Business Visa

Starting a business in Thailand is not as difficult as it might seem. It's the best way to have the most legal rights in Thailand and also the fastest way to permanent residency and citizenship. Start with a legal consultation to discuss your plans and get your business, your visa and your work permit off to a quick start.

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Who is this visa for?

The Thai Non-Immigrant Visa B or “Business Visa” is for foreigners who want to work, conduct business or invest in Thailand. This is the only type of visa that allows you to work in the country so those of you who wish to work here have to apply for the Thai business visa. If you need to bsuiness visa for a job, then please ask your employer to contact Baan Smile instead.

How long does it last?

The single-entry Business Visa allows you to stay for a maximum of 90 days while the multi-entry Business Visa allows you to stay for a maximum of 1 year.

Is it renewable or extendable?

The single-entry Thai Business Visa may be extendable for a period of up to 1 year after the date of first entry into Thailand at the Thai Immigration office.

Which countries qualify?

Nationals of all countries are qualified to apply for this visa.

Where to apply?

You can apply for the The Business Visa at the Thai Embassy/Consulate in your home country or start the process while you are here in Thailand.

Application Requirements

In order to apply for either of these visas you need:

  • A passport with a validity of 6 months and has at least two blank visa pages. 
  • Recent passport-sized photos.
  • Evidence of Adequate finance of 20,000 THB per person or 40,000 THB per family.
  • Corporate documents of your Thai company:
    • Business registration
    • List of shareholders
    • Company Profile
    • Details of the business operation
    • List of foreign workers also stating their names, nationality and position in the company
    • The map that shows the location of the company’s headquarters
    • Balance sheet, statement of Income Tax and Business Tax
    • VAT registration

Financial Requirements

You will need to provide evidence of Adequate finance of 20,000 THB per person or 40,000 THB per family.

Application for Work Permit

You can only apply for the work permit once you have received the Non-Immigrant B visa. In order to apply for the work permit, you need the following documents:

  • Passport Photo
  • Medical certificate from the country of application or Thailand stating that you do not have diseases including leprosy, Tuberculosis, Elephantiasis, drug addition and third stage of Syphilis.
  • Original passport
  • Letter of employment from your Thai business
  • Address in Thailand

Documents from employer:

  • Company certificate and objectives
  • List of shareholders
  • Application for VAT
  • Withholding tax of the company
  • Financial statement
  • Photocopy of the director’s passport and work permit with a signature affixed
  • Office map
  • Letter of employment stating position and salary of the applicant
  • Employment agreement

The work permit application will be processed by the Ministry of Labor and can take up to 7 working days to be approved. Once you have a valid work permit, you can then apply for a 1-Year Non-Immigrant Business Visa. with Multiple-Entry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I convert the Business into other types of visa?

Yes. You can cancel the business visa and apply for a retirement, education or other type of long term visa.

Do I need a work permit before getting to Thailand?

No, you will need to apply for a  90-day Business Visa in order to enter Thailand, once entered, you will have to apply for the work permit at the office of the Ministry of Labor, once you get the work permit, you will then be allowed to apply for the 1-year multiple-entry Business Visa.

Can I bring my family members to Thailand with a business visa?

Yes! If you want to bring your dependent family members to Thailand they can apply for an "O" Non-Immigrant Visa, which allows them to stay in Thailand for up to one year with you.

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Or email us at hello@baansmile.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Investment opportunities

Yes, a foreigner can invest in businesses almost anywhere in the world - Thailand included.

The important thing is the agreement you have with the local business and that's a one-on-one thing that you negotiate with the owners of that business.

Its a good idea to invest in business that you have some knowledge or experience of, instead of a business where your'e a total newbie.

How to Start an AirBnB in Thailand?

The best way to do it, is to start a company in Thailand.

Then you can buy the properties under the name of the company and rent them as AirBnB as you wish.

But we also know quite a few people who have just rented homes and condos and just re-rented them as Airbnb and make the profit. They never bought any units.

So might be a good way to test the waters first without putting down money. Then when you perfect the business model, you can go ahead and buy units.

The real-estate market in Bangkok is crowded and cut-throat and is a buyer's market. So find a good way to test the waters first so you don't lose a lot of money!

How can American set up a business in Thailand?

Normally to start a business in Thailand, it must have Thai ownership of at least 51%.

But for those American Citizens who want full control, there is the Treaty of Amity. It allows American Citizens to start a business in Thailand and retain 100% ownership of that business.

However such a business has more restrictions that a standard limited liability company in Thailand. The company cannot do the following kinds of businesses:

  • Communications
  • Finance
  • Banking
  • Transportation
  • Lawn ownership or exploitation (mining, farming, etc)
  • Agriculture

The setup of this kind of company is a bit more involved and takes a while longer than a standard Thai Limited Liability company, but it can be surely done.

If you need help to setup such a company please contact us at the links below.

What types of business can a foreigner open with limited investment?

It depends on what you mean by limited investment.

But the surefire way we always recommend, is a business with the skills you already know.

The only thing you then have to worry about is learning the culture, setting up the business and getting customers. 

It's not a good idea to move to a different country and take on a business model that you are entirely unfamiliar with. That's a recipe for instant and painful disaster.

How I can open business

First thing is to decide what kind of business you want to open. Once that is decided everything else is easy and just a matter of logistics.

We assume you know who your typical customers will be.

We assume how many employees you will need.

We assume you’ve figured out how you will market your business to those customers.

We assume you know how much money you will need to cover expenses for staffing.

All the above is 1000 times harder than opening the business itself.

Find a local partner in Thailand and ask us to register the company and optionally prepare the paperwork for your work permit and visa. Those parts are not hard.

How to open a business in thailand as a foreigner?

That's exactly what we do.

Please email us directly at hello@baansmile.com and tell us what you want to do and when. We work with legal teams who can handle many kinds of businesses.

Opening real Estate agency in bkk

Yes, you can open a real estate agency in Thailand, if you have a standard Thai business that is owned 49% by you.

However to trade in land is prohibited under Thai law by foreigners.

If you are just going to be a service that rents/sells condos as an agent, then no problem. You should partner up with someone here to has a real estate license to make things easier for you.

Starting a real estate agency is a GREAT idea and we wish you the best of luck!
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