US Treaty of Amity

To qualify for Friendship Treaty rights: The person(s) must be established as a sole proprietorship, partnership, representative office, branch office, joint venture or private limited company in the United States. In addition, the person seeking these rights must be a U.S. citizen, either by birth or naturalization. For a U.S. corporation seeking treaty protection, a majority of the directors and officers must be U.S. citizens.

The US Treaty of Amity offers significant commercial benefits to U.S. investors in Thailand, both corporate and individual, allowing them to:

Despite the benefits offered by the US Treaty of Amity, additional limitations apply to U.S. investments, as follows:

The entire process of incorporation can be completed in approximately four to five weeks. It usually takes three business days to obtain the approval letter from the U.S. Commercial Service. Once the document is issued, it takes approximately two to three weeks after the form is submitted. It should be noted that express service is also available.

In order to enjoy the benefits of the US Treaty of Amity, it is essential to obtain the license and approvals before establishing the Thai company. The process can be long as many administrative documents must be provided to the Department of Business Development and the U.S. Embassy in Thailand.

Before applying for a US Treaty of Amity, it is important to make sure that your business is eligible for the amity license treaty. Indeed, the Thai law strictly regulates certain economic activities in Thailand which are reserved to most Thai shareholders. Therefore, certain licenses may be required to carry out certain economic activities.

Original documents must be submitted to the U.S. Commercial Service located in Bangkok at GPF Witthayu Commercial Service Office, Tower A, 3rd Floor, Room 302, Wireless Road. The U.S. Commercial Service must issue a certificate proving that the applicant is eligible for the US Treaty of Amity. Documentation is required to prove that the company was incorporated under Thai law. The U.S. Commercial Service Office will then confirm to the Thai Commercial Registration Department of the Ministry of Commerce that the applicant is a U.S. owned and operated company or a U.S. structure and is therefore eligible for the provisions of the treaty, upon receipt of the required documents.

After obtaining the documents certified by the commercial services, the applicant must submit the mentioned documents to the Ministry of Commerce at the Business Development Department to register the treaty and complete the procedure. The application fee is THB 2,000.

The applicant must follow a specific procedure to register the Thai company under the US Treaty of Amity. The company must be registered with a minimum registered capital of THB 2 million and include the following criteria:

After receiving a confirmation letter from the U.S. Commercial Service, the applicant (business entity) must submit all documents, along with the completed application form, to the Foreign Enterprise Administration, Department of Business Development. This is in order to be registered under the treaty.

Issuance of certificate of approval: If all the documents are completed, the applicant will receive the certificate of approval.
Payment of the certification fee: The applicant has to pay 20,000 THB to obtain the certificate of friendship treaty with the United States.