If you are living here under a Retirement Visa you are not allowed to work.

If you want to live here and work you have to apply for a Work Permit. Wether it is difficult to get or easy I could not say but I would think that the intent is to preserve Thai jobs to Thai people and allow foreigners work permits who bring skills that are required.

"All aliens engaged in any kind of work in Thailand must hold a valid work permit, issued principally by the Department of Employment of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare pursuant to the Alien Employment Act B.E. 2521 (A.D. 1978).

The term "work" is defined very broadly, covering both physical and mental activities, whether or not for wages or other remuneration. It is a criminal offense to work without a valid work permit."

In our opinion obtaining a work permit is probably dependant on who you know and who is working with you in that regards.

So to work in Thailand you require a work permit and your employer has to follow guidelines pertaining to your employment.

We see people coming here to get their TEFL certificate so that they can teach a foreign language here and earn income. Too many people are going that route and the income to be earned is considerably less than what you would earn outside of Thailand. Also from what we have read it appears that some of the teaching positions are temporary.

So where does that leave someone who wants or needs additional income so that they can continue to reside in Thailand?


Many businesses I have visited in Chiang Mai are run by a farang and/or wife g/f. Whether or not this is being done legally I could not say for sure but I would suspect that some of these business ventures are illegal.



We suspect that it should be easy enough to start a business and earn income with a Thai g/f or wife or a Thai partner. Just be careful in case it does not work out.

Since arriving in Chiang Mai and watching and learning how things go on here I have formed some opinions as to what are and what are not good business ventures for a farang with some capital.

There are plenty of businesses here competing for the tourist dollar and for the retiree dollar. Some of the most successful are those that advertise the most in tourist publications and on tuk tuk's and red taxi's.

So if you get to know which businesses are doing well and how they have gotten where they are then you can consider doing the same if you have capital or expertise.

Starting a business that is a niche business may work but you have to advertise heavily at the outset to get your name out to the public. That means having the capital to not only start the business but to incur a loss at the outset until your business becomes better known and attracts repeat customers.

Bars and restaurants are the common business ventures and many, I repeat many of these fail. You have to make money during tourist high season to cover the slow low season. If you cannot do that then you will burn thru your capital and then be looking for a partner or someone to buy you out for a fraction of what you have invested into your business.

What we would suggest for someone who wants to be in business here in Chiang Mai is to do it legally if you can and if not then get a Thai partner preferably Thai g/f who you can trust and invest in a business that requires minimum investment preferably a business that is struggling and cannot cut it.

There are many businesses like that in Chiang Mai and you can buy them out at your price.

So that takes care of any concerns about large capital outlays.

We know of some very good business ideas are prepared to work with our clients to recommend the business venture to them and also to help them obtain the lowest buyout price.

One of the most successful businesses in Chiang Mai advertises very heavily and does several other things well and that is why they are doing well financially. Across the laneway is a business that is struggling and up to sale. The business that is struggling is operated by a Thai and does not advertise and does not know how to operate the business.

A good opportunity? Actually we feel that it is a great opportunity. Let your competitor do the advertising and all you have to do is entice their customers into your business, and we can suggest ways in which this can be done. The capital investment required is very reasonable and with an excellent return if run right.

This is one of the businesses that we see having fantastic potential and there are others.

I cannot see someone coming here and not knowing there way around and investing in any type of business enterprise unless it is a website. And that is another area of income opportunity. Website profits will not be taxed if setup properly and we will show our clients how to do this. Also we make the job of creating a successful website easier for our clients.

The best investments are those that can be purchased with little capital, that require little or no advertising, that can generate profits that are non taxable and that can be sold easily in the future to other interested parties.

You can put a million dollars into a business here and have the best business of it's type. But if you cannot generate enough return on your capital or be able to sell it for more than you put in then it is not a good idea in our opinion.

If you are contemplating retiring to Chiang Mai and interested in making money here then just send us an e-mail.

What we offer to our clients that others do not offer is an ability and willingness to promote their new business venture on our website. Our website helps people to vacation in and retire to Chiang Mai and a few adverts placed on the right pages will get you customers.

So not only do we recommend businesses that are up for sale, we can help negotiate a lower price and then promote your business for you.

The bottom line is that your initial capital outlay is very low, you can generate additional and new revenue from the advertisements on our website and your risk is diminished.

Our website promotes restaurants, bars, massage, accommodations, tours and most businesses that earn money from tourists or foreign residents.












Retirement to Chiang Mai

Retirement to Pattaya

Retirement to Phuket




Short and Long Term Accommodations:


For anyone visiting Chiang Mai we have "daily", "weekly", "monthly",
and "yearly" accommodations ranging from:

Fully Furnished Home Rentals
Condo's for the budget minded
and Executive Condo's
SAVE up to 80 % over Hotel rates.

So whether you are here by "yourself" or whether you are here in "a group" we have short and long term accommodations available for you. Just e-mail - admin@retire-on-550-month.com for booking enquiries Condo's, Houses, Land - For Sale "NEW" Condo Accommodations - Short Term Condo Accommodations - Long Term Condo Accommodations - Luxury Condo, Apartments - Budget

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