Foreign Business Licences in Bangkok.

How to compare the firms listed for this work

The firms on this page are law firms that handle foreign business licensing alongside company registration, BOI applications and tax. That combination is useful, because a licence application depends on how the company is set up and capitalised.

Each card shows the languages a firm works in, whether the first consultation is free and how long it lasts, and an hourly rate where the firm publishes one. Use the filters to narrow by language or consultation type. Before engaging a firm, ask:

• Who drafts the business description and answers the reviewing officer's questions?
• Is the fee fixed for the application, or hourly, and does it include company registration and bringing in the capital?
• What happens, and what does it cost, if the DBD asks for more documents?
• Which documents will be in Thai, and who arranges translation?

Business information to prepare for a foreign business licence in Bangkok

A first consultation is more useful when you bring facts rather than a general plan. The Foreign Business Act tells officials to weigh factors including the size of the undertaking, employment, technology transfer and research and development, so these points come up early:

• What the business will actually do. How it earns revenue, who its customers are, and where the Bangkok work happens. Classification turns on this.
• Shareholding. Who holds shares, their nationality, and any holding companies in the chain. A Thai company is foreign under the Act when half or more of its capital is held by foreigners, directly or through other companies.
• Capital. The planned registered and paid-up capital, and where the money comes from.
• Plans and projections. Expected spending, Thai staff numbers, and any training or technology transfer you intend.
• Thai partners. Any Thai shareholders, directors or joint-venture parties, and what each contributes.
• BOI or treaty status. Whether the business is promoted, applying for promotion, or US-owned.
• Directors. The Act requires an applicant to be at least 20, resident in Thailand or lawfully admitted, not bankrupt, and free of convictions under the Act in the past five years.

Local practicalities

Documents made or signed abroad need certification by an authorised officer or a Thai embassy or consulate no more than six months before filing. Foreign-language documents need a Thai translation signed on every page by the applicant and the translator, according to the DBD's conditions for licence applications.

The DBD's checklist provides for a power of attorney and the ID documents of both parties, so a firm can file on the company's behalf. Once granted, the licence or certificate must be displayed at the Bangkok place of business, and a move to new premises or closure must be notified within 15 days.

This page is general information, not legal advice. For a specific business, speak with a qualified professional.