A foreign company opening a branch or representative office in Phuket — where do you start?

The scope of this answer is “A foreign company opening a branch or representative office in Phuket”, so it separates what is specific to this file from the standard certification chain. The common failure in this group of cases is a translation that does not match the certification type required. The deciding factor is the receiving body's requirement, not only the format of the Thai-side document. Before starting, verify the source document is still within any validity window the recipient applies, then count the number of certified sets needed before work starts, because extra sets restart the certification steps, then confirm with the receiving body whether it wants an original, a certified copy or a certified translation. The specifics here are location: Phuket, and those decide which translation and certification level applies. The terms that frame this page are foreign · company · opening · branch. A change of address or director usually has to be recorded on the licence too, not only in the company register. When filing for a company, attach current evidence of signing authority. For documents going abroad, include international shipping time in the plan. When several certification layers are required, start with the slowest one. If the receiving body confirmed its requirements by email, keep that message with the file. Record the reference number of each certification layer; it is the fastest way to trace status. The next step is confirming the filing channel and the copy or file format required. Company formation in Thailand runs under the Civil and Commercial Code for partnerships and private limited companies, and the Public Limited Companies Act B.E. 2535 for public companies. The registrar is the Department of Business Development (DBD) at the Ministry of Commerce, which issues the company affidavit. When a foreign counterparty or authority asks for proof of existence, use the registrar-issued affidavit rather than a copy the company printed itself. A Thai corporate document used overseas is normally translated in full — including seals and signatures — then the translation is certified by the Legalisation Division, Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally by the destination country's embassy or consulate where that country requires it. Thailand is not a party to the 1961 Apostille Convention, so no apostille is issued for Thai documents. ILC handles the document side: translation, certification of the translation, assembling the set against the authority's checklist, and coordinating the MFA and embassy steps. ILC is not counsel of record for a licence application, gives no legal ruling, and cannot guarantee how a licensing authority will decide. Cost and lead time depend on page count, target language, how many certified sets are required and the steps the receiving authority sets, so every file is quoted before work starts. Send scans of every page together with the checklist the licensing authority gave you, via LINE @NAATI, call +66 80-557-8887 or email ilc@thainotary.co.th.

ปรึกษาฟรี — LINE @NAATI · โทร 080-5578887 · อีเมล ilc@thainotary.co.th