BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand’s government is tightening the screws. Companies with foreign stakes must now hand over detailed bank statements from the last three months.
The new audit rule targets hidden nominee deals without blocking legitimate investors. It took effect on 1 August 2026.
Three months on the test bench
Anyone bringing in foreign capital or becoming a signatory must now provide an investment certificate to the Department of Business Development. That includes full bank statements from the last three months – from both the Thai depositors and the recipients of the capital.
Officials want to trace the real origin of the money.
This document requirement is not harassment for honest entrepreneurs. Rather, it is meant to prevent Thais from acting as hidden trustees for foreign companies and undermining the economic system.
said deputy government spokesperson Lalida Periwattana.
Pressure on nominee networks
Until now controls focused mainly on the moment a company was founded. That loophole let clever operators set up formally clean structures and later swap out shareholders or directors.
The new Order 2/2569 from the central partnership and company register extends checks to the entire life cycle of a legal entity.
Lalida said officials no longer look only at the day of incorporation but also at later changes to shareholders, directors and signatories. Anyone who restructures ownership after registration to dodge controls falls into the crosshairs of investigators.
Agencies link their databases
To track nominee operations more efficiently, the government is pushing to interconnect agency databases. The Department of Business Development, the Land Office and other relevant bodies will now cross-check information on property ownership and identities.
The suspicion: companies are deliberately used as vehicles for abusive land acquisition by foreigners.
In addition the Commerce Ministry will now check the identity of shareholders via the civil registry database. That is meant to ensure no fictitious or non-existent persons are listed as shareholders.
Warning note on shareholder lists
Copies of shareholder lists will now carry an official note. The ministry wants to make clear that these documents are merely filed records – not a certificate of the current status of the shareholders.
The company’s own share register determines the actual composition.
This correction is meant to stop forged or outdated lists from being used as official proof of nominee structures. The public should “correctly understand what the document says and what it does not”, said the government spokesperson.
Nearly 120,000 firms with foreign quota under 50 percent
Thailand currently has over one million active legal entities. Some 119,116 companies have a foreign stake of no more than 49.99 percent – exactly the threshold often linked to nominee structures.
Lalida warned against jumping to conclusions. She stressed the figure only serves for risk assessment.
It does not automatically mean all those firms are breaking the law. Officials examine each case individually based on evidence and facts, said the spokesperson. Sweeping suspicions against investors with minority stakes are not the goal of the tightening.
Government promises fair investment climate
The measures are meant to create transparency and protect honest entrepreneurs from unfair competition, according to the government. Authorities are ready to offer all conveniences to Thai and foreign investors as long as they follow legal requirements.
At the same time they want to stop actions that exploit the country’s economic system.