QUICK GUIDE TO STARTING A BUSINESS IN THAILAND
Information from THE BOARD OF INVESTMENT OF THAILAND (BOI)
STEP 1: CHOOSING THE RIGHT COMPANY STRUCTURE
Before you begin, it is important to note that the Thai Foreign Business Act (FBA) prohibits certain
foreign business activities, such as newspaper and television businesses, farming, cultivation,
horticulture, and animal husbandry, while some can be carried out with the authority of a government
agency.
Learn more from the Foreign Business Act and Activities Restricted to Thai Nationals.
Business entities in Thailand are regulated by the Department of Business Development (DBD).
You can choose to register your business entity as any of the structures below
*There are three options for foreign investors who want to own more than 49 percent of the company:
1.) Obtaining a Foreign Business License (FBL) from the DBD
2.) Obtaining a Foreign Business Certificate (FBC) after securing BOI certification, or
3.) Obtaining a Treaty of Amity (US investors only)
REGISTERING YOUR COMPANY
The most typical business structure chosen by foreign investors is a private limited company. The
following table shows five easy steps to set up a company in Thailand.
While the above five-step process is to set up a private limited company, other types of companies
require slightly different procedures.
• Sole proprietorship and non-registered ordinary partnership: Do not require official registration.
• Registered ordinary partnership and limited partnership: Skip steps 2. and 3. and simply
submit the registration application to the DBD office in your area.
• Public company limited: Requires extra documents authorized by the SEC in step 2 onwards.
Further details on business registrations are available at DBD business registration
Note: The application is only available in the Thai language, advice from a law firm or other qualified
professional is recommended.
