Build My Own House

[Phuket Dragon]

Its clear you need a workpermit when you work in Thailand even you volunteer.

I want to build my own house in that way I give instructions to labours how to do the job, I transfer my knowledge to labour how I want it , is this work ?

When I need a work permit and not get paid must I pay tax ?

[londonthai]

no, you don't need a work permit to build your own house. As you won't have wages/salaries you don't pay tax

[Cyberstar]

.... I give instructions to labours how to do the job, I transfer my knowledge to labour how I want it , is this work ? ...

This does sound like work. Its like the jobdescription for and instructor - and you even profit from it (supposedly) since you'l become the owner of the product.

However, you are allowed to supervise the work - meaning its okay for you to be on the construction site. Don't know about what rules might apply to the quality of the sounds you might utter while supervising.

Thailand is a country where the exact wording can make the whole difference for officialdom.

[h5n1]

i was looking around this site and was shocked to find that persons think you do need a permit! maybe not to sit about and surpervise - but to have any hand in it at all.

what little i know about thai labor law could see you arrested an dthey would do so happily - even for picking up a brick (those jobs are for the burmese and khmer errrr.....thai i mean).

[Mahout Angrit]

no, you don't need a work permit to build your own house. As you won't have wages/salaries you don't pay tax

My wife had a shop for 10 years and I was reminded that if I helped her it would be construed as work and it didn't matter one iota that you received no wage for doing so. Helping was working. If they wanted to pin you they could, as it happened I did help her mainly with the purchase of stock, merchandising and setting up and decorating but never had any problems from any official.

I also decorated, painted and repaired our house both inside and out so was very visible.

I think just do it and don't upset anyone who might know the rules otherwise they could report you for spite to see what happens. I doubt too many Thais would even imagine you would need a permit to work on your own house if you do

[Pattayatony]

no, you don't need a work permit to build your own house. As you won't have wages/salaries you don't pay tax

My wife had a shop for 10 years and I was reminded that if I helped her it would be construed as work and it didn't matter one iota that you received no wage for doing so. Helping was working. If they wanted to pin you they could, as it happened I did help her mainly with the purchase of stock, merchandising and setting up and decorating but never had any problems from any official.

I also decorated, painted and repaired our house both inside and out so was very visible.

I think just do it and don't upset anyone who might know the rules otherwise they could report you for spite to see what happens. I doubt too many Thais would even imagine you would need a permit to work on your own house if you do

A Dutch guy that lives here in the same block of condo, started to paint the inside of his condo only to be told by one of the so-called engineers that he would report him to Immirgration if he continued.

[wpcoe]

A Dutch guy that lives here in the same block of condo, started to paint the inside of his condo only to be told by one of the so-called engineers that he would report him to Immirgration if he continued.

And, did the Dutch guy stop painting? If he continued, did the engineer "report him to Immigration"?

[Reinter]

So,now a question:

I can clean my room or my house?i can clean my car or motobike?

Edited November 26, 2006 by Reinter

[Pattayatony]

A Dutch guy that lives here in the same block of condo, started to paint the inside of his condo only to be told by one of the so-called engineers that he would report him to Immirgration if he continued.

And, did the Dutch guy stop painting? If he continued, did the engineer "report him to Immigration"?

Yes He stopped and got painters in. The reason Thais will put anyone (Thais & Farengs) in to the cops is because they get a reward.

[Pattayatony]

So,now a question:

I can clean my room or my house?i can clean my car or motobike?

any work physical or mental you need a work permit.

[thai_narak]

this is really pissing me off. i got shouted at in the other thread that i need a work permit on helping my wife in her shop eventhough i only do so only when i'm on holidays in thailand (i work in other country). i do not understand why thai officials cannot differentiate "work" and "employment". they said helping is working maybe because you are moving (like machine) so you need a permit but you are not actually employed (no salary). if you are not sourcing income for moving your body how can you pay taxes? i think they should change the term "work permit" to "employment permit" so it is more clear for them. the word work has a very wide coverage and the thais read it as it is.

Edited November 27, 2006 by thai_narak

[markg]

This is anecdotal but i can kinda see the logic.

Apparantly a "bar owner" in Patong got busted for standing on the staff side of the bar. The cops said he was acting as a "host" and entertaining the customers of his bar and therefore working.

Another one. I hear that the guys who opened the Bavarian Pizza place in Nai harn got closed down after a month because one of them was observed clearing some dirty plates from the tables. He was working and he didnt have work permit.

I know for sure it was closed for a couple of months though has now re opened.

I know the labour office were being picky about people doing even volunteer work after the tsunami in Phuket and said that they too needed a work permit even though they werent getting paid for it.

I would say you may need a work permit if you are going to pick up so much as a brick mate. Just my opinion though.

[thai_narak]

======================

Alien Employment Act B.E. 2521 (1978) (Department of Employment)

Alien Employment Act was enacted to control alien employment and the issuance of work permits to aliens and to reserve certain occupations for the Thai labour force. According to this Act, aliens of the following 3 categories are qualified to apply for work permits:

• Alien who resides in the Kingdom of Thailand or is allowed temporary stay in the kingdom, but not as a tourist or a transit traveller.

• Alien who is allowed to work in the Kingdom according to the investment promotion laws or other laws.

• Alien who has been deported but is allowed to work in certain location in replacement of deportation or while awaiting deportation; alien who has illegal entry into the kingdom or is awaiting a forced transfer out of the Kingdom; and alien who was borned in the kingdom but not granted Thai nationality or was denaturalized, is eligible to work in 27 occupations as stipulated in the Ministerial Announcement.

======================

======================

excerpts from immigration act:

Section 37 : An alien having received a temporary entry permit into the Kingdom must comply with the following :

1. Shall not engage in the occupation or temporary or employment unless authorized by the Director General or competent official deputized by the Director General . If , in any case , there is a law concerning alien employment provided hereafter , the granting of work privileges must comply with the law concerned.

======================

....so i don't understand why the word "work" has a very broad meaning. shouldn't the word "employment" more accurate? some bunch of lawyers are really making life complicated...

Edited November 27, 2006 by thai_narak

[wpcoe]

But, c'mon now... back to the fellow painting his own condo.

If that's a violation of immigrations, then where do you draw the line? Am I a criminal for cooking some food in my condo? After all, a Thai person could be employed to do that. Can I drive my car? After all, a Thai person could be employed to do that. Can I wipe my a** after taking a dump? After all, a Thai person could be employed to do that.

I realize we don't live in a black and white world, but where does one draw that grey line?

[toptuan]

no, you don't need a work permit to build your own house. As you won't have wages/salaries you don't pay tax

The law says nothing about remuneration. It's if you WORK in those blacklisted occupations, whether paid or not, that can get you in trouble. Example: My farmer Thai friend often invites me to join him in the rice field at harvest time. I don't dare. Plus, I'm lazy.

[The Coder]

The laws are a nightmare for do it yourselfers. Apparently you can be arrested for mowing your lawn. Volunteer work for no pay is also highly illegal and the most dangerous because people doing it often are not aware of this. There have been lots of threads on this, like farangs playing a gig getting arrested. It seems if you do anything that takes on the appearance of making money or denying a thai a crack at doing the job, you are at risk of arrest.

[SnakeBite]

I painted the inside of my house as I haven't seen a Thai yet that knows what he's doing. Every old or new construction I have seen, the paint work is horrible and would not be exceptable by me. Forkem until they can show me someone that can do a decent job on anything construction,plumbing,wiring, roofing on any other job in these fields. All of these jobs were done by Thais in my house and it's all slipshod.

[Mahout Angrit]

But, c'mon now... back to the fellow painting his own condo.

If that's a violation of immigrations, then where do you draw the line? Am I a criminal for cooking some food in my condo? After all, a Thai person could be employed to do that. Can I drive my car? After all, a Thai person could be employed to do that. Can I wipe my a** after taking a dump? After all, a Thai person could be employed to do that.

I realize we don't live in a black and white world, but where does one draw that grey line?

I think generally nobody would really bother about you doing it but if you upset someone they could well report you (remeber it's also difficult to know when you've upset a Thai until he hits you over the head).

I remember a guy who ran a restaurant (in his wifes name of course) opposite the police station for years until his wife started an affair and wanted him out of the way, She reported him to the police as not having a work permit then one day when he was chalking up the 'daily special' he was arrested for working.

Legally to cover yourself you probably need it but provided you get on well with your builders, pay them well and dont upset the neighbours you'll be OK. That's if someone else doesn't want your land.

Have you thought about renting?

[bob4you]

I am about to go through the training as a volunteer "tourist policeman" can somebody report me and have me deported for this?

[Lite Beer]

I am about to go through the training as a volunteer "tourist policeman" can somebody report me and have me deported for this?

You will be reported to the volunteer police force, but they will not do any thing because they do not have a work permit.

[teddy_bare]

most BG i take back suggest they will work hard for their money, but since they don't i normally end up working. Do i need a work permit? Or should i call a Thai expert?

[grumpy_old_retired]

Technically, they are breaching the Thai Aliens’

Working Act B.E. 2521 (1978) which defines ‘Work’ as ‘working by exerting one’s physical energy or employing one’s knowledge whether or not for wages or other

benefits’

[tartempion]

I am about to go through the training as a volunteer "tourist policeman" can somebody report me and have me deported for this?

You should let the thais do that for you

[liberty9133]

This is stupid. I had considered moving to Thailand for retirement. Apparently, the government, and one presumes many Thais, have decided to make life difficult for all or most foreign nationals. I have made plans to visit in January. Frankly, I am sorry that I did. Imagine having to get a work permit for mowing one's own yard. There are many places in the world that would welcome the dollars, euros, etc. At the rate this is going, from all that I read here, there will be a decided chilling of travel to the former LOS.

I hope that I am mistaken.

[robint]

Sad fact of LOS is that you pretty much SHOULD have a work permit for anything other than wasting your money here and in theory you canbe arrested (this can happen as shown by jealous locals, wives, girlfriends pratically any pretext as it can result in extortion reward for those concerned - its the Thai way). But having said that most of the time most flangs get away with itbecause noone is upset BUT there may come a day>>>>>>>>>>>>>

small true story

several years ago a couple of brits decided to open a small beer bar near no 3 road, kinda out of the way inthe middle of a bungalow estate. One morning one of the guys came out of the kitchen early one morning with a cup of tea in his hand - no one around so he thought but he didnt reckon on a jealous neighbour with a camera who snapped him. The following day the police arrived and arrested everyone staying in the place (3 bedrooms upstairs). they released the local bgs after questioning and kept the flangs in banglamung hilton. They were eventually released after paying a non receipted fine of 20,000 baht (and kiindly warned that there was a jealous neighbour involved and to be careful)

in todays money that sum would be nearer 50,000 baht and it trashed their life saving severely

So the moral is, dont invest in thailand

[thai_narak]

As said, the word "work" is very broad. Exerting one's physical energy? <deleted>! I can even be arrested by sleeping with my wife....

Who the he*l indited this law in 1978? That guy doesn't have a common sense!

Edited December 4, 2006 by thai_narak