Visa and work permit for IT freelancer? How to run online business from Thailand legally?

[kall3]

Hey all,

I’m a 27 year old internet entrepreneur from Sweden and want to relocate to Thailand soon. I run an online business since the past five years from Sweden and pay taxes there, but I am fully location independent and able to run it from anywhere.

I have been trying to find out about visa options for IT freelancers and ways how I can run my business legally from Thailand but it all seems very confusing. There doesn’t seem to be such thing as a freelancer work permit or visa?

I have some contacts who live in Thailand and run similar businesses, but they are staying on tourist visas and doing visa runs. They also said there is no such thing as a digital nomad visa. I really wouldn’t like to do this as I want to stay long term in Thailand and also be legal with my business.

I also looked at setting up a Thai company but it seems like a complicated option.

What are the best ways to stay long term and run my online business legally from Thailand?

[stoneyboy]

Obtain a Thai Elite visa and tell no one about your online business,work comfortably from your own home and go about your business as you would if living in Sweden.

Good luck.

[PoorSucker]

Only way is to form a Thai Company with 2 MBaht in capital and employ four Thais.

[chainarong]

Running a online business out of Sweden sounds more realistic than out of Thailand , for one Thailand's reputation puts people in the west off when you do a CC transaction ,so they don't buy , another is some places have a credit block on Thailand and wont deal with anyone on the net from Thailand , that is unfortunately how the world see's Thailand , corrupt, also if a Thai partner takes you to the cleaners , you wont get much sympathy, I don't know what your online business is, but unless you actually know Thailand ,and I mean 10 years or more , its best to stay located in Sweden, and its cooler.

[jacksam]

Best way is to do as all other DN. Don't talk about it. Just continue what your doing in Sweden.

[WhizBang]

Thai Elite visa, or marry a Thai. Cost is probably about the same initially, but the marrage WILL cost much more in the long run.

As advised... say NOTHING to ANYONE about your online activity.

BUT, with the plans for the Great Firewall of Thailand proceeding and the new plan to intercept ALL encrypted traffic and decipher it, I would have VERY serious doubts about operating any kind of digital business here.

[DUS]

Quote from the OP: " I really wouldn’t like to do this as I want to stay long term in Thailand and also be legal with my business."

So neither Thai Elite nor other TR visas as recommended by some will help the OP. Only PoorSucker´s advice would enable the OP to achieve what he´s after......

[lkv]

BUT, with the plans for the Great Firewall of Thailand proceeding and the new plan to intercept ALL encrypted traffic and decipher it, I would have VERY serious doubts about operating any kind of digital business here.

I don't know how succesful the intercepting will be, but I wish them the best of luck with the decryption.

I advise they change their Government passwords first though. No more "password" and "123456".