Register a company in Thailand

In our experience a standard Thai Limited Company is registered within 7–10 business days of our having the documents — the DBD's own service standard for the registration step is one hour, so the time goes on preparation, not the registrar. BOI applications and Foreign Business Licenses take longer — typically 30–90 days depending on category.

Only with BOI promotion, a Foreign Business License, Treaty of Amity protection (US citizens), or in activities not restricted under the Foreign Business Act. Otherwise the standard ratio is 49% foreign / 51% Thai shareholding. We help you choose the right route during the discovery call.

We make the introductions, prepare the supporting documents, and accompany you to the bank. The account itself is the bank's decision, and since 2025 it has become slower and more selective — in our experience usually around a month for a newly registered company, sometimes longer (see the next question).

Harder than it used to be, but very doable with the right preparation. Following the Bank of Thailand's tightening of AML and KYC rules — a response to fraudulent 'mule accounts' — banks now apply tighter KYC and source-of-funds checks to new corporate accounts, and generally want to see a properly registered, genuinely operating Thai company before they open one. This sits alongside the DBD source-of-funds rules, now in Central Registrar Order No. 2/2569 and in force from 1 August 2026. No bank publishes a processing time; in our experience you should allow roughly one month from a complete application, and some banks take longer. The application is made at a branch in Thailand by an authorised person and cannot be done online or from overseas; whether every authorised person must attend depends on the bank and on who will sign for payments and withdrawals. Companies with directors or shareholders from sanctioned or high-risk jurisdictions can face significantly more scrutiny, and occasionally refusal. Banks retain full discretion, so outcomes vary by branch. We prepare your documents, brief you on each bank's current stance, and accompany you to maximise your chances of a smooth opening. Information current as of August 2026 — please confirm the latest position with us.

Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn (KBank), SCB, and Krungsri are the common choices. We match the bank and branch to your business and steer you toward those that have handled similar foreign-owned accounts smoothly, rather than leaving you to find that out at the counter.

Someone has to. The application is made at a branch by an authorised person with original identification; it cannot be done online or from abroad. What follows depends on the role and differs by bank — Kasikornbank, for example, lets an authorised person who will not sign for payments or withdrawals confirm their identity through K PLUS within 15 days of that branch request, while anyone who will sign for payments or withdrawals must attend a branch inside the same 15 days for their specimen signature. So plan on everyone who signs for money appearing in person. We book the appointment and go with you.

The company affidavit issued within the last 30 days, the MOA and shareholder list (Bor Or Jor 5), a board resolution naming the signatories, the corporate seal, and each signatory's passport. Under tighter Bank of Thailand and AMLO checks, banks now also ask about the source of funds, expected turnover, and the nature of the business before approving — so we prepare those answers with you in advance.

Usually yes — the account can be opened on the registered company and the signatory's passport, often while they are still on a Non-B visa, with the work permit following. A few branches prefer to see the work permit first, so we confirm the requirement with the chosen bank before booking the appointment.

Yes. Once the company is registered and the VAT registration is complete (depending on the province), we can begin the work permit and Non-B visa applications. The two flows are usually scoped together from the start.

Since 1 August 2026, under Central Registrar Order No. 2/2569, the Thai shareholders must evidence the source of their subscription funds on the incorporations the DBD has singled out: where foreign shareholders hold less than half the capital (the standard 49/51 structure), and where there are no foreign shareholders but a foreigner is a director with sole or mandatory joint signing authority. In practice that means around three months of bank statements from the account that actually paid for the shares, showing the matching transfer, a prescribed investment explanation letter, and a statement for the director's account that received the payment. Amendments are covered separately and more lightly — a covered amendment calls for an investment confirmation letter, and the fuller evidence only where the company was registered on or after 1 August 2026 and files that amendment within a year of registration. The Order replaced Nos. 2/2568 and 1/2569. We prepare and handle this capital-substantiation documentation as part of every such incorporation, so your filing meets the current requirement.