A representative office of a foreign company may only carry out non-revenue activities in Thailand, such as sourcing goods, checking the quality of goods the head office buys, advising on the head office's products, sharing information on new products, and reporting Thai business developments to the head office.
Department of Business Development (DBD)
Foreign trading houses, OEM buyers, sourcing offices needing legal presence without taxable revenue.
This page is general guidance from published sources, not an authority ruling. Rules and official fees can change; check the current version before deciding.
There is no fixed timeline. It depends on complete documents, foreign document legalisation and review by Department of Business Development (DBD). Our staff estimate a realistic window after checking your documents.
We do not publish service fees because scope varies with the activity, capital and number of documents. Send your details to our staff for a tailored quotation. Official fees are separate, at the rates the authority publishes.
No. Decisions are at the authority's discretion. We check document completeness, prepare translations and file according to procedure. We do not offer refunds.
Usually certification in the issuing country (notarisation plus foreign-ministry legalisation or an Apostille, as the recipient accepts) and a Thai translation. Confirm the format the Thai authority accepts first.
Typically Revenue Department tax registration, VAT registration once thresholds apply, Social Security employer registration, and work permits for foreign staff.
Call 083-249-4999 or use the contact page. We reply within 2 hours during business hours, Mon–Sat 09:00–18:00 Thailand time. Head office: Ladprao 95, Bangkok.
Answers on translating and certifying Thai corporate records — company affidavit, shareholder list (BorJor.5), memorandum of association, VAT certificate (PP.20) and financial statements — for foreign counterparties, banks and authorities, following DBD/Revenue Department issuance and MFA Legalization Division practice. (22+ search topics covered)
Need your documents reviewed or your case assessed? Ask our team by phone, LINE, or email. We reply within two hours during business hours (Mon–Sat 9:00–18:00 ICT).
Company records for foreign use must be freshly issued by the Department of Business Development and then translated and legalised for the destination. Most destinations accept them only within about six months of issue.
Prefer not to handle the queues yourself, or worried about a rejection? Send us photos of your documents for a free pre-check. We handle the full chain — obtaining certified copies, translation, certification and submission — and keep you updated at each step. Reach us on LINE, phone or email during business hours.
Corporate records must come from the correct source before any certification layer can be added.
| Route | When to use | Certifying authority | Approx. duration | Rejection risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DBD certificate + translation + consular legalisation + embassy | Filing with a foreign government body, e.g. registering a subsidiary | Department of Business Development (DBD) and Department of Consular Affairs | Variable — allow several weeks including embassy queues | Using a certificate older than the destination's accepted issue window |
| Director-certified copies with attorney-notarised signatures | The receiving party is a private counterparty or overseas bank | Notarial services attorney | Usually a few days | Government recipients generally will not accept this format |
Timelines above are practical estimates from live casework and can change with each authority's policy; confirm with the receiving authority before booking travel. If you would rather not test routes by trial and error, our advisers can assess which route fits your case.
Our team has worked on cross-border documents, certified translation and government liaison since 2015. Most rejections we see are not caused by missing paperwork but by choosing the wrong route on day one, so we always start with a case assessment.
We look at your destination, purpose and deadline, then tell you which certification route applies — and which steps you can skip.
Name spelling, consistency across documents, document age and translation format are checked before anything reaches a counter.
We sequence the steps around your appointment or travel date and flag bottlenecks in advance.
We read the refusal reasons, identify the underlying cause, and plan a resubmission that answers what the authority asked for.
Rather not learn by trial and error? Send your case details and document photos for a review — reach us on LINE, phone or email during business hours.
Shareholding, objectives and required licences should be settled before filing; later changes require amendment filings and extra time.
Tax invoices, receipts and contracts should be filed systematically per accounting period to support any later audit.
Some activities need a licence from a specialist regulator before operating. Verify at the planning stage.
Mixed accounts complicate financial statements and tax explanations, and cause problems when bank evidence supports a visa or work permit.
Changes of director, address or capital must be filed within the statutory period; omissions create mismatches that block other applications.
Assets in different countries may fall under different succession rules; ensure multiple wills do not contradict each other.
Late filing triggers statutory surcharges and penalties and can affect renewal of foreign executives' work permits.
Using nominees to bypass foreign business restrictions carries serious legal risk. Structure the company lawfully from the outset.
Requirements differ by authority and destination country and can change. Confirm current conditions with the receiving authority, or ask our team by phone, LINE or email.
One document set often moves through several stages — translation, notarial certification, legalization and finally a visa filing. The links below follow that real sequence.
Authority requirements change. Verify with the receiving authority before filing, or ask our team by phone, LINE or email.