Thailand BOI Explained — What the Tax Holiday Actually Gets You
Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) is the primary mechanism for attracting foreign manufacturers. If you're setting up production in Thailand, understanding BOI isn't optional.
What BOI promotion means
A promoted company gets:
- 0% corporate income tax for 3-8 years (activity-dependent)
- Import duty exemption on machinery and raw materials used in export production
- Work permit and land ownership facilitation for foreign staff
- Customs fast-track processing at Laem Chabang and Map Ta Phut
The tax holiday alone can save tens of millions of baht for a manufacturing setup — the math depends on capex scale.
Which industries qualify
BOI groups activities into merit-based categories. High-eligibility sectors for foreign buyers:
| Industry | Typical holiday |
|---|---|
| Electronics / EMS | 5-8 years |
| Automotive parts (Tier 1) | 5-8 years |
| Food processing (export-focused) | 3-5 years |
| Chemical / specialty polymer | 3-5 years |
| Logistics / cold chain | 3 years |
| Bio-based / green energy | 5-8+ years |
Why industrial estate location matters
BOI promotes activities in specific zones. Being inside an IEAT-designated estate — Amata, WHA, Pinthong, Rojana — can:
- Unlock higher promotion merit (additional tax years)
- Simplify customs (One-Stop Service on-site)
- Give access to ready-built factory shells (faster setup)
Industrial estate tenants already account for a large share of Thailand's BOI-promoted companies.
How to apply
1. Submit promotion application to BOI (boi.go.th) — best done via a Thai legal firm 2. BOI reviews and issues promotion certificate (typically 3-6 months) 3. Set up Thai entity, register with Revenue Department 4. Begin operations under promotion framework
Foreign majority ownership (up to 100%) is allowed for BOI-promoted manufacturers.
Suppliers in BOI-eligible industries
Browse BOI-eligible manufacturers in our directory — filtered by estate location and industry heuristic.