Company Incorporation Guide

Thailand company registration services: ownership

Applicable country/region: TH - Thailand

Published: September 29, 2026Updated: September 30, 2026

Written by our advisory team
Thailand rules and requirements
Checked against official sources

Guide overview

From name reservation to the DBD certificate

Thailand company registration services form a private limited company with the Department of Business Development (DBD) of the Ministry of Commerce. The registration process runs from name reservation through the founding papers and the statutory meeting to the certificate of registration and the company's registration number. DBD Biz Regist, the DBD's online business registration system, is one way to file. For founders and investors abroad, the harder calls come first. The planned business activity decides whether foreigners can have majority ownership. The file must show whose identity and whose money stand behind the shares. The company needs a workable shareholding route and a head office in Thailand. Tax registrations follow, then a yearly round of accounts and filings.

COMPANY TYPES

How much of the company foreigners can own

The private limited company (บริษัทจำกัด) is the usual business structure, but the activity, not the form, sets the ceiling on foreign ownership. Under the Foreign Business Act (FBA), a company in which foreigners hold half or more of the capital is itself a foreigner. List One businesses are closed to it; List Two and List Three need a licence, investment promotion or Treaty status, though a Ministerial Regulation can exempt a List Three service. A business on no List needs no permission. A foreign-status company also needs registered capital of at least THB 2 million, or THB 3 million per business needing permission. The Lists therefore decide between a Thai-majority joint venture and a foreign-status company with a route.

Reading the company types

Rows cover ownership, shareholder and director rules, capital and notes for each company type.

Thailand LLC Basic Information

Ownership:

Private Ownership

Limited Liability:

Positive

Publicly Participates In Capital Market:

Negative

Thailand LLC Shareholder / Director / Secretary Requirements

Requirements For Shareholders:

At least two

Requirements For Directors:

At least One

Legal Representative Not Mandatory:

Positive

Local Directors Not Mandatory:

Positive

Local Secretaries Not Mandatory:

Positive

Thailand LLC Registered Capital Requirement

Minimum Registered Capital Requirement:

No requirement

Capital Injection Not Required:

Negative

Capital Injection Requirement:

At least 25% of each share's par value must be paid before registration

Thailand LLC Memo

Memo:

A company is foreign when foreigners hold half or more of its capital; it then may not carry on List One activities of the Foreign Business Act and needs a licence, BOI promotion or a treaty certificate for List Two and List Three activities

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

What the registration file has to prove

The DBD's file records who founds, owns and runs the company: the promoters, shareholders and directors, and the memorandum of association they sign. A foreigner proves identity with a passport, and a signature given abroad goes before a Thai embassy or consulate officer or a local notary, and either one is enough. Since 1 August 2026, Central Registrar Order No. 2/2569 adds a money test where foreigners hold less than 50% of the capital or a foreigner signs for an all-Thai company. The documents then include an investment clarification letter showing each Thai shareholder's payment, the paying account and the receiving account, backed by bank statements. A later change making a foreigner a signing director needs a similar letter.

Reading the documents

Rows are document types grouped by who provides them; each entry ends with its process and format.

Natural Person Shareholders & Directors's Required Documents

Passport:

Process: Not ApplicableFormat: Scan Copy

Proof of Address:

Process: Not ApplicableFormat: Scan Copy

What Thailand company registration services must settle

The Thai-shareholder condition is one route, applying only to a business on an FBA List without a licence, promotion or Treaty certificate. A foreign business licence comes from the DBD Director-General, or the Minister for List Two. Board of Investment (BOI) promotion removes the foreign-equity limit for List Two and List Three activities unless another law or the Board sets one. The Treaty of Amity lets a company majority owned and controlled by US citizens work outside that limit, except in excluded sectors, after US Commercial Service and Ministry of Commerce certification. The office requirements stay fixed: a registered office in Thailand with its house registration code, plus the rights-holder's consent where five or more businesses are already registered there.

Reading the requirements

Base cost is the service and government fees; each requirement shows if it is included and what solving it costs; the estimate adds them up.

Base Cost

Service Fee:

CNY 27,750

Requirements

Nominee Director: Thai citizens as shareholders

Registering a Thai company requires at least two Thai citizens as shareholders, together, holding at least 51% of the company.

Included: No · Solution availableEstimated Cost: CNY 13,750

Registered Address: Thailand Commercial Address

To register a company in Thailand, a Thailand address is required. If you do not have a Thailand address, you can choose the address hosting service provided by TKEG Expat™ (DE).

Included: No · Solution availableEstimated Cost: CNY 18,500

Estimated Cost

Estimated Cost:

CNY 27,750 – 60,000

Check Eligibility And Calculate Price

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TAX

Tax ID, VAT and the first-year tax duties

The 13-digit number on the DBD certificate is also the company's tax identification number with the Revenue Department (RD), so this tax registration needs no separate application. Registration for value added tax (VAT) becomes compulsory once annual turnover exceeds THB 1.8 million; below that line a company may register voluntarily, even before trading. The VAT rate shown for Thailand is a reduced rate, extended by royal decree to 30 September 2027. For corporate income tax, a company with paid-up capital of no more than THB 5 million and revenue of no more than THB 30 million pays reduced rates on its first bands of profit. The company also withholds tax on many payments and files a monthly withholding return.

Reading the tax data

Rows cover corporate income, withholding, value-added and capital gains tax, plus effective rates, for each jurisdiction.

PwC World Tax Summary OECD Statistics

Corporate Income Tax (CIT)

General CIT Rate:

20%

CIT Return Due Date:

settled within the same 150-day period

CIT Payment Due Date:

settled within the same 150-day period

CIT Estimated Payment Due Date:

due two months after the close of the first six months of the company's accounting period

Withholding Tax (WHT)

Resident Withholding Tax (Dividend/Interest/Royalty):

0/10 | 0/1 | 3

Non-Resident Withholding Tax (Dividend/Interest/Royalty):

10/15/15

Value-Added Tax (VAT)

General VAT Rate:

Learn More Value-Added Tax (VAT)

Capital Gain Tax (CGT)

General Capital Gain Tax Rate:

Capital gains are subject to the normal CIT rate.

Effective Tax Rate (ETR)

Composite Effective Average Tax Rate:

19.61%

Composite Effective Marginal Tax Rate:

21.74%

Conclusion

After the certificate: bank, staff and yearly filings

After incorporation, the corporate bank account is a separate approval with its own file. On the first hire, the employer registers each employee with the Social Security Office (SSO). Then the annual filing cycle repeats: a licensed auditor audits the financial statements, the annual general meeting approves them within 4 months of the year end, and they reach the DBD through DBD e-Filing within 1 month of approval. The shareholder list follows the meeting, and the corporate income tax return goes to the RD. That compliance comes later. The first step is to confirm where the planned business stands under the FBA before reserving a name. That answer sets the shareholding route for company registration in Thailand.

Thailand

Jurisdiction Overview

About Thailand

Thailand is Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, offering a central ASEAN location, a large manufacturing base, the Eastern Economic Corridor with tax incentives, and a growing digital economy.

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