Freelancing On Retirement Visa?

[maipenraiguy]

Cheerio Everyone,

Need some advice from anyone who has experience, or knows something about, doing freelance work on a retirement visa. I've been living in CM for a time, admitted first on O/A visa and now on my 2nd extension, with expiry in a couple of months. Recently started working from home for a farang doing freelance writing and editing, all done over the internet and payment to an offshore account in UK currency, so I reckon this is all untraceable (?) To renew my visa I understand i just need to show bank account with the minimum 800K baht. but have a few questions: does the money have to be in a Thai bank account or can I show that I have this amount in the UK? Do I also have to show proof of monthly income (min. 65K, I believe), or is it either bank account OR income (obviously won't report the freelance income, which is not coming into a Thai account anyway)? I'm also worried that my Thai g/f could blow this for me (we recently split and she's rather ticked, to say the least) by reporting my freelancing to local immigration. If she's cheeky enough to do this, how likely is it my visa wouldn't be extended (she has my PP number and probably copies of my visa and bank book)? Last question: I'm interviewing with a local company to also do freelance work and suspect they might ask about visa status. Likely they won't bother with a work permit for freelancing but is it also likely they won't even risk hiring me freelance due to my visa status. Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

[Mario2008]

Working without a work permit is illegal and carries a maximum sentence of 5 years and/or a fine of 100,000 baht. Deportation is possible.

No work permit will be issued for people on an extension of stay based on retirement or on a O-A visa.

[Jingthing]

Retirement extensions --

A. 800K in a THAI bank account, seasoned three months (two months for first one); money in non-Thai bank accounts definitely will not be accepted

(OR)

B. Income letter from embassy/consulate showing 65k baht monthly

(OR)

C. Combo of above totaling 800K baht annually; in this case no money seasoning needed for the bank account part

As far as your girlfriend problem, that sounds troubling indeed.

Regarding enforcement of discreet online working with no involvement in Thailand, I don't think immigration is very aggressive about that except if it was illegal stuff like porn or gambling, etc. However, if they are tipped off by a report, it seems probable they would have to act.

Edited May 2, 2011 by Jingthing

[ljerams]

My customer's husband, a Canadian has had a retirement visa for a number of years.

He has never had a Thai Bank Account, he simply shows an Embassy letter confirming that his Canadian Bank Account holds more than the minimum required.

[Mario2008]

My customer's husband, a Canadian has had a retirement visa for a number of years.

He has never had a Thai Bank Account, he simply shows an Embassy letter confirming that his Canadian Bank Account holds more than the minimum required.

I think he makes a sworn statement that he has an income of 65,000 baht a month. Having money in a bank in Canada is not qualifying him for an extension of stay.

[lopburi3]

As said the Embassy letter is used to confirm income - not bank deposits.

[ljerams]

Sorry but according to his wife, he has never had a Thai Bank Account. He uses the ATM to draw from his Canadian Account and incurs high ATM fees for the pleasure.

Presumably he has a pension paid into his Canadian Account.

Edited May 2, 2011 by ljerams

[Jingthing]

Sorry but according to his wife, he has never had a Thai Bank Account. He uses the ATM to draw from his Canadian Account and incurs high ATM fees for the pleasure.

Presumably he has a pension paid into his Canadian Account.

There is no requirement to deposit income letter verified pensions into Thai bank accounts. So, there isn't anything surprising or unusual about your report. That said, sometimes some immigration offices do require showing a Thai bank account (and bank letter) with some amount of money in it in addition to fully financially qualifying income letters (but not related to requirement to import stated income which isn't a requirement).

[merijn]

Like said before the letter from embassy shows income of > 65.000 baht.

How this money is generated is not a issue for immigration or the embassy.

Regarding working on a O-A, this is NOT allowed and you can be arrested by police/immigration if they find out.

On the other hand i know a lot of people who make their money online from their home and nobody cares less but if somebody would likes to harm you and they report you, this is easily done and you will end up with a lot of explaining to do.

[maipenraiguy]

Like said before the letter from embassy shows income of > 65.000 baht.

How this money is generated is not a issue for immigration or the embassy.

Regarding working on a O-A, this is NOT allowed and you can be arrested by police/immigration if they find out.

On the other hand i know a lot of people who make their money online from their home and nobody cares less but if somebody would likes to harm you and they report you, this is easily done and you will end up with a lot of explaining to do.

[somchai69]

Do not do any work with a local company if you are on a retirement visa.

Mario is right!!

It would be a shame to jeopardise your life in Thailand.

However discrete work for a company outside Thailand is unlikely to

cause you any grief.

After all you are just cruising the web, not really working.

Edited May 3, 2011 by somchai69

[Tod Daniels]

I have personally heard and seen situations like this (Thai ex-girlfriend scorned & out for blood scenarios) take a precipitous turn for the worse, when the ex contacts who ever it is she can contact about a foreigner ‘working’ in Thailand. Thankfully, most are not nearly as "well-connected" as they portray themselves to be. Often times, it becomes 'cost prohibitive' for them to get someone to look into it ..

Now, on the off chance she reported this to the correct people, (NOT just run-o-the-mill rank-n-file Police which usually don’t bother to get involved; seeing as it’s NOT their rules and they don’t make anything off it); the proper authorities quite possibly would be compelled to ‘investigate’ or "go thru the motions of investigating" whether you’re in fact working on a retirement extension of stay or not.

In your case I believe the ‘proper authorities’ would be either Thai Immigrations (about a visa violation) and/or the Ministry of Labor (about working without a work permit). .. True, worst case, it can lead to some hefty fines, minor wrist slapping, possible but unlikely deportation. ..I’ve no first hand experience of things escalating to that degree unless you run amuck as in you’re REALLY ‘muck-running’.

I don’t know how much grief your personal situation could actually cause you as none of the income is deposited into a Thai bank. Still it could be worrisome and/or troublesome given the “open-for-interpretation” ways the Thai rules governing what actually constitutes ‘work’ here can be read.

As the labor rules are written, I personally think EVERY single poster on here who puts ANY helpful advice (and lives here too) could possibly be in violation of ‘working without a permit’ in Thailand, lol..

Wish I had the answers for you, really. Good Luck though, and let us know how it pans out eventually.

Edited May 3, 2011 by tod-daniels