Company Types

The government body in charge of company registrations is the Commercial Registration Department of the Ministry of Commerce. There are provincial registries, too.

Technically, there are 3 kinds of companies recognized by Thai law:

1. Sole proprietorships
2. Partnerships
3. Limited corporations -- what most foreigners need

Alternatively, existing foreign companies can set up:

• a branch office
• a representative office
• a regional office
• a joint venture

The vast majority of companies are standard "limited corporations".

Americans can set up an "American Treaty Company" whereby the company can be majority American owned, but this first requires establishing a Thai limited corporation, and then applying for certification as an American Treaty Company. There are indications that the treaty may not be renewed, and instead applicants will need to look at the Foreign Business License (FBL) option for majority foreign ownership, as noted in our tips section.