Effective from 1^st July 2021 each foreign legal entity (“FLE”) established outside Thailand but operates businesses which are not prohibited or restricted under the Foreign Business Act (“FBA”) in Thailand, such as branches representative offices of foreign companies, must obtain a 13-digit ID number (“FLE ID No.”) from the Department of Business Development (“DBD”) and use it for the purposes of official filings with the DBD.

The FLE ID No. mentioned above is required under the DBD Notification on Application for Identification Numbers by FLEs Established under Foreign Laws  Operating Businesses Not Subject to the Lists of Prohibited or Restricted Businesses under the FBA dated 7^th June 2021.

To obtain the FLE ID No., the representative or attorney of the FLE must first obtain a username and a password from the DBD and verify his/her identity with the DBD’s e-registration system at www.dbd.go.th.  He/she can then use the said username and password to login to the DBD’s website (www.dbd.go.th) to complete the application for the FLE ID No. and submit the required supporting documents to support the application.  If the DBD finds the application and the required supporting documents complete, then the DBD will issue the FLE ID No. to the FLE.

The username, the password and the FLE ID No. issued by the DBD can be used also for future filings and registrations of the FBL’s name change, address change, change of representative and appointment of attorney with the DBD.

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