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Dutchie Wanting To Move To Thailand For A While


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Hello all.

I realise i'm not the first one to search for my luck in Thailand, but i hope you are willing to help me.

My situation: 31 yr old, male, dutch, single, masters degree, extremely dull job and trying to live a dream somewhere else.

I have been to Thailand for 4 times in the past 5 years. As many others, i love the place and i´m ready to finish my job here to go to Thailand, initially to Samui.

I am now trying to save around EUR6k or 240.000 THB to get me through the first months. I don't need much comfort and don't require living a luxury life so that should be enough to live there for 6 months at least. From what i´ve read it´s possible to get a 6 month visa and renew that for another 3 months. As long as i leave the country every 90 days. But what do i do when that period is over?

Also, as i won't have any income i was thinking about setting up a 'freelance' company in webdesign and content management services. I am starting that up right now and i think it's possible to get some clients in the Netherlands. That means i will be working in Thailand, but for dutch companies or individuals, without a Thai working permit. I don't think that will be a big problem, but what if i want to stay longer than 9 months and my business isn't running well enough to keep me alive?

Is it in any way possible to get a job in an industry like this, or should i resort to something else, let's say teaching English? That might also be a problem as i'm not a native speaker.

I feel like i'm still young enough to give it a try, as i'd rather live a life of 'oh well's' than 'what if's'

I hope you can answer some of my questions. Do you guys think it can be done, or am i missing something here?

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Visa - tourist visa is all you would qualify for and that allows 60 day stay that can be extended 30 days for 1,900 baht fee at immigration. You might be able to obtain a two or three entry version in Europe (but not more than two entry locally is likely). Currently those in Thailand are sometimes using ED (education) visas/extensions for study of Thai language at a cost of 20-30,000 baht per year plus 1,900 baht every 3-6 months.

Fine print - sorry if it sounds patronizing - but want to be sure you are sure.

Without legal employment/work permit you would not qualify for extensions of stay for work or have access to social security/medical coverage. Make no mistake your employment would not be legal. There just is no provision short of being employed by a Thai company to cover your plans and that might not be cost effective or available.

Most people will be best served using Thailand for vacations - but if you do make the move you should have an escape plan if things go bad as there is no social net here as in Europe. At your age you have many years ahead so plan wisely.

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Going on a holiday to Thailand is something entirely different than living in Thailand. Don't burn all your ships behind you.

There ae many restrictions on working in Thailand as a foreigner and you would have to be employed by a Thai company. Orientate first on what you could do and how the job market is relating to your skills, including your expected pay and the expected cost of living like housing and healthcare..

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I meet people same as yourself everyday here in Thailand, they have come here a few times and right away they want to live here. Nothing wrong with that at all as there are several people here in Chiang mai doing what you want to do. But just remember for every guy who works it out there are 10 who go bust. Think about what you really want, do your research on the many forums and please come with plenty of money as nothing worse than a broke tourist trying to stay without money. Good luck

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Usual comment

Working in Thailand no matter what you do requires a Work Permit.

Not true, company representatives fly into The Kingdom everyday and conduct meetings with potential clients and business partners. They are being paid for this work and there is no need for a work permit to be in place. There a pilots of foreign airlines landing planes at Swampy every few minutes all working in the Kingdom and getting paid, no work permit. If the OP incorporated a Danish entity and came to the kingdom under the auspices of building business partners for his Danish business, working for his Danish cliental and receiving payment back in his home country he would have no problem and should be able to swing a Non Immigration-B Visa.

Here is a comprehensive list of the various other jobs you can do int he Kingdom without a work permit;

The Alien Occupation Law, adopted in 1973, requires all aliens working in Thailand to obtain a Work Permit prior to starting work in the Kingdom. An updated version of the Act, adopted in 1978, describes the procedures for issuance and maintenance of Work Permits and lists certain occupations from which aliens may be excluded.

Work Permit Exemptions

The Act grants exemptions from the Work Permit requirement to the following professionals:

* Members of the diplomatic corps

* Members of consular missions

* Representatives of member countries and officials of the United Nations and its specialised agencies

* Personal servants coming from abroad to work exclusively for persons listed under the above items

* Persons who perform duties on missions in the Kingdom under an agreement between the government of Thailand and a foreign government or international organization.

* Persons who enter the Kingdom for the performance of any duty or mission for the benefit of education, culture, arts, or sports

* Persons who are specially permitted by the government of Thailand to enter and perform any duty or mission in the Kingdom.

Special Cases

While most aliens must apply for a Work Permit, and may not begin work until the permit is issued, the Alien Employment Act does provide special treatment in the following circumstances:

Urgent and Essential Work.

Exemption from Work Permit requirements is granted to aliens who enter the Kingdom temporarily, but in accordance with the immigration law, to perform any work of any “urgent and essential nature” for a period not exceeding 15 days. However, such aliens may engage in work only after a written notification on a prescribed form, signed by the alien and endorsed by his employer, has been submitted to and accepted by the Director-General or his designee.

Aliens entitled to this treatment may enter Thailand with any kind of visa, including a transit visa. The term “urgent and essential work” is not explicitly defined and consequently, the issuance of this sort of exemption is a matter of administrative discretion.

Investment Promotion

An alien seeking permission to work in the Kingdom under the Investment Promotion Law must submit his application for a Work Permit within 30 days of notification by the Board of Investment that his position has been approved. An alien in this category may engage in authorized work while the application is being processed.

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If you have a steady job. Think again and don't throw away a good thing until you secured yourself of a new steady income. Do you have a financial plan?

Clever you are talking about it here. You will get sound advice. Mine is make a responsible plan first and then act on this. Your idea is good and surely managebale for a few months but you already have to have a good plan for after before you step on the airplane. That means: not some loose business idea..thumbsup.gif

Cheers

Edited by Dancealot
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The visa is the least of the OP's decisions.

He needs to think about how he wants to spend his most productive earning years.

Frankly, I'm very glad Hubby and I spent them earning (and saving) money so we could retire in our early 50s here in Thailand.

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Usual comment

Working in Thailand no matter what you do requires a Work Permit.

Not true, company representatives fly into The Kingdom everyday and conduct meetings with potential clients and business partners. They are being paid for this work and there is no need for a work permit to be in place. There a pilots of foreign airlines landing planes at Swampy every few minutes all working in the Kingdom and getting paid, no work permit. If the OP incorporated a Danish entity and came to the kingdom under the auspices of building business partners for his Danish business, working for his Danish cliental and receiving payment back in his home country he would have no problem and should be able to swing a Non Immigration-B Visa.

Here is a comprehensive list of the various other jobs you can do int he Kingdom without a work permit;

The Alien Occupation Law, adopted in 1973, requires all aliens working in Thailand to obtain a Work Permit prior to starting work in the Kingdom. An updated version of the Act, adopted in 1978, describes the procedures for issuance and maintenance of Work Permits and lists certain occupations from which aliens may be excluded.

Work Permit Exemptions

The Act grants exemptions from the Work Permit requirement to the following professionals:

* Members of the diplomatic corps

* Members of consular missions

* Representatives of member countries and officials of the United Nations and its specialised agencies

* Personal servants coming from abroad to work exclusively for persons listed under the above items

* Persons who perform duties on missions in the Kingdom under an agreement between the government of Thailand and a foreign government or international organization.

* Persons who enter the Kingdom for the performance of any duty or mission for the benefit of education, culture, arts, or sports

* Persons who are specially permitted by the government of Thailand to enter and perform any duty or mission in the Kingdom.

Special Cases

While most aliens must apply for a Work Permit, and may not begin work until the permit is issued, the Alien Employment Act does provide special treatment in the following circumstances:

Urgent and Essential Work.

Exemption from Work Permit requirements is granted to aliens who enter the Kingdom temporarily, but in accordance with the immigration law, to perform any work of any “urgent and essential nature” for a period not exceeding 15 days. However, such aliens may engage in work only after a written notification on a prescribed form, signed by the alien and endorsed by his employer, has been submitted to and accepted by the Director-General or his designee.

Aliens entitled to this treatment may enter Thailand with any kind of visa, including a transit visa. The term “urgent and essential work” is not explicitly defined and consequently, the issuance of this sort of exemption is a matter of administrative discretion.

Investment Promotion

An alien seeking permission to work in the Kingdom under the Investment Promotion Law must submit his application for a Work Permit within 30 days of notification by the Board of Investment that his position has been approved. An alien in this category may engage in authorized work while the application is being processed.

The OP is doing webdesign, and therefore will need a WP. Also did you know that stars like Madonna who come here to do concerts have to have a WP? Bet not.

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Usual comment

Working in Thailand no matter what you do requires a Work Permit.

Not true, company representatives fly into The Kingdom everyday and conduct meetings with potential clients and business partners. They are being paid for this work and there is no need for a work permit to be in place. There a pilots of foreign airlines landing planes at Swampy every few minutes all working in the Kingdom and getting paid, no work permit. If the OP incorporated a Danish entity and came to the kingdom under the auspices of building business partners for his Danish business, working for his Danish cliental and receiving payment back in his home country he would have no problem and should be able to swing a Non Immigration-B Visa.

Here is a comprehensive list of the various other jobs you can do int he Kingdom without a work permit;

The Alien Occupation Law, adopted in 1973, requires all aliens working in Thailand to obtain a Work Permit prior to starting work in the Kingdom. An updated version of the Act, adopted in 1978, describes the procedures for issuance and maintenance of Work Permits and lists certain occupations from which aliens may be excluded.

Work Permit Exemptions

The Act grants exemptions from the Work Permit requirement to the following professionals:

* Members of the diplomatic corps

* Members of consular missions

* Representatives of member countries and officials of the United Nations and its specialised agencies

* Personal servants coming from abroad to work exclusively for persons listed under the above items

* Persons who perform duties on missions in the Kingdom under an agreement between the government of Thailand and a foreign government or international organization.

* Persons who enter the Kingdom for the performance of any duty or mission for the benefit of education, culture, arts, or sports

* Persons who are specially permitted by the government of Thailand to enter and perform any duty or mission in the Kingdom.

Special Cases

While most aliens must apply for a Work Permit, and may not begin work until the permit is issued, the Alien Employment Act does provide special treatment in the following circumstances:

Urgent and Essential Work.

Exemption from Work Permit requirements is granted to aliens who enter the Kingdom temporarily, but in accordance with the immigration law, to perform any work of any “urgent and essential nature” for a period not exceeding 15 days. However, such aliens may engage in work only after a written notification on a prescribed form, signed by the alien and endorsed by his employer, has been submitted to and accepted by the Director-General or his designee.

Aliens entitled to this treatment may enter Thailand with any kind of visa, including a transit visa. The term “urgent and essential work” is not explicitly defined and consequently, the issuance of this sort of exemption is a matter of administrative discretion.

Investment Promotion

An alien seeking permission to work in the Kingdom under the Investment Promotion Law must submit his application for a Work Permit within 30 days of notification by the Board of Investment that his position has been approved. An alien in this category may engage in authorized work while the application is being processed.

also the people you mentioned are not getting paid in Thailand, they are getting paid in their native countries.

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I would give it a try, you would not want to be regretting it in 30 years time..

Agreed, look past the sad soles here, there is great opportunity in Thailand and the region for talented people with the right attitude. Best of luck!

Edited by KHR1010
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Usual comment

Working in Thailand no matter what you do requires a Work Permit.

Not true, company representatives fly into The Kingdom everyday and conduct meetings with potential clients and business partners. They are being paid for this work and there is no need for a work permit to be in place. There a pilots of foreign airlines landing planes at Swampy every few minutes all working in the Kingdom and getting paid, no work permit. If the OP incorporated a Danish entity and came to the kingdom under the auspices of building business partners for his Danish business, working for his Danish cliental and receiving payment back in his home country he would have no problem and should be able to swing a Non Immigration-B Visa.

Here is a comprehensive list of the various other jobs you can do int he Kingdom without a work permit;

The Alien Occupation Law, adopted in 1973, requires all aliens working in Thailand to obtain a Work Permit prior to starting work in the Kingdom. An updated version of the Act, adopted in 1978, describes the procedures for issuance and maintenance of Work Permits and lists certain occupations from which aliens may be excluded.

Work Permit Exemptions

The Act grants exemptions from the Work Permit requirement to the following professionals:

* Members of the diplomatic corps

* Members of consular missions

* Representatives of member countries and officials of the United Nations and its specialised agencies

* Personal servants coming from abroad to work exclusively for persons listed under the above items

* Persons who perform duties on missions in the Kingdom under an agreement between the government of Thailand and a foreign government or international organization.

* Persons who enter the Kingdom for the performance of any duty or mission for the benefit of education, culture, arts, or sports

* Persons who are specially permitted by the government of Thailand to enter and perform any duty or mission in the Kingdom.

Special Cases

While most aliens must apply for a Work Permit, and may not begin work until the permit is issued, the Alien Employment Act does provide special treatment in the following circumstances:

Urgent and Essential Work.

Exemption from Work Permit requirements is granted to aliens who enter the Kingdom temporarily, but in accordance with the immigration law, to perform any work of any “urgent and essential nature” for a period not exceeding 15 days. However, such aliens may engage in work only after a written notification on a prescribed form, signed by the alien and endorsed by his employer, has been submitted to and accepted by the Director-General or his designee.

Aliens entitled to this treatment may enter Thailand with any kind of visa, including a transit visa. The term “urgent and essential work” is not explicitly defined and consequently, the issuance of this sort of exemption is a matter of administrative discretion.

Investment Promotion

An alien seeking permission to work in the Kingdom under the Investment Promotion Law must submit his application for a Work Permit within 30 days of notification by the Board of Investment that his position has been approved. An alien in this category may engage in authorized work while the application is being processed.

also the people you mentioned are not getting paid in Thailand, they are getting paid in their native countries.

Yes, and if you read my post and the OP's post you would have understood he would be getting paid in his home country by his Danish clientele. I realize you are the beginning and ending of all work permit knowledge. However, for 12 of my 20+ years in the Kingdom I had to keep my own work permit up until I was granted Thai citizenship. Now I handle my 17 foreign staff's work permits issues. Further, we have JV companies throughout the globe that send engineers to work on our projects throughout the region, and as long as they are getting paid outside of Thailand and the project is not in the Kingdom, I regularly get them Non-B visas for them to work while they are in Thailand for months on end....no work permit needed.

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to KHR 1010

Does he have a joint venture? Is he getting paid here? if he gets paid here he is working here therefore he requires a WP.

I work in a company where Engineers come from other offices around the world, they work here and get Work permits and Visas/extensions.

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Lots of guys become dive instructors where multiple european languages

and web skills make you a hot commodity in Thailand.

I know a guy who owns a dive school on Koh Chang called Scubadawgs and they do

full packages to make you professional. Then you get to live the dream and get a work permit.

Google them or pm me if it interests you.

Dave.

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Usual comment

Working in Thailand no matter what you do requires a Work Permit.

Not true, company representatives fly into The Kingdom everyday and conduct meetings with potential clients and business partners. They are being paid for this work and there is no need for a work permit to be in place. There a pilots of foreign airlines landing planes at Swampy every few minutes all working in the Kingdom and getting paid, no work permit. If the OP incorporated a Danish entity and came to the kingdom under the auspices of building business partners for his Danish business, working for his Danish cliental and receiving payment back in his home country he would have no problem and should be able to swing a Non Immigration-B Visa.

Here is a comprehensive list of the various other jobs you can do int he Kingdom without a work permit;

The Alien Occupation Law, adopted in 1973, requires all aliens working in Thailand to obtain a Work Permit prior to starting work in the Kingdom. An updated version of the Act, adopted in 1978, describes the procedures for issuance and maintenance of Work Permits and lists certain occupations from which aliens may be excluded.

Work Permit Exemptions

The Act grants exemptions from the Work Permit requirement to the following professionals:

* Members of the diplomatic corps

* Members of consular missions

* Representatives of member countries and officials of the United Nations and its specialised agencies

* Personal servants coming from abroad to work exclusively for persons listed under the above items

* Persons who perform duties on missions in the Kingdom under an agreement between the government of Thailand and a foreign government or international organization.

* Persons who enter the Kingdom for the performance of any duty or mission for the benefit of education, culture, arts, or sports

* Persons who are specially permitted by the government of Thailand to enter and perform any duty or mission in the Kingdom.

Special Cases

While most aliens must apply for a Work Permit, and may not begin work until the permit is issued, the Alien Employment Act does provide special treatment in the following circumstances:

Urgent and Essential Work.

Exemption from Work Permit requirements is granted to aliens who enter the Kingdom temporarily, but in accordance with the immigration law, to perform any work of any “urgent and essential nature” for a period not exceeding 15 days. However, such aliens may engage in work only after a written notification on a prescribed form, signed by the alien and endorsed by his employer, has been submitted to and accepted by the Director-General or his designee.

Aliens entitled to this treatment may enter Thailand with any kind of visa, including a transit visa. The term “urgent and essential work” is not explicitly defined and consequently, the issuance of this sort of exemption is a matter of administrative discretion.

Investment Promotion

An alien seeking permission to work in the Kingdom under the Investment Promotion Law must submit his application for a Work Permit within 30 days of notification by the Board of Investment that his position has been approved. An alien in this category may engage in authorized work while the application is being processed.

also the people you mentioned are not getting paid in Thailand, they are getting paid in their native countries.

Yes, and if you read my post and the OP's post you would have understood he would be getting paid in his home country by his Danish clientele. I realize you are the beginning and ending of all work permit knowledge. However, for 12 of my 20+ years in the Kingdom I had to keep my own work permit up until I was granted Thai citizenship. Now I handle my 17 foreign staff's work permits issues. Further, we have JV companies throughout the globe that send engineers to work on our projects throughout the region, and as long as they are getting paid outside of Thailand and the project is not in the Kingdom, I regularly get them Non-B visas for them to work while they are in Thailand for months on end....no work permit needed.

Does this mean its possible for me to get a non B visa because i get my money from Holland and spend it in Thailand? I'm curious how this can be arranged.

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Thanks for all the help guys, i think the only way to find out if this is the right thing to do, is to just do it.

As said before i'm not coming empty handed, i will have enough savings for 6 months and a webdesign company that will earn me some extra (dutch) cash.

I have somewhere to go back to if it doesn't work out so i might as well give it a try.

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Usual comment

Working in Thailand no matter what you do requires a Work Permit.

Not true, company representatives fly into The Kingdom everyday and conduct meetings with potential clients and business partners. They are being paid for this work and there is no need for a work permit to be in place. There a pilots of foreign airlines landing planes at Swampy every few minutes all working in the Kingdom and getting paid, no work permit. If the OP incorporated a Danish entity and came to the kingdom under the auspices of building business partners for his Danish business, working for his Danish cliental and receiving payment back in his home country he would have no problem and should be able to swing a Non Immigration-B Visa.

Here is a comprehensive list of the various other jobs you can do int he Kingdom without a work permit;

The Alien Occupation Law, adopted in 1973, requires all aliens working in Thailand to obtain a Work Permit prior to starting work in the Kingdom. An updated version of the Act, adopted in 1978, describes the procedures for issuance and maintenance of Work Permits and lists certain occupations from which aliens may be excluded.

Work Permit Exemptions

The Act grants exemptions from the Work Permit requirement to the following professionals:

* Members of the diplomatic corps

* Members of consular missions

* Representatives of member countries and officials of the United Nations and its specialised agencies

* Personal servants coming from abroad to work exclusively for persons listed under the above items

* Persons who perform duties on missions in the Kingdom under an agreement between the government of Thailand and a foreign government or international organization.

* Persons who enter the Kingdom for the performance of any duty or mission for the benefit of education, culture, arts, or sports

* Persons who are specially permitted by the government of Thailand to enter and perform any duty or mission in the Kingdom.

Special Cases

While most aliens must apply for a Work Permit, and may not begin work until the permit is issued, the Alien Employment Act does provide special treatment in the following circumstances:

Urgent and Essential Work.

Exemption from Work Permit requirements is granted to aliens who enter the Kingdom temporarily, but in accordance with the immigration law, to perform any work of any “urgent and essential nature” for a period not exceeding 15 days. However, such aliens may engage in work only after a written notification on a prescribed form, signed by the alien and endorsed by his employer, has been submitted to and accepted by the Director-General or his designee.

Aliens entitled to this treatment may enter Thailand with any kind of visa, including a transit visa. The term “urgent and essential work” is not explicitly defined and consequently, the issuance of this sort of exemption is a matter of administrative discretion.

Investment Promotion

An alien seeking permission to work in the Kingdom under the Investment Promotion Law must submit his application for a Work Permit within 30 days of notification by the Board of Investment that his position has been approved. An alien in this category may engage in authorized work while the application is being processed.

also the people you mentioned are not getting paid in Thailand, they are getting paid in their native countries.

Yes, and if you read my post and the OP's post you would have understood he would be getting paid in his home country by his Danish clientele. I realize you are the beginning and ending of all work permit knowledge. However, for 12 of my 20+ years in the Kingdom I had to keep my own work permit up until I was granted Thai citizenship. Now I handle my 17 foreign staff's work permits issues. Further, we have JV companies throughout the globe that send engineers to work on our projects throughout the region, and as long as they are getting paid outside of Thailand and the project is not in the Kingdom, I regularly get them Non-B visas for them to work while they are in Thailand for months on end....no work permit needed.

After you read the OP's post you should know:

  • He and his clients are from the Netherlands and not from Denmark.
  • Webdesign is not on the exemption list, so the OP needs a workpermit.

Edited by FritsSikkink
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And how would i get this work permit, as both my company and clients are registered in Holland?

It is very business -style and personality dependable.

You first responsible step should be contacting these lads. And tell them your story.

http://www.sunbeltlegaladvisors.com/

They assisted me with a successful divorce before but this is not their only realm of expertise..

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