Providing Motion Picture Support Services in Thailand

Foreigners who want to do the business of providing support services to motion picture business in Thailand can apply for BOI promotion under activity ”7.21 – Motion picture support services” to get distinct benefits and be able to have 100% foreign owned company in Thailand.

What support services can get a BOI certificate

Here is the short overview of conditions you have to comply with in order to get a BOI certificate:

“Motion picture support services shall include documentaries, television programs, animation and commercials, which have a scope of business, as follows:

• Rental services of movie production equipment and/or movie production props must have main equipment machinery, such as camera, grip equipment, light set, etc.
• Film development and duplication services must have main equipment/ machinery, such as film development machine, film duplication machine, digital film duplication machine, etc.
• Sound recording services must have main equipment/machinery, such as digital sound recorder, digital sound editing machine, digital sound mixing machine, etc.
• Picture technical services must have machines and equipment capable of creating special pictures that are not possible with cameras. The service providers must have main equipment and machinery, such as standard definition/high definition digital recorders, editing suites, digital compositing and special effect creation, etc.
• Coordination services for foreign movie production in Thailand must include coordinating with related government agencies for permits, location scouting and sourcing of staff and movie equipment. “

What to do to get the BOI Certificate

On the BOI website, you can download an application form. There are a lot of numbers and details that you will have to spend a lot of time and energy on trying to understand them and making them the way the BOI want to see and will approve your project. We suggest you get expert help from Thai Lawyers Ltd. so you can focus on getting clients and opening up new markets and making lots of money quickly.

Register a company

While waiting for the approval for Thailand BOI, company registration process can be started.

You can take a look at fully explained process of company registration here.

What else

Once you registered a company and got your BOI certificate you can start to conduct your business activity. However, you still need to apply for a Foreign Business Certificate to comply with Thailand Foreign Business Law.

Contact us today for consultation and read a similar article on how to set up a film production company in Thailand.

Franchise Food Business in Thailand

Anyone wanting to become a franchisor must have been operating their business for at least 2 years.

As a franchisee, here are the two ways you can operate your franchised business in Thailand:

• Register a Thai company with 51% shares held by Thai shareholders.
• If you do not have Thai partners to hold the majority shares in your business, then as a foreigner majority company, you will have to get a Foreign Business License, which is not easy to get.

After registering a company, you should:

• Sign an agreement with the franchisor, who is the owner of the brand and know-how.
• Apply with the Ministry of Public Health for the license to operate the place for cooking. This is so that you can have a cooking place in your restaurant.
• Submit sign board tax at District Office where your restaurant is located within 15 days after putting your sign board up.
• Register into VAT system and Social Security system.

These steps above take a lot of time and effort. Consult with MSNA Group, who will give you the best advice so you can spend time and energy on things that are more important.

Manufacturing plastic products from recycled plastic

Thailand is strengthening its role as a leading global hub of plastics manufacturer, with makers placing greater emphasis on value-added and environment-friendly products. The Thai plastics industry is growing consistently, and demand in the vigorous domestic economy is the key driver.

To promote sustainable growth in the plastics industry together with protection of the environment, the BOI classifies projects in the manufacture of eco-friendly plastics as priority activities of special importance to the country. Therefore, these are given maximum investment incentives.

The only condition that a business needs to follow in order to become a manufacturer for plastic products from the recycled plastics is that it must have plastic forming process using domestic plastic raw materials only.

The incentives that can be given to this project are those under A4 category which includes:

• 3 years of corporate tax exemption
• Exemption of import duties on machinery
• Exemption of import duties on raw materials used in the production for exports
• 100% foreign business ownership
• Permit to own land
• Permit to bring skilled workers and expert to work into the Kingdom.

If you are planning to register your business in Thailand, please do not hesitate to contact MSNA for more information. We are experienced in BOI application, setting up a company, getting Foreign Business Certificate, visa and work permit application.

Opening a Business in Thailand

Do you want to open a company in Thailand but don’t really know how to proceed or the process might seem difficult? Do not worry, we at MSNA can give you the best solution.

The procedures depend on the type of company that you will set up. Let’s discuss it in details.

A. Registering a Thai company with 51% shares held by Thai shareholder

Pros:

• Your company can do business right after registration.
• The process is much easier because you don’t need to get special license.

Cons:

• If you want to hire foreigners to work, your company must have 2 million Baht capital and hire 4 Thai employees in order to apply for one work permit.

How to register:

• You need at least 3 shareholders (if you have 2 foreigners, then you need 1 Thai).
• The number of shares to be held by Thai must be at least 51%. This Thai shareholder must show proof of funds (at least 6 months update of bank statement showing enough money to buy the amount of shares they will hold).
• Please read the steps here

B. Other options:

If new Thai limited company will be doing only export activities from Thailand or manufacturing goods in Thailand, then it can be foreign majority owned without obtaining a Foreign Business License.

• If you are American, you can register a company under the Treaty of Amity

• Get BOI certificate (Board of Investment)

Pros:

• It would be fine if you don’t have a Thai partner as long as your business activity falls under any category of eligible activities for BOI promotion.
• Tax exemption such as corporate income tax, tariff exemption or reduction on import machinery and raw material (depending on the company’s activity).
• Non-Tax privileges such as permission to own land, permission to bring foreign expert to work on the promoted projects, exemption on foreign ownership of companies and exemption from work permit and visa rules.

Cons:

• Not all activities are eligible to obtain a BOI certificate. Please checkout Foreign Business law here 
• If your company’s activity is not in this list, you will need to get Foreign Business License.

How to register:

• The process to get BOI is summarized here

Registering a business in Thailand can be troublesome but we at MSNA can make it convenient for you. Contact us now for initial consultation.