To legally work in Thailand, all foreigners are required to obtain an initial non-immigrant visa (Category “B” – business visa for work) issued by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then to be granted a work permit by the Thai Ministry of Labor.    In essence, the work permit is a legal document that states […]

According to Thailand CBRE Report, the total number of condominiums in Bangkok as of the third quarter of 2016 was approximately 561,000 units, many of which were bought by local Thais and expatriates for investment and rental purposes.  Today, we highlight below certain key legal issues that a condominium owner should be aware of before […]

As per UNCTAD World Investment Report 2016, the total value of foreign inbound investment into Thailand as of the end of 2015 was estimated to be in the region of US 10.8 billion and Thailand has been an important foreign direct investment destination for the past decade. There have however been some cases where investments […]

Non-competition clauses in employment agreements, especially among those employees at the senior level and those employers engaging in competitive business sectors e.g. financial institutions or telecommunication operators, are not uncommon in Thailand.  Such clauses are part of a larger group of clauses known in many other countries as “restraint of trade clauses”.  Today, we will […]

In Thailand, there are generally four specialized courts of the first instance which have been established to handle complex business-focused matters, i.e. the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court, the Central Tax Court, the Central Bankruptcy Court and the Central Labor Court. Today, we will look at an overview of the court which has […]

According to the latest tourism indicator report published by the central Bank of Thailand, i.e. The Bank of Thailand, the number of foreign tourists or businessmen visiting Thailand for the month of June 2016 was 2,946,290 while the hotel occupancy rate was averaged at 61% for the same month.  These numbers are expected to grow […]

It is common for foreign investors to do business in Thailand through a joint venture arrangement in which the foreign investors hold minority shares while the remaining majority shares are held by their respective Thai partners. In this scenario, it is prudent to put in place a joint venture or shareholder agreement in writing so […]

According to The International Property Rights Index 2015, Thailand is ranked 69th in the world when it comes to the protection of intellectual property rights, including copyrights.  This is not a surprise ranking as plagiarism and imitation of copyrighted works of other people are rife in Thailand, albeit illegal. Indeed, the protection of copyrights can […]

It is always a prudent practice for each and every international commercial contract to include a clause stating how disputes will be resolved and in Thailand a common alternative to Thai litigation is “arbitration”.  In determining if litigation or arbitration is to be adopted as a means of dispute resolution in a contract, a number […]

It is common nowadays for multinational companies to purchase directors & officers (D&O) liability insurances as part of their risk management.  When things go wrong, it often happens that company directors and officers may find themselves named personally in civil lawsuits, criminal prosecutions or regulatory investigations.  Further, being a director of a Thai company, particularly […]