The Thai government has ordered a review of the citizenship application process and past approvals, targeting foreign nominee networks and loopholes. A special Interior Ministry task force will examine procedures, eligibility criteria, and past grants, with findings used to potentially amend the 1965 Nationality Act. Officials at all levels will receive training to identify suspicious activities.
The Thai government has instructed agencies to conduct proactive inspections of businesses employing foreign workers, targeting those without work permits or working in jobs reserved for Thai nationals. Employers face fines of 10,000–100,000 baht per violation, and repeat offenders risk prison and a three-year hiring ban. Foreign workers found in violation face fines, deportation, and a two-year ban on applying for work permits.
Thailand's Commerce Ministry has exempted seven service categories from Foreign Business Act licensing requirements, including telecom services, treasury centres, intra-group admin/HR/IT, space rental for automated machines, domestic debt guarantees, petroleum drilling contracts, and securities/derivatives activities. The change aims to reduce duplicate approvals for foreign investors, but only applies to narrowly defined activities and does not open general retail, hospitality, or property businesses. Companies must still comply with sector-specific laws, registrations, and visa/work-permit rules.
Thailand's Ministry of Commerce reports a 75% drop in newly registered high-risk nominee entities, from 561 to 141 in the first 20 days of August vs. the same period in 2025. Officials have tightened pre-registration checks and are reviewing existing companies, forwarding over 50,000 cases for further investigation, with on-site inspections in 13 provinces.
A new ministerial regulation (No. 5) published August 28, 2026, adds several business services to the list of activities foreigners may operate without a Foreign Business License. These include margin lending, securities repo, Type 1 telecom services, treasury centers, shared administrative/HR/IT services between related entities, domestic debt guarantee services between related entities, leasing space for ATMs and electronic machines, and petroleum drilling for direct contractors. The regulation also revises derivatives business exemptions.
Thailand's new deportation regulations, signed by PM Anutin and effective August 28, 2026, allow the Interior Ministry to begin deportation proceedings before foreign convicts finish their prison sentences. Prisons must notify officials at least 15 days before release, enabling immediate removal and re-entry bans. The rules cover illegal entry, illegal work, business violations, forgery, and other serious offenses.
Most foreign employees in Thailand still need a work permit, but limited exemptions exist for SMART-S startup founders, diplomats, short-term specialists, and remote workers on DTV or LTR visas. The SMART visa programme was narrowed in February 2025, with certain categories no longer available for new applicants.