The media in Thailand is a well-developed sector although there are certain restrictions imposed by the Thai Government. It is good to know that the Copyright Law of Thailand protects the entire media. Even though the technology nowadays let us use the internet to read the news we might want, people in Thailand are still reading newspapers with daily, weekly and monthly appearance, in the Thai language or English. Foreign businessmen who wish to open a publishing company in Thailand can do so under specific conditions. Our specialists in company formation in Thailand can offer proper information and guidance about how to open a publishing company in the country.
The company registration in Thailand related to a publishing business is a normal process and there are certain requirements that need to be followed. The Publishing Act stipulates that the owner needs to follow certain conditions and to obtain a publishing license. In order to open a publishing company in Thailand (magazine, newspaper, etc.) the owner or the representative needs to reserve a name and to fill the application form at the Ministry of Culture in Thailand.
The company registration in Thailand can be explained by our experts in company formation in Thailand, besides details about the taxation for such business and many other rules and regulations. For instance, the owner of the newspaper needs to be at least 20 years old, with a clear criminal background and a residence permit for Thailand. The next step is to find an available name for the magazine or newspaper, register for VAT and to apply for the ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) in Thailand which is usually issued in one day. Details about the type of magazine, the language and the objectives of the printed newspaper or publication will be requested when applying for a publishing license in Thailand.
The publishing company must have at least 70% Thai shareholding in order to be approved, therefore a partnership is required if you want to open such company in Thailand. The authorities in charge of issuing the publishing license need to verify the editor in chief and see if the criminal record is clear, with the approval of the Thai police. The document related to the time of issuance and other company papers will be necessary to register the business as a publishing company, besides a THB 5,000 charge that needs to be paid. A Civil Registration Database (Tor.Ror. 14/1) of the printer, publisher, editor, owner of the newspaper will be requested. It is good to know that you will need to prepare a letter of consent to use the office of the newspaper or proof of the ownership of the address in Thailand. We remind that if you want to open a company in Thailand, you can ask for assistance in this matter from our consultants.
The registration process takes about 4 or 6 weeks and the magazine publishing operator is required to apply for ISSN upon attaining the publishing license for which he will need to offer a sample of a magazine cover and inside cover of the publication.
Additional information and guidance about how to open a publishing company can be obtained from our company formation agents in Thailand, so please do not hesitate to contact us.