Mrs. Laliha stated that in accordance with the new directives, the Department will forward the names of those who have…

The government is tightening control over nominees from April 1, 2026. On March 24, Mrs. Lalida Perisvivatana, deputy spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office, announced that the Department of Business Development, Ministry of Commerce, issued the "Order No 1/2569" of the central registry of partnerships and companies, establishing additional criteria and methods of registration to prevent the use of Thai nationals as nominees to conceal foreign ownership of businesses in Thailand. These measures will take effect from April 1, 2026. The new measures require managing partners or authorized persons to confirm that all shareholders or partners have invested and paid for the funds, and have not assisted foreigners as nominees. This significantly enhances the verification process. Previously, the Department required high-risk enterprises, such as those with foreign ownership of less than 50% or with foreign nationals as directors, to provide financial documents of Thai shareholders to confirm the authenticity of investments. This led to a tightening of registration control, classified as nominee activity. Although the number of enterprises registering illegally has decreased by 65%, attempts to circumvent these measures are still encountered. Therefore, additional directives were issued to eliminate these loopholes. Mrs. Lalida stated that in accordance with the new directives, the Department will forward the names of those who have provided verified information and are considered at risk to the Central Investigation Bureau for further investigation. She warned that providing false information is a crime under the Criminal Code and may also be an offense under the Foreign Business Act of 1999, punishable by imprisonment and fines. In addition, the Department of Business Development is preparing to conduct in-depth investigations in high-risk areas such as Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Surat Thani, Phuket, and Krabi. If cases of expedited registration to circumvent the measures are found, decisive legal action will be taken. There are currently over 118,000 companies with a foreign shareholder percentage of 0.01 to 49.99%, some of which operate as nominee shareholders. This negatively affects business competitiveness and the economy as a whole. The new measures are aimed at ensuring transparency and legality in business operations. "The government is seriously fighting nominee shareholders to create fair competition and strengthen trust in the Thai economy," Mrs. Lalida said...