The Verdict: Need More Info
This turns on whether your business could get Board of Investment (BOI) promotion. Ask the BOI, and take our golden visa quiz, which covers founders and the SMART S startup visa.
Without promotion, your own company must hold THB 2 million of paid-up capital and employ four Thai staff on social security before you can hold a work permit in it. You cannot start small and grow into it.
Most business activities are also limited for majority foreign ownership, which shapes how the company can be set up. Get advice on the structure before you apply for anything.
BOI promotion removes the staffing rule and can ease the ownership limit. Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa holders are outside the staffing rule too. The SMART visa's Talent, Investor and Executive categories closed in 2025; only SMART S for founders remains.
A work permit cannot authorise a restricted occupation, even in your own company, so check your activity against the list.