a 1 year visa without much hassle.

This is the only way to stay legal and not risking being jailed, fined and deported from Thailand with a red stamp in your passport!

Would'nt this involve the OP spending millions of baht and having to employ a certain number of Thai nationals?

I hardly think his internet business is that lucrative that he could afford to follow the route you suggested and still turn a profit.

[Jingthing]

You can register your own Thai Limited Company, get a work permit and a 1 year visa without much hassle.

This is the only way to stay legal and not risking being jailed, fined and deported from Thailand with a red stamp in your passport!

Would'nt this involve the OP spending millions of baht and having to employ a certain number of Thai nationals?

I hardly think his internet business is that lucrative that he could afford to follow the route you suggested and still turn a profit.

He said without much hassle; he didn't say without much money. Indeed, it would be rare for a casual solo internet operator here based in Thailand doing all their business outside Thailand to establish themselves legally as suggested above. I am not even sure if the "without much hassle" part is actually true in the case of the proposed business, we would have to know more details of the plan and probably the advice of a lawyer to determine that.

Bottom line --

- yes the ED visa is relatively easy (for Thailand) but you must go to class and follow the immigration rules to a T, but in that case you would be working illegally (which lots of people do, but that doesn't mean we should go so far as recommend it to you)

- working legally would almost definitely be very impractical for your situation

Spring in Phnom Penh?

[ozzieovaseas]

^^ I get your point JT, as far as the letter of the law goes...but really, if the guy is on a laptop in the privacy of his own appartment, doing whatever, im sure the chances of him getting into trouble are a lot slimmer than, say an English teacher without a WP..who is always in the public eye and risking an encounter with a jealous co-worker (thai or otherwise) who could possibly grass on him.

I wouldnt take the risk of being an English teacher without a WP, however i seriously doubt whether hourdes of immigration storm troopers are gonna break my door down to see what i was up to on my laptop..

Not like the guy is leaving a trail like Victor Bout.

[Jingthing]

Agreed, Ozzie. We can say what you said, but I don't think we should go so far as to RECOMMEND someone violate the law. People need to assess the risks and make their own risk/reward decisions about things like this.

[olsen]

You can register your own Thai Limited Company, get a work permit and a 1 year visa without much hassle.

This is the only way to stay legal and not risking being jailed, fined and deported from Thailand with a red stamp in your passport!

Would'nt this involve the OP spending millions of baht and having to employ a certain number of Thai nationals?

I hardly think his internet business is that lucrative that he could afford to follow the route you suggested and still turn a profit.

You don't need to be a lawyer to register a Thai Limited Company. Anyone with the knowledge can do that.

Goverment fees is around 15,000 THB

You will need a Thai national major shareholder, who holds 51% of the shares. Could easily be your Thai girlfriend or wife.

1 year Work permit fee is 3,100 THB

No need to employ any staff, but then you will get a 1 year multiple entry non immigrant B visa, and you will need to do a visa run every 90 days.

If you want a 1 year visa with no need to leave the country every 90 days, then you need to employ 4 Thai nationals.

I managed to do this all by myself with the assistance of my Thai wife.... saved me a lot of money to a lawyer.

We managed do arrange everything within 2 weeks time.

So yes, it is quite easy....and not too expensive.

[Jingthing]

Are people actually able to get work permits to work on their computer at home on internationally oriented internet based businesses? I was under the impression that is a NO GO.

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but I remain very skeptical that the OP's business would be practical to legalize.

As far as people doing things themselves here with legal paperwork, that varies between individuals and their comfort level/initiative. I know some people feel they need to pay a visa agent 20K to process a simple annual retirement extension, which I find silly.

[greytown]

You can register your own Thai Limited Company, get a work permit and a 1 year visa without much hassle.

This is the only way to stay legal and not risking being jailed, fined and deported from Thailand with a red stamp in your passport!

Would'nt this involve the OP spending millions of baht and having to employ a certain number of Thai nationals?

I hardly think his internet business is that lucrative that he could afford to follow the route you suggested and still turn a profit.

You don't need to be a lawyer to register a Thai Limited Company. Anyone with the knowledge can do that.

Goverment fees is around 15,000 THB

You will need a Thai national major shareholder, who holds 51% of the shares. Could easily be your Thai girlfriend or wife.

1 year Work permit fee is 3,100 THB

No need to employ any staff, but then you will get a 1 year multiple entry non immigrant B visa, and you will need to do a visa run every 90 days.

If you want a 1 year visa with no need to leave the country every 90 days, then you need to employ 4 Thai nationals.

I managed to do this all by myself with the assistance of my Thai wife.... saved me a lot of money to a lawyer.

We managed do arrange everything within 2 weeks time.

So yes, it is quite easy....and not too expensive.

This sounds good though somehow a bit too easy to be true (?) Only 18,100 THB total needed to get this sorted? Any links to official government info on this?

[ozzieovaseas]

You can register your own Thai Limited Company, get a work permit and a 1 year visa without much hassle.

This is the only way to stay legal and not risking being jailed, fined and deported from Thailand with a red stamp in your passport!

Would'nt this involve the OP spending millions of baht and having to employ a certain number of Thai nationals?

I hardly think his internet business is that lucrative that he could afford to follow the route you suggested and still turn a profit.

You don't need to be a lawyer to register a Thai Limited Company. Anyone with the knowledge can do that.

Goverment fees is around 15,000 THB

You will need a Thai national major shareholder, who holds 51% of the shares. Could easily be your Thai girlfriend or wife.

1 year Work permit fee is 3,100 THB

No need to employ any staff, but then you will get a 1 year multiple entry non immigrant B visa, and you will need to do a visa run every 90 days.

If you want a 1 year visa with no need to leave the country every 90 days, then you need to employ 4 Thai nationals.

I managed to do this all by myself with the assistance of my Thai wife.... saved me a lot of money to a lawyer.

We managed do arrange everything within 2 weeks time.

So yes, it is quite easy....and not too expensive.

Very interesting, thanks for the info

So, when you say "your own Thai limited company", are the requirements different for public and private companies?

I only ask because ive sometimes read that business started by a farang here must show a minumum investment of some 400 million(i think?) baht?

[jdinasia]

The fact is that an ED visa with extension is fairly painless and requires less show of money than a retirement visa. The issue of him running an internet (offshore company) while his ass is seated in Thailand is 99% likely to be not quite kosher in the eyes of the law. The risk of doing that business is probably infinitesimal (in all the years I have lived here I do not know of a single case where a person in that situation has been bothered by anyone. It is not doing a job that a Thai could do in Thailand (it isn't taking any jobs away). One would assume the income goes into a foreign bank (first) so there is no paper trail. Finally he wouldn't be visible at all.

One could make the case that since the law states that working with or without compensation is not legal, that being online generating posts and polls for a website could be classified as work

[Jingthing]

Don't be shocked, but I agree with you JD. However, he may not want to go to class. His stated purpose is to come here to work his business, not go to class, so he would going to class as a scheme for a visa. In Cambodia, he wouldn't need to play that kind of game. That's all.

[jdinasia]

Don't be shocked, but I agree with you JD. However, he may not want to go to class. His stated purpose is to come here to work his business, not go to class, so he would going to class as a scheme for a visa. In Cambodia, he wouldn't need to play that kind of game. That's all.

4 hours of language class a week? To live in a country where he'll need the language? His stated purpose was not to live in Cambodia, The topic is "Best Solution to Stay in Thailand"

[Lite Beer]

Off Topic and Anti Thai posts have been deleted or edited. Along with the replies to them.

As the previous poster said,

The topic is "Best Solution to Stay in Thailand"

[Lite Beer]

The question asked was Best Solution To Stay In Thailand? not the pros and cons of Cambodia. Or a debate on the problems of land mines in Cambodia.