Have to stay in Thailand whole year to renew work permit?

[fathamburger]

Hi,

 

I'm quite interested in starting a BOI company just to start the ticker on the 3 years of work permits to eventually apply for residency. However it wont really make sense for me to be based in Thailand most of the year. Is it possible to fly in and renew the work permit every year as long as taxes are being paid, locals are kept on staff etc? Is there a minimum length of time to have stayed in Thailand each year to renew a work permit later in the year? If all they are looking to see is that you've paid taxes, thats actually not a bad thing for me imo. Could argue that I just fly in short term each year to direct the Thai division etc which would actually be true. I am looking at hiring thai locals for thai business only. 

[ubonjoe]

It is not only the work permit that must be extended. You would also have to apply for a new extension of stay at immigration and a new re-entry permit.

If your goal is to get permanent residency they might question why you spend so little time in the country.

Not sure how you could run a company and only be here a few days a year.

[richardt1808]

One of the criteria when assessing the application for permanent residence is the payment of Thai income tax. In order to to qualify as a 'resident' for tax purposes, you need to be in the country for at least 180 days in the tax year during each year that you are on your work permit. I'm sure that you could safely spend several months out of the country during the year with no problem, but as Joe mentions above, there would be questions if you were away for extended periods of time. If it were a BOI company, they may be more lenient in some respects, so it may be a good idea to talk to a Lawyer who has BOI experience.

 

Best of luck !