Running remote blogging business?

[FritsSikkink]

You will be working in Thailand, which requires a work permit, for which you need to establish a Thai company, for which you need to have Thai staff.

The work permit will only be issued on a non-B visa, unless married to a Thai national.

Not really a practical solution nor does it handle the situation of someone who has a one man business online

Basically Thailand has not set up or clear rules on this because how the hell will they know what someone is doing on their computer ie checking facebook sending emails etc etc it is a very grey area that while in reality it is working in thailand has nothing really to do with thailand if your online biz does not compete with any thai person and your just physically present in thailand.

Why would someone start a thai company and employ thais to get the foreign work permit when the reality is its a one man biz that does not require any additional employees thai or not.

I would estimate there is a massive number of people working online under the radar and have been for years because it affects thailand in NO WAY WHATSOEVER and unless the labor department went on a massive manhunt for those working online I dont think anyone would ever have an issue by doing so under the radar.

DK

Thailand has very clear rules: If you work whether it is paid work or not, you need a workpermit.

There is no grey area but it is very hard to catch somebody working if he does that from home and doesn't advertise or speaks about it.

[JonBreadMan]

A few years back I was working in Thailand, not working as we would see it anywhere else in the world, but I knew the risk and was happy to take it, and yes got court, fine hold my hands up and that's that. BUT my brother who was on holiday for 4 days in Thailand, was done for also not having a work permit as he was talking to me in my own home when they arrested me, so we must have been talking about work, and that is working. He has now invested millions of pounds in other countries exporting from them, as a hole Thailand has lots a huge amount over some small minded man being greedy and getting two not one.

So yes even on holiday they will get you for working in Thailand if they can, was told he needed to fill out a form in the airport cost 100 bht to say he is talking to someone that owns a company in Thailand, even got a high powder Thai lawyer involved he was that incensed, all that did was get a lower fine but the words 'I can tell him how to <deleted> o** where you can not from the lawyer was nice

Also if this has happened to him, how many others get fed up and move there business away from here, a lot a bet

[stormstereo]

How do you earn an income blogging?

Create a popular blog. Have advertisements on there. Presto.

I friend of mine (google Dani Karlsson) have a few hundred thousand readers every month. She makes vast amounts of ad-money. She might also be paid by the blog portal (metromode) she's working with at the moment. Another blog I follow is "Alex in Wanderland", travel themed, popular, ads income.

It's the same thing with hugely popular Instagram dudes'n babes. If they have tens of thousands of followers, they will be contacted by various businesses to promote their products for money. Not rocket surgery.

[DiamondKing]

A few years back I was working in Thailand, not working as we would see it anywhere else in the world, but I knew the risk and was happy to take it, and yes got court, fine hold my hands up and that's that. BUT my brother who was on holiday for 4 days in Thailand, was done for also not having a work permit as he was talking to me in my own home when they arrested me, so we must have been talking about work, and that is working. He has now invested millions of pounds in other countries exporting from them, as a hole Thailand has lots a huge amount over some small minded man being greedy and getting two not one.

So yes even on holiday they will get you for working in Thailand if they can, was told he needed to fill out a form in the airport cost 100 bht to say he is talking to someone that owns a company in Thailand, even got a high powder Thai lawyer involved he was that incensed, all that did was get a lower fine but the words 'I can tell him how to <deleted> o** where you can not from the lawyer was nice

Also if this has happened to him, how many others get fed up and move there business away from here, a lot a bet

Sounds like Jackanory

So your telling us out of the Blue they came to your house and arrested you and him for talking about work also there is more to this story since you imply that your brother exports stuff from other countries.

So my guess was you were working in Thailand exporting thai goods in cohoots with your brother and you got busted, that is a lot different than working online with absolutely nothing to do with anything in thailand PERIOD.

Ok here is a scenario

You are in the UK or any other country,

You create a software or product that does something great, and then set up all the squeeze pages, the sales funnel, the order page etc, then let a network of thousands of Affiliate marketers know about the said software.

They love it and start promoting it to their customer lists,because you pay them 50% commission.

You collect the other 50%'s automatically week in week out (no work involved since it hands off)

You then get an O visa, take a flight to Thailand, sit back while your affiliates make you a ton of cash promoting your software/product while you lay on the beach sipping Pina coladas.

That is how working online works

So all the actual work you do, is answer a few emails, which I guess can be deemed as work

then repeat the process and buy another Pina colada.

Edited June 19, 2013 by DiamondKing

[MrHammer]

It's always a good idea to pay taxes somewhere. I recommend everyone working online to register an ltd company in Hong Kong. Can be done in person in 10 days or 2 trips from no more than $1500 all inclusive with a local address and sectretary/signatory. Unlike Thailand, Hong Kong is very business friendly and lawyers there can generally be trusted again unlike Thailand. Hong Kong has a 0% tax rate for corporate income earned outside Hong Kong.

[mopar71]

I have an Internet business as a writer and blogger that I conduct on my own from a server in the US. I am paid via PayPal and WePay. I'd like to stay in Thailand for at least a year while running this business. What is the best visa solution for me? Do I need a work permit? All I need is an Internet connection; I don't need to hire any Thai nationals.

...

Running a business during your stay in Thailand is work and as has been said requires a work permit.

I think the spirit of the law in Thailand as well as most other countries is they don't want foreigners to take jobs or potential income from locals (which includes tax revenues for both). As long as you don't do that. you'll be fine. If you are working online, with zero connection to anyone or anything inside Thailand, no one will ever know whether you are working or surfing/playing games/reading this forum/wasting time on Facebook. Just don't go around announcing what you are doing and attracting unwanted attention.

Edited June 21, 2013 by mopar71