Foreign investment
Company registration checklist before a licence application
Thailand Cannabis Report · Reefers Club Co., Ltd. · Last checked 31 October 2026
Most licensed cannabis businesses in Thailand are held through a Thai limited company. Getting the company right before the licence application saves a second round of paperwork, and avoids the ownership mistakes that end in criminal liability.
The registration steps
- Reserve the company name with the Department of Business Development.
- File the memorandum of association, setting out the objectives, capital and promoters.
- Hold the statutory meeting to adopt the articles, appoint directors and allot shares.
- Register the company and receive its registration certificate and tax identification number.
- Register for VAT when required, and for social security once you employ staff.
Include the cannabis activities in the company's objectives, and keep the registered address consistent with the premises you will license. Estimated
Ownership: settle it first
- The Foreign Business Act restricts many activities for foreign-controlled companies. Cultivation is restricted, and the extracts regulation in force since 25 April 2026 closed extract production to foreign businesses. Verified
- Section 36 makes nominee holding an offence for both the Thai holder and the foreigner. See the nominee trap.
- Take Thai legal advice on the structure before you register, not after.
The credential comes before the licence
Since 30 April 2026, Ministerial Regulation No. 2 restricts a flower licence to applicants with a qualifying underlying credential: a medical facility licence, a herbal product or drug manufacture or sale licence, a cannabis or hemp extract production licence or a folk healer certificate, or a supplying cultivation site. Verified A newly registered company with none of these cannot get a flower licence. Plan the credential into the company from day one. See what the 30 April 2026 rules changed.
Then the licence application
With the company, the credential and the premises in place, the application goes to DTAM or the provincial public health office on the PT series of forms. See how long it takes to get a cannabis licence.
Section 3 of the report, free to read, sets out the eligibility list.
Sources
- Section 3 of the 2026 report, The rules in force (free to read)
- Tilleke & Gibbins, Cannabis and Hemp Business Guide Thailand 2025
- Thailand Board of Investment, A Guide to the Board of Investment 2025
This article is market intelligence, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules change by notification; check the current text with the relevant authority or Thai counsel before you act.
In short
Do I need a company to get a cannabis licence in Thailand?
Licences can be held by individuals or companies, but most businesses use a Thai limited company so the licence sits with the business.
What are the steps to register a Thai company?
Reserve a name, file the memorandum of association, hold the statutory meeting, register the company with the Department of Business Development, then register for tax and, where needed, VAT and social security.
Can a foreigner own the company?
Foreign ownership is restricted for many activities under the Foreign Business Act. Cultivation and extract production are closed to foreign businesses.
What do I need before applying for a flower licence?
Since 30 April 2026, a qualifying underlying licence or certificate, or a supplying cultivation site, plus premises held by right.
Can I use a Thai nominee?
No. Nominee holding is an offence for both people under section 36 of the Foreign Business Act.
Want the numbers behind this?
This article gives you the argument. The figures, where they come from and how sure we are of each one are in the report.