Obtaining Thailand Licenses and Permits

Dealing with your own government is not great entertainment anywhere. Dealing with a foreign government can be even more challenging. Let us do the walking and talking for you.

Thailand Customs Department - Any person (natural or juristic, Thai or foreign) planning to engage in the import or export of materials will have to become familiar with the intricacies of this monolithic institution, by applying for and obtaining a customs card ("HyperCard"). We can assist you.

Thailand Department of Business Development (DBD) - Computerized, and on-line to some extent, they strive to serve the public well. The time required to register a private limited company has come down to as little as fourteen days, provided you have your paperwork in order. Bangkok Base will arrange for a smooth registration process.

Thailand Revenue Department - Once you have registered your new company, you will need to register with the Revenue Department, and obtain a corporate tax ID. If your company's total revenue exceeds 1.2 million Thai baht in one year, you will have to become a member of the VAT (Value Added Tax) community. Monthly reports must be made to the Revenue Department. For more information, you can go to the Thailand Revenue Department website. Or you can let us handle it.

Other Thai government agencies - The official entities you may be likely to come across as a resident are the Land Transport Department for driving licenses and vehicle registration; the District Office for building control and matters about the house; the Land Registration Department for title registration; the Alien Control Division of the Department of Labor for matters related to Work Permits; the Immigration Division of The Royal Thai Police Department for visas and the like.

In general, you will find individual civil servants to be polite, friendly, and helpful. If you are not fluent in Thai, it would be advisable to obtain your own interpreter. Always keep your cool, even when things seem to be going against you. Try to be polite, smile, and speak slowly, especially if you are speaking English. In general, people will do their best to help you. The most valuable piece of advice we can give is to let Bangkok Base do the walking and talking for you.