Can I get a visa to stay in Thailand from being a 49% partner ?

[easybullet3]

If I set up a small business in Thaialnd and give 51% of it to a thai person,, Will get me any kind of visa to stay here which lasts longer than 6 months ?

Someone told me that I can... but I am dubious.

 

if yes, then how big or small does the business need to be ?

Could I potentially set a business with 1,000 baht and get a visa out of it ?

 

 

[elviajero]

No is the short answer

[easybullet3]

12 minutes ago, elviajero said:

No is the short answer

any chance you can elaborate a bit ?

what generally happens when a foreigner opens a business and gives 51% to a thai person... and keeps 49% for themself ?

Does this not entitle the 49% investor to some sort of visa to stay here to administer the business ?

 

Edited February 23, 2017 by easybullet3

[BritTim]

Simply owning any percentage of a Thai company does not confer automatic rights to a visa of any kind. If you will be working in the company, you may be able to get a Non B visa and work permit. However, there are various additional conditions that need to be met.

 

If you have 10 million baht to use for certain classes of investment, you can (with some legal assistance) probably get an investment visa. I assume you are aware of the Thailand Elite program, but consider it unsuitable for your situation.

 

What is your nationality? If, for instance, you have US nationality, there are special options available under the Thai-US Treaty of Amity.

[FritsSikkink]

2 hours ago, easybullet3 said:

any chance you can elaborate a bit ?

what generally happens when a foreigner opens a business and gives 51% to a thai person... and keeps 49% for themself ?

Does this not entitle the 49% investor to some sort of visa to stay here to administer the business ?

 

For an visa concerning investments you need to bring a minimum of 10 mil.

[JackThompson]

5 hours ago, easybullet3 said:

 how big or small does the business need to be ?

Others have elaborated on using an 'investment' to justify an extension - 10M baht - though there are restrictions on what investments qualify.  The safest option is money in the bank, IMO.

 

If you want to use a Non-B for your visa, this requires being employed by your business.  For this, a company needs to be set up with significant capital, and generally needs to hire 4 Thais for every foreigner.   I say 'generally', because if your wife is the partner, some report only 2 Thai hires being accepted at some offices in some provinces.  There is also ongoing debate over how much of the capital used to back the business must be "in the bank" - and/or whether a Thai 100% ownership can be used for company-setup, to circumvent the capital requirements, then the foreigner buys the 49% later. 

[1FinickyOne]

And don't forget all the legal fees and accounting fees that will be required to run your ongoing business... if the loophole were that small, everyone here would have jumped through it already... 

[louse1953]

It sounds like you want a business to get a visa on the cheap.You are trying to rort the system,thousands have gone before you,therefore the tightening of the system.You need to reacess your priorities.

[Old Croc]

7 hours ago, easybullet3 said:

BCould I potentially set a business with 1,000 baht and get a visa out of it ?

 

As a retiree who has to keep B800,000 dead money in a bank account to get a 12 month stay, I would be very pissed off if you could get a long term visa for 30+ bucks!

 

Strange enquiry by someone who has been a member here for 10 years and has 1000 posts!

[JayBird]

If your goal is to setup a business and the visa is just a perk then it's with pursuing.

 

If your goal is to get a visa and the business was a means to this end you may find it not worth pursuing and may find it better to seek alternatives

 

[tgeezer]

As a retiree who has to keep B800,000 dead money in a bank account to get a 12 month stay, I would be very pissed off if you could get a long term visa for 30+ bucks!
 
Strange enquiry by someone who has been a member here for 10 years and has 1000 posts!

I don't consider the 800000 any more dead here than cash kept in UK. In fact the interest seems more because the money goes further in Thailand than in UK.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Suradit69]

1 hour ago, tgeezer said:

I don't consider the 800000 any more dead here than cash kept in UK. In fact the interest seems more because the money goes further in Thailand than in UK.

And the money held in the UK recently took roughly a 14% hit in terms of the Thai Baht (and other currencies). The equivalent of Baht 800,000 held in the UK this past year would now get you around Baht 688,000.

 

[Petchou]

Start business with 1000 baht.   Lollllllll

Made my day.  Brilliant farangs.

[natway09]

If there is a properly set up Company with 5mil Bht paid up capital, trading in the black, along with you being a 49% 

shareholder  & a Director,,, of course they will give you a B class visa which entitles you to manage you money but not work. That would need a work permit which would be given only to non classified businesses on the prohibited list

of professions      

[tgeezer]

Yes I sent 302,560 Bt in April last year and sent then same amount of GBP again in October to make the comparison 263,065 !
That's about twenty rounds of golf!


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[easybullet3]

8 hours ago, BritTim said:

... If you will be working in the company, you may be able to get a Non B visa and work permit. However, there are various additional conditions that need to be met.

.

What is your nationality?

If, for instance, you have US nationality, there are special options available under the Thai-US Treaty of Amity.

i am british.

and my good friend from USA also wants to do the same.

so would it be easier for him to do than myself ?

 

regarding your first point:  if i am a 49% shareholder, and I DO want to work in this company, then are the 'additional conditions' fairly easy to achieve? or do they also require a multi-million baht investment ?  or is it just a few simple forms ?

[easybullet3]

3 hours ago, Old Croc said:

As a retiree who has to keep B800,000 dead money in a bank account to get a 12 month stay, I would be very pissed off if you could get a long term visa for 30+ bucks!

 

Strange enquiry by someone who has been a member here for 10 years and has 1000 posts!

my american friend just sprouted this idea on my yesterday.

he said he spoke to an accountant here that said he "automatically gets visa-rights if he sets up a company with a 49% investment share".. and I told him that I thought his idea was incorrect..

i mentioned to him that he needs 2 million baht and 4 thai staff to get a visa for himself.

but he was insistent that my information was incorrect.

hence I am asking here to verify it.

[easybullet3]

3 hours ago, JayBird said:

If your goal is to setup a business and the visa is just a perk then it's with pursuing.

 

If your goal is to get a visa and the business was a means to this end you may find it not worth pursuing and may find it better to seek alternatives

 

why?

if you found a simple(ish) way to avoid the tourist visa runs every 3 months, whats wrong with that ?

but it seems already (from these replies) that the information I received yesterday from my friend was incorrect anyway.

so it looks like there is no "easy way"

[easybullet3]

55 minutes ago, Petchou said:

Start business with 1000 baht.   Lollllllll

Made my day.  Brilliant farangs.

Petchou:  Are you a Thai person ?   I think you have completely mis-understood the question !!

This question is NOT about making a successful business.

it is about "finding a way to get a Visa to stay here".

Also: Even if someone wants to start a business with 1000 baht, then why do you think this is funny ?  There is nothing wrong in starting a business with 1000 baht!! Did you know that MANY of the most wealthy people in the world started with NOTHING.

if the product or service is good and the price is good, then Anyone can be successful.

you do NOT need to start a business with 1 million baht to be successful.

I can tell you that MANY people close their company in the first few years of opening their business.

and other people will grow their business.

you laugh at 1000 baht business, so it shows your lack of understanding about the world.

Money in the bank does NOT equal a successful business.

Brains in the head and a good instinct will help you more than money will.

 

But, anyway...   the question was about "finding an easy way to achieve a visa". So the idea is about setting up a TINY company.

 

and I am happy about many of the replies that people are giving me.

yours is the only reply that was unhelpful.

But, if you are Thai person and not native english speaker, then ok,, maybe you mis-understood the question.

but you did show your inexperience of business by thinking 1000 is not enough to start a business.

a business does not need to have an office or large shop.

look at the guy "Joe Ades" in new york that sells Potato Peelers on the streets every day and he became a millionaire and lives in a condo on Park Avenue.

(video below)

i hope you learn something from it.

 

 

Edited February 24, 2017 by easybullet3

[ubonjoe]

The only visa you could likely get is a single entry non-b visa if you were a director of a company. But not from a nearby embassy or consulate. They want a work permit application approval letter to issue them.

Getting a multiple entry non-b visa would be very hard to get now.

[BritTim]

39 minutes ago, easybullet3 said:

i am british.

and my good friend from USA also wants to do the same.

so would it be easier for him to do than myself ?

 

regarding your first point:  if i am a 49% shareholder, and I DO want to work in this company, then are the 'additional conditions' fairly easy to achieve? or do they also require a multi-million baht investment ?  or is it just a few simple forms ?

Your US friend, as I understand things, can set up a sole proprietorship under the Treaty of Amity, pay a fixed amount of tax per year, and can get a visa as the administrator of the business. I have not done it, so check with a good immigration lawyer on the details. That option is not available for UK citizens.

 

The full requirements for a Thai business to employ a foreigner are not something that I can explain in a couple of sentences. There are conditions in terms of paid up capital in the business, usually a minimum number of Thai employees in addition to yourself, there is a minimum (taxed) income the foreigner must be paid, and the job description must carefully avoid occupations reserved for Thais. Some labor departments will be helpful in leading you through the requirements but, suffice to say, if you think this will be a cheap way to get a visa, forget it.

[FritsSikkink]

36 minutes ago, easybullet3 said:

Petchou:  Are you a Thai person ?   I think you have completely mis-understood the question !!

This question is NOT about making a successful business.

it is about "finding a way to get a Visa to stay here".

Also: Even if someone wants to start a business with 1000 baht, then why do you think this is funny ?  There is nothing wrong in starting a business with 1000 baht!! Did you know that MANY of the most wealthy people in the world started with NOTHING.

if the product or service is good and the price is good, then Anyone can be successful.

you do NOT need to start a business with 1 million baht to be successful.

I can tell you that MANY people close their company in the first few years of opening their business.

and other people will grow their business.

you laugh at 1000 baht business, so it shows your lack of understanding about the world.

Money in the bank does NOT equal a successful business.

Brains in the head and a good instinct will help you more than money will.

 

But, anyway...   the question was about "finding an easy way to achieve a visa". So the idea is about setting up a TINY company.

 

and I am happy about many of the replies that people are giving me.

yours is the only reply that was unhelpful.

But, if you are Thai person and not native english speaker, then ok,, maybe you mis-understood the question.

but you did show your inexperience of business by thinking 1000 is not enough to start a business.

a business does not need to have an office or large shop.

look at the guy "Joe Ades" in new york that sells Potato Peelers on the streets every day and he became a millionaire and lives in a condo on Park Avenue.

(video below)

i hope you learn something from it.

 

 

You can't setup a legal business for a 1000 THB, you need to pay for a lawyer and need to pay for government fees and licenses depending on the sort of business. You need to do your accounts for the tax office too. Don't slack off other people as you clearly haven't got a clue yourself. You could start trading with a 1000 THB but it would be a legal business. 

[FritsSikkink]

21 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

You can't setup a legal business for a 1000 THB, you need to pay for a lawyer and need to pay for government fees and licenses depending on the sort of business. You need to do your accounts for the tax office too. Don't slack off other people as you clearly haven't got a clue yourself. You could start trading with a 1000 THB but it would be a legal business. 

wouldn't be a legal business