Registered Capital in Thailand
Registered capital is the total value of the shares your company is authorised to issue, declared in the memorandum of association and recorded at the Department of Business Development. Thai law sets no minimum for a private limited company, so the figure follows what the company requires. A quarter of each share must be paid up before registration completes, and since 1 August 2026 all shareholders need to show proof of fund allocation, evidenced through bank statements. For the registration itself, see company registration in Thailand.
Registered Capital Is a Declaration, Not a Deposit
Shareholders pay for their shares to the company itself, not to the government. Once paid, that money is the company's working capital and can be spent on the business. The DBD holds none of it, and no balance has to be kept afterwards. What matters is that the money was genuinely paid.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Registered capital | The total declared value of your company's shares |
| Paid-up capital | The part of that value your shareholders have actually paid in |
Both figures appear on the company affidavit, which anyone can obtain. A share may not carry a par value below five baht.
Specific Capital Requirements
At least 25% of the par value of each subscribed share must be paid before registration completes. A standard Thai limited company can continue on that basis. Work permits, specific licenses, BOI projects and Foreign Business License have separate rules for capital requirements
| Situation | Registered capital | Paid Up Capital |
|---|---|---|
| Thai-owned company with no foreign employees | No statutory minimum | 25% of each share before registration completes |
| Company sponsoring one foreign work permit | 2,000,000 baht | 25% of each share (500,000 baht) |
| Each further foreign work permit | A further 2,000,000 baht | 25% of each share (Another 500,000 baht) |
| Foreign employee married to a Thai national | 1,000,000 baht for that work permit | 25% of each share (250,000 baht) |
| Foreign-majority company with a Foreign Business License | 3,000,000 baht per business, or 25% of the estimated three-year average expenses, whichever is higher | Paid in full before the licensed business starts trading |
| Branch office of an overseas company | The same figure | Paid in full before trading, then remitted into Thailand at 25% within three months, 50% by the end of the first year and at least 25% a year after that, all of it within three years |
| US Treaty of Amity company | 3,000,000 baht for FBL and 2,000,000 baht for non-FBL | Brought into Thailand as foreign currency by 29 August 2029 |
| BOI-promoted company | Set by the project, not the company. See BOI capital | Paid in full, before the promotion certificate is issued |
Proof of Fund Commitment
Order of the Central Partnership and Company Registrar No. 2/2569 took effect on 1 August 2026, replacing Orders No. 2/2568 and No. 1/2569. It applies to the incorporation of a company or partnership in which a foreign national holds less than 50% of the capital, to a wholly Thai-owned company that appoints a foreign national as an authorised director, and to later amendments introducing a foreign minority shareholder or authorised signatory.
Three documents are required.
- Bank statements for every Thai shareholder, covering the three months before the share payment and showing a withdrawal or transfer that matches its amount and date.
- Statements for the account that receives the money, showing the subscription monies arriving from every shareholder. A company has no bank account before it is registered, so the payments go to a director personally, or to a shareholder. Nothing is required of a foreign shareholder as a matter of course, since a foreigner may hold no account here at all, but where deposits are made into a foreign shareholder's account, that statement has to be produced as well.
- A prescribed investment explanation letter, setting out the flow of funds from each Thai shareholder to the company.
Every deposit has to be for the exact amount, and the deposits have to fall within two weeks of the company being registered or its details amended at the DBD. Leave the money until last, because payments made earlier than that can see the filing rejected.
Changing Your Registered Capital
An increase requires a special resolution of the shareholders, carried by at least three-quarters of the votes of those present, then registration of the increase and the amended memorandum with the DBD. A reduction follows the same route, adds notice to creditors and an opportunity for them to object, and cannot take capital below a quarter of the total. For increases in capital, parties must then show their statements once more.
How Attori Law Can Help
Setting up a company in Thailand? We work out the right registered capital for your plans and prepare the evidence the DBD now asks for. See our company registration service or get in touch.
FAQs
What is registered capital in Thailand?
The total value of the shares your company is authorised to issue, declared in the memorandum of association and recorded at the Department of Business Development. It sets your company's share structure. It is not a deposit held by the government, and the money is not frozen once paid in.
What is the difference between registered and paid-up capital?
Registered capital is what your company declares. Paid-up capital is what your shareholders have paid in. At least 25% of the par value of each share must be paid before registration, and the rest may be called later by the directors. A Foreign Business Licence expects the full amount.
What is the minimum registered capital for a company in Thailand?
There is no statutory minimum for a Thai-owned private limited company beyond a par value of five baht per share. The figure is set by what you will do with it: two million baht for each foreign work permit, and three million baht of minimum capital where the company is foreign-majority owned.
How much registered capital is needed for a work permit?
Two million baht of registered capital for each foreign employee, together with four Thai employees for each foreign employee. The figure is halved to one million baht where the employee is married to a Thai national. BOI companies are assessed under the Board's own conditions instead.
What is an example of registered capital in a Thai company?
A company registered at two million baht, held 51% by a Thai shareholder and 49% by a foreign shareholder. At the 25% minimum, 500,000 baht is paid up in total, and the Thai shareholder's 255,000 of it must show as a withdrawal from their own account. Paid up in full, the company's paid-up capital is the whole two million, 1,020,000 of it the Thai shareholder's.
How do I check a Thai company's registered capital?
Registered capital is public. The DBD's online records show it alongside the company's directors and filing history, and the company affidavit carries the same figure. The steps are set out on our business registration page.
Can a company increase or reduce its registered capital?
Yes. Both require a special resolution passed by at least three-quarters of the votes of those present, then registration of the change with the DBD. A reduction also requires creditors to be notified and given an opportunity to object, and capital may not be reduced below a quarter of the total.
Reviewed September 2026