Company Registration in Thailand for Foreign Entrepreneurs

Contents

Company Registration in Thailand for Foreign Entrepreneurs

Questions to resolve before registration

Choose a shareholding structure based on your business, rather than a template alone. The following facts can affect the registration route and permissions required.

The practical registration process

1. 01

   Define the activity

   Describe what the company will actually do, who its customers will be and how it will earn revenue.

2. 02

   Review ownership and permissions

   Determine whether the activity raises Foreign Business Act, licensing, BOI or treaty questions.

3. 03

   Choose the structure

   Confirm the entity form, shareholders, directors, signing authority, capital and registered office.

4. 04

   Prepare the information

   Organise the identity, address, corporate and capital-payment information required for the filing.

5. 05

   Complete the filing

   WMC's legal team supports the application and the registrar's questions where legal input is needed.

6. 06

   Set up compliance

   Establish accounting records, tax registrations, payment documentation, payroll where applicable and the annual-close process.

Additional DBD evidence rules from 1 August 2026

Central Partnership and Company Registration Office Order No. 2/2569 applies to specified new registrations and amendments involving foreign investment or foreign signing authority. It does not apply to every company merely because a foreign person is involved, and it does not itself grant permission to conduct a restricted business.

For a qualifying new registration, the filing may require:

• the prescribed Investment Explanation Letter;
• bank-issued statements for the relevant Thai investors covering the required preceding period; and
• evidence from the account receiving the capital payments.

The payment trail should be consistent with the investor, recipient, amount and payment date stated in the registration documents. Different rules apply to specified amendments. Check the current official order and forms before filing.

Read WMC's guide to Thailand's anti-nominee registration rules.

Information and documents to prepare

The filing requirements depend on the facts and registration route. Use the following list to check your information before the appointed adviser confirms the documents needed for submission.

• proposed company names and a clear description of the intended activities;
• shareholder and director details, nationalities and the proposed ownership percentages;
• the proposed signing authority and any foreign signing director;
• registered-office information and evidence of the right to use the address;
• registered capital, share subscriptions and the proposed payment flow;
• identity and overseas corporate documents where a foreign entity will participate;
• bank evidence required under DBD Order 2/2569 where the filing falls within the order; and
• licence, BOI, treaty or other permission information where relevant.

Overseas documents may require additional formalities depending on their origin and intended use. The appointed legal or registration adviser should confirm whether certification, notarisation, legalisation or Thai translation is required in the particular case.

How long does registration take and what affects the cost?

We can assess timing once the proposed activities, ownership route and document requirements are clear. Name availability, missing identity or address records, overseas-document formalities, capital evidence, licensing questions and requests for further information can all affect the timeframe.

The total cost may contain separate components:

• government charges and document fees;
• legal or registration-adviser fees;
• translation, certification or legalisation costs where required;
• WMC's agreed coordination, accounting and tax-setup work; and
• post-registration bookkeeping, tax, payroll or other recurring services.

WMC provides a written scope after reviewing the proposed activities, ownership and available documents. The proposal identifies what is included, what is handled by another adviser and which external charges are payable separately.

What happens after registration?

Incorporation begins the company’s compliance obligations. Accounting, filings and annual financial statements may be required from incorporation, even if the company has no revenue.

• open and maintain traceable accounting records;
• document capital payments, shareholder funding and company expenses;
• review the tax registrations that apply to the actual activities;
• establish invoice, expense, bank and payment-document workflows;
• set up payroll and employee-related compliance where applicable;
• plan recurring tax filings and the year-end accounting close; and
• coordinate annual financial statements and an independent statutory audit where required.

VAT registration is generally required when annual turnover from supplies of goods or services subject to VAT exceeds THB 1.8 million, subject to exemptions and other applicable rules. Review the company's activities rather than relying on the threshold alone.

How WMC can support the process

Depending on the agreed engagement, WMC can support:

• collection and organisation of company and accounting information;
• coordination with the client's appointed legal or registration adviser;
• capital-payment and opening-accounting documentation;
• tax-registration and post-incorporation compliance planning within WMC's scope;
• monthly bookkeeping, tax filing, payroll and year-end preparation where separately agreed; and
• Coordination with overseas directors or finance teams.

Questions about restricted activities, foreign ownership and licensing depend on the facts. WMC's legal team reviews them for your case; this page gives general information only.

Official references and related guidance

• Department of Business Development — Online services
• Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 — English translation hosted by BOI
• BOI — Criteria for foreign shareholding
• Revenue Department — Value Added Tax

This page provides general information about company registration and related accounting and tax considerations. It is not legal advice or advice for a specific company, transaction or set of facts. Questions involving foreign ownership, restricted activities, licences or legal interpretation should be reviewed for the specific company; WMC's legal team can do this within an engagement. WMC's services are governed by the applicable written proposal and engagement scope.