Is Starting Your Own Business The Best Way To Remain In Thailand, Long-Term?
Thailand is world-renowned as being one of the greatest and most desirable expat destinations. However, for all its natural beauty and alluring benefits, one of the biggest drawbacks with Thailand is just how difficult it is for expats to remain in the country permanently.
In this article, we’re going to look at the various ways in which you can remain in the country over a long-term period, with a focus on starting your own business.
If you’ve always dreamed of relocating to Thailand but you aren’t quite sure if you’ll be able to, this is the article for you.
What other ways are there to remain in Thailand, long-term?
For many years, people have been manipulating Thailand’s relaxed approach to tourist visas. They will enter the country for 60-days, then extend for a further 30. Following that, they would leave the country via Laos or Cambodia, and then re-enter on a brand-new tourist visa and repeat.
Unfortunately, Thailand is cracking down on this approach, making it very difficult for people to remain in Thailand unless the follow the appropriate route.
So, what other ways are there to remain in Thailand, long-term without taking any unnecessary risks?
- Get a job: The first and most obvious approach to remaining in Thailand legally is to secure gainful employment. The problem with this for some people is that you are very limited to what type of work you can do. For example, if you are a digital nomad and earn online, you won’t be able to secure a work permit or long-term visa (although the Thai government is working on a digital nomad style visa). There are however, jobs that you can do in Thailand and obtain a work permit and long-term visa, such as:
- Teaching
- Hospitality
- Sales and marketing
- Working for a multi-national company
- Diving instructor
- (to name a few).
- Invest in the country: Good news if you’re wealthy and have plenty of money behind you and you are willing to invest; Thailand has introduced a ‘Thai Elite Visa that can grant you up to 10-years at a time by investing a significant sum into real estate or business. That said, the amount you need to invest to qualify for this visa is very high and thus not accessible to everyone.
- Retirement visa: If you are eligible, you can live in Thailand on a retirement visa, so long as you have a pension big enough to prove that you can support yourself.
- Marry a Thai national:The only other option is to marry a Thai national for a spouse visa. Even then, unless you have significant savings behind you or you are retired, you’ll need a legally recognised job and pay tax in the country.
Is starting a business the best way to remain in Thailand, long-term?
Ultimately, we believe the starting your own business or buying a business (see businesses for sale in Thailand), is the best way to remain in Thailand, long-term.
Being a business owner grants you a great deal of freedom, and so long as your business is functional and making money, you can remain in Thailand permanently without any legal complication.
Not only that, but you can even buy land through your business and build a house.
All in all, there are many perks to buying and owning your own business in Thailand.
