The government is intensifying efforts to crack down on the use of Thai nominees by foreigners in five high-risk business sectors by 2026: tourism, real estate, logistics, warehousing and agricultural product trade.
Deputy Commerce Minister Napintorn Srisunpang said a subcommittee on nominee business prevention and suppression held a second meeting on Wednesday with related agencies to discuss measures to investigate and pursue legal action against companies suspected of using Thai nominees.
The meeting approved plans for the short, medium and long term to be proposed to the Committee on Foreign Product and Business Compliance chaired by Commerce Minister Pichai Naripthaphan, aiming for approval on Dec 9.
The subcommittee has coordinated with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) to expedite legal amendments incorporating nominee-related offences as a basis for seizing and freezing the assets of offenders in order to mitigate economic damage to the country, said Mr Napintorn.
A resolution was passed for the Department of Business Development (DBD) to establish a centre dedicated to handling complaints related to nominee activities.
Mr Napintorn said the campaign to prevent foreign businesses from using Thai nominees would take 21 months, starting from September this year.
In the short term, he said, related agencies would use existing laws to intensively monitor, investigate and interrogate juristic persons suspected of using nominees in the five targeted business sectors.
The target areas for inspection vary depending on the type of business, aiming to streamline operations and improve efficiency. For tourism and real estate, inspections will focus on key tourist provinces, such as Greater Bangkok, Phuket, Chon Buri, Surat Thani and Chiang Mai.
For the agricultural product trade, inspections will focus on provinces known for tropical fruit production, particularly Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat in eastern Thailand, and certain southern provinces.
Authorities have identified cases of foreign nationals leasing land to grow tropical fruit, despite legal restrictions allowing leases of no more than 30 years and prohibiting the sale of such land, said Mr Napintorn.
For logistics, inspections will focus on land transport services in border provinces in the North and Northeast.
For warehouses, inspections will target Bangkok and metropolitan areas, following complaints from small businesses about the impact of foreign enterprises operating online retail stores in these regions, said Mr Napintorn.
“The greatest concerns are tourism, real estate and logistics given their high economic value,” he said. “Authorities started following this plan in September and hope to eliminate nominee activities in 21 months, by mid-2026.”
For the medium term, the DBD plans to link business data with relevant agencies such as law firms and accounting offices to help screen companies at risk of using nominees.
For the long term, the ministry will consider amending Amlo laws to allow the DBD to refuse or revoke business registration if companies are deemed high-risk under anti-money laundering laws, said Mr Napintorn.
The DBD plans to investigate 26,830 juristic persons next year in tourism, real estate, hotels and resorts, transport and logistics, and e-commerce platforms and warehouses nationwide as part of its crackdown on Thai nominees.