Market guides · reviewed 2026-10-09

Franchising into Southeast Asia and India

Country-by-country guides for franchisors taking a brand across borders: what the law requires, whether a foreigner can own the operating company, how to protect the trademark, what tax comes off a royalty, and how to find and vet a master franchisee. Every legal and tax point links to its source.

How these guides are built

Each country hub follows the same skeleton, so you can compare markets line by line: the franchise law and registration, whether a foreigner can own the operating company, trademarks and licence recording, tax on royalties, and how to find and vet a master franchisee. Legal and tax statements come from the statute, the regulator or a named law firm, with the source and its date shown next to each line. Where we could not verify a point against a source, we left it out rather than guess. The checklists and practical advice are our own, drawn from Go Global Holdings' work taking Asian brands across borders.

Start with the law

ASEAN franchise law comparatorVietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia: statute, registration, disclosure and foreign-franchisor rules side by side.

Country hubs

🇮🇩 IndonesiaFranchising into Indonesia under PP 35/2024: STPW registration, the 14-day prospectus, foreign ownership, trademarks and royalty tax, with sources.🇵🇭 The PhilippinesFranchising into the Philippines: no franchise statute, IP Code rules, EO 169 for MSMEs, retail ownership thresholds and 25% royalty tax, sourced.🇲🇾 MalaysiaFranchising into Malaysia: Franchise Act approval for foreign franchisors, KUSKOP registration, 10-day disclosure, F&B ownership rules and 10% royalty tax.🇹🇭 ThailandFranchising into Thailand: no franchise statute, TCC unfair-practice guidelines, Foreign Business Act limits, licence registration and 15% royalty tax.🇸🇬 SingaporeFranchising into Singapore: no franchise law, 100% foreign ownership with a resident director, SFA food licences, trade mark licences and 10% royalty tax.🇰🇭 CambodiaFranchising into Cambodia: no franchise statute, recording under Prakas 036, open foreign ownership, first-to-file trademarks and 14% royalty tax.🇮🇳 IndiaFranchising into India from Southeast Asia: no franchise law, open FDI, free royalty remittance, trademark prior use, and 20% royalty tax (10% by treaty).

Vietnam: the legal basics are in the comparator.