Hi William,
I tried to PM you but do not have enough posts for that just yet. Really quickly though, I wanted to ask you about establishing a bioengineering business in Thailand (not straight away, but in 1-2 years time).
I’ll be working there for the next year or two (sponsored fellowship, visa etc sorted) but wanted to look at longer term options as well like establishing a company… I’ve been up for consulting before and have some great friends there. With great friends, good work connections, and good access to the rest of Asia, I thought I had found the ideal place to do business around Asia (I already do some work in the area but its a long flight from Australia or the States ).
Then I read a few of your articles on registering a company (something I had planned to do) and buying a place (again, something I had wanted to do if staying for more than a year) and have begun to rethink my plans. So, before jumping into anything long term I wanted to ask the following.
Is it possible for a foreigner/alien to establish an LLC specializing in biotechnology/bioengineering consulting (might do some import or export, but more consulting on projects), or would something in that field require 51% Thai ownership? Having a Thai partner isn’t a problem for me as I’ve got a great friend there in the field that I have known for a few years, but it complicates things in so far as working with some other foreign partners.
Secondly, if I can establish this type of company in Thailand, would I be able to take on projects in Thailand (ie could I get a permit to work) or would I be limited to working on projects outside of Thailand? I currently have projects elsewhere, and while Thailand is a pretty good location for reaching the other places I work, I’d like to be able to do some projects locally as well. Another friend told me to make it easy on myself and just get married (he's trying to set me up with a cousin of his ) but I'd rather get things going with my career first, and get married a little later on.
Thanks for the time and advice!