Registering a Thai Company Yourself vs Using an Agent
Incorporation is not procedurally hard. What costs time is consistency between every document and the obligations that begin the moment the certificate is issued.
In short
Doing it yourself saves professional fees and suits simple structures: all-Thai shareholders in one location, no special licence, no immediate VAT. An agent pays for itself with foreign shareholders, signatories abroad, immediate VAT registration, or licensed activities, because the usual failures are not the form itself but a rejected company name, capital figures that disagree between documents, and incomplete proof of the registered address.
Side-by-side comparison
| Criterion | Do it yourself | Use an agent |
|---|---|---|
| Professional fees | None | Charged by scope |
| Official fees | Same | Same |
| Founder time required | High, from name search to follow-up | Low, mainly signing and providing information |
| Chance of first-round rejection | Higher without familiarity with the formats | Lower because consistency is checked first |
| Foreign shareholders or directors | Considerably more complex, with documents certified abroad | Routine work |
| Following straight on to VAT | You prepare the premises evidence yourself | Evidence prepared for the site inspection |
| Capital and objectives planning | Risk of a structure that will not support later plans | Set up for licences and future work permits |
| What happens after incorporation | You arrange bookkeeping and registrations yourself | Continues directly into accounting and tax work |
Choose Do it yourself when
- All shareholders and directors are Thai and in the same location
- The business needs no special licence
- You have time to run the process and can absorb a delay
- VAT registration is not needed yet
Choose Use an agent when
- Foreign shareholders or directors are involved
- Signatories are overseas and documents need certification abroad
- You must register for VAT and issue tax invoices by an agreed date
- The business needs a licence or will apply for work permits
- You want accounting and tax handled continuously after incorporation
Frequently asked questions
- How long does it take on your own?
- With complete documents and a name approved first time, the core steps take only a few working days. In practice, rejected name reservations, collecting promoter signatures and assembling premises evidence stretch it into weeks for first-timers.
- Do official fees differ between the two routes?
- No. Government fees are the same whoever files. Only professional fees differ, which is why a quote should show the two as separate lines.
- If a DIY filing is rejected, can it be refiled?
- Yes, with no waiting period. The key is knowing whether the rejection concerned the name or the documents, because the fixes differ, and correcting every document consistently before the second filing.
- How much registered capital should we set?
- Consider future plans. Work permits and work-based visas for foreign staff carry higher minimum capital expectations than an ordinary incorporation. Setting it too low means an increase and an amendment filing later.
- What must be done immediately after incorporation?
- Appoint a qualified bookkeeper, open the corporate bank account, register as an employer with social security once you hire, and register for VAT if you meet the conditions or need to issue tax invoices. Each has its own deadline and this is where DIY filings most often slip.
Not sure which route your document needs?
Send scans and the receiving authority's checklist on LINE @NYC168 or by email, and our team will confirm the correct route and a written quote before any work starts.