hi!

I have a friend in Sweden. He's 23 years old and he has a swedish girlfriend not thai. If they want to try to live in Thailand how do they do with visa? I mean now since the new rules that you are only alowed to extend your tourist visa three times. How do ou get a long stay visa if you are not married to thai? or want to invest several millions.

Is it enough if you have money in the bank to get a long stay visa?

I think their plans is to start a very small kitchen to sell european food somewhere.

Is there any possibilities?

Having money in the bank does not work. Setting up a business and working could be a viable option; but it is not without a high (very) failure rate.

Having money in the bank does not work. Setting up a business and working could be a viable option; but it is not without a high (very) failure rate.

Thanks for your answer.

But setting up a buisness. I think you need to invest several million Baht to get that kind of visa...to open a small kitchen/restaurant doesn't cost that much. So it's impossible then because they are both farangs.

Especially now since the new rule that you can only extend your tourist visa three times.

So their only solution must be to try to work first and get a work permit so they can get their visa that way. work for a while ant then set up the small buisness.

In other words they don't have money in the bank that they can invest? They should really be thinking long and hard about the future before they decide anything. If they do not have education/work experience the chance a small kitchen will provide a lifetime income is probably not very good. From what I have noticed very few such places more than break even and seldom last long. If they are running a successful business now perhaps there chances are better than the average start up but without local knowledge it would be very hard I suspect.

Having money in the bank does not work. Setting up a business and working could be a viable option; but it is not without a high (very) failure rate.

Especially now since the new rule that you can only extend your tourist visa three times.

So their only solution must be to try to work first and get a work permit so they can get their visa that way. work for a while ant then set up the small buisness.

It was never possible to start a business or work if you had a tourist Visa

If, as you suggest they get a work permit first to get a Visa, that work permit restricts them to the type of work and employer who applied for the Permit on their behalf. The Business Visa is by virtue of the work permit and if they were to resign the work they would soon be back on tourist visas or face the same start up problems they would have had if they had started from the outset.

Lopburi's advice is spot on

Having money in the bank does not work. Setting up a business and working could be a viable option; but it is not without a high (very) failure rate.

Especially now since the new rule that you can only extend your tourist visa three times.

So their only solution must be to try to work first and get a work permit so they can get their visa that way. work for a while ant then set up the small buisness.

It was never possible to start a business or work if you had a tourist Visa

If, as you suggest they get a work permit first to get a Visa, that work permit restricts them to the type of work and employer who applied for the Permit on their behalf. The Business Visa is by virtue of the work permit and if they were to resign the work they would soon be back on tourist visas or face the same start up problems they would have had if they had started from the outset.

Lopburi's advice is spot on

For your information.....Lopburi's information is ALWAYS spot on.....!

You do not need to invest two million Baht to get a visa or set up a company. The requirements to get a work permit are a two million Baht registered company and a non immigrant visa. The registered capital can be paid in cash or non-cash. (Assets and service)

95% of all restaurants fail in the USA. Not sure what the % is in Thailand but my wife and I own 14 restaurants and by next month, it will be 17 restaurants and none as of yet are losing money, on a monthly or yearly basis. The key to success in my opinion is location, management and your product has to be good. History has proven year after year, buying an existing business or a franchise has a much higher % of success as you are buying a proven track record.

As for getting an extension of stay permit based on business, this is a very hard permit to get for a start up company as you need to meet many criteria such as an audited report which is impossible to obtain until the year end. The easiest way around this is to have a one year multi entry visa and you revalidate your work permit every 90 days.

Don't start a business to get a visa. You have to have the passion and then live and breathe business.

www.sunbeltasiagroup.com