A Lighter Way Into Thailand
A representative office is for foreign companies that want to be in Thailand without running a full business here. You can research the market, inspect product quality, coordinate with local suppliers, and feed information back to your head office.
You cannot sell anything, sign contracts, accept orders, or earn revenue of any kind. All operating money comes from your head office. Break these rules and the Ministry of Commerce shuts you down.
Allowed vs. Prohibited
You Can Do This
You Cannot Do This
Setting It Up
You need Ministry of Commerce approval (4-8 weeks), your head office’s audited financial statements for 3 years, an appointed local representative, and an operating budget.
No corporate income tax (you have no revenue), but you still file annual tax returns and withhold PND.1 on any Thai employees’ salaries. Annual renewal is required.
Related Business Types
We handle this for you: Representative Office
Katwalee Matar (Lee)
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
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