Guide to doing business in Thailand 2016 [reports]

Thailand has gone through some tumultuous years that have had some impact on its economy. To help investment and growth, this complete guide to doing business in Thailand updated for 2016 will guide investors and entrepreneurs in their activities, to launch and conduct business in Thailand.

The Thailand Board of Investment has released a complete guide to doing business in Thailand in 2016. Covering all the major business domains from registration to taxes, legal issues to new incentives, this long and very complete document will provide answers to all your regulatory and administrative questions to do business in Thailand.

Doing business in Thailand

The business guide to Thailand 2016 notably highlights the policies engaged by the new government (chapter 7), including the Special Economic Zones for which you can find more information with the incentives for business clusters in Thailand. For more information on taxes, check our guide to taxes in Thailand.

Doing business in Thailand 2016 report
Click to open the PDF from the Thailand Board of Investment

Doing business in Thailand 2016 – summary

Chapter 1: Procedures for establishing a company

  1. Forming a company – page 6
  2. Reporting Requirements – page 10
  3. Types of business organizations – page 12

Chapter 2: Taxation in Thailand

  1. Corporate Income Tax – page 23
  2. Value Added Tax – page 28
  3. Personal Income Tax – page 32
  4. Other Taxes – page 35
  5. Customs Duties – page 46

Chapter 3: Industrial licensing and regulations

  1. The Factory Act – page 51
  2. Factory License – page 51
  3. Factory Operations – page 52
  4. Factory Expansion – page 53
  5. Other Provisions – page 53
  6. Procedures and Timetable for Factory Permits/License – page 54
  7. Environmental Concerns Regarding Sources of Water – page 56
  8. Environmental and Health Impact Assessments – page 56

Chapter 4: Patents, copyrights, trademarks

  1. Patents – page 59
  2. Copyrights – page 61
  3. Trademarks – page 65

Chapter 5: Legal issues for foreign investors

  1. Foreign Business Act of 1999 and Activities Restricted to Thai Nationals – page 68
  2. Work Permits – page 72
  3. Visas and Immigration Law – page 76
  4. International Banking Facilities – page 78
  5. Exchange Control – page 80
  6. Stock Exchange of Thailand – page 82
  7. Land Ownership – page 83

Chapter 6: Labor issues

  1. Labor Regulations – page 85

Chapter 7: New policy update

  1. Special Economic Zones – page 92
  2. Data Centers & Digital Economy Initiative – page 99

Chapter 8: Frequently asked questions – page 101

Annex: Important addresses – page 105

Costs of business in Thailand

To further help you assess the financial needs of your activities in Thailand, the Thailand Board of Investment North America has also published a guide to costs of doing business in Thailand. This very detailed data set will come handy to estimate total costs of new ventures: company registration, employees, taxes, rent, utilities, fuel, transports, etc.

Costs of doing business in Thailand 2016 – summary

Typical costs of starting and operating a business – page 4

Tax rates and double taxation agreements – page 5

  • Tax rates – page 5
  • Excise rate – page 7

Labor costs – page 10

  • IT positions – page 10
  • Translation costs – page 13
  • Overtime regulations – page 13
  • Severance payment entitlement – page 14
  • Minimum wage – page 14

Office occupancy costs in Asia Pacific – page 14

Rental factory industry – page 15

Utility costs – page 16

  • Water rates for regional areas – page 16
  • Water rates by user types – page 16
  • Electricity tariffs – page 17

Transportation costs including fuel costs and freight rates – page 23

  • Retail oil prices – page 23
  • Retail LPG prices – page 24
  • Shipping cargo rates from Bangkok – page 24
  • Costs of express postal services from Bangkok – page 24
  • Air cargo rates from Bangkok – page 26
  • Rail transportation costs – page 27

Communications costs – page 28

  • International telephone rates – page 28
  • Fixed line service – page 30
  • Y-Tel 1234 rates – page 31
  • International telephone rates – page 31
  • International private leased circuit – page 33
  • TOT satellite package – page 33
  • Monthly internet rates – page 33
  • Internet – IPStar – page 35

Industrial estates and facilities – page 37

Miscellaneous costs and information – page 70

  • Services apartments average achieved rents of Grade A by Area, Q1 2015 – page 70
  • Apartments achieved rents of Grade A by Area, Q1 2015 – page 70
  • International school fee structures – page 71
  • Thai graduates by major – page 72
  • Foreign students in Thai higher education institutions – page 75
  • Vehicle domestic sales – page 76
  • Seaports in Thailand – page 77
  • International airports in Thailand – page 81
  • Driving distance chart – page 83
  • Contact address – page 84

Document from December 2015 published by the Thailand Board of Investment North America

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