Bar Ownership, What Type Visa?

[Satcommlee]

And if you still want to do it, be aware that the Men in Brown like to observe bar owners and catch them in the act of working (which can be as little as bringing a beer to a customer) and haress them.

Meeting and greeting customers is also a common reason for immigration to nick you.

[Tatsujin]

As I've said many times, when it comes to Thailand:

To make a small fortune in Thailand, start with a large one.

Enough said.

[Frank James]

I must say, this topic has brought forth a lot of USEFUL information and advice. I think most of us (males) have dreamt of "owning" a bar in this lovely country. I have a friend who got his girlfriend set up with a bar, and, according to him it is in the black, after only four months of operation. It's in a good touristy location in Chiang Mai, 100 meters off the Night Bazaar Road. No bar girls! Go figure.

I've been there many times, and have never seen more than 4 customers, and they're usually nursing a Chang, it seems.

Good Luck (CHOK DEE!) to you, Mate, if after reading all of these messages you still want to belly up to the bar. For all of these stories of degradation and failure, there are still a few who manage to do all right. Could be you, who knows.

[maxtingtong]

To own the bar, no special visa is required. To work in the bar you will need a non-B visa and a work permit. Only a work permit allows you to work. For extensions of stay from immigration you will need to have an income of at least 50,000 baht a month.

what you mean with: To own the bar, no special visa is required

so anyone with any kind of visa can rent/buy/lease a commercial activity? (without having an active role in it)

Thanks for the informations

[PoorSucker]

what you mean with: To own the bar, no special visa is required

so anyone with any kind of visa can rent/buy/lease a commercial activity? (without having an active role in it)

Thanks for the informations

If you sign the lease, you are working and must have a work permit.

[mahjongguy]

One of the basic tenets of business is to offer a product or service for which there is sufficient demand at a price capable of providing a profit. While it is certainly possible for a farang to succeed in business here, operating a lady beer bar in Pattaya would the worst option. The competition would be (quite literally) vicious.

Find a nice Thai woman who knows how to cook and open a tiny restaurant. There's a market for good Thai food served on dishes washed in hot water. At a convenient location it would thrive. Not an exciting business but a lot better than going broke.

[tragickingdom]

I would advise a Cambodian visa or so. You 'll need it to make your way out of the country. There is only one good side on a bar, and that is that where the customers drink.

[Mario2008]

To own the bar, no special visa is required. To work in the bar you will need a non-B visa and a work permit. Only a work permit allows you to work. For extensions of stay from immigration you will need to have an income of at least 50,000 baht a month.

what you mean with: To own the bar, no special visa is required

so anyone with any kind of visa can rent/buy/lease a commercial activity? (without having an active role in it)

Thanks for the informations

You can invest and no work permit would be needed, but you can't have a part in the daily operations, such a signing contracts, hiring staff, etc. That requires a work permit.

[ozyjon]

And also the Thai government are forever changing the goal posts, (my view) is that everyone in Thailand is a guest of the government and they can tell you to get out (but leave your money behind) at any time so what happens to you, look at Europe, look at Cyprus, Thailand is not immune, i would listen to all of the above, again.

[MrWorldwide]

While I agree with the general 'dont do it' sentiment, I know two bar owners who have managed to keep the doors open for many years - unfortunately for the OP, neither bar is located in Patts. To my way of thinking, it would be the equivalent of trying to open a Patisserie in Paris based purely on your love for all things French. In the cold light of day, the locals will always have the advantage IMO.

[Tatsujin]

And also the Thai government are forever changing the goal posts, (my view) is that everyone in Thailand is a guest of the government and they can tell you to get out (but leave your money behind) at any time so what happens to you, look at Europe, look at Cyprus, Thailand is not immune, i would listen to all of the above, again.

As we are repeatedly told (even us long term expats), we are "guests" here, nothing more, nothing less . . . and whatever "rights" you think you might have can and will disappear in an instant regardless of what "paperwork" you might have.

[smotherb]

now, why do so many of your want to discourage the poor chap, let him learn the only way most of us do. Marry a Thai, they are great housekeepers, and business keepers. Yeppers, you buy 'em a business or a house, and by golly, they'll keep 'em.

Best way to invest in a bar, is to find a local one you like, get in good with the mamasan, go in early one day and tell her to lock the doors and don't let anybody else in. That way you can spend all your money and have a tolerably good time with all the accouterments

[beautifulthailand99]

One of the basic tenets of business is to offer a product or service for which there is sufficient demand at a price capable of providing a profit. While it is certainly possible for a farang to succeed in business here, operating a lady beer bar in Pattaya would the worst option. The competition would be (quite literally) vicious.

Find a nice Thai woman who knows how to cook and open a tiny restaurant. There's a market for good Thai food served on dishes washed in hot water. At a convenient location it would thrive. Not an exciting business but a lot better than going broke.

Bang on the money my wife's sister has a hole in the wall restaurant in Pedang Besar with metal scuffed tables and walls that haven't been painted for years. It's one pan wok cooking on the range and there is a constant flow of visitors from dawn to dusk,You wouldn't beleive the amount of money they turn over which comes in in 20s 50s and 100s. Good aroy cheap food always sells well in Thailand. You need to be conscious though if you open a new place in a mostly Thai area with no local connections - you may get grief from entrenched local interests if you start to do well. If you haven't run a bar before then start running now as fast as you can or alternatively just give the amount of money you are willing to lose to your partner's family - now. You will gain a lot of face and ensure you miss a whole deal of grief.

[harryfrompattaya]

Some would say that you should be on a medical extension, because anyone thinking about buying a bar should have their head examined

Sophon

I say they have a Sucker Visa to buy a bar

[tolsti]

Having looked at the OPs other threads (mainly a single opening statement without follow up) I reluctantly feel that we may have an under bridge dweller here.

If that is not the case, and I do sincerely hope he is a troll, then we have a naivety which will sadly ultimately result in a statistic.

[maxtingtong]

To own the bar, no special visa is required. To work in the bar you will need a non-B visa and a work permit. Only a work permit allows you to work. For extensions of stay from immigration you will need to have an income of at least 50,000 baht a month.

what you mean with: To own the bar, no special visa is required

so anyone with any kind of visa can rent/buy/lease a commercial activity? (without having an active role in it)

Thanks for the informations

You can invest and no work permit would be needed, but you can't have a part in the daily operations, such a signing contracts, hiring staff, etc. That requires a work permit.

Sorry but still don't understand your point. You say that to give some money to gf/wife under the table no need special visa? I wouldn't call it an ownership

[CHANGOVER]

To own the bar, no special visa is required. To work in the bar you will need a non-B visa and a work permit. Only a work permit allows you to work. For extensions of stay from immigration you will need to have an income of at least 50,000 baht a month.

what you mean with: To own the bar, no special visa is required

so anyone with any kind of visa can rent/buy/lease a commercial activity? (without having an active role in it)

Thanks for the informations

You can invest and no work permit would be needed, but you can't have a part in the daily operations, such a signing contracts, hiring staff, etc. That requires a work permit.

Sorry but still don't understand your point. You say that to give some money to gf/wife under the table no need special visa? I wouldn't call it an ownership

It's HER ownership and your ''investment/loss''.

[mxer90]

I've spent 7 of the past 9 months in pattaya visiting many bars. There are so many bars that have very few customers. A few that have many customers.

Even in high season there were many empty or bars with 2 or 3 punters. Many bar girls I speak to say less and less falang coming to pattaya. Western economies, strong baht, others mongering countries, etc, I believe, will see pattaya shrink with regards beer bars, etc over the next few years. Just my opinion, I may be totally wrong but I don't see it as a growing market!! I'd definitely not want to invest if it were my money.

Pattaya is VERY busy, but with tourists from china, Russia, etc. Not good for beer bars!!

There are many bars with For sale signs on them. I wonder why? Because they are making good money. I think not. As so many have said this is a crazy idea. Enjoy the bars, don't buy one!!

Also restaurant is good idea but maybe a little problem with a small food place is needing 4 Thais to be employeed for the visa, WP requirements, etc.

If you have money, i say open a business in your homeland and use the money you make (if you can because that aint easy either) to enjoy Thailand.

Now if you can open a Russian restaurant in Pattaya, now that's a different story. Lol

[beautifulthailand99]

Even if OP is a troll - the message can't be repeated often enough

http://paulgarrigan.com/open-a-bar-in-thailand-are-you-nuts/

NEVER BUY A BAR BEER IN THAILAND - REPEAT NEVER EVER

UNLESS YOU HAVE

Edited April 15, 2013 by beautifulthailand99

[oldsailor35]

First put on your "dream time " cap. Then bring in a shitload of money. Finally return home and apply for bankruptsy. For all this you will probably need a 3 month visa, that should be long enough.

[oldsailor35]

I owned a bar in Samui for 8+ years. It was just a hole that I threw money into, similar to ex wives and boats that I used to own. But, I guess that I never learned! IMHO, you will be very happy the day that you buy/open it and the happiest day of your life will be the day that you get rid of it! At lest it was for me in all of the above "transactions".

There is only one bar on Samui that i would consider buying and that is at Bangrak.

[yellow1red1]

Intsall mattresses directly below all of the balconies.

[Tatsujin]

There is one visa the "op" will need ... it's called the "sucker" visa and readily available to any foreigner with more money than sense. Just ask any bar girl, they'll steer you in the right direction. They are more than happy to help and will tell you anything you want to hear to ease your conscience.

[beautifulthailand99]

If just one poor soul is saved from penury by asking such a simple enquiry "do you think I should open a bar in Thailand" on TVF then real good is being done.

[joecos]

About 7 years ago i met a young guy in his

20`s ,he had met a thai girl (his first girlfriend).

She was a dog, She convinced him to buy a

bar. He was spending his mothers money on

this.I tried to put him wise to the disaster,that

was sure to follow . but he was infatuated with

this girl .I had to leave LOS to return to work

in Brunei , never met this lad again . When

i read posts like this one i wonder how he went

on.

[keestha]

OP. Spend one night in a bar that seems to do well,don't drink, and observe how much turnover they really make. It may seem busy, 3 chaps walking in, the ladies getting on the bar stools to chat with them, the owner sitting there and talking with a customer, easily all bar stools are occupied. But the actual sales? It remains a matter of every now and then one of the girls walking up to the liquor cupboard/fridge, and fixing a few drinks. Compare that to a neighborhood bar in your home country, where sometimes the barkeeper has to excuse himself to rinse glasses, so that he cannot take orders for a minute or two.

[niteowl]

Something no one has mentioned yet:

An acquaintance of mine from Singapore owned a few bars in Bangkok. One, in particular, became wildly successful, whether thru clever management or simply good fortune. Although he had purchased the business, we was only leasing the bar itself, and the property. Seeing how well the business was doing, when his lease was up the property owner refused to renew - thus, the business reverted to the owner, without having to pay anything for it. So, the guy from Singapore made a lot of money while the bar was open, but in the end, lost his entire initial investment.

The lesson here, is that if you fail, you fail; but if you succeed, you also fail, because you will invite envy and greed. The only way to truly "succeed", then, is to just barely makes ends meet.

[Prairieboy]

My wife is building a small 1-2 table pool hall in her village near Amnat Charoen. I naturally want to assist in this venture as an active partner. Will a marriage visa permit this or does one still need a work permit.

[Mario2008]

My wife is building a small 1-2 table pool hall in her village near Amnat Charoen. I naturally want to assist in this venture as an active partner. Will a marriage visa permit this or does one still need a work permit.

You still need a work permit.