Can you own a business in Thailand if you have a DTV visa?
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TLDR : Answer Summary
Yes, you can own a business in Thailand even with a DTV visa; however, there are restrictions regarding working at that business. The DTV visa prohibits any form of paid work, and without a work permit, you cannot engage in business operations. Typically, foreigners can only own 49% of a business unless they qualify for the BOI or have special treaties in place that allow for 100% ownership. To legally operate your own business, you would need to obtain a business visa and a valid work permit, which requires meeting specific financial and employment criteria.
First of all: unless you are US American or open a very special business via BOI, you cannot fully „own“ any business. You can own a 49% share in a business with Thai partners holding the rest. There are ways (preferential shares) to still remain in control as a minority shareholder - though gray area. Having said that: in order to legally work even for your (co-) owned company, you would need to switch to a business visa and get a work permit. But you would only get a work permit for „your“ company, if that company has 2 million baht of nominal capital and 4 Thai employees hired for every foreigner with a work permit (including yourself).
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