Thailand BOI guide
What is BOI Thailand?
The BOI is Thailand's investment promotion agency. Promotion is granted per project and can unlock tax and non-tax privileges.
The agency and what it does
The Board of Investment of Thailand, usually shortened to BOI, is the government agency responsible for promoting investment in activities Thailand wants to grow. It does not register companies and it is not a tax authority. It grants promotion to specific projects that fall inside published activity lists.
Promotion is a project-level decision. Two companies in the same industry can receive different outcomes because the promoted activity, the technology used, the capital invested and the location all matter.
What promotion can include
Privileges are grouped into tax incentives and non-tax incentives. The exact package attached to an activity changes as policy changes, which is why the current announcement for your activity is the only reliable reference.
- Corporate income tax exemptions or reductions for a defined period
- Import duty exemptions on machinery or raw materials in some activities
- Permission to own land for a promoted project in defined cases
- Easier work permits and visas for skilled foreign staff
- Majority or full foreign shareholding for many promoted activities
Why Indian investors ask about BOI first
For many Indian founders, the driving question is control: can we own the company outright and bring our own technical team? BOI promotion is one of the recognised routes to foreign majority ownership in Thailand, alongside a Foreign Business Licence and treaty-based structures.
That said, promotion is not a shortcut around Thai law. It is a structured application with real substance requirements, project detail and follow-up reporting.
Frequently asked questions
- Is BOI promotion a grant or subsidy?
- No. It is a package of tax and non-tax privileges attached to an approved project, not a cash grant.
- Does BOI approval guarantee visas or licences?
- No. Promotion improves the pathway for certain permissions but every downstream approval remains a separate process.
BOI eligibility depends on the specific activity, project and current regulations. This page provides general information and is not official BOI advice.