Process for registering a company and doing business in Thailand

tila20180417_1

To register a new company in Thailand, the first and initial step is almost the same as what is obtainable globally. Name reservation is the first step to take since your proposed new company must have an identity. When providing the desired name of the company, businesses are also required to provide two alternative names in the event that a name is already taken by another business. These names are usually submitted to the ministry of commerce for verification. Verification requires checking if such names and identity have not been reserved by another company and if such a name is not a violation of the laws of the ministry of commerce. If all the names provided are not usable two other names will have to be resubmitted. This whole process should not take more than three days to be handled.

The next step once the name is reserved successfully is to file an (MOA) which is a Memorandum of Association. After a name reservation has been made for the company, shareholders are required to sign the Memorandum of Association. This very important document contains vital personal information such as company name, shareholders of the company, address, capital and the objectives and scope proposed for the business. This is usually submitted at the ministry of commerce headquartered in Bangkok but in cases where the business is situated outside the province, it may be filed in a designated office where the company is to be located. This step has been successfully concluded once the ministry of commerce issues company certification, affidavit, list of the shareholders and the company’s article of association.

The next step involves Tax and Vat registration and all the registered documents associated with the company’s Tax ID Card and Vat Certificate are submitted to the Central Filing Office of the Revenue Department at this stage. For companies that do not completely own the land where the company address is situated, they are required to obtain permission from the original landowner as a requirement to obtain a VAT Certificate. It is preferable for company owners not to situate their companies in condominium buildings as terms and conditions associated with most of these buildings prohibit owners from using them for business. It is best to avoid what can cause a blowback or mess up the whole process. This should be followed by opening a Thai corporate bank account which is mandatory globally for corporations. Such an account should possess modern facilities to ensure ease of conducting business. The next step in the company registration process is obtaining a work permit and the prerequisite for this is having a Non-B Visa. With the assistance of a competent lawyer, your Thai business should be up and be running in a month.

or more information, please visit Tilalegal.com