The buying process

How a Thailand bar purchase typically proceeds: initial terms, due diligence, the sale agreement itself, staged payments, handover, and the filings that follow completion.

Typical stages

While every deal differs, a legitimate purchase tends to move through a recognisable sequence: an initial viewing and negotiation on headline terms; a non-binding statement of intent; a dedicated due-diligence period; the formal sale agreement itself (structured as an asset sale or share sale — see what you're buying), drafted and reviewed by lawyers on both sides; staged deposit and completion payments; physical and operational handover; and a set of post-completion filings and registrations. Treat any process that skips straight from a handshake to a full cash payment as a warning sign in itself (common scams).

The sale agreement itself

This should be in writing, bilingual, with an explicitly agreed governing or authoritative language version, and should specify exactly what is and isn't included in the sale (what you're buying) — right down to the fixtures, stock and any liabilities being assumed or excluded. It should also contain warranties from the seller about the state of the business, the lease, the licences and the company's finances, together with remedies if those warranties turn out to be false. Draft or review it with your own lawyer, never the seller's — their lawyer represents their interests, not yours.

Staged payments and documented protections

Structuring payment in stages tied to verified milestones — signing, confirmed licence transfer, physical handover — rather than a single lump sum meaningfully reduces your exposure if something goes wrong partway through. Routing payments through a lawyer's client account or another documented, professional mechanism, rather than informal cash, creates the paper trail that protects both sides and is far harder to dispute later.

Handover

Beyond the legal paperwork, handover has a practical side: a proper stock count, confirmation of equipment condition against what was represented, a staff transition plan (staffing), and transfer of supplier and utility accounts. Document that each of these actually happened — photographs, signed inventories, confirmed account changes — rather than relying on memory of what was agreed.

After completion

Completion isn't the finish line. Company records need updating with any change of directors or shareholders, licences need to be transferred or re-applied for promptly rather than left pending (licences), and your own ongoing compliance cycle — tax, accounting, social security — starts from day one under your name (taxes & accounting).