Legal to open an online pharmacy for export ?

[JohnnyBKK]

Hello,

Would it be legal to open an online pharmacy to export the products in other countries ?

The idea is simple, create an online pharmacy with a company in Hong Kong then send the products from Thailand to the whole world except Thailand as it's not legal in Thailand to sell drugs online.

Advices welcome.

Thanks.

[thepool]

Just obtain the pharmaceutical export license. Then pass the exams (In Thai ! ) which will enable registration as a Pharmacist.

Set up and register the business.

Seems to be easy

Edited April 6, 2014 by thepool

[JohnnyBKK]

Just obtain the pharmaceutical export license. Then pass the exams (In Thai ! ) which will enable registration as a Pharmacist.

Set up and register the business.

Seems to be easy

If that is the only problem i can employ a pharmacist in my company, no big deal.

Thanks

[thepool]

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Just obtain the pharmaceutical export license. Then pass the exams (In Thai ! ) which will enable registration as a Pharmacist.

Set up and register the business.

Seems to be easy

If that is the only problem i can employ a pharmacist in my company, no big deal.

Thanks

In that case there will just be the small problem of obtaining an export licence !

[JohnnyBKK]

I can't find much info about the export licence, do you have any link ? Thanks.

[VocalNeal]

So don't you need a business in Thailand to get an export permit? If you need a business in Thailand, you'll need an address, then set up a company with maybe 51/49% etc.

So no real need to have a Hongkong based business. Then if you are to work in Thailand you'll need a work permit etc..

Maybe there is a way around all this so good luck with your venture.

[JohnnyBKK]

The company is based in Hong Kong, that will not change. What i want is to send the products from Thailand because they are cheap and avalaible everywhere. I may need a few thais to package and ship the products. But i want this to be legal as i wont enjoy going to prison.

[thepool]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

The company is based in Hong Kong, that will not change. What i want is to send the products from Thailand because they are cheap and avalaible everywhere. I may need a few thais to package and ship the products. But i want this to be legal as i wont enjoy going to prison.

Exactly ! You wish to EXPORT pharmaceutical products! That requires a license !

Talk to the Thai FDA !

[Mugg]

The company is based in Hong Kong, that will not change. What i want is to send the products from Thailand because they are cheap and avalaible everywhere. I may need a few thais to package and ship the products. But i want this to be legal as i wont enjoy going to prison.

Does your dad know you got his password? These are great ideas , and adding more people to work has to be a big plus in your favor , Press On

[JohnnyBKK]

Thanks, i contacted the FDA and i will wait for their answer. If it can be done without much problems i will do it, if not i will find another business to do.

[kevinsan]

A specific law was enacted in 1997 making the business illegal. This was followed by the usual crackdown on Thai online pharmacies. Several people were sent to prison.

[IMA_FARANG]

Basically , no, it's not legal.

However you may be able to get away with it if you keep your mouth shut about it.

You will still need a Thai work permit which you won't be able to get.

Any "work" whether you are paid for it or not requires a work permit in Thailand.

And that includes "work" on-line.

So technically you must have a work permit, which you can't get unless you have a Thai employer in Thailand apply for that work permit.

But,, in reality, the Thais don't bother to check small businesses selling things on-line.

It is still illegal to sell anything on-line without a work permit, however.

IF someone finds out and complains you will have problems.

The answer therefore is NO it's not legal to do that .... UNLESS you have someone in Thailand hire you as their Sales Agent and you get a work permit as their employee.

And then of course your income is taxable in Thailand.

[pkspeaker]

sounds like your agenda is to sell drugs that don't make you high online like viagra(if you sell stuff that makes you high, ok that would be bigtrouble) .. the vast majority of sites that sell pharmacuiticals online and ship them from various developing countries to mostly western countries are doing it illegally, so even if you get all your papers in order, you'll have to compete with the people who don't and sell alot of counterfeits, like those junk emails you keep getting selling viagra, and even if you get your legal business going it's not easy to convince potential customers that its not a scam or counterfeits..

sounds like alot of work and looking over your shoulder all the time and possibly getting busted even if you thought t was legal, its probably not safe to mess around in that type of business.

[YipYipYa123]

The only drugs that you would make a profit on are prescription only in the West

Try telling the fbi or dea or interpol that its '' legal in Thailand " which it isn't by the way

Any pharmacy selling controlled meds is paying the police for that privilege so you will be chewed up and spat out by the legal system

A few guys are doing 20 years in USA since the crackdown in 1995

One of them has died in prison I believe

[mrowe1973]

Hello,

Would it be legal to open an online pharmacy to export the products in other countries ?

The idea is simple, create an online pharmacy with a company in Hong Kong then send the products from Thailand to the whole world except Thailand as it's not legal in Thailand to sell drugs online.

Advices welcome.

Thanks.

[JonboyBKK]

I actually work in this general field so I can probably offer some advice.

Firstly, your HK company would only serve to accept money from buyers but would not work to get you any kind of export license in Thailand. For that you would need a Thai company. The biggest hurdle for this kind of thing is that any country importing pharmaceuticals requires that the product is first registered in that particular country. There are exclusive agreements all over the world and so you can't just jump in and start exporting to countries where the products are not registered and even if they are, there is surely an agent that is importing it in bulk. So you really can't legally do this at all.

[Suradit69]

The only drugs that you would make a profit on are prescription only in the West

Try telling the fbi or dea or interpol that its '' legal in Thailand " which it isn't by the way

Any pharmacy selling controlled meds is paying the police for that privilege so you will be chewed up and spat out by the legal system

A few guys are doing 20 years in USA since the crackdown in 1995

One of them has died in prison I believe

Yes, this whole thing is a little strange. The company is in Hong Kong, but the drugs would be acquired in Thailand (??) and exported from Thailand ... so what exactly is happening in Hong Kong? Presumably you need to establish some facility in Thailand to acquire, store, package & ship the drugs as well as receive and process the paperwork behind the orders. And since you'd be buying these drugs at wholesale from Thai companies, they'd have to have no problem selling to you and possibly inviting unwanted scrutiny as their drugs are flogged to international consumers.

Then, depending on what drugs you're exporting, you'll need some sort of official permission to work and run a business in Thailand and to export what could be controlled substances.

And of course you'll need customers who are keen to buy drugs from a Hong Kong based business that ships out of Thailand ... and whose countries' customs agents won't get a tad excited as boxes of undocumented drugs arrive from a business in Hong Kong that ships from an unknown facility in Thailand.

I would have thought that the manufacturers of these drugs would have already explored international distribution options with more credible businesses if they thought there was a market.

I suppose this is one step above opening a Gogo bar in Thailand in order to make your fortune. Don't forget to advertise on Thai Visa so we can all take advantage of your swell deals.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Suradit69

[Sheryl]

Short answer: no, it is not legal.

Will run afoul of laws in Thailand and quite likely also in the countries exported to.

[metaben]

Have a look here: http://www.boi.go.th/index.php?page=index

A Hong Kong based company (for "marketing" purposes), coupled with a BOI company (for the grunt work) is a great set up.

Not sure about the specifics of pharmaceutical import/export laws.

[farang000999]

Your business plan makes absolutely zero sense.

If the drug is legal OTC in the USA, why would anyone need to go online and buy it from you and have it shipped from Thailand? Why not just go to CVS a mile away and buy it?

And if it is not a legal OTC drug in the USA, then you are will be a drug trafficker. You think the Thai gov is going to give you a license that allows you to sell drugs illegally to the USA and ship them via the Thai Post? The pharm export license is for the exportation of legal drugs, almost certainly done at a wholesale level.

[ericthai]

Looks like you are trying to find a way to make money and stay in Thailand. Some advise: get a job!

Unless you have a good amount of money to invest to start a company you will not make any money, you will be scammed and conned by both Thai

and ex-pats. I have been working and living in Thailand almost 20 years. I started out working doing Engineering work. I was young and had all the big ideas

how to get rich. My friend and I started a company importing cigarettes into Thailand, our bad luck was this happened just at the time when they passed the law

that cigarettes had to be out of sight behind the counter. No advertising, no marketing no promotions. We then looked at exporting medications.

We contacted several big manufactures here in Thailand, too bad they already have contracts with the US and are exporting to big companies such as walmart, Walgreens etc.

They could not sell to use for export.

Also, companies like Pfizer has fixed prices for countries that is why most medications in Thailand are less expensive than in the US. So someone in Thailand can not legally export name brand medications to the USA.

I ended up going back to doing engineering work. I did open a company about 7 years ago which is doing well, but this was a friends idea and is a niche market only about 5 companies worldwide are doing what we do. That is the only reason we are doing well. Anyway to the point, anything you can think of, other have tired and failed. If you start a business it needs to be something you know about. Best is get a job and be happy that you are working and living in Thailand.

[ericthai]

Have a look here: http://www.boi.go.th/index.php?page=index

A Hong Kong based company (for "marketing" purposes), coupled with a BOI company (for the grunt work) is a great set up.

Not sure about the specifics of pharmaceutical import/export laws.

I don't see the link for the Hong Kong account. I have a BOI company very interested in the Hong Kong information.

It it for tax reasons?