[Mac]

It used to be the case that once a Thai national was married to a Farang she/he was no longer allowed to own property in Thailand. This has been a little relented - as in the note above.

By and large Foreigners are not allowed to own businesses or property in Thailand, but then there are legal ways around it.

In essence the secure way of doing business in Thailand is to set up a company entity with seven Thai partners. You are only allowed to own 49% of this entity but given that you do, and there are seven of them then you will always have control if you choose your partners carefully, particularly if one of them is your paid lawyer. These entities are available pretty much off the shelf for a fee.

Once you have set up this entity you can do business legally as long as you conform to the regulations. You have to "qualify" in a number of ways, but typically it is all about money. If you have a lot of money it is pretty easy, if you don't it isn't.

It is however very very important that you clearly read and understand the banking regulations. If you transfer money into Thailand for a particular purpose then you absolutely MUST designate that purpose using a bank form before you do so. For example if you wish to buy property then you must file a TOR3 form, otherwise you simply cannot use that money to buy property and you cannot easily transfer the money out again.

In all of these enterprises the services of a good Thai lawyer are a pre-requisite. If you do not protect yourself you will be shafted IMHO.

My own personal view of your good natured investment scheme is that it has limited probability of success as a venture. If you want to help this lady to secure her bar then drip feeding the money would probably be better and would certainly last longer.

For example if you turned up and gave her 50,000 Baht as a present I think you will reap many rewards in terms of jai dee and your reputation would go before you big time. You could then keep the rest of your money and enjoy it at another bar!

I am only voicing my own opinion here, but "investing" in Thailand when you don't actually live there is not a very sound idea. The kempton races in England have a higher probable investment return. Giving money to someone you like is a different matter altogether.

Mac