Business and partnerships

Check pending

Check pending

This page comes from the previous version of the site and has not been checked yet. Check it against the official source before you rely on it.

Official source: to follow

Figures that change

①Setup: 25,000–60,000 THB in feesCheck pending
②VAT threshold: 1.8 M THB turnoverCheck pending

General information, not legal, financial or investment advice.

Fees and rules change often. Check with the relevant institution before you act. This page is not legal advice.

Setting up a company

A standard Thai Limited Company requires at least two shareholders, and foreigners may hold up to 49 % under the Foreign Business Act — unless you qualify for an exemption.

Routes to majority or full foreign ownership:

BOI promotion — for targeted industries (tech, manufacturing, digital services). 100 % foreign ownership, tax holidays, easier visas and work permits
US Treaty of Amity — not applicable to Bulgarian citizens
Foreign Business Licence — case by case, slow
Representative office — no revenue, but legal presence and work permits

Realistic setup: 25,000–60,000 THB in fees^① and 3–6 weeks. Monthly accounting is 3,000–8,000 THB. VAT registration is mandatory above 1.8 M THB^② turnover.

Nominee shareholder arrangements — Thai names holding shares they did not pay for — are illegal, increasingly prosecuted, and put your entire investment at risk. Get proper legal advice, not bar advice.

Where Bulgarians actually do business here

Software and digital services billed to EU clients — the single largest group
Tourism services for the Bulgarian and wider Balkan market: guiding, transfers, wedding and honeymoon packages
Import / export — Thai food, textiles and furniture into the EU; European food and cosmetics into Thailand
Hospitality — small guesthouses, cafés and bars, usually with a Thai partner
Health and wellness tourism — dental, aesthetic and orthopaedic packages arranged for Bulgarian patients

The Thai-Bulgarian trade relationship is small but growing, and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce works with Thai counterparts on market entry.