Working online - what visa would you go for?

[Pkl]

Lets say you want to live in Thailand but do not yet know exactly for how long, and you can make a living working purely online, with all your clients being non-Thai.

In this case, would you:

1) Go through the hassle of setting up a Thai company and do all the paperwork just to get yourself a business visa and work permit, or

2) Get an educational visa for 1 year, work online as before but just shut up about it, or

3) Something else, what?

[phuketrichard]

1,no an do not tell anyone

2. get whatever visa you can

[darrendsd]

First thing would be not to discuss any plan involving working without a work permit on a public forum which is monitored by the Thai Authorities

Forums like this are a good way for the authorities to see how Farangs are abusing the visa requirements system

They are not going to target you personally however they will be able to collect data that shows how people are abusing the system and then make it harder for everyone else in the future

[Pkl]

First thing would be not to discuss any plan involving working without a work permit on a public forum which is monitored by the Thai Authorities

Forums like this are a good way for the authorities to see how Farangs are abusing the visa requirements system

They are not going to target you personally however they will be able to collect data that shows how people are abusing the system and then make it harder for everyone else in the future

Sorry, I did not think of this! My question was purely hypothetical. I started to think of this after reading the news story about the American couple who moved to Thailand to work their online freelance jobs.

[tonyPhuket]

First thing would be not to discuss any plan involving working without a work permit on a public forum which is monitored by the Thai Authorities

Forums like this are a good way for the authorities to see how Farangs are abusing the visa requirements system

They are not going to target you personally however they will be able to collect data that shows how people are abusing the system and then make it harder for everyone else in the future

I completely disagree with these words "how Farangs are abusing the visa requirements system?". I think you are trying to say "how farangs are simply exercising their rights within the visa requirements system". Vice versa, Thai authorities should respect Thai regulations/rules to meet that as well. There is a little "but" - is Thai regulations/the rules being fair for farangs? That is my dilemma.

[darrendsd]

If a farang is planning to work without a work permit then that is abusing the system

I am in no way a "Duncan do gooder" however that is the way it is

[arthurwait]

Same same your country. If you have no reason to be in another country except that you want to be then you are a tourist and get a tourist visa for as long as you can. Break the rules on that and then you are an illegal immigrant. Same, same your country.

[PrimeAsia]

1,no an do not tell anyone

2. get whatever visa you can

Spot on