Setting Up A Studio In Thailand

[Neole]

Hello! I need to setup a recording studio in thailand for translating and dubbing english television shows into asian languages. I have 200 hours of shows to dub every month.

I will need to rent a place and employ 2-3 people on a monthly basis and the recording artists will be freelancers.

Can anyone tell me the formalities and requirements and visa etc information for such a project?

Thanks,

Neole

[arthurwait]

You need to employ 4 Thai people on a permanent basis. 9000 B a month plus ss payments. Pay tax on minimum allowable income 50 or 65K a month about 7 thousand something baht.

You need a non immigration business visa 3 months then apply for work permit and if you get that apply for a years extension on the visa.

You may need to show 2 million baht in investment if asked.

You will need a Thai majority shareholder partner 51%.

You may need tea money when applying for a visa and work permit.

Register company, company stamp etc.

'Apply' to your majority partner for your position and show correspondance if asked. You have to show an 'acceptance' letter.

Your minimum 4 Thai employees details. Shareholder can not be one of these.

etc etc etc.

[Neole]

Thanks for the reply arthurwait! I guess it will be much easier to set it up in my thai friend's name here.

Neole

[richardt1808]

Thanks for the reply arthurwait! I guess it will be much easier to set it up in my thai friend's name here.

Neole

Since you cannot own more than 49% of the company, you will need to involve friends or partners anyway. Whichever way the company is set up, you will still need a work permit, so you will need to do all of the things mentioned above anyway. Without a work-permit you're simply looking for trouble and will be caught and deported sooner or later. I know several people working in this industry and I'm pretty sure that the moment you have any snif of trouble with any of your staff, freelancers or competitors, they would have no problem reporting you to immigration police. I have seen more than one business executive without a work-permit deported very quickly.

[NCC1701A]

I went through this trying to bring film and television work to Thailand. I looked at it from every angle. In the end, for me, it was not worth it. You need to be the client. You can sit in the studio and over see recording sessions and the mix and tell everyone what to do, you just can't physically do it. Your friend sets up a legitimate company, he bills you for all the work done. You pass the finished shows on and bill your people. Maybe you have to buy some used audio/edit software and computers, no big deal. You can fine tune the mix yourself in your condo on a lap top with headphones when no one is around. Proxy references of the shows brought in via hard drive or internet. Completed project files and final mix rendered media sent out on the server. Internet can be slow even in professional environment. When you go away, sell the gear, the company closes down, or maybe your friend can limp along. Good luck.

[dddave]

Many such studios in the "TOWN IN TOWN" village in Lad Phrow, an area with a lot of media related production facilities. Probably best you utilize an existing facility rather than setting one up from scratch. There are some very skilled recording tech's around...and a lot not so skilled so be sure to check their work.

[Neole]

Thanks NCC, thats what I was planning to do - setup the studio in my friend's name, and he bills me for the work done.

dddave - thanks for the suggestion about 'town in town' village. I've never heard of it before. How do I go about looking up studios there, do I just drive around and hunt the studios or is there a web directory of some sort I can use to contact them?

[digitalchromakey]

You need to employ 4 Thai people on a permanent basis. 9000 B a month plus ss payments. Pay tax on minimum allowable income 50 or 65K a month about 7 thousand something baht.

You need a non immigration business visa 3 months then apply for work permit and if you get that apply for a years extension on the visa.

You may need to show 2 million baht in investment if asked.

You will need a Thai majority shareholder partner 51%.

You may need tea money when applying for a visa and work permit.

Register company, company stamp etc.

'Apply' to your majority partner for your position and show correspondance if asked. You have to show an 'acceptance' letter.

Your minimum 4 Thai employees details. Shareholder can not be one of these.

etc etc etc.

Minimum wage in BKK/HKT is 300/day which translates to 8000 per a month - average 26 days worked as no one works 7 days per week, Social is due on this amount - you could even argue for fewer days per week worked (Say 5).

Tax on 50k pcm is much less than 7k with allowances.

No 777/2551 Case 2.1 extensions are not possible during the first two years from Company formation.

With a Ltd Company the 51% majority can be between multiple Thai sharehoders, you have the single 51% majority partner with a Thai Ltd Partnership.

You do not need to pay bribes to Labour or Immigration, but you do need correct paperwork and oceans of patience - those that pay bribes just serve to make life more difficult for the majority of honest applicants.

Labour in some areas may allow you to start up with less than 4 Thai Employees.