Tax Registration — Tax ID, VAT (PP.20) and Withholding Tax

The name must not be identical or confusingly similar to an existing registered entity and must avoid reserved words, such as terms suggesting a government body or a financial institution, without permission. An approved name is valid for 30 days from approval; if you do not file within that window you must reserve again. Always prepare two or three alternatives.

Normally a copy of the house registration book for the premises, written landlord consent or the lease, and the owner's ID copy. The registered address must be genuinely contactable, because Revenue Department and Department of Employment officers may inspect the premises before approving VAT registration or a work permit.

The general practice is four Thai employees per foreigner, registered with the Social Security Office with contributions actually remitted. The ratio is checked both at work-permit stage and at the one-year extension of stay with Immigration. BOI-promoted companies and SMART Visa / LTR holders are assessed differently.

Not immediately. Officers usually want evidence the company is trading: VAT registration, employer registration with social security, at least one filed tax period, and photographs of the premises with signage. The safe order is incorporate, register for tax, register Thai staff, then file the visa and work permit. See our work-permit FAQ for the detail.

When revenue from goods or services exceeds THB 1.8 million per year, by filing form PP.01 within 30 days of crossing the threshold, after which the PP.20 VAT certificate is issued. Companies below the threshold may register voluntarily, which is often necessary for work-permit applications or for customers who require tax invoices.

PP.30 by the 15th of the following month — later for e-filing under Revenue Department conditions — with output and input tax reports. Withholding tax returns are also due: PND.1 for payroll, PND.3 for individuals and PND.53 for juristic persons. Late filing attracts surcharges and penalties even for a nil return.

An employer with one or more employees must register as an employer and enrol the insured persons within 30 days of employment, and remit contributions by the 15th of the following month. Social security records are the evidence the Department of Employment and Immigration use to test the Thai-to-foreign staff ratio.

Yes. PND.51 at mid-year and PND.50 with audited financial statements at year-end are due even for a nil or loss-making year. Non-filing brings criminal fines and surcharges, and is a common reason work-permit renewals or extensions of stay for foreign executives are refused.

With complete documents and shareholders available to sign, the core filing is usually done within one to three business days. The sequence is online name reservation at the DBD, memorandum of association with objectives, statutory meeting appointing directors, then incorporation filing with the shareholder list (BorOrJor 5). Afterwards you obtain the tax ID, open a corporate bank account, and register for VAT if you exceed the threshold or need it for work permit purposes.

Since the Civil and Commercial Code amendment effective in 2023, a private limited company can be formed with two promoters instead of three. This does not change the Department of Employment thresholds on registered capital and the Thai-employee ratio required to sponsor a foreign work permit.

The practical rule is THB 2 million paid-up capital per foreign employee, reduced to THB 1 million if that foreigner is legally married to a Thai national, plus four Thai employees registered with social security per foreigner. BOI-promoted companies and certain zone-based activities are exempt from these ratios.

Registration is mandatory once taxable turnover exceeds THB 1.8 million per year. Many companies register at the outset because it is needed for work permit applications, for issuing tax invoices to corporate clients, and to reclaim input VAT. Once registered, the monthly PP.30 return is due even in months with no revenue.

Yes, even a dormant company. Financial statements must be audited by a licensed CPA, approved at a shareholders' meeting within four months of the fiscal year end, filed with the DBD together with SorBorChor 3 within one month of that meeting, and the PND.50 corporate tax return filed with the Revenue Department within 150 days of year end. Missed filings carry fines and can affect a foreign director's visa renewal.

File the change with the DBD within fourteen days of the resolution, then notify the Revenue Department via form PhorPhor 09 if VAT-registered, notify the Social Security Office, and notify the Department of Employment to amend work permits for foreign staff. A missed notification typically surfaces later as a problem at visa renewal.

Typically six months to a year. The steps are a special resolution to dissolve, registration of dissolution and appointment of a liquidator, newspaper publication and creditor notice, VAT deregistration, financial statements as at the dissolution date, settlement or refund of taxes, then registration of completion of liquidation. Filing obligations continue throughout. Abandoning a company without filings creates director liability and accumulating fines.

The Department of Employment generally applies THB 2 million of paid-up capital per foreign employee, reduced to THB 1 million where the foreigner is legally married to a Thai national, together with four Thai employees enrolled in social security per foreigner. BOI-promoted companies follow BOI criteria instead. Prepare financial statements or proof of share payment, the company affidavit and recent social security filings. The critical point is that capital must be genuinely paid in with a traceable money trail. Our advisers can handle the structure review and the full filing if you prefer not to manage it yourself.

Hold the board or shareholders meeting required by the articles, then file forms BorOrJor 1, BorOrJor 4 and the director schedule with the registrar within fourteen days of the change, attaching ID or passport copies of new directors, the meeting minutes and a power of attorney if an agent files. Update the bank, the Revenue Department and the Social Security Office immediately, otherwise cheque signing and tax filings can be rejected.

A move within the same province needs only a board resolution and an address amendment. Moving to a different province amends the memorandum clause on the location of the registered office, so it requires a special shareholders resolution filed together with the memorandum amendment. Prepare the lease or consent letter, a house registration copy for the new address and a map. Remember to amend the VAT certificate (PorPor 20) at the new revenue office and any work permit that states the place of work.

Yes. Even with no transactions the company must prepare financial statements audited by a licensed CPA and submit them to the DBD and the Revenue Department on the normal deadlines, plus monthly returns such as withholding tax filings and VAT returns if registered. Leaving a company dormant without filing can lead to it being struck off the register, which immediately affects the work permits of any foreign staff.

Pass a special resolution to dissolve, register the dissolution and appoint a liquidator within fourteen days, publish the notice in a newspaper and notify creditors, have the financial statements as at the dissolution date audited, surrender the VAT certificate and notify the Revenue Department, then register completion of the liquidation. In practice this takes roughly four to eight months because of the tax clearance review, and tax filing obligations continue until the liquidation is formally completed.

Contractually yes, and no Thai work permit is required because the work is performed outside the Kingdom. You still need to consider withholding tax under the applicable double tax treaty, the employment law of the country where the person lives, and permanent establishment risk for the company there. If the person later travels to Thailand and performs work here, even briefly, a work permit route must be arranged first.

Registration is mandatory once annual revenue from goods or services exceeds THB 1.8 million, filed within thirty days of crossing the threshold. Voluntary registration below the threshold is allowed and is often needed for work permit applications or for customers who require tax invoices. Once registered, monthly VAT returns are due even for nil months and invoices must follow the Revenue Department format.

Our advisory team has handled corporate registration and cross-border document work for more than fifteen years and can cover the whole cycle: shareholding structure review against the Foreign Business Act, name reservation and incorporation, meeting documents, translation and legalisation of overseas corporate documents, director and address changes, monthly accounting and eventual liquidation. Clients gain the most from the structure review before filing, because corrections afterwards cost far more time.