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I'm planning to live in Thailand while working for an American company. Advice?

5 points by expat ↗ HN
The specific country is Thailand, but I'm be interested in learning about similar arrangements in other places.<p>I plan to use a tourist visa for 1-2 month stints with trips back to the US or nearby countries (probably Malaysia) to renew. Is this sort of visa abuse risky? How about if the principles of the company are all in Thailand, and possibly employing Thai citizens?<p>What are the biggest things to be aware of when doing something like this?<p>Thanks HN!

7 comments

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ssamuli
This is something I would be interested to do myself too.

Only difference is, I am from Finland, and at the moment I don't have such a job that I could perform my duties from Thailand. Although I work in IT-field, and technically it would be possible, but for some reason my employer does not agree with this arrangement.

Anyways, I will be eagerly waiting for any advice on this matter also.

jggube
A tourist visa is not designed for extended stays, so yes, going in and out of the country not only goes against the visa's purpose, but also, if you do it enough times, it'll probably raise some flags.

The tricky part that I see with your situation is that you want to live in one country, but work remotely for a company outside of that country. If your company has a base of operations in Thailand, you can get a business visa, which most countries will offer.

Some countries have self-employed visas which allow you to stay there with the only requirement being that you show proof that you can sustain yourself financially.

Some countries have entrepreneur visas that require proof of capital and an intent to establish a business in said country.

Some countries have visas for people who want to stay there for a long time, with no other requirement.

Since you're saying the company might hire Thai citizens, some countries also offer visas for people just evaluating a country for a potential place to start (or extend) a company.

I'm sure you've already done your research, but I suggest, if you haven't already, that you contact an immigration lawyer in that country to see what your options are; it's a worthwhile investment, and if it results in you getting the appropriate type of visa, then it saves you money from the plane rides and inconvenience of leaving the country every 30-60 days.

In these situations, especially if it can result in the company you're working for to get involved if things go south, it's best to err on the side of caution.

alkimie
The employer should be sorting this out for you. It is not simple, and the leaving and reentry on a tourist visa is by no means certain. They do catch on.
mbenjaminsmith
I've run two businesses in Thailand and have been here for a decade (a US citizen). If you want me to give you a rundown on how to handle things send me an email at: matthew [at] ramenshoppe [dot] com.

Sorry, I'm too busy to post a long explanation here. The bottom line is it's all doable and it's usually worth making the move here (quality of life can be very high).

pclark
I'd love to see you write a blog post when you have a moment