I am a New Zealander over 50 years.

Early next year I plan to be in Thailand for an indefinite period.

I have a friend with whom I will be developing some small importing projects and also will do some exporting back to my own country.

Given that I wish this to become a permanent arrangement what kind of visa options are available and if in the progress of events my partner and I decide to marry do I have to leave Thailand to apply for a marriage visa?

Previously I had used Thailand as a stepping stone to proceed onwards to Vietnam or Laos and consequently did my business in under 30 days on a tourist visa .

Understand the visa run concept and have done that elsewhere in Asia but only at 12 monthly intervals , would prefer not to have to go out in less than 90 days .

As over 50 you can get a non-O visa and stay for 90 days and then get an extension. You complicate things by wanting to work in Thailand, for which you need to set up a Thai company and arrange for a work permit for yourself and a non-B visa. The Thai compnay will mean that you need a thai partner, who holds a majority share in the company.

"my partner and I decide to marry do I have to leave Thailand to apply for a marriage visa?"

There is no such thing as a "marriage visa" if you were to marry you could apply for a 1yr extension based on being married to a Thai, this would then entitle you to a 1yr stay with 90 days reporting to immigration either in person or by post. You will be required to meet the financial criteria for this option. 400k baht in a Thai bank account or proof of income of 40k baht per month.

Edited December 13, 201114 yr by CharlieH

Thanks for the comments Mario and Charlie.

Realise that my circumstances are complictaed by the fact that I wish to do business in Thailand . If I was a tourist I would not need to have these questions.

Initially I will need to be inside Thailand to set up the requirements and company structure. The local Embassy website is down at the moment and they have not replied my querry which is why I am posting here in the first instance .

What kind of 90 day visa is appropriate that will allow for business activities and can visa types be changed or varied inside Thaialnd or does one always have to leave to make further applications.

Other countries seem simpler on this subject , I was in China for 5 years on a business visa where one only has to leave every 12 months to keep that visa valid.