The dream, and the due diligence

“Buy a bar in Thailand” is one of the most common expat fantasies — and one of the most common ways expats lose their savings. This guide is the sober version: what you're really buying, the legal structure you can't ignore, how to value and check a business, and the pitfalls that have emptied countless foreign wallets. Read it before you fall in love with a bar stool.

Before you buy

• What you're actually buying

  Usually a lease and fittings — rarely what you think.

• Foreign ownership law

  The rules that shape every bar deal.

• Leases & premises

  The single most important document in the deal.

• Licences & permits

  Alcohol, entertainment, hours and zoning.

The deal & the running

• Due diligence

  Checking a business before you pay for it.

• Valuation & price

  Why asking prices are fiction, and what's real.

• Running the bar

  Staff, stock, theft and the reality of the trade.

• Classic pitfalls

  The mistakes that recur, decade after decade.

• Alternatives

  Other ways into Thai hospitality.

• FAQ

  Honest answers to the common questions.