On 15 October, Thailand's Department of Business Development (DBD) and the Immigration Bureau agreed that the DBD will set up a legal advisory team to support Immigration Bureau investigations, and that the Immigration Bureau will have direct access to the DBD's business database. In the same week, the Ministry of Commerce said it would tighten scrutiny of company registrations and use data to screen for risk.
Two Areas of Cooperation
According to a DBD press release issued by the Ministry of Commerce on 16 October, the Director-General of the DBD met the Deputy Commander of Investigation Division 3 of the Immigration Bureau on 15 October, and the two sides agreed on the following:
First, legal support. The DBD will form a dedicated legal advisory team to advise Immigration Bureau officers on the Civil and Commercial Code, the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542, the Accounting Act B.E. 2543, the Accounting Profession Act B.E. 2547 and the Act on Offenses Relating to Registered Partnerships, Limited Partnerships, Limited Companies, Associations and Foundations B.E. 2499.
Second, data access. Immigration Bureau officers will be able to query juristic person data directly through the DBD's DataWarehouse+ system, without having to request it by official letter. The DBD will designate a business data officer as a single point of contact, and the two agencies will set up a joint working group to share and analyze data in line with cybersecurity standards.
The press release states that the goal is to block nominee (proxy shareholder) arrangements and illegal businesses "from the first point of entry" and to identify companies and individuals that may be involved.
Two Further Signals from the Ministry of Commerce This Week
On 14 October, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce set out work priorities for the whole ministry, one of which is to tackle nominee businesses and illegal imports, tighten scrutiny of company registrations and use data for risk screening. The announcement also noted that in B.E. 2569 the Office of the Prime Minister issued a regulation establishing a committee on "illegal foreign goods and foreign businesses", chaired by a Deputy Prime Minister.
On 15 October, speaking at the 50th anniversary event of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand, an Assistant to the Minister of Commerce said that 23 agencies are working together to address nominee arrangements, in coordination with regulatory reform linked to Thailand's accession process to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with plans to review more than 7,000 laws and regulations.
The Other Side of the Official Message
The Director-General of the DBD also said that the DBD acts as both lead agency and supporting agency, and will continue to facilitate law-abiding foreign investors. The press release did not disclose the number of cases, companies involved or penalty statistics.
Key Points
On 15 October, the DBD and the Immigration Bureau agreed on legal advisory support plus direct access to the business database, and set up a joint working group.
Five laws are covered, including the Foreign Business Act, the Accounting Act and the Accounting Profession Act.
The Ministry of Commerce will tighten scrutiny of company registrations and use data for risk screening; the Office of the Prime Minister has set up a committee on "illegal foreign goods and foreign businesses".
23 agencies are cooperating on nominee issues.
Officials stressed continued facilitation for law-abiding foreign investors; no penalty data was released this time.
Z&X Insight
Once the data is connected, information on a company's shareholders, directors, capital contributions and the people actually running the business will be cross-checked. Companies in which foreign shareholding is below half but which are in practice run and funded by foreign nationals should review early whether their shareholding and capital contributions are genuine and consistent. Where changes are needed, lawful routes such as applying for a Foreign Business License or BOI promotion can be assessed. Z&X Company Registration & Approval Services confirm the business type, foreign shareholding, registered capital and shareholder and director arrangements before work begins, and also handle changes for existing Thai companies.
Sources
กรมพัฒนาธุรกิจการค้า ดิวตรง สำนักงานตรวจคนเข้าเมือง ประสานความร่วมมือสนับสนุนกำลังคนด้านกฎหมายและข้อมูลนิติบุคคล ป้องกัน/ปราบปรามนอมินีและธุรกิจผิดกฎหมาย (DBD Joins Hands with the Immigration Bureau on Legal Manpower and Juristic Person Data to Prevent and Suppress Nominees and Illegal Businesses) | Ministry of Commerce, Department of Business Development | 2026-10-16 | https://www.moc.go.th/th/gallery/category/detail/id/5/iid/2281
‘ปลัดพูนพงษ์’ พลิกโฉมมิติใหม่ ‘พาณิชย์’ มอบนโยบาย 3 ส่วน เน้น ‘คน งาน องค์กร’ พร้อมเดินขับเคลื่อนกระทรวงพาณิชย์ (Permanent Secretary Poonpong Sets a Three-Part Policy Focused on People, Work and Organization for the Ministry of Commerce) | Ministry of Commerce | 2026-10-14 | https://www.moc.go.th/th/gallery/category/detail/id/5/iid/2277
กิริฎา ชี้ไทยต้องเร่งสร้างมูลค่าเพิ่ม–ปฏิรูปเศรษฐกิจ ผลักดัน FTA สร้างโอกาสธุรกิจจริง (Kirida: Thailand Must Accelerate Value Creation and Economic Reform, and Push FTAs to Create Real Business Opportunities) | Ministry of Commerce | 2026-10-15 | https://www.moc.go.th/th/gallery/category/detail/id/5/iid/2278
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