Before investing time in a BOI application, you need clear answers: which activity category fits your project, what conditions come with it, and whether the incentives justify the obligations. We assess this for your specific project, prepare the application, and support you through approval and the compliance that follows. Thai-law advice is provided by licensed Thai counsels on our team.
Who this service is for
- Foreign companies setting up manufacturing, R&D or service operations in Thailand
- Founders of software, digital platform and technology businesses
- Groups establishing regional, trading or support functions (IBC, TISO)
- BOI-promoted companies that need help with compliance or a new project
Step 1: Preliminary BOI assessment
Before an application is prepared, we test whether BOI promotion fits your project:
- identify the candidate activity categories and their conditions
- check potential barriers: minimum investment, capital, ownership, location, machinery and staffing requirements
- estimate which incentives are realistically available, including tax, import duty, land and foreign staff privileges
- consult the BOI where the right category is unclear
Result: a written opinion with the recommended category, the conditions that will apply, recommendations on the project concept and an action plan. As a guide, it takes about two weeks from receipt of complete project information.
Separate option: comparing BOI with other routes
If BOI may not be the best route, we can extend the work into a broader assessment that compares BOI with an industrial estate, a free zone (relevant where components are imported) and special economic zones. This is a separate engagement with a wider scope than the preliminary BOI assessment.
Step 2: Application, approval and promotion certificate
You provide the commercial and technical information about the project and your business plan. We turn it into the BOI application and handle the process:
- preparing and filing the application in the BOI e-Investment system
- meetings with BOI officers and answers to their questions
- follow-up until the BOI decision and acceptance of the promotion
- preparing the documents for issue of the promotion certificate
Result: BOI approval, followed by the issued promotion certificate. As a guide, approval takes 5–7 months from the start of application preparation, depending on the project and the BOI review. The certificate is issued separately after approval, once the promotion has been accepted and the required documents, including company registration documents, have been filed.
After approval
Separate services are available for the steps that follow:
- company formation or capital changes, bank account and registrations
- visas and work permits for foreign staff through BOI systems
- land ownership permission where the promotion allows it
Obligations do not end when the project starts operating. Until the operation commencement permit is issued, the company files quarterly progress reports. After that, using tax privileges such as the corporate income tax exemption requires its own applications and reporting, and the conditions of the promotion certificate continue to apply. We can support these filings on an ongoing basis.
What to send us to start
- a description of the activity, products or services and customers
- the planned investment: amount, machinery and location
- the ownership structure and planned capital
- the expected number of Thai and foreign staff
- your launch timetable
Scope and fee are agreed before work begins. Most of the work is done by email and video call.
Related guides
Application
Activity-specific guides
- BOI incentives for software, digital platforms and content businesses
- BOI TISO: a practical guide for service and sales businesses
- International Business Center (IBC) regime
Compliance after approval
- BOI land ownership for foreign companies
- BOI rules for foreign employees
- BOI quarterly progress reporting