FAQ

Usually not outright — most service, retail and hospitality activities fall under foreign-ownership restrictions, so deals typically run through majority-Thai company structures. Nominee arrangements are illegal. See foreign ownership.

Usually a lease or premises interest, fittings, stock and goodwill — rarely land, and not always a clean company. See leases vs freehold and foreign ownership.

No. This is an independent educational guide, not a brokerage. We don't list, sell or value specific businesses. See about.

The premises interest — paying for goodwill on a short, unrenewable or non-transferable lease. Closely followed by trusting unverified cash 'books.' See leases vs freehold and due diligence.

Yes — a licensed Thai lawyer and an accountant, both independent of the seller. It's the cheapest insurance in the whole process. Anglo Siam Legal is one option for the legal side. See why it matters.

A genuine Thai company with real Thai shareholders is the legitimate route; a nominee arrangement — Thai names holding shares only on paper to disguise foreign control — is illegal. See foreign ownership.

Sometimes, sometimes not — it depends on whether the licence is tied to the company, the individual or the premises, and on whether the deal is an asset sale or a share sale. Verify, don't assume. See licensing & permits.

Generally corporate income tax, VAT where applicable, withholding tax on certain payments, an annual audit, social security for staff, and annual company filings. See accounting & tax.

Written contracts, social security registration, and a proper process for termination — and remember your own right to work in the business needs the correct visa and work permit. See running a business and work permits & visas.

Generally yes, if you're actually hands-on — serving, managing shifts, being genuinely involved day to day. Shareholding or a directorship alone doesn't grant the right to work. See work permits & visas.

Mostly personal savings or funds raised abroad, since conventional local business loans are hard for foreigners to arrange. Seller financing appears occasionally but needs proper legal documentation. See financing a purchase.

The brand, systems and ongoing fees are new considerations, but the ownership, lease and licensing rules apply exactly the same. See franchises.

It depends on how much you value speed and an established base versus control and a clean history. See buying vs starting from scratch.

Significantly — a restaurant, guesthouse, bar, retail shop and online business each carry different licensing loads and diligence priorities. See business types.

A government investment-promotion scheme that can ease foreign ownership for specific, generally larger or targeted categories — it rarely applies to an ordinary small restaurant, bar, guesthouse or shop. See BOI promotion.

Term length, registration, rent escalation terms and, crucially, your right to assign the lease if you later sell. See lease negotiation.

Scams are deliberate deception by a seller or intermediary; pitfalls are the buyer's own avoidable mistakes. Both are covered together, since the defences overlap. See scams & pitfalls.

Roughly: initial terms, due diligence, a lawyer-drafted sale agreement, staged payments tied to milestones, handover, then post-completion filings. See the buying process.

Foreigners can own condominium units freehold under a foreign quota, but generally cannot own land outright. Most business premises are leasehold. See leases vs freehold.

Insurance, written contracts with everyone, real ongoing oversight of stock and cash, and a simple calendar for licence, tax and work-permit renewals. See protecting your investment.

The same discipline that protects a buyer protects a seller: clean records, a transferable lease, current licences and honest numbers make an exit far easier. See selling your business.

Often because they don't work, or because an owner's circumstances changed — always ask why this one really is for sale. See pitfalls.

Yes — building from an empty shell, a franchise, partnering with an operator, a smaller concept, or working in the trade before risking capital. See alternatives.