export visa and working for non-thai based employer

[iwantoutnik]

Hi

So I want to make sure that we don't get banned or break any laws.

The deal is my partner and I want to move to Bangkok (he was there for 6 months before) and relax a bit. To pay bills though - I will be working remotely for a US based company.

However, we want to export products from there - direct ship to customers with business and website registered else where. So each shipment wouldn't be thousands of products it'd be 1-2 of each item and likely to be under 10 items. Ideally, we only want to stay for 6m-1yr and then go back to Europe or Canada. The online business would still run and we'd either go back and forth every 3-6 months for a week or two. During our 6 months stay we'd already have our suppliers found and then hopefully hire someone to manage the orders when we leave.

What sort of visa do we need to make this happen and not end up in trouble?

Thanks

[elviajero]

There is no visa available that will allow you to work.

The only way to legally operate your business would be to have a work permit which you could only get if you were employed by a Thai company. You could set up a business/company but you would need a 51% Thai share holder, a minimum of 4 Thai employees and 2 million baht of registered capital.

[iwantoutnik]

There is no visa available that will allow you to work.

The only way to legally operate your business would be to have a work permit which you could only get if you were employed by a Thai company. You could set up a business/company but you would need a 51% Thai share holder, a minimum of 4 Thai employees and 2 million baht of registered capital.

what do people use who go on sourcing trips to thailand? I highly doubt they all have a thai based company giving up 51% of the business.

[elviajero]

There is no visa available that will allow you to work.

The only way to legally operate your business would be to have a work permit which you could only get if you were employed by a Thai company. You could set up a business/company but you would need a 51% Thai share holder, a minimum of 4 Thai employees and 2 million baht of registered capital.

what do people use who go on sourcing trips to thailand? I highly doubt they all have a thai based company giving up 51% of the business.

I doubt it too, but sourcing customers is different to operating an export business. I would imagine that most come here on tourist visas and once they have sourced their products/customers either work illegally or set up a company.

It is possible to get a non immigrant 'B' (business) visa but you cannot work and are limited to conducting business only. Even that would need a Thai company to support the application.

Unfortunately, Thailand is not the best place to set up shop. Their laws and regulations are prohibitive especially to small businesses.

[Gulfsailor]

Disregarding the illegalities of working without a work permit, without a company you are at a strict disadvantage. 1) your supplier will charge you 7% VAT which you cannot claim back even when exporting the product. 2) you are at the mercy of retail shipping / postage rates. (Check the threads of the recent 200% price increase in EMS international rates).

Good luck anyway.