A foreigner can register a company in Thailand, but how much of it you may own depends on the activity under the Foreign Business Act. Restricted activities need a Foreign Business Licence (FBL), Board of Investment (BOI) promotion, a treaty certificate for US nationals or genuine Thai control. We choose the route, prepare the package for the Department of Business Development (DBD) and register the company for a fixed fee, with no nominees.
In short
- A Thai company counts as foreign when foreigners hold half or more of its capital (Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542; as of 6 October 2026).
- An FBL takes 4 to 8 months in practice and BOI promotion 2 to 4 months (ThaiLawOnline; aimbangkok, 2026). We estimate 2 to 3 weeks for an ordinary company.
- Since 1 August 2026 the DBD asks for an investment letter and three months of Thai shareholders' bank statements when foreigners hold under 50% or a foreigner is an authorised director (Order 2/2569).
- Nominee shareholders break the law: up to three years in prison and/or a fine of THB 100,000 to 1,000,000 (ss. 36 and 37).
What a fixed-fee company setup includes
We handle the setup from route choice to tax registration. First we check your activity against the Foreign Business Act lists, then we prepare the DBD papers, register the company and set it up for tax. The fee and timing are quoted before we start, and you get a short written report after each stage.
You receive a written route note, a DBD document set ready to sign, the registration documents, the tax details and help opening a company account. A lawyer licensed by the Lawyers Council of Thailand is responsible for the structure, and the team works in English, Russian and Thai.
Which lawful route replaces a nominee?
There are four lawful routes: a genuine Thai partner who pays for his or her own shares, an FBL, BOI promotion and, for US nationals, a Treaty of Amity certificate. Your activity, timetable and target stake decide which one fits. The table shows terms as of 6 October 2026 (ThaiLawOnline; Lex Bangkok).
| Route | Fits when | Typical timing | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thai control | You can live with under 50% | Typically 2 to 3 weeks (our estimate) | Thai shareholders pay in their own money and show it in bank statements |
| FBL | You need foreign control of a restricted activity | 4 to 8 months | Capital from THB 3 million (about USD 91,000 or GBP 68,000 at illustrative rates of THB 33 and THB 44); THB 2 million is the general minimum for a foreign business |
| BOI | A promoted activity, up to 100% foreign | 2 to 4 months | Investment usually from THB 1 million excluding land, reports for 2 years |
| Treaty of Amity | US nationals only | Up to 30 days | No right to land, THB 3 million capital for work permits |
See Villa held through a nominee company for what the DBD looks at.
How we prepare the DBD package
We build the package around the DBD rules in force since 1 August 2026. Whenever foreigners hold under 50% or a Thai company appoints a foreign authorised director, the DBD checks the source of the money: the registrar wants an investment explanation letter, three months of Thai shareholders' bank statements showing matching withdrawals, and the statement of the account that received the money (Order 2/2569; LawPlus; Dejudom, August 2026).
The rule also reaches existing companies. On an amendment, for example when a foreign shareholder or authorised director joins, an investment confirmation letter is filed, and older companies get no grace period (Dejudom; aimbangkok; ThaiLawOnline, 2026). Sources differ on exemptions: aimbangkok says 100% foreign, BOI, FBL and treaty companies file no formation documents, while Dejudom says the order names no exemptions, so we check before filing. A typical situation is in A DBD check: proving the shareholders are real.
How long it takes and what you pay afterwards
We estimate 2 to 3 weeks for an ordinary company with complete documents. The DBD filing can take one day when the file is ready (ASEAN Briefing, 12 August 2026); the weeks go on documents and bank statements. FBL and BOI routes take months, as the table above shows. Government fees appear as a separate line in the quote.
After registration the company pays corporate income tax at the standard 20%, with a progressive scale for small companies (Dejudom) and registers for VAT within 30 days of passing THB 1.8 million of turnover a year. The 7% rate runs to 30 September 2027 unless it is extended, and the monthly PP.30 return is due even for months with no sales (PwC, 24 August 2026; ThaiLawOnline, 6 October 2026). Audited accounts and financial statements for the DBD have long been required of limited companies, and we confirm the dates each year. Example timeline: A company and a work permit in 6 weeks.
What to prepare
We need passports for founders and directors, a plain description of the activity, details of your Thai partner and the source of the capital. The sooner we see the partner's statements, the fewer changes the DBD package needs. Four questions below show which route fits.
- What will the company sell, to whom and where? Hotels, restaurants, tour businesses and language schools stayed on List 3 after the 28 August 2026 changes (Thaiger, 14 September 2026; ThaiLawOnline; Lex Bangkok).
- Whose money pays for the Thai partner's shares? It must be the partner's own.
- Will you work in the company? Plan for the benchmark of THB 2 million of paid-up capital and four Thai employees per foreigner, explained on Work permit and Non-B visa in Thailand.
- Do you want land through a company? Foreigners cannot own land, and nominee structures have been under checks since 2025. The lawful options are on Buying land in Phuket as a foreigner.
American founders and the Treaty of Amity
US nationals can ask for a Treaty of Amity certificate. It gives no right to own land, and a work permit at a treaty company needs THB 3 million of capital (about USD 91,000 at THB 33). Sources disagree on whether the DBD order covers treaty companies (ThaiLawOnline; aimbangkok and Dejudom, August 2026). The treaty route is for US nationals only. Other founders use Thai control, an FBL or BOI promotion.
Paying in from the UK, US or Australia
Send the capital from an account in your own name and keep the bank documents, because the Bank of Thailand has announced stronger checks, with no effective date (Thaiger, 10 September 2026). Papers signed at home usually go through a notary, your foreign ministry and the Thai embassy, then a Thai translation (Bangkok Translation, 16 August 2026). The Apostille Convention enters into force for Thailand on 28 February 2027, but not with states that object, and the window for objections runs to about 30 December 2026. Until then the embassy step stays, so do not build a timetable on the apostille (Federal Apostille, 29 September 2026; HCCH, 6 October 2026).
How to get started
Describe your situation in the form below: what the company will do, who the shareholders will be and when you need it. Within 24 hours we tell you which route fits, what it costs and how long it takes. The step-by-step procedure is in How to register a company in Thailand in 2026.
For the wider picture, see Open a business in Thailand as a foreigner. Contact details are on the Contact page.
