How long does it take to register a Thai company?

The DBD registration itself completes in a few working days once documents are signed and the statutory meeting is held. In practice, allow about two weeks for name reservation, document preparation and signing. Tax ID and VAT registration add a further short period after incorporation.

Can a foreigner own a Thai company?

A company with majority Thai shareholding is a Thai company. Majority-foreign ownership is possible but generally requires a Foreign Business Licence or BOI promotion, which is a legal licensing question — that analysis is handled by the law practice at tla.co.th, while we cover the registration mechanics and all accounting and tax setup.

What are the ongoing obligations after registration?

Monthly VAT and withholding filings where applicable, annual audited financial statements approved at a shareholders' meeting and filed with the DBD, and the annual corporate income tax return. These begin immediately — a company with no transactions still files.

What does registration cost?

Government fees are fixed by regulation; the professional fee depends on shareholding complexity and whether VAT registration and accounting setup are included. Describe your planned structure and we reply with a written quote.

English desk

Company registration in Thailand for local and foreign founders

Registering a Thai company limited takes days; building it so the first year runs cleanly takes a little more thought. Beyond the DBD registration itself, the decisions that matter are the chart of accounts set from day one, the VAT registration timing, the shareholders' and directors' records kept consistent, and a compliance calendar so the first audited statements are a formality rather than a scramble.

Request a written quote contact@thailaw-accounting.co.th

Phone +66-92-017-0000 · LINE and email accepted in English.

What this service covers

Name reservation and DBD registration

Memorandum, articles, shareholder list and statutory meeting documentation filed with the Department of Business Development until the company affidavit is issued.

Tax ID and VAT registration

Corporate tax identification, and VAT registration where the business requires it — including the evidence of business premises the Revenue Department asks to see.

Accounting system setup

Chart of accounts, tax invoice format, document flow and filing calendar configured before the first transaction, not reconstructed after it.

First-year compliance calendar

Every deadline for the first twelve months — monthly returns, social security if staff are hired, the first shareholders' meeting and first audit — mapped to dates.

How the engagement runs

1. Structure discussion
Objectives, capital, shareholding and directors are agreed in writing first, because amendments after registration cost time and fees.
2. Registration
Name reservation, memorandum, statutory meeting and incorporation are filed in sequence; a straightforward case completes within about two weeks.
3. Tax setup
Tax ID, VAT where applicable, e-filing credentials and employer registrations are completed so the company can invoice and file from its first month.
4. Ongoing compliance
Bookkeeping and filings begin from the first month, which is what keeps the first audit uneventful.

Deadlines, rates and filing formats change. Confirm current requirements with the Revenue Department, the Social Security Office and the Department of Business Development, or ask us to confirm them for your case before you rely on a date.

Decisions made at incorporation that are expensive to reverse

A Thai incorporation is a set of choices that shape the next several years: how shares are split, how much capital is registered, which directors can bind the company alone and which must sign jointly, and how broadly the objectives are drafted. Banks read those documents closely, licensing authorities read them again, and amending them later means another round of meetings, filings and fees.

The registration itself is only the first half of the setup. After the number is issued the company needs a taxpayer identification number, a considered decision on whether to register for value added tax now or wait until the threshold is reached, employer registration once the first employee starts, and a corporate bank account that will not be opened without a coherent document set and a plausible business description.

The internal records matter just as much as the public filing. A share register, share certificates, minutes of the statutory meeting and properly kept resolutions are what a counterparty or a due-diligence reviewer will ask for, and reconstructing them years later is awkward. We hand over the complete file and explain how each part is used when circumstances change.

Registered capital sizing

Capital should reflect the business plan and any licensing or work-permit requirements that follow from it, and the evidence of payment for shares must be genuine.

Address evidence

Consent to use the premises together with the house registration copy is required, and a weak address file blocks the VAT application that usually follows.

Accounting from month one

Companies that put a chart of accounts and a documentation routine in place immediately avoid a second-year reconstruction, which is the single most common avoidable cost we see.

From registration certificate to a company that can trade

The certificate proves the company exists; it does not make the company operational. Between incorporation and the first invoice sit a series of practical steps that each depend on the one before: obtaining the taxpayer identification number, deciding the indirect tax position, registering with the social security system once staff are hired, opening a bank account that will actually clear customer payments, and putting an accounting method in place that produces the records the law expects from the first month.

Bank account opening is where new companies most often lose weeks. The bank looks for a coherent story: objectives that match the described activity, directors who can be identified and are physically available to sign, a real address, and an explanation of expected transaction volumes and counterparties. Applications fail not because the business is unsound but because the documents describe it inconsistently. Preparing that set as a single coherent file before the first appointment removes most of the delay.

Companies with foreign shareholders carry additional planning. Which activities a majority-foreign company may conduct is restricted, the evidence of capital inflow needs to be retained, and any subsequent work permit application depends on ratios that are decided by choices made at incorporation. Getting the structure right at the outset is far cheaper than amending shareholdings and capital later, when each change requires its own meeting, resolution and filing.

Objectives written for the real business

Generic objective lists copied from a template frequently omit the activity the company actually performs, which surfaces later when a licence or a bank product is refused.

The first accounting period

The first period may be shorter or longer than twelve months, and that choice affects when the first audit and first annual return fall due. We set it deliberately rather than by default.

Handling it in-house versus engaging us

Self-filing an incorporation is achievable and sometimes sensible. The hidden expense is rework: objectives that do not cover the activity actually pursued, signing authority the bank declines, or an internal file too thin to open an account. Using a team that files these every week means starting the business once rather than starting it and then correcting it.

Every engagement is quoted individually after we review your documents and agree the scope, so you know the fee and the timeline before any work starts. Send the details on LINE or by email and we will come back with a written proposal.

Common situations we are hired for

A foreign founder setting up a Thai operating company

We handle the accounting, tax and registration side. Where foreign-majority ownership raises Foreign Business Act or BOI questions, the licensing analysis is referred to the separate law practice at tla.co.th.

Converting freelance income into a company

We model whether incorporation actually reduces the overall tax burden at your revenue level before you register, because sometimes it does not.

A group opening a Thai subsidiary

The chart of accounts is mapped to the parent's reporting lines from day one so consolidation needs no reconstruction.

Registering with an eye on VAT from the start

Businesses expecting B2B clients usually register for VAT at incorporation; the invoicing and evidence discipline starts with the first sale.

See the English-speaking accounting firm overview, all accounting services or the province pages below.

Questions owners ask first

How long does it take to register a Thai company?: The DBD registration itself completes in a few working days once documents are signed and the statutory meeting is held. In practice, allow about two weeks for name reservation, document preparation and signing. Tax ID and VAT registration add a further short period after incorporation.
Can a foreigner own a Thai company?: A company with majority Thai shareholding is a Thai company. Majority-foreign ownership is possible but generally requires a Foreign Business Licence or BOI promotion, which is a legal licensing question — that analysis is handled by the law practice at tla.co.th, while we cover the registration mechanics and all accounting and tax setup.
What are the ongoing obligations after registration?: Monthly VAT and withholding filings where applicable, annual audited financial statements approved at a shareholders' meeting and filed with the DBD, and the annual corporate income tax return. These begin immediately — a company with no transactions still files.
What does registration cost?: Government fees are fixed by regulation; the professional fee depends on shareholding complexity and whether VAT registration and accounting setup are included. Describe your planned structure and we reply with a written quote.

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