What Does Setting Up a Thai Company Cost? Every Expense, From Day One to the End of Year One

The core answer

A new Thai company has two kinds of cost. The first is a small set of one-off items on registration day. The second, and the one owners forget, is a calendar of recurring costs that begins the day the company is registered, whether or not any revenue has arrived.

The rule (Civil and Commercial Code). The first ordinary general meeting must be held within six months of registration, and then at least once every twelve months (s.1171). The accounts and balance sheet are made at least every twelve months (s.1196), and the auditor is chosen by the ordinary meeting every year (s.1209). Each of these creates a cost on a fixed date.

Our practical view. Do not ask "how much to register a company?" Ask for a quote that lists every item in this guide and says which are included. The registration-day cost is usually the smaller part of the first year. This guide gives no prices, because fees change and firms differ. It tells you what to ask for and when each item falls due.

For the registration steps themselves, read registering a company as a Thai owner. For the accounting duties, read what accounting a new company needs. For the filing dates, see our annual corporate filing calendar. We do not repeat those here.

1. What do I pay on registration day?

These items arise before or at the moment the company is registered.

• Name check and reservation. You check that the name is free and reserve it with the DBD. This is a small government step, but if the first name is refused you repeat it.
• Memorandum of association and registration fee. The government charges a registration fee for the memorandum and for the company registration. The amounts are set by ministerial regulation and are calculated from the registered capital, so the figure moves with the capital you choose. We do not state amounts here. Ask the registrar or your adviser for the current schedule.
• Stamp duty on documents, if any. Whether stamp duty applies depends on the type of document, so ask your accountant or the Revenue Department to confirm for the documents you sign instead of assuming either way. A lease for the office is different, see section 2.
• Professional fee. If a lawyer or registration agent prepares the documents, that fee is a market price. You can compare quotes, but make sure each one lists what is included.
• Company seal. Optional in practice. See the FAQ above. Order one only if a bank or counterparty asks for it, or if your registered documents say the company has one.

Capital is not a cost, but it is money to find. Shareholders must pay for their shares as the articles and the law require, and the bank will want to see the company funded. Plan for it as cash, not as an expense.

2. What does the registered office cost?

Every company needs an address the registrar accepts. The costs depend on how you get it.

• Rent or office service. A market price, paid monthly or yearly, set by the landlord or provider.
• Stamp duty on the lease. If the company rents premises, the lease is an instrument that can carry stamp duty. The amount depends on the term and the rent, so ask your accountant to calculate it before you sign.
• Owner's consent letter. If the address is a home or a building you do not own, the registrar usually wants proof that the owner agrees. The letter is usually free, but arranging it takes time, so ask early.
• Signage. If the business puts up a sign, a local signage tax can apply. Rates are set by the local authority, so ask them or your adviser. Many service and online businesses have no sign and so no charge.

3. What do banking and capital cost?

• Bank account opening. Banks may charge account and service fees, and each has its own list of documents. Fees are the bank's price, and some banks waive them. Ask before choosing.
• Paying in the capital. There is no fee for your own money, but money moved between accounts or from abroad may carry transfer charges.
• Online banking and signing tools. Some banks charge for business digital services. If you plan to sign contracts electronically, see electronic signatures for company contracts for what you may need.

4. Which taxes and registrations switch on in the first months?

These are not "fees", but they create real cost, mostly in staff and accountant time.

• VAT registration. Only if your taxable revenue passes the legal threshold, or if you choose to register early. The law gives 30 days from passing the threshold to apply. After registration you issue tax invoices and file every month, even in a month with no sales. Some activities are exempt from VAT altogether, so check yours first. For more, see accounting and tax duties of a foreign-owned company, which applies equally to Thai owners.
• Social security. Only when the company has employees who fall under the social security law. You register as employer and register employees within 30 days of the date they qualify, and pay contributions every month. Paying a freelancer does not create this duty.
• Withholding tax. Arises each time the company pays salary, service fees, rent or other listed payments. The cost is administrative: you deduct, pay over and file.
• Business licences. Some activities need a licence or permit from an agency. The fee, the premises requirements and the lead time depend on the activity. See our business licence service.

5. What recurs every month and every year?

This is the table most owners need. "Who sets the price" tells you where you can negotiate.

The half-year return rule matches what we say in our registration guide: if the first accounting period is shorter than twelve months, there is no half-year return for that period, but the annual return is still due.

6. What are the first-year deadlines that carry a cost?

We do not repeat the full calendar. The deadlines that matter for budgeting are these.

1. First general meeting: within 6 months of the registration date, even if the company has not started trading (s.1171).
2. Later meetings: at least once every 12 months.
3. After year end: the ordinary meeting to approve the financial statements within 4 months of the closing date.
4. Shareholder list (BOJ.5): filed within 14 days of the meeting.
5. Financial statements: filed within 1 month of their approval.
6. VAT registration: within 30 days of revenue passing the threshold.
7. Social security: register within 30 days of the date the duty arises.

Each of these needs an accountant, an auditor or a meeting to happen on time, so each is a cost to have in the budget. Exact dates change by notice, so ask your accountant to confirm the calendar in writing in month one.

7. Which costs can I avoid or reduce?

Some cannot be avoided, but several can be controlled.

• Choose the capital with intent. Because the registration fee follows capital, picking a figure with no business reason can make the fee higher. Equally, too little capital can make bank and counterparty dealings harder. Decide with your adviser.
• Do not skip a legal duty to save a fee. Missing a filing or an audit produces penalties, and each missed year has to be corrected separately. See changing accountants and missing filings for what that costs in practice.
• Keep company and personal money apart. Receipts in the owner's name instead of the company's cause costs later, in accountant time and in expenses that cannot be used.
• Send documents monthly. A year of papers handed over at once costs more to sort than twelve small batches.
• Compare quotes line by line. Two quotes that look different may include different items. Use the table above as your comparison sheet.
• Spend before you register, not after. If you sign for the lease or order stock before the company exists, the person who signed may be personally liable. See pre-incorporation contracts and promoter liability.

8. A checklist to take to your adviser

• Government registration fees, listed separately from our fees.
• Stamp duty on each document, with the basis.
• Fee for the lawyer or registration agent, with what is included.
• Registered office: rent, lease stamp duty, owner's consent.
• Bank account: fees and documents.
• Monthly bookkeeping and filings: what is included, and the price if sales are nil.
• Whether VAT registration is needed, and when.
• Social security and withholding tax set-up.
• Audit: who is the auditor, and when are the books needed.
• Half-year and annual corporate tax returns.
• The general meeting: who prepares notice and minutes.
• Filing financial statements and the shareholder list.
• Licence for your activity.
• Software and e-tax or e-signature tools, if used.
• Anything you will be charged for later that is not in the quote.

Further reading

• Registering a company as a Thai owner
• What accounting a new company needs in year one
• Annual corporate filing calendar
• Accounting and tax duties of a foreign-owned company
• Pre-incorporation contracts and promoter liability

A new company's real cost is the registration-day fees plus a fixed calendar of bookkeeping, audit, meeting and filing costs, so budget for the whole first year and ask every adviser to quote every item.

We help owners register companies and set up accounting, tax and filings from the first month. Initial consultation is free — call +66 92 254 2045 or send us the details. See also company registration, accounting and tax compliance and corporate secretarial.

This guide is published by Suwanvara Law Firm — a Khon Kaen law firm established in 1986. General information only, not legal advice on a specific matter.