# Helping out



## Captain Pugwash (Oct 2, 2011)

Hello everyone - hope you're all well!

My Thai girlfriend is opening a small shop (7/11 type) in Non Sang. What would be the legal requirements if I were to help her in the day to day running as an unpaid assistant - basically helping her out but not as a paid member of staff?

Would I still need a work permit - indeed would I be allowed to help out given the long list of jobs that westerners are not allowed to do?

Would it make a difference if we were married?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,

Many thanks in advance,

Greg.


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## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

Hi

No way around this as I understand the laws, married/unmarried, paid or unpaid no difference; a work permit would not be a option; similar to the cases of foreign bar managers getting caught behind the bar pouring a beer - illegal. 



> Employment: Restricted occupations for foreigners
> occupation and profession in which an alien is prohibited to engage
> 6 shop attendance;


Of course reality may be different (where is Non Sang?), but it would only take one person to report you, and a difficult situation from there.


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## Captain Pugwash (Oct 2, 2011)

Song_Si said:


> Hi
> 
> No way around this as I understand the laws, married/unmarried, paid or unpaid no difference; a work permit would not be a option; similar to the cases of foreign bar managers getting caught behind the bar pouring a beer - illegal.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for your response - much appreciated!
Looks like it's back to the drawing board as far as that is concerned......

Non Sang is a few miles from Udon Thani - on the banks of the large Dam (the name of which escapes me for now).


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## Moolor (Aug 4, 2011)

I believe what you are describing would be considered as a "shop attendant", which is a restricted profession.


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## Captain Pugwash (Oct 2, 2011)

Moolor said:


> I believe what you are describing would be considered as a "shop attendant", which is a restricted profession.


Many thanks for your reply - much appreciated!


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## joseph44 (May 4, 2011)

Captain Pugwash said:


> Many thanks for your reply - much appreciated!


Reality is, that nobody really cares what you do. 
People start to care as soon as your enterprise is starting to show off against those of the neighbors. It won't take long before police and or immigration will visit your wife's shop. 

There are ways to get you into the shop working legally, but that will cost you (visa + work permit + income tax) and that's not worth the trouble. 

Of course you can assist your wife: doing the accounting part, guard the shop if your wife goes to the toilet for a few minutes by sipping away a beer on the terrace, set up marketing-strategies with your wife :eyebrows: , etc. 

Just to give you an example of how Thailand can work:
In Pattaya there are many bars paid for by foreigners and owned by their Thai wives/partners. 2 Years ago, one particular Belgium bar owner was worrying about his venue and started to report his Belgium colleagues to Immigration (They are working without a work permit). 
Immigration did set up a surveillance and caught one bar owner red-handed; he was talking to other customers........and that's work!! The 'victim' claimed that he was a customer of the bar, but when the police checked his phone, they found a telephone number of a supplier. Caught!!!

There was more to this story, but fact is: Beware!!


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## Captain Pugwash (Oct 2, 2011)

joseph44 said:


> Reality is, that nobody really cares what you do.
> People start to care as soon as your enterprise is starting to show off against those of the neighbors. It won't take long before police and or immigration will visit your wife's shop.
> 
> There are ways to get you into the shop working legally, but that will cost you (visa + work permit + income tax) and that's not worth the trouble.
> ...


I get the gist - thanks very much for your advice Joseph - more trouble than it's worth methinks......


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