After registration, which business licence do you still need? Check by activity before you start selling
A company affidavit is not an operating licence. This guide walks through which activities need which permit — food, cosmetics, tourism, transport, restaurants and online selling.
Zura Labs & Business Hub Co., Ltd.
Registration gives you a legal entity, not the right to run an activity that has its own regulator. Food, cosmetics, supplements and medical devices go through the Thai FDA; tour operators need a tourism business licence; restaurants and premises need local-authority permits; transport goes to the Department of Land Transport; online selling needs e-commerce registration. The safe method is to describe your real activity in detail, then check agency by agency before you sell.
Reviewed 2026-09-15 by the Zura Labs corporate services team.
- Food and beverages
- Manufacturing, importing or repacking requires premises approval and a product registration or notification, depending on the product type.
- Cosmetics and supplements
- Must be notified to the Thai FDA before sale, with labelling that follows the prescribed content.
- Tourism
- Tour operators and guides need their own licences, with a security deposit set by licence type.
- Restaurants and cafés
- Permits come from the municipality or district for food premises and hygiene; alcohol or tobacco sales need separate licences.
- Transport and logistics
- Carrying goods for hire requires a transport operator licence from the Department of Land Transport.
- Selling online
- Requires e-commerce commercial registration and seller details displayed on the storefront.
How this works in practice
- 01
List every real activity
Separate manufacturing, importing, distributing, servicing and acting as an intermediary — the same product falls under different laws by activity.
- 02
Check product and service by product
Some ordinary-looking items are controlled — supplements, low-risk medical devices, household hazardous substances. Check each with its own regulator.
- 03
Check the premises before signing a lease
Many licences attach to the premises — building use, zoning and hygiene. Checking before signing costs less than relocating later.
- 04
Sequence the applications
Some permits need the company affidavit and VAT first; others need the premises inspected first. Sequence them so nothing is filed twice.
- 05
Prepare one core document set
Affidavit, shareholder list, premises plan, lease and director documents are reused across applications — keep one ready-to-file set.
- 06
Track expiry dates
Most licences expire and must be renewed in advance; set reminders at least 60 days ahead so sales never pause.
Reasons this gets delayed or rejected
Treating the affidavit as a licence
The affidavit proves the entity exists; it does not authorise a regulated activity.
Selling before the licence exists
Selling a controlled product before approval is penalised and makes the later application harder.
Registered address that is not the real site
Premises-based licences must match the site actually used and inspected; an office address cannot stand in for a factory or kitchen.
Relying on old advice in online groups
Conditions and forms change by announcement; verify with the regulator or a provider currently doing that filing.
Answers to the questions we hear most
Does selling online need a licence?
You need e-commerce commercial registration, and if the product is controlled — food or cosmetics, for example — the product approval or notification as well.
For OEM production, who applies?
The factory needs the production-site licence; the brand owner needs the product notification or approval in its own name. Both sides must be covered.
Can I use a virtual office for a licence?
It can serve as the office address subject to each agency's conditions, but activities needing a production site, warehouse or shopfront require the real inspected premises.
How long do licences take?
It varies widely by type and site inspection. We give ranges from real cases and never promise an agency's approval date.
This is general preparation information, not case-specific legal or accounting advice. Government fees, processing times and conditions change with official announcements. We review each guide on a schedule and show the review date on the page.