Business visa extension

[westexpat3]

Hello, i have a bit of a complex visa question i hope someone can help with.

I currently have a valid 1 year multiple entry business visa. I am currently out of thailand. I am Canadian. THe visa expires at the end of July. I will probably be out of thailand on family matters when it expires. However i had read that you can simply get a visa extension instead of a new business visa. Is that accurate and can you do that outside thailand?

 

Because of the serious problems with health for family i will be putting my business plans on hold for 6-24 months. Starting a business in thailand once they are resolved. But i will be traveling to thailand during that time to continue to develop business leads and connections so that I don't loose all my connections I've developed. If that makes sense. I believe i had read that you can get 2-3 1 year extensions and then after that you can apply for a different visa or residency that is cheaper and less paper work. CAn anyone explain the options currently available for making the most of the business visa. THere is a possibility of a short trip to thailand if its a benefit in the long term to extend the visa around the end of July ( before or after it expires depending on the requirements i am assuming before it expires )

 

Thank you for your help and suggestions

[HedonisticMonk]

To be honest you're better off applying for a new business visa in your home country.  I don't think you'd be able to extend that type of visa in Thailand and anyway in Thailand they are usually a lot stricter than in your home country about Business visas.  

 

Once you get your business running you get a non-B visa initially for 90 days, then it gets extended for a year and then can be renewed every year as long as you meet the conditions.  I presume you know that to get a work permit you'll need to have a company with a Thai 51 percent shareholder with two million THB registered capital?  You also need four Thai staff and to show tax returns for them for three months when renewing your non-B visa.  There's other options if you are married to a Thai or have Board of Investment recommendation for your company (don't need to keep the 4 thai to one foreigner ratio).

 

Getting BOI recommendation for your company is pretty straight forward if your business is in any way technology, software or ecommerce related.  You could run a brick and mortar store selling buggy whips and as long as you told them you were going to set up an ecommerce site and sell over the internet as well they'd probably approve you.  So consider going down that path and start the BOI process in your home country, the Thai embassy in Canada would be able to help you get started on this.  Amongst other advantages you get a tax holiday for five years with no company tax with BOI.

[westexpat3]

Thank you for the feedback and the info on boi very intriguing and certainly something i was looking into.

[scratchtheitch]

Getting a 1 year extension of stay for a Non B visa is the most complex of all extensions. The required documentary evidence is complex and copious.

 

It can be done, but you really will need a Thai person to help.

 

You must be in Thailand on the day you submit the application, and you must be in Thailand 1 month later when you collect your extension of stay.