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Papavarin Sarawongsuth

Associate

Biography

Papavarin Sarawongsuth is an associate in Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial department in Bangkok, where she primarily assists clients with tax and corporate and commercial legal issues. She has extensive experience providing advice to domestic and multinational companies on various tax matters, including corporate income tax, personal income tax, withholding tax, value-added tax, specific business tax, stamp duty, excise tax, customs duty, transfer pricing, inheritance tax, land and building tax, and others. She also advises on tax mitigation and tax structuring for domestic and cross-border transactions. She conducts tax due diligence, tax health checks, and tax audit assistance as well. In addition, she handles tax compliance matters such as the computation of corporate and personal income tax and the filing of tax returns, and she advises on various other areas of corporate law and commercial transactions.

Prior to joining Tilleke & Gibbins, Papavarin worked as a tax advisor at the Bangkok office of a Big Four accounting firm, where she specialized in international tax and transfer pricing. She holds an LLM in International Tax Law from King’s College London and an LLB in Business Law from Thammasat University.

Experience

  • Advised on tax structuring for investments into residential land development projects for sale in Thailand and the tax implications of all phases of the transactions, including acquisition, holding and profit repatriation, and exit.
  • Provided feasibility analysis regarding tax incentives offered under the International Business Centre (IBC) scheme, and assisted in preparing the IBC application for filing with the Revenue Department.
  • Carried out tax due diligence and tax health checks on various Thai target companies in industries such as consumer products, shipping, and aviation.
  • Assisted the Thai subsidiary of a leading US-based technology company in the tax computation and filing of tax returns for annual and mid-year corporate income tax, as well as transfer pricing disclosure documentation.
  • Assisted a leading American luxury jewelry company in defending its position in a tax audit by Thailand’s Revenue Department in relation to corporate income tax, VAT, and transfer pricing issues.
ABOUT Papavarin

Location

Languages

    Thai

    English

Education

    LLM, King’s College London

    LLB, Thammasat University

Insights

September 17, 2025
Thailand’s Ministry of Finance has introduced a five-year personal income tax exemption on capital gains from the disposal of cryptocurrency or digital tokens. The Ministerial Regulation No. 399, published in the Government Gazette on September 5, 2025, offers the personal income tax exemption for transfers occurring between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2029. The ministerial regulation was enacted to promote Thailand as a global financial center and digital asset business hub while encouraging increased domestic investment in digital assets. Key Conditions The exemption, which covers capital gains from cryptocurrency and digital token disposals during the specified five-year period, applies only to individuals. Companies that trade in digital assets are not eligible for this tax exemption. With the tax holiday set to expire in 2029 (unless extended), individual traders should plan ahead for postexemption taxation to ensure full compliance with Thailand’s personal income tax requirements. Proper documentation of digital asset transactions during the exemption period will be essential for future tax compliance. For more details on this tax exemption, or on any aspect of Thailand’s tax law and regulations, please contact Saravut Krailadsiri at [email protected] or Papavarin Sarawongsuth at [email protected].
May 2, 2025
Attorneys from Tilleke & Gibbins have updated the latest edition of Doing Business in Thailand, a Q&A-style guide from Thomson Reuters Practical Law that offers an overview of key legal considerations for companies operating in jurisdictions worldwide. The contribution outlines the country’s legal and regulatory framework for foreign investment and business operations and reflects the latest legislative developments. The chapter addresses the following core topics: Legal system: Structure of the courts and the codified nature of Thai law. Foreign investment: Business restrictions under the Foreign Business Act, sector-specific regulations, exchange control rules, and investment incentives. Business vehicles: Overview of partnerships, private and public limited companies, and other legal entities. Employment: Labor protections, employment contracts, foreign worker requirements, and termination procedures. Tax: Corporate and personal income tax, indirect taxes, and tax obligations for residents and non-residents. Intellectual property: Registration and enforcement of patents, trademarks, designs, and copyrights. Data protection: Key provisions of the Personal Data Protection Act and related compliance obligations. Competition law: Regulatory framework under the Trade Competition Act. Anti-bribery and corruption: Relevant legislation and enforcement mechanisms. E-commerce and digital business: Legal regime for online transactions and digital platforms. Marketing and advertising: Consumer protection laws and regulations affecting advertising and marketing practices. Product regulation and liability: Safety standards, liability regimes, and roles of enforcement authorities. Practical Law, a legal reference resource from Thomson Reuters, publishes a range of guides for hundreds of jurisdictions and practice areas. The insurance and reinsurance guide is a valuable resource for legal practitioners, covering numerous jurisdictions worldwide. To view the latest version of the guide, please visit the Practical Law website and enroll in the free Practical Law trial to gain full access.
December 4, 2024
Thailand Legal Basics, a valuable primer for foreign investors, explores all aspects of living and doing business in Thailand. Written by specialists at Tilleke & Gibbins in Bangkok, it is the only comprehensive English-language guide to the Thai legal system with a focus on the concerns of foreign business and investment.
January 12, 2024
Thailand’s Revenue Department (RD) has issued a notification requiring electronic platforms to report their revenue from business operators on their platform. With this information, the RD intends to track business operators’ income from the sale of goods and services through electronic platforms in order to facilitate accurate and efficient tax collection. The notification, which was enacted on December 27, 2023, took effect on January 1, 2024. Under the notification, electronic platforms are required to compile a “special account” containing information on the revenue received from each business operator on their platform and submit it to the RD through the department’s electronic reporting system within 150 days of the end of the fiscal year. The notification defines “electronic platforms” as entities that intermediate between business operators (i.e., sellers of goods or providers of services via the electronic platform) and consumers for the purpose of enabling electronic transactions between the parties. This covers online marketplace operators, ride-hailing operators, food delivery operators, and so on. This reporting requirement applies to electronic platforms registered in Thailand that have (or previously had, starting from the notification’s effective date) annual revenue exceeding THB 1 billion (approx. USD 28.5 million), except for electronic platforms under the supervision of the Bank of Thailand or the Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such as payment service providers and cryptocurrency exchanges. Electronic platforms can appoint a third party to prepare and submit the required special account information to the RD on their behalf. Compliance Steps As the requirements established by this notification mean that the RD will now have direct access to information on the income earned by vendors and merchants on electronic platforms, these business operators—whether corporate or individual—should ensure that they faithfully disclose their earnings, submit tax payments correctly, and file income tax returns in a

Awards & Rankings

April 3, 2026
Tilleke & Gibbins is pleased to announce that the firm has been shortlisted in two categories at the Financial Times (FT) Innovative Lawyers APAC 2026 awards: Innovative Lawyers in Cyber and Data Privacy – “Digital Identity & Cryptocurrency Compliance” Innovative Practitioner – Athistha (Nop) Chitranukroh The FT Innovative Lawyers APAC Awards recognize law firms and practitioners who are driving innovation in legal services and delivering innovative client solutions across the Asia-Pacific region. This recognition marks our third acknowledgment in the Innovative Lawyers category and, notably, our first-ever nomination in the Innovative Practitioner category at the FT Innovative Lawyers APAC awards. It reflects our team’s continued ability to support clients on groundbreaking, forward-looking projects across the region. The awards ceremony will take place on May 14, 2026, in Hong Kong. To learn more about the FT Innovative Lawyers APAC 2026 awards and to view the full list of shortlisted organizations, please visit the FT website.
March 19, 2026
Tilleke & Gibbins has been recognized in 17 categories at the 2026 Thailand Law Firm Awards from Asia Business Law Journal (ABLJ), up from 10 categories in 2025. The awards highlight leading law firms in Thailand across a broad range of practice areas, as well as overall firm performance. This year, Tilleke & Gibbins was named a co-winner in the Best Overall Law Firm category as well as in the following practice-specific categories: Artificial Intelligence Aviation Blockchain & Digital Assets Competition & Antitrust Data Compliance & Cyber Security E-Commerce, Digital Trade & Platform Regulation ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Fintech Healthcare & Life Sciences Insurance & Reinsurance IP Litigation IP Prosecution Labour & Employment Private Equity & Venture Capital Shipping & Maritime Technology, Media & Telecommunications The awards are determined through ABLJ’s independent research, which considers recent work, client feedback, and market standing. The annual Thailand Law Firm Awards recognize firms demonstrating strong performance and breadth of expertise across key practice areas. For more details and the full list of winners, please visit the ABLJ website.
March 9, 2026
Tilleke & Gibbins has been shortlisted in multiple firmwide and individual categories at the Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards 2026, including Regional Firm of the Year, reflecting the firm’s work across Southeast Asia and the continued development of its regional practices. In the individual categories, Aye Thuzar Hlaing has been shortlisted for Myanmar Associate of the Year (Corporate and M&A), and Linh Duy Mai has been shortlisted for Vietnam Associate of the Year (Intellectual Property). Tilleke & Gibbins has also been shortlisted in the following firm categories: Regional Firm of the Year Thailand – Law Firm of the Year Thailand – Law Firm of the Year (Litigation) Myanmar – Law Firm of the Year Vietnam – Law Firm of the Year Vietnam – Law Firm of the Year (Labor and Employment) Laos – Law Firm of the Year The winners will be announced on April 30, 2026, at the Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards ceremony in Singapore. To browse the full shortlist for the Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards 2026, please see the Legal 500 website.

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